Henry Cavill entered the world of superheroes as DC’s most celebrated icon Superman in 2013’s Man Of Steel directed by Zack Snyder. This film set the events of the DCEU in motion and laid the foundation for future narratives to be developed, leading up to an ambitious Justice League project envisioned by Snyder. While Cavill’s darker and edgier version of Superman famously connected with audiences, the same could not be said for the future films of the DCEU.
The lukewarm responses to Superman vs Batman: Dawn Of Justice and Suicide Squad put a lot of pressure on 2017’s Justice League, especially in comparison to Marvel’s stupendous success story with Avengers at the same time. As it turned out, this highly ambitious Snyder project went through a lot of controversy despite the presence of A-list stars. Interestingly, Henry Cavill made this prediction even before the film’s release.
Why Henry Cavill Was Prepared For Justice League’s Failure
Henry Cavill is widely considered one of the best actors to have taken on the role of Superman. While the star’s arresting personality and charisma ensured that the character was still memorable with fans, Cavill’s presence was unable to create the necessary aura for the other films in the franchise.
While 2013’s Man of Steel was a positive step towards expanding the DCEU leading up to Zack Snyder’s ambitious Justice League, the film, unfortunately, did not make an impression owing to a ton of controversy surrounding it. With Snyder backing out midway due to personal problems, Joss Whedon taking over the reins did more damage than good.
Expectedly, with all these problems, the Justice League bombed at the box office. Henry Cavill though, was one star who seemed prepared for the bad news even before the film hit theaters. Addressing comparisons between Marvel and DC and the pressures for the DCEU to compete with the success of the MCU, Cavill told Rake Magazine (via Henry Cavill News) that this result was inevitable even without Marvel breathing down their necks.
“Even if Marvel didn’t exist, we’d struggle. There was a style they [DC] were going for, an attempt to be different and look at things from a slightly different perspective, which hasn’t necessarily worked. Yes, it has made money but it has not been a critical success; it hasn’t given everyone that sensation which superheroes should give the viewer.”
Having candidly accepted the mistakes that cost the franchise, Cavill confessed that the only way forward was to learn from them and create films that did not repeat these errors. The Witcher star quoted Wonder Woman as a shining example of DC bouncing back strongly after the failure of Suicide Squad and Superman vs Batman: Dawn of Justice.
Henry Cavill Was Always Destined To Play Superman
Despite his self-confessed fears about doing justice to Superman, Henry Cavill has been widely regarded as the perfect choice to play DC’s most celebrated superhero. The character though, was always part of his destiny. While the actor made his DC debut in 2013 with Man of Steel, he was considered to play the character many years before that when Terminator Salvation director McG was tipped to helm a DC project involving Superman titled Superman: Flyby.
Unfortunately, the project did not take off owing to a peculiar reason involving the filmmaker. The film which was to have been shot completely in Australia, was shelved owing to McG’s chronic fear of flying. The director expressed his deep regret at not being able to do the film, and confessed that he had missed a big opportunity to work with Henry Cavill.
As it turned out, the British star got his chance with Zack Snyder and used it to the fullest before his shocking exit from the franchise after James Gunn’s appointment. It now remains to be seen if David Corenswet can fill Cavill’s big shoes.
