DC fans last witnessed Superman on the big screen in Zack Synder’s Justice League in 2021. However, the director’s controversial portrayal of Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill, still has discussions going on in the superhero world. Two years later, Superman is in talks of returning in James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, expected to be released in 2025.
Gunn went for a new face for the DCEU relaunch. Hence, Legacy will star American actor David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman alongside Rachel Broshanan as Lois Lane. However, a recent post that went viral on Twitter revealed Corenswet’s true opinion of Superman.
David Corenswet strives to make Superman better
Of all these years, Superman has been portrayed by a myriad of actors, adding their own essence to it. Yet, there’s an unsaid status quo that was not disturbed, if not maintained by the prior actors. Nevertheless, Henry Cavill’s portrayal was particularly striking and controversial because he breached Superman’s no-kill rule, religiously followed in the comics, per CBR.
Man of Steel was rather distinct, with its comparatively darker theme, and brutal battles. Superman was involved in a ruthless fight with General Zod, who wanted to erase humankind from the face of the earth, and snapped Zod’s neck after he attacked an innocent family. This led to severe criticism of Superman as he did not follow the no-kill rule, per ScreenRant.
"I just always felt like Superman was both underappreciated and over-simplified" -David Corenswet proving yet again he knows ball pic.twitter.com/yHEKn6gBLe
— ClarkQuill97 (@CQuill97) November 23, 2023
Regardless, David Corenswet once shared in an interview three years ago how he felt Superman was too simplified and not appreciated as much. As per the post on Twitter, Corenswet said,
“I just always felt like Superman was both underappreciated and over-simplified, and there was a lot of interesting stuff that could happen with it. But that’s all just in my mind.”
To think of it, Cavill’s Superman was anything but simplified. Probably, this is how Snyder chose to challenge the archetypical characterization of the Kryptonite. Interestingly, this statement from the 30-year-old actor came way before he would be considered for James Gunn’s film, or was it all planned?
Why was Henry Cavill not considered for Superman: Legacy?
Even though Man of Steel was a commercial success, grossing $668 million worldwide, per Koimoi, becoming the highest-grossing solo Superman film ever, Henry Cavill was not considered for its 2025 follow-up. This November marked the beginning of a new era for DC. Director James Gunn was appointed as the new DC boss along with Peter Safran.
Thus, a relaunch of the DCEU might set things straight and in pace with MCU’s dominance in the superhero verse. Apparently, Gunn wanted to see a young face for his version of Superman and Cavill did not fit Gunn’s plans. Thus, a change of appearance is in line for the caped hero.
Or is it that Snyder smeared the image of Cavill’s Superman with the controversy? Only time will tell, until then let’s wait for the action to unravel.
