After years of rumors, behind-the-scenes reports, and speculation from the fan community, the DC Extended Universe that began with Man of Steel in 2013 has come to a conclusion. After 2023 saw Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom all underperform at the box office, the attention has now turned to the new DCU that will be run by James Gunn and Peter Safran. While characters like John Cena’s Peacemaker and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller are set to stick around, the majority of the previous DCEU cast has effectively retired from their roles. Despite this bold new direction, many fans are clinging on to the possibility of Henry Cavill returning to play Superman.
Confusion over Cavill’s role in the franchise isn’t entirely unexpected; after a post-credit scene for Black Adam seemed to confirm he would be reprising his role as Superman in an upcoming project, DC Films experienced a creative overhaul that resulted in David Corenswet being cast as a young Clark Kent in Gunn’s Superman film, set for release in 2025. It certainly may have been a disappointment for Cavill, who also recently left his role in The Witcher. However, the conspiracy theories about Cavill’s exit don’t do him any good, as he is an actor who is destined for a much more exciting career beyond the DC Universe.
It’s Okay That Henry Cavill Isn’t Playing Superman
Although reactions to Man of Steel were incredibly divisive among DC Comic fans, Cavill’s performance was largely praised; he certainly had the physique, charisma, and inherent goodness that was essential to playing the classic character. Unfortunately, the downbeat tone of the DCEU films gave Cavill little room to develop the characterization of Superman. Instead of getting to play a heroic and inspiring version of the character, Cavill was stuck playing a dark, brooding Superman who was rejected by humanity. While the extended release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League helped give him a more respectful reintroduction into the franchise, it still didn’t fix the ill-conceived direction to take the world’s most optimistic superhero.
Although support for Cavill was strong, a Man of Steel sequel never became a priority for Warner Brothers. Man of Steel had performed admirably well at the box office, but the studio seemed intent on pursuing crossover events that would introduce Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) into the universe. Save for a few half-hearted cameos, Cavill’s Superman seemed to be entirely forgotten about as the DCEU experimented with different characters. While a Man of Steel sequel could have given Cavill a better chance to flesh out the character, it sadly became stuck in development hell.
Despite being relatively ignored by the DCEU creative team, Cavill did some of the best work of his career in between comic book movies. Cavill’s star turn as the super spy Napoleon Solo in Guy Ritchie’s reboot of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. series revealed just how charismatic he could be, and should have started a franchise of its own. Cavill showed bravery in taking roles where he was cast against type; he proved to be one of the only villains capable of taking down Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) with his role in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and gave a surprisingly vulnerable performance in the criminally underrated Netflix war drama Sand Castle.
Henry Cavill Has an Exciting Slate of Upcoming Projects
What’s most disappointing about the fixation with the Superman franchise is that some of Cavill’s best work has gone ignored. This year, Cavill teamed up with Ritchie again for an appearance in the old-fashioned World War II action thriller The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. It was a role that allowed Cavill to do everything that a great action star should do; he kills Nazis, saves the world, leads a team of heroes, and even gets to deliver a few uproarious one-liners. Despite strong reviews, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare underperformed at the box office, and is already making its debut on VOD service.
The financial disappointment of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is unfortunate, but Cavill has an exciting slate of upcoming projects that he is working on. It seems that he has found a niche working with Ritchie, as he is set to appear in the director’s next action film In The Grey alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Rosamund Pike. Given the strength of their previous collaborations, it’s safe to say that Cavill will have something interesting to do in the new film. While Argylle underperformed at the box office as well, the tease of a possible crossover with the Kingsman franchise suggests that Cavill may be able to return to the series for a future project.
David Corenswet Deserves a Fair Shot in ‘Superman’
When Cavill was cast as Superman, many fans struggled to accept that anyone but Christopher Reeve could step into the iconic role; thankfully, audiences were able to give a fair chance to Cavill, allowing him to leave a unique mark on the character. Corenswet deserves to be accepted and celebrated for his work in the next iteration of the franchise. It may be hard to judge his performance based on one still image, but it appears that Corenswet’s interpretation of the role will be radically different than previous iterations of the character.
Cavill is a great actor whose career shouldn’t be defined by the films he didn’t star in. He certainly left his mark on the DC franchise and earned a significant following, but he’s also shown an ambition to appear in different types of projects. Instead of fixating on how his Superman story could have ended, it’s best to support Cavill in his next endeavors.
