Warning: Possible Spoilers for "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice"

Fans of the growing DC Cinematic Universe surely enjoyed actor Michael Shannon's take on the iconic Superman villain General Zod in 2013's "Man of Steel." As Zod, Shannon conveyed not only the destructive villainy needed to be taken seriously as a threat, but also an interesting sense of vulnerability and purpose that made his character a bit more three-dimensional. As such, fans will be happy to hear that it's possible that Shannon could be returning for next year's "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice," albeit in an entirely different role.

A popular rumor that has been making the rounds is that the infamous Doomsday character will be the Big Bad (along with Lex Luthor) in "Batman V Superman." "It's been out there, but it's official. We are going to see Doomsday," Umberto Gonzalez, formerly of Latino Review, reported.

This is still unconfirmed at the moment but the possible backstory behind Doomsday is very interesting. According to earlier rumors, Zod's corpse is recovered by Lexcorp and experimented on, eventually triggering the "Doomsday genome." Zod's body then acts as a conscious host for the being that was so powerful it was able to kill Superman in the comics. If these rumors are to be believed, this would obviously necessitate a cameo appearance from Shannon.

However, Shannon is an Academy Award winning actor and it seems unlikely that he would agree to appear as nothing more than a corpse or action set piece. Would he be given something more to do as "Doomsday" than just destroy city blocks and throw punches?

Again, all of this is still just speculation at this point; we don't even know if Doomsday is in the film. But it would make sense to have a powerful foe pose such an enormous threat that it forces Bruce Wayne and Kal-El to put aside their differences and team up against a common enemy. Whether or not that foe will be in the form of Michael Shannon is yet to be determined.

"Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" will hit theaters on March 25, 2016.