Henry Cavil’s tenure as Superman ended on a disappointing note and not in a way fans had hoped. His appearances in Zack Snyder’s films have been divisive, with some loving the dark approach to the character, while others were not able to connect with Snyder’s interpretation.
Cavill’s Superman only managed to fight General Zod, Doomsday, and Steppenwolf in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League, respectively Sadly, one of Cavill’s desires in the DCU did not come to fruition during his tenure as Superman.
Henry Cavill Wanted to Face Off Against Brainiac in a Justice League Film
Henry Cavill debuted in the DCEU with 2013’s Man of Steel directed by Zack Snyder. The film had Cavill’s Superman square off against General Zod in his journey to becoming the earth’s protector and discovering his Kryptonian origin. During the promotion of the film, Cavill was asked about his experience making the film, how he would like the Justice League to be formed, and who the antagonists should be.
Cavill told Jake Hamilton (on Jake’s Takes) that if he were given the power to map out the future of the Justice League, he would first introduce the characters in their solo movies first and then bring them together to face a major threat. He named Brainiac and Doomsday as villains that will prove as worthy threats to the newly formed Justice League team. He said,
“You have to introduce various characters so it’s not just like BAM, the world’s full of godlike superheroes. You’d have to find them
and introduce them through various movies and then bring them together with a major threat that happens, whether that threat would be Doomsday or Brainiac or whatever we don’t know. But there’d have to be a lot of storylines to have the audience be okay with an introduction to say Brainiac or Doomsday.”
Sadly for Cavill, he got to face only one of the two villains that he wanted to face off against. Superman fought Doomsday in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. His tenure as Superman ended in such a disappointing fashion as WB did not realize and make use of the potential of the character. The Justice League did not get the chance to fight Brainiac, and thus, it remained an unfulfilled dream for Cavill.
Henry Cavill Had to Balance Absurdity and Seriousness for Argylle
Henry Cavill is coming back to the movie theaters with his latest spy action comedy film Argylle, directed by Matthew Vaughn. The film, which is releasing on February 2, 2024, is a unique take on the spy genre and flips the whole concept, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.
Cavill and Sam Rockwell represent these aspects from the eyes of Bryce Dallas Howard’s character. Cavill talked about this aspect in an interview with Digital Spy, where he emphasized the importance of striking the right balance between the seriousness and absurdity of the plot as an actor. He said,
“That’s the trick with this one. Argylle is playing it very straight while also keeping in mind that it’s not straight, it’s ridiculous. Its spy tropes turned up to 11. There was a fine line to tread, but because as an actor, you’re not taking yourself too seriously even though your character is, which leads to a whole bunch of fun performance options.”
Unfortunately, the film has received mediocre reviews from critics, and the film’s box office tracking is also not that great. Cavill has another film coming out this year, which is The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, where he reunites with Guy Ritchie after 2015’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The film will be released on April 19, 2024.
