3 Years Ago Today, Henry Cavill Returned As Superman… and 4 Days Later, His Future Was Ruined

Henry Cavill had a tumultuous journey in his nine years as Superman, but even the highs and lows of that span can’t compete with his final few days in terms of being a rollercoaster ride. Debuting in Man of Steel, Cavill’s tenure as the character got off to a controversial start due to Zack Snyder’s different, darker approach to the hero, which culminated with him snapping General Zod’s neck. Man of Steel wasn’t a bad movie by any means, but its commercial underperformance helped push DC into rushing its shared universe setup, which didn’t work in its favor.

After the disappointing critical and commercial performance of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, Cavill’s future became murky: he was in, he was out, he was being shaken all about. However, after a five-year absence (not including his appearance in Zack Snyder’s Justice League), Cavill finally donned the cape again in Black Adam‘s post-credits scene. This was his big return to the role, with the actor posting on Instagram celebrating it, but just a few days later, James Gunn and Peter Safran were reported to be taking over DC Studios, thus beginning the end of Cavill’s return before it had properly started.

What Was Henry Cavill’s Superman Return Setting Up?

It’s worth remembering the calls for Cavill’s return that led to him appearing in Black Adam. Even after the Snyder Cut had been released, and alongside the push to restore the Snyderverse, there was a separate demand for Cavill’s Man of Steel to come back. So much so that, after some rumors, Dwayne Johnson was booed on stage at San Diego Comic-Con when he said it was unlikely to happen. After that, a deal was struck to bring Cavill in for the post-credits scene, and it seemed clear there were more plans for him and The Rock to work together.

The credits sequence sees Superman mention how nervous Black Adam has made the world, and that “we should talk.” There had already been talk of a potential Black Adam vs. Superman showdown – though the former is more typically a Shazam villain, he’s had plenty of clashes with the Man of Steel. A film headlined by Johnson and Cavill’s superpowered characters would’ve been a no-brainer, had Black Adam been a box office success.

Similarly, there had been talk for years about a true Man of Steel 2, with the likes of Matthew Vaughn and Christopher McQuarrie involved at various stages of development, and villains such as Brainiac discussed. Again, if Black Adam had been a hit and DC’s hierarchy of power hadn’t changed in a way Johnson didn’t imagine, then a proper sequel for Cavill’s Superman likely would have happened.

DC Moved On From Henry Cavill Despite His Return – And It Was The Right Call

On October 25th, 2022, it was reported that Gunn and Safran were taking over DC Studios, with the franchise in need of a relaunch after multiple box office disappointments. That was, unfortunately, bad news for Cavill: the writing seemed to be on the wall as soon as that news broke, and it was confirmed a couple of months later, that the studio was moving on from him and had plans for a new Superman movie and would be casting a new actor in the role.

The timing of it was particularly harsh on Cavill, as is the fact that he never really got the run he deserved as Superman. The DCEU had plenty of issues that stopped it from reaching its full potential, but none of them were down to The Witcher star, and it’s a shame we never got to see him continue the development of the character into a true version of the Big Blue Boy Scout. Still, it was unavoidable, really.

The DCEU carried too much baggage, and if Gunn and Safran were going to make a success of it, they largely needed to move on. While some elements, such as John Cena’s Peacemaker, have continued, the Justice League members were the headline characters and needed a fresh start in order to win back audiences. 2025’s Superman proved this was the right call: it was a box office success, a great Supes movie, and introduced a brilliant take on the character with David Corenswet. It got the DCU off to a strong start as a theatrical franchise, and will hopefully reach even greater heights. None of that is a slight on Cavill, but it had to be unburdened from that past.

There is still a possibility for Cavill to take on another DC role in the future, something he and Gunn have had conversations about (although there’s no suggestion of anything being close to happening). And if he does, it’ll be cause for celebration, because there’s still a sense of unfinished business, and he’s an actor who would bolster any franchise. If not, while his time as Superman didn’t work out as well as anyone would’ve hoped, he’s still an important part of the character’s legacy.

Henry Cavill’s DC movies, including Man of Steel, are available to stream on HBO Max.

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