The DC Extended Universe has had a fascinating life in theaters. While Warner Bros. seems to have hit its stride with movies like Shazam! and Aquaman, there was some of the earlier installments didn't fare quite as well. Justice League is perhaps the biggest disappointment to come from the DCEU, failing to deliver critically and at the box office. One of the controversies still surrounding that movie is Henry Cavill's infamous mustache, and how strange his face looked thanks to the CGI needed to remove it. And now a set photo shows Cavill rocking that mustache in costume for Superman.
Justice League went viral in a bad way when it came to Henry Cavill's appearance as Superman. His mouth and upper lip stood out, as much of it was covered in the mustache when he arrived on set to film reshoots. And now we can see what he looked like before the visual effects. Check it out below, as #MustacheGate continues on.
from r/DC_Cinematic
Well, there is. And there's no way of un-seeing what Superman looked like with that sweet stache. It's unclear which is more uncomfortable, mustache Supes or the CGI lip one. Regardless, conversation around Henry Cavill's mustache will likely not slow down anytime soon.
This new image comes to us from Reddit, and shows what Henry Cavill actually looked like when filming Justice League's reshoots. Cavill donned Superman's costume and cape when Joss Whedon took over production on the movie, after Zack Snyder's departed the blockbuster due to a personal tragedy. While the cast reassembled to craft the new version of Justice League, Cavill was still contracted for his role in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. He wasn't permitted to shave the facial hair he'd grown to play August Walker, which is why those visual effects were needed in order to salvage the footage and use it to craft Whedon's version of the story.
Unfortunately, the CGI left much to be desired. Mouths are difficult to edit around, and it seems that trying to work around Henry Cavill's Mission: Impossible mustache was easier said than done. Many of Superman's scenes felt off because of this reason, starting from the found footage clip that opened Justice League. It was noticeable throughout the blockbuster's runtime, with the exception being any scenes Zack Snyder originally shots from principal photography.
Of course, the visual effects woes of Justice League weren't exclusively related to Henry Cavill's mustache. Moviegoers were also dissatisfied with how Ciarán Hinds' villain Steppenwolf was rendered, likely because of a last minute change to the character's appearance. He was originally going to look more like an alien, before the direction pivoted to give him a humanoid appearance. The rush needed in order for Justice League to meet its planned release date resulted in some missteps, including the movie's visuals.
While Justice League hit theaters back in 2017, #MustacheGate has remained apart of the pop culture lexicon, mostly as a punch line. And with the campaigns for the Snyder cut not slowing down anytime soon, Henry Cavill's appearance in the blockbuster should remain relevant to the discussion.
Henry Cavill helped kickstart the entire DCEU by starring in Man of Steel, before reprising his role in Batman v Superman and Justice League. It's currently unclear if he'll ever play the role again. He noticeably didn't appear as Superman for the character's quick cameo in Shazam!, and there currently aren't any plans for Superman to pop back up. It was previously rumored that Cavill would hang up his cape, but there's been no official confirmation. Although he did have some fun by posting a cryptic message on social media in response to those rumors.
The next installment in the DCEU is Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), which will hit theaters on February 7th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
