Why Henry Cavill isn't returning as Superman – and what it means for DC's future

"My turn to wear the cape has passed."

By Ian Sandwell

15 Dec 2022

Warner Bros

DC fans have been stunned by the news that Henry Cavill won't be back as Superman in the Worlds of DC.

It was only October when Cavill made a surprise return as the Man of Steel in Black Adam's credit scene, which promised big things for the future. Following the movie's release, he had been talking about "such a bright future ahead" for his Superman.

Well, in keeping with the most common criticism of the DC era Cavill debuted in, that brightness turned to darkness barely two months later. That Black Adam cameo is as good as fans are going to get, as Cavill has confirmed that he is definitely hanging up the cape.

But why isn't he returning as Superman and what does it mean for DC's future? Let's dive into the surprising development.

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It's important to remember that since the release of Black Adam on October 21, DC Studios has had a change of leadership, with James Gunn and long-time DC Films producer Peter Safran confirmed on October 25.

Dwayne Johnson might have been talking about the hierarchy of power changing in the DC Universe with Black Adam, but he wouldn't have meant it quite so literally. As a result, the new duo have understandably been working on their plan for the Worlds of DC going forward.

We haven't had full details of what their plan entails (although there have been rumours that Gunn has both confirmed and denied), but we got the first concrete details last night (December 14) when Gunn revealed he was writing a new Superman movie.

"In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill," he explained. "But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future."

But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022

Now, just because there will be a new Superman in town didn't mean that Cavill's cape days were over. After all, Variety has reported that Ta-Nehisi Coates and JJ Abrams' take on Superman was still in active development.

The Worlds of DC is a place where numerous versions of the same character can exist, such as Batman. But following Gunn's tweets, Cavill confirmed in his own statement that he won't be returning as Superman at all.

"I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it's sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman," he wrote.

"After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life. I respect that James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes."

Cavill concluded: "My turn to wear the cape has passed, but what Superman stands for never will. It's been a fun ride with you all, onwards and upwards."

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It's a double blow for the star as he recently exited his role as Geralt in The Witcher, which many speculated was to free him up for a new Superman movie. That might well have been the case, but isn't any longer.

Where Black Adam looked to be moving back to the DC universe established by Zack Snyder, it's possible that Cavill's exit is an indication that we'll see a definitive split from that iteration of the Worlds of DC.

Gunn has spoken about their take on the DC being connected across movies, TV shows and animation, much like the MCU is. It would make total sense that the new shared universe going forward would establish its own version of characters rather than using previously-established ones.

Wonder Woman 3 already looks unlikely to happen, while there have been reports that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom might mark the final Aquaman outing for Jason Momoa – who may end up playing a different DC character.

The Flash is still apparently coming out, but it wouldn't be a surprise if we didn't see Ezra Miller's Flash after that. We've also got Shazam! Fury of the Gods to enjoy next year, yet the first movie was already so standalone that you could see a way that fits into a different take on the universe.

ross butler , adam brody , grace caroline currey , zachary levi , meagan good, dj cotrona, shazam fury of the gods

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What's possible is that after the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in December 2023, we get a reset for the Worlds of DC and there's a clean slate going forward. Cavill's Superman is just an unfortunate casualty of that, and you'd assume Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam will be too.

Black Adam so obviously set up a future clash with Superman if not in the sequel, then in a future movie. Without Cavill, it'd leave an awkward narrative gap for any follow-up that no amount of splashy CGI violence could cover.

Given how passionate Johnson is about the character of Black Adam, we can't rule out him finding a way to bring him back though.

For Cavill though, his Superman days are done, which, whatever your feelings on the Snyderverse, is a shame as it was clearly a dream role for him – and arguably one he never really got to fully realise.