Sure, he seemed like a plain old human general in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but a lot of fan theories were just proven correct: In a interview with Collider, actor Harry Lennix confirmed that his character, Calvin Swanwick, is J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter—and he appears in the forthcoming Snyder Cut of Justice League.
Lennix first appeared as General Swanwick in Man of Steel, when he got caught up in the conflict between Superman and General Zod. By the time of Batman v Superman, he’s been promoted to Secretary of Defense and is the person who doesn’t want to nuke Doomsday, lest they take out Superman as well.
Speaking with Collider, Lennix said that he had no idea, through Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman, that his character had a secret identity. He never saw the original script for Justice League, but last fall, he shot scenes for the Snyder Cut, which is expected to air on HBO Max in March.
The Martian Manhunter first appeared in comics in 1955. The telepathic shapeshifter was one of the founding members of the Justice League, and has appeared in plenty of live-action and animated versions of the DC universe, including Smallville (played by Phil Morris) and Supergirl, where he’s played by David Harewood. Snyder’s film will mark the first time the character appears in a live-action movie.
