I Know How Henry Cavill Can Appear In James Gunn’s Superman (And Finally Bring the DCU & DCEU Together)

Henry Cavill might not be portraying the Man of Steel in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie, but there is a way in which he could still appear in the film that would catapult it into the stratosphere. The circumstances of Henry Cavill’s departure as Superman are both infamous and heartbreaking, with his status as the DCEU’s Superman left in limbo for several years after the theatrical failure of Justice League (2017). The 2021 release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League director’s cut turned that failure into a hit and gave Cavill’s Superman a new surge of popularity that finally culminated in his official return to the role in the end-credits scene of 2022’s Black Adam. Then, just two months later, it all fell apart when James Gunn, co-CEO of the newly formed DC Studios, announced that Cavill would not be returning in the newly formed DCU franchise.

Understandably, the specifics of why Cavill’s Superman return was cancelled haven’t exactly endeared James Gunn’s Superman or the overall DCU to fans of Cavill’s Superman or Zack Snyder’s DCEU. However, there is still a great deal of mystery surrounding the DCU, including who is portraying one of the movie’s masked antagonists, Ultraman, glimpsed in set photos in a suit completely hiding the identity of the suit’s as-yet-unidentified wearer. And there might be a reason for that, which could be the wild twist that none other than Henry Cavill himself might be the man behind Ultraman’s mask.

Ultraman Explained & Why Henry Cavill Could Work As Superman’s Version of the Character

In a nutshell, Ultraman is an alternate universe version of Superman originating from Earth-3, with the primary difference being that unlike the Man of Steel, Ultraman is a villain. This puts Ultraman right at home on Earth-3, a version of reality which is populated by evil counterparts to the mainline heroes of DC. With Ultraman also in possession of all the standard powers of a Kryptonian, this makes him a major challenge for Superman to handle.

Ultraman is confirmed to be the mysterious hooded figure in a containment suit bearing a U-shaped emblem on his chest in Gunn’s Superman film, but the full nature of his role remains a mystery. Theoretically, he could be a mind-controlled soldier brought into the DCU by Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor as a being capable of holding his own against Superman, one who might even regain control of his mind and go on a villainous rampage that Superman has to stop. With “pocket universes” reportedly playing some kind of role in Superman (as well as the shortly-thereafter releasing Peacemaker Season 2), and even appearing to be fleetingly glimpsed in some shots of the Superman trailer, Gunn could be making quite the swing in not only kicking off the DCU with a villain of comparable strength to Superman (not unlike Zack Snyder doing the same with General Zod’s role in Man of Steel), but one who by his nature makes DC’s multiverse immediately relevant and pivotal to the DCU’s future roadmap.

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As an alternate, villainous version of Superman, Ultraman is the sort of character who can be portrayed not strictly by David Corenswet, but also by virtually any other living actor to have carried the Superman mantle – be it Dean Cain, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, or Tyler Hoechlin. Henry Cavill being Corenswet’s cinematic predecessor as Superman means that Cavill returning in the role of Ultraman would be the kind of curveball that hits with the impact of a nuclear warhead. Of course, many would argue that bringing Cavill into Gunn’s Superman film as Ultraman would only bring Cavill’s Superman, and by extension Zack Snyder’s DCEU, into the DCU’s conversation at a time when the latter should most strive to stand apart from it, but history has already demonstrated the sheer futility of that endeavor.

DC Films Haven’t Escaped the Snyderverse (& Never Will)

Ever since Warner Bros. made their fateful decision back in 2017 to overhaul the then-upcoming Justice League with massive reshoots, the studio has been, in some form or fashion, attempting to distance DC films from Zack Snyder’s influence. Despite this, the looming presence of the Snyderverse has done the exact opposite since then, especially after the famed fan campaign for the Snyder Cut led to the eventual release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021. In that time, audiences (including many detractors of Snyder’s Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) have warmed up considerably towards Snyder’s vision, with many continuing to express interest in seeing Snyder’s story to its conclusion. The fact of the matter is, you simply don’t get 1.5 million #RestoreTheSnyderVerse tweets in one day, as happened on March 25th, 2021, right after the Snyder Cut’s release, without a resurgence of interest and affection for Snyder’s overall plans.

Looking back over the trajectory of DC cinematically since the release of Justice League‘s theatrical cut, it’s been next to impossible for WB to leave Snyder’s influence or impact behind. While calls for the Snyder Cut loomed over all DC movies in the 2018 to 2020 period, the subsequent interest in the remainder of Snyder’s plans, including the finale that was to be Justice League 3, has continually been a powerful presence that DC has yet to move away from. The highly disappointing nature of Henry Cavill’s cancelled Superman comeback in Black Adam has only strengthened the legacy of the Snyderverse as the DCU is preparing to kick off, and in a surprising turn of events, none other than James Gunn himself managed to put Snyder’s DCEU back in the spotlight with his friendly photo with Snyder in DC Studios shared to social media, Gunn referring to Snyder as “a consummate filmmaker, and doubly consummate storyteller”.

Speculation of Snyder returning to DC movies has only grown since then, and whether or not there’s any substance to such theorizing, the fact that the Snyder-Gunn photo stirred the pot as much as it has (and that Snyder and Gunn themselves most certainly knew that would be the outcome) is indisputable. In all, with close to a decade of attempts to steer DC away from the Snyderverse falling flat, so too does the argument against Cavill potentially making a surprise appearance as Ultraman in James Gunn’s Superman film. As the DCU begins, it’s becoming increasingly self-evident that DC’s cinematic future being completely free of the impact or looming presence of the Snyderverse falls squarely in the “dream on” category. Then again, if Cavill theoretically were to show up as Ultraman in Gunn’s film, that might mean that Gunn’s and the DCU are prepared to recognize and lean into that reality.

Why Henry Cavill’s Ultraman Would Be the Perfect Twist for James Gunn’s Superman

Taking a closer look at Gunn’s known plans for the DCU, the franchise isn’t a reboot in the most traditional sense. Specifically, Gunn is carrying over a number of characters, projects, and story points from the DCEU into the DCU, most notably in Peacemaker Season 2, which Gunn has specified will address the continuity relationship between the two franchises, including why the Justice League’s cameo in Peacemaker Season 1 is only canon to that season and the DCEU. Between that, the aforementioned pocket universes that will play a role in Superman and the DCU, and the multiversal nature of Ultraman as a character, not only is it not that far-fetched for Henry Cavill to the be the man behind Ultraman’s mask, it would actually be the most Earth-shattering twist possible for the DCU’s kick-off.

To begin with, revealing Cavill as Ultraman after the widespread sorrow of his departure from the Superman role in 2022 would be a troll move worthy of Andy Kaufman, and would instantly skyrocket Superman‘s immediacy in the public consciousness as a must-see movie. In one fell swoop, Cavill’s theoretical Ultraman cameo would completely reverse the divisiveness surrounding his departure and the DCU’s beginnings and make the entire future of the DCU a must-follow franchise for fans of Snyder, Cavill, Gunn, DC, and general audiences all around, with all of the above wanting to know “How?” and “Why?” as quickly as possible. The only way to do so would simply be to go along for the ride of what Gunn has on the way with the DCU, especially with the rather obvious implications of Cavill suddenly returning after the apparent end of his Superman tenure, in a franchise in which the multiverse, pocket universes, and Elseworlds projects are all on the table. Make no mistake, Snyderverse fans reeling from years of frustration and letdowns would absolutely take note.

In turn, the potential of seeing Cavill as Ultraman also raises questions about what other DCEU cast members might return in alternate roles. The DCEU’s Aquaman Jason Momoa is already known to be the DCU’s Lobo, and Cavill jumping into the mix as Ultraman could suggest a trend in which Gal Gadot might return as Wonder Woman’s villainess Circe, Ezra Miller might drop in as the Reverse-Flash (or pay-off the Barry meeting Barry scene of the CW’s Crisis On Infinite Earths), Ben Affleck could don a new cowl as Owlman, or any number of DCEU veterans swapping their original heroic roles for that of a villain or anti-hero. The snowball effect of Cavill appearing as Ultraman makes the DCU into a mainstream can’t-miss event, not simply for audiences waiting to see who might jump from one DC character to another, but following along to see what the pay-off is, information that Gunn would doubtlessly withhold until the right time, and thus ensure audiences are sticking around for the long haul to find out.

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Above all, Cavill’s potential Ultraman appearance would demonstrate something that DC fans across the board have been waiting years for: studio leadership with a clear vision and plan for DC’s cinematic future, which they intend to stick to. The infamously wishy-washy, non-committal approach of WB’s leadership in the post-Snyder era of DC left the DCEU subject to a constant barrage of changes, shifts in planning and leadership, and no indication of what, if any, larger, inter-linking story was unfolding. Cavill as Ultraman would bring with it not just a huge amount of restored good will for DC and WB, but a clear signal that the DCU has a roadmap it’s headed down and a commitment to completing the journey – along with the tantalizing invite to come aboard the train to see what pay-off Henry Cavill’s Ultraman is intended to lead to.

Henry Cavill making a surprise appearance as Ultraman in James Gunn’s Superman is the kind of twist that would require a masterful amount of planning to pull off, along with Cavill himself signing dozens of NDAs for the ruse to work as intended. However, in the game of high-risk, high-reward, the Ultraman of 2025’s Superman pulling off his mask and revealing Henry Cavill underneath could be the mother of all twists to open the first major entry of the DCU with.

Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League can all be streamed on HBO Max, and James Gunn’s Superman will be released in theaters on July 11th.