Henry Cavill has allegedly accepted a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Speculations have been going wild as to which character the Man of Steel alum would be playing in the MCU, with choices ranging from the multiverse warrior Captain Britain to the X-Men’s resident boy scout Cyclops. However, a theory suggests that a character closer to what Cavill has played before would be the right fit for the actor.
Henry Cavill was poised to return as Superman in the DC Extended Universe, after a long hiatus, but those promises never came to fruition with the complete overhaul that the franchise went through.
However, Marvel Studios, of all people, could make good on that promise. Having its fair share of Superman copies, the character that Henry Cavill could end up essaying in the MCU would not only be iconic but would also rub shoulders, and become close friends with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Marvel could break the internet if they had Henry Cavill join the MCU as Hyperion.
Hyperion already has a Secret Wars connection
Hyperion in the comics is an Eternal who has been a part of multiple iterations of a team called Squadron Supreme. An expy of the Justice League, this team clashed with the Avengers of Earth 616 when both realities were amid an incursion. Hyperion would eventually see his homeworld destroyed because of it, and then once again, before he would come to settle on Earth 616, where he would become a very close friend and ally to Thor.
Hyperion becomes an integral part of Earth 616, even joining a US government-sanctioned Squadron Supreme when the Avengers become an ‘un-American team’. Hyperion would also go on to adopt the Children of the Sun, a race created through an ‘Origin Bomb’, who he raised with the assistance of Thor. Given that the character hails from another universe, one that was destroyed by an incursion, the character could serve as a great adversary for the Avengers in the MCU, before eventually becoming an ally.
Henry Cavill’s MCU debut as Hyperion would be a dig at DC
Fans widely praised Henry Cavill‘s portrayal of Superman and, something they wished would make an appearance again at the DCEU. However, right after his return in Black Adam, DC found itself going through a reboot, the entire universe meeting its end in 2023, while the execs at WB geared up for a relaunch in 2025, with David Corenswet cast as Superman.
If Cavill were to join the MCU as Hyperion, who is a clear Superman pastiche, Marvel Studios would have the last laugh, and even pit this version of the character against a Superman film at the box office. Marvel has never been averse to trolling DC when it comes to cinematic endeavors, like green-lighting Eternals when a New Gods movie was greenlit, and okaying Captain America: Civil War, only after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was confirmed at DC.
Perhaps, with Marvel revamping the MCU with the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, and DC returning to theatres with a new and improved cinematic universe, such box office shenanigans could retake the limelight.
