Henry Cavill as Superman and Amy Adams as Lois Lane in "Man of Steel." Both actors auditioned for the roles for "Superman Returns" (2006) but were subsequently turned down. They landed the roles in 2011 and portrayed the characters multiple times since. Photo courtesy of Warner Media

Despite rumors, Henry Cavill has not returned as Superman

Henry Cavill's return as the Metropolis Marvel remains to be seen, and hope continues to dwindle among fans. Cavill hasn't donned the red cape since 2017 during reshoots for the theatrical version of "Justice League."

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Despite widely circulated rumors, Henry Cavill has not returned as Superman. A tweet from DEADLINE teased a possible return for the English actor which set the internet a-buzz last week.

Despite these rumors, Cavill did not appear at San Diego Comic-Con. His appearance was rumored for the DC Panel on Saturday morning, but instead fans were served trailers for “Black Adam” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.”

Dwayne Johnson, who is playing Black Adam for the upcoming film of the same name, vaguely answered a question regarding a fight between his character and Superman, stating it depends on what Man of Steel he’d be fighting.

“That’s a great question… don’t threaten me with a good time, because I’m going to answer that question,” Johnson said. “Well, I will say, as you guys know, because we’re all in deep with this mythology, and it’s been an age-old question of who would win a fight between Black Adam and Superman. Pound for pound, they’re pretty close. I guess it probably all depends on who is playing Superman. I’m just going to say that. I’ll leave it at that.”

Fans reportedly booed after Cavill’s absence became apparent.

The Daily Planet recently ran an online poll asking whether people would even want to see Henry Cavill return as Superman. A majority of participants stated they would. Over 400 participants partook in the vote, with 94.8% saying yes and 5.2% voting no. 

In Jan. 30,  2011, the British actor was cast as Superman in “Man of Steel,” which was directed by Zack Synder. The movie came out in summer 2013 and the actor has been a fan favorite ever since. He would also reprise the role of Superman in “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice,” the negatively received theatrical cut of “Justice League” and the widely sought after director’s cut of that film “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.”

A test photo of Henry Cavill donning the historic Christopher Reeve suit first used in “Superman: The Movie” (1978). Photo taken by Zack Snyder in 2011

Before donning the red cape, Cavill got his start in acting at a young age by performing in several plays at school. 

According to his profile on IMDB, the cinematic Superman starred in plays like Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and also starred as Sonny LaTierri in a theatrical performance of the hit musical, “Grease.” The actor was credited with starring and directing in “Hamlet” for BBC’s documentary “40 Minutes.” 

Cavill’s first breakout role was in 2001 movie titled “Vendetta,” which was followed by BBC’s “The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.”  His biggest role would be in “The Tudors” where he would play Charles Brandon, the first Duke of Suffolk, which would nab him a Golden Globe nomination in 2007 and an Emmy Award in 2008.

Cavill would also star in “The Immortals,” a 2011 film about Theseus, a man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion. Other projects include “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (2015), “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (2018) and “Enola Holmes” (2020).

Henry Cavill as Clark Kent and Dian Lane as Martha Kent in 2013’s “Man of Steel. Photo courtesy Warner Bros.

Cavill became the first non-American actor to be cast as Superman for “Man of Steel,” but this was not the first time he would audition for the Man of Tomorrow. Cavill’s first leap in a single bound was in an audition for the scrapped Superman project “Superman Flyby,” which was proposed at the beginning of this century.

The actor also auditioned for the role of Clark Kent/Superman in the 2006 film “Superman Returns.” Eventually, future CW “Legends of Tomorrow” actor Brandon Routh would be cast as the Last Son of Krypton.

Lawrence Fishburne and Amy Adams as Perry White and Lois Lane in “Man of Steel”

Currently, Cavill stars in Netflix’s “Witcher” as Geralt of Rivia and will reprise his role as Sherlock Holmes in the streamer’s sequel “Enola Holmes 2.”

Cavill has previously stated that the Superman cape remains in the closet, but fans are continually baited on Superman lures and grow increasingly tired.

What do you think? Should Cavill return as Superman? Or should we, as fans, move on from this Superman?

Zack Benz

Zack Benz has been a fan of the Daily Planet since he was eight years old. The Daily Planet has always been a beacon of hope for him and it’s his life’s mission to make it shine in a similar light to so many around the world. Zack graduated with a degree in journalism and art from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2019.

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