Not counting the footage of him in 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League that had been shot years prior, it’d been five years since Henry Cavill last appeared as Superman when he cameoed in Black Adam last October, but that was supposed to lead to the actor reprising the Man of Steel in more projects. Alas, by mid-December, it was announced that Cavill’s Superman tenure had officially come to an end, and James Gunn is now writing a Superman reboot. More than a month later, Cavill fans continue to beef with Gunn over the actor not being kept on as Superman.
Despite now co-running DC Studios with Peter Safran, James Gunn is still putting the final touches on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the upcoming Marvel movie due out in May. Gunn went on Instagram to share a picture of his cat, who’d been interfering with his ability to work on Vol. 3, and some people used that post’s comments section as a platform to share their grievances with Henry Cavill no longer playing Superman. Case in point:
I'm sad that you fired HENRY CAVILL from SUPERMAN
Henry Cavill helped kick off the DC Extended Universe when Man of Steel came out in 2013, and he went on to reprise Kal-El/Clark Kent in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and both versions of Justice League, as well as the aforementioned Black Adam cameo. While it’s unclear where we would have seen Cavill’s Superman resurface next, there were plans for him and Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam to fight at some point. Instead, the reset button has been hit on the popular DC Comics superhero yet again, and this has rubbed many people the wrong way.
Please bring back Henry Cavill as Superman. We don’t want a origin story, there have been 10 seasons of Smallville already!
While James Gunn’s Superman reboot will have a younger actor playing the character, the filmmaker has already clarified that this won’t be another origin story. Instead, the next Superman movie appears to be taking some cues from The Batman by having this version of Supes already being experienced with protecting the innocent and knowing “major characters” from the Superman mythology. Whether you’re interested in that approach or not, the fact of the matter is we’re entering a new chapter of Superman’s film history, but that hasn’t stopped fans from expressing their wish that Cavill gets to reprise the role someday.
Please reconsider Henry Cavill for a future superman role.
Considering that The Flash is opening up the multiverse later this year, maybe Henry Cavill returning as Superman isn’t farfetched. After all, despite Black Adam 2 not being in the cards right now, Dwayne Johnson said that he and Warner Bros. would “continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.” Even assuming a new DC cinematic universe is being launched, if the possibility of Dwayne Johnson playing Black Adam again is on the table, and Michael Keaton can reprise Batman after nearly three decades away from the cape and cowl, why couldn’t Cavill come back someday too? His Superman certainly has a large enough fanbase.
cavill is superman 🔥
Maybe there’s a chance Henry Cavill will revisit Superman at some point, but for now, the public will need to get ready for the debut of a new live-action Man of Steel. Gunn has already debunked that he’s cast anyone in the role since he hasn’t finished writing the script, and while no plot details have been shared yet, it’s possible the reboot might be inspired by All-Star Superman given that Gunn was recently rereading that story. With Gunn still set to shine some light on DC Studios’ plans before January is finished, fingers crossed that includes some information on the Superman reboot.
As for Henry Cavill, following his return as Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes 2 last fall, he’ll next be seen in Argylle, which arrives to Apple TV+ subscribers later this year. Cavill’s other upcoming projects include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, the Highlander reboot and a Warhammer 40,000 series for Amazon.
