Man of Steel star Michael Shannon has confirmed he wears a motion-capture suit in his portrayal of General Zod, describing it as "one of the most humiliating garments that exists in the known universe."

A snapshot of the actor wrapped in motion-capture sensors leaked out of the Plano, Illinois, set of the Zack Snyder film, sparking speculation about the nature of the Kryptonian criminal's costume. Although Shannon, best known for his roles in Revolutionary Road and Boardwalk Empire, didn't offer Moviefone any details about Zod's appearance, he did share with the website his discomfort with the mo-cap suit.

"It's very tight. It has a variety of different colors and shapes on it and it makes you feel like you're the court jester," he told Moviefone. "And it's funny because when I met with Zack we were talking about it before it started and he mentioned that there was going to be a lot of CGI, or whatever. I said, 'Just don't make me wear one of those silly suits.' He said, 'Oh, yeah, don't worry, I know exactly what you're talking about.' I was like, 'It's going to be really hard for me to be intimidating if I have to wear one of those silly suits.' He said, 'I totally understand.' Then I showed up and he's like, 'Dude, I swear to God, it's going to be so bad ass when we done. Trust me, it's going to be wicked.' And, you know, people understand and you get used to it. The first day, you feel like you're getting rushed by a fraternity... and then it wears off the next day. Because I'm not the only one wearing one – there are other people wearing them, too."

It could be worse, though: Shannon could be the guy with the rod strapped to his head.

Man of Steel also stars Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Julia Ormond as Lara Lor-Van, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Antje Traue as Faora, Harry Lennix as General Swanwick and Christopher Meloni as Col. Hardy. The film opens June 14, 2013.