Henry Cavill starred as Superman in 'Man of Steel', 'Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice', 'Justice League'
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's, …. what? Not Henry Cavill’s Superman? How could that be? Wasn’t he the most comic accurate, fan-favourite Man of Steel? Never mind.
So yeah, we have got to admit that although it’s been years, fans, who first saw Cavill starring in 2013’s Man of Steel by Zack Snyder as the blue boy scout, are still not over the fact that they will not see the actor as Superman, ever again.
Although Henry did other big roles, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015), Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018), Enola Holmes (2020) and it’s sequel (2022), and a controversial cameo in 2024’s Box Office bombshell by Marvel, Deadpool and Wolverine (which is a whole other story), the British actor’s approach to Kal-El from Krypton won the hearts of fans in a way that can’t be said for any other film.
But despite all the critical acclaim, his time as the last son of Krypton didn’t last long. The muscular and chiseled Cavill was fired anyway and replaced from the role. But why?
Let's take a look at it from the start to the end.
It’s one fine morning, you are a DC head, or just a fan of the “Man of tomorrow”, and you get to learn that an actor has been tapped by Warner Bros. for the reboot of the superhero franchise, 5 years later than Brandon Routh’s 2006’s Superman Returns.
Now, you may know this actor, but only if you had watched The Tudors (2007), in which he played a lead role, but even if you do, you are still null on how he would perform as the super blue boy.
On the contrary, the director, Zack Snyder has some good things to say about the star.
“He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.” You really want to believe the statements…but you don’t do so, until Man of Steel hits the theatres in 2013.
As the house lights dim, there you see it. Henry Cavill, as the “perfect” Superman.
After the Man of Steel went to the big screens to kickstart the DCEU, fans loved Cavill’s Superman and the more-close-to-reality version of supes immediately resonated with the huge fanbase.
From the moment fans saw the red cape on Cavill, they started to call him the actor “made to play the role”, but unfortunately, the reign only lasted for four films, over a period of 10 years.
To keep a note, Cavill played the role of Superman in four DCEU movies, Man of Steel 2013, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016, Justice League 2017 and the director's cut of the same movie, and is still said to be the only actor to stand out as a Superman other than Christopher Reeves.
But here is a fun thing to know, the actor who was about to get such love, was not so sure himself if he would get the role or not, and the reason?
“I wasn’t in training. I wasn’t feeling fit or looking good, and you put on a Lycra suit and it does not help. I just thought – OK, I’m not getting this job. I’m fat Superman. It’ll be some really in-shape dude that when they step out they look amazing,” he told GQ in an interview.
If you and I search the internet for why Cavill fascinated everyone as the Superman, we might run out of possible queries, but there are still some big, over the top reasons why the actor garnered such praise and love.
Becoming the main superhero and primary character in the DCEU, the one thing-out-of-many that makes him the fan-favourite Superman is as obvious as it gets, his bod.
His sharp and edgy jawline, blue eyes, a perfect face, black hair, chiseled look, and a ripped body gave Cavill the most relatable alien-saviour vibe.
And when it comes to better ones, apart from his warm presence and the charm that makes you feel protected, Cavill's love for comics and superheroes, his dedication, and most of all his truthfulness to the character and its source made him the only Superman fans would have welcomed in their hearts at the time.
To add to the satisfaction, Cavill was loved on both sides of the bridge, highly regarded by people at Warner Bros, Legendary and DC Studios as well.
"He's got an amazing quality. He doesn't look too much like Reeve and Routh but he's big and strong and he has a very modern feel to him. We're really going to try and make Superman as contemporary as possible," Screen Rant reported one executive involved in his casting said.
All of this positive buzz and a highly positive response to Man of Steel led to rumours of a sequel, but that never happened.
What did happen was Batman vs. Superman, Justice League, and a brief cameo in Black Adam, but then? We were out in a DC world without Cavill, left to wonder, who will be our Superman?
(That was an actual pun-intended to Doomsday in Superman #75 1992).
Back in 2013, just months before Man of Steel landed in theaters and gave Superman fans a much-needed reboot of the DC world, the buzz online was already electric. Warner Bros. seemed eager to keep the momentum going—word was, a script for Man of Steel 2 was already underway.
At the time, director Zack Snyder was considering bringing Metallo, the kryptonite-powered villain, to life on the big screen for the first time. Fans were excited. It felt like Superman was finally back in the air.
But then, things changed.
Instead of diving deeper into Superman’s world with a proper sequel, the studio chose a different path—and a darker one, full of vengeance.
Just a month after Man of Steel premiered, DC dropped a Comic-Con bombshell: Superman’s next outing would be alongside (or rather, against) Batman. It was an ambitious pivot that turned Man of Steel 2 into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
About that, Zack Snyder has said he was fascinated by the idea of pitting the Kryptonian against the Dark Knight, and to be fair, who wouldn’t be? But for Warner Bros., it was also a strategic move. They clearly saw more value in a superhero mash-up than in continuing Superman’s solo journey.
But the hope was still there.
2014 came and Warner Bros. announced a full slate of DC films stretching all the way to 2020. Tucked into that lineup was a promise: another standalone Superman film to eventually happen.
The details were foggy—no director, no release window, no script in hand. That lack of clarity spoke volumes, yet everyone stayed positive.
After years passed, in 2018, a new era under DC head Walter Hamada began, but there was still no real push to bring Cavill’s Superman back. Filmmakers like Mission: Impossible’s Christopher McQuarrie showed interest in continuing his story, but the studio wasn’t biting.
Superman—this Superman—just didn’t seem to be a priority.
Fast forward to October 2022, hope flickered again.
Cavill made a surprise return as Superman in the Black Adam mid-credits scene. Fans were ecstatic (how I have always wanted to use that word). Surely this meant the long-awaited Man of Steel 2 was finally happening. And for a brief moment, it looked like it might.
But it didn’t. This time, things changed as a river redirects its course.
In came James Gunn and Peter Safran, appointed as co-heads of the newly branded DC Studios. With a fresh vision and a clean slate in mind. They decided to start over—completely.
Boom, all dreams, banged up.
The DC Extended Universe, which once held so much promise, was now being phased out. And with it, any lingering hopes for Man of Steel 2 were quietly buried.
Cavill’s version of the iconic hero, beloved by many for his sincerity and strength, ultimately became a one-and-done in the world of solo films.
Did this make you sob, because it surely made me.
A bittersweet story—not just of a character, but of an actor who gave the role his heart, only to be sidelined by shifting studio priorities and reboots. For fans, it was not just about losing a sequel. It’s about the version of Superman that could’ve been.
Fans were angry, confused and wanted revenge.
“I don't understand how they would ditch the best Superman we ever had, he was literally the bread and butter of the DC Cinematic,” one fan started a thread on reddit, while another echoed sympathy for Cavill, stating on X, “This man deserved better.”
So, who was really to blame here? Many think they know who Cavill's "Lex Luthor" was, but the answer might not be what you think it to be, or so they say.
On December 7, 2022, James Gunn stepped up at DC’s big Comic-Con panel and dropped the bomb, “We didn’t fire Henry. Henry was never cast,” he told The Hollywood Reporter, clarifying that the new DC Universe simply never slotted Cavill for its rebooted Superman.
By the same day, December 7, 2022, Cavill himself confirmed on Instagram.
“I will, after all, not be returning as Superman… The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that”.
Don’t tell me this didn’t go like a shard through your heart.
This hasn’t happened to our beloved Cavill for the first time. The actor has lost big roles in the past too, and has been branded as “The Unluckiest Man in Hollywood”.
Seems right.
The actor got awarded with this title, and I write that sarcastically, by Empire Magazine in 2005, after some of the biggest roles slipped right through his fingers, and later starred other actors.
One of those was the titular role of James Bond in 2006's Casino Royale. Cavill was reportedly one of the final two candidates, but lost the role to Daniel Craig, only because he was deemed too young for the role by the filmmakers.
Cavill also may have been the Edward Cullen we know from the Twilight saga, he even had the support of author Stephenie Meyer, but again, wrong time, wrong role, or we might say, wrong age.
The actor was now considered too old to play a teenage vampire. The role went to Robert Pattinson.
It’s like looking to be your age was a crime for Cavill.
And here’s a fun fact. The handsome hunk had lost the role of Superman once before the Man of Steel as well!
Yes, Cavill was also a strong candidate for the role in Bryan Singer's 2006 film Superman Returns. But again, his age became an obstacle. He lost that role to Brandon Routh, whose personality resembled the personality of the prior Superman, Christopher Reeves, and also looked more mature and older.
Eventually, Cavll did get cast in as Supes in Man of Steel, but only to get fired again without a proper character arc in the franchise, and this is what actually started this whole rant.
So yeah, first James Bond, then Edward Cullen, and Superman, that too two times? I don’t see where the title “The Unluckiest Man in Hollywood” doesn’t fit.
And yes, we haven’t talked about when he was fired from Netflix’s The Witcher - apparently to give more time to his Superman role, which he also got fired from.
So yeah, the unluckiest indeed.
Cavill is gone, but who is next?
Skip and jump to April 22, 2024, Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled Superman: Legacy as “the true beginning of the DCU,” reiterating to Entertainment Weekly, “For me, it’s about who do I want to cast as Superman… and for me, for this story, it isn’t Henry”.
No kryptonite blasts here—just a clear statement that Cavill’s chapter closed before it could continue.
But fans were sad, frustrated, and in grief, and even showed disappointment in the new Superman, that starred David Corenswet.
One X (formerly Twitter) user fumed on April 23, 2024, “Henry Cavill and Zack Snyder should’ve kept the story going. And I hate the Superman suit, it’s ugly!”
Another piled on: “This clown @JamesGunn actually went from … born to play #Superman Henry Cavill to nobody … beyond shameful!” (user comments, April 23 2024).
So, back to our mini-investigation that we triggered with our last heading, were Gunn and Safran the real Lex Luthor to Cavill’s Superman?
Not exactly, because they didn’t fire Cavill, they simply never cast him in their Superman story.
And while fans may still mourn the Man of Steel they loved, Cavill graciously passed the torch, acknowledging on October 12, 2022, that “life happens” and wishing the new regime “the best of luck”.
And to be honest and just, I have to tell you, not everyone was crying, some did approach the shift with open arms.
On Reddit, one user SpaceDantar shared their enthusiasm, "Awesome. The more I see of the new suit the more I like it too," with reflecting on a scene from the trailer. "That scene where he saves the little girl is what sold me on the entire movie in the very first teaser. As soon as I saw that I went this is Superman, I can't wait. I've been a Superman fan for 30 plus years of my 45 years on Earth and this is the most excited I've ever been for a Superman movie."
So in the very end, I guess we just have to accept the fact that every hero’s journey has its final act, with a new one ready to take the responsibility, but the question is, will the fans ever be able to move on fully? Love the new Kryptonian as they loved their last one?
Let’s wait on a verdict until Superman Legacy hits the theatre on July 11, 2025.
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