Now that we finally have gotten confirmation that Warner Bros. will be releasing the Zack Snyder version of Justice League next year on HBO Max, fans have been wondering how the new film could impact the future of DC. Well it seems the ripples are already starting to have their effect, as its being reported that Henry Cavill will indeed be playing Superman again in future projects for the studio. This news some after speculation has been rampant the last few years that Warner Bros. had no future plans for Cavill's Superman, and a growing belief that the actor would inevitably be recast. Now after years of those rumors, we can now rest assured that we will be able to see Cavill return to the part of Kal-El after all.
The news comes courtesy of Deadline who make it clear that although Cavill will be playing Superman again, the studio won't be giving him a new standalone film. Instead they want to use him as a sort of Nick Fury figure for their DC universe by having him appear in several of their other films. The most likely of these seem to be the upcoming Shazam 2! and Black Adam, two characters who have crossed paths with Clark Kent often in the comics and share similar powers to him. The character of Superman actually made a brief cameo in Shazam!, but the part was played by a double due to the hold out between Cavill and the studio at the time. The idea of Superman and Shazam teaming up against Black Adam has already been brought to the comics, and The Rock himself has said he would love to see it in one of his films.
This really does come as a surprise given the years of news we heard about Warner Bros' lack of interest in Cavill's version of the character, instead wanting to focus on Supergirl or even recasting Superman with an actor like Michael B. Jordan. While most of those rumors were later debunked, there was also talk that Cavill was unhappy that he never got a Man of Steel 2. The film that launched the DCEU in 2013, other characters such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam! saw their sequels green-lit almost immediately while his never did. DC's focus on team-up films like Batman v. Superman and Justice League seemed like a reasonable explanation for there being no Man of Steel 2 at the time, but once the studio had apparently begun to distance themselves from an expanded universe the justification became less clear.
Its very possible that the Snyder Cut has brought some new life to this shared universe idea, with an eventual future team-up film coming way down the line. Having Cavill's Superman show up in some of these sequels could be a good way of letting audiences know they still all exist in the same universe. Cavill has really only shown up in three DC movies over the span of almost the last decade, which I'm sure pales in comparison to the trilogies and Justice League sequels he was originally pitched in 2012. When you compare that to the amount of times Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. made MCU appearances throughout that time, it obvious his Superman has been severely underused. Cavill himself has always been a big fan of the character and has become a fan favorite, so seeing him come back in any capacity will surely make him and the fans very happy.
So how do you feel about Cavill coming back as Superman? Do you think he should get his own sequel or do you like the idea of him making cameos? Let us know below!
