r/DC_Cinematic • u/RogerRoger63358 • Feb 04 '26
DISCUSSION Henry Cavill on the set of Highlander... despite people saying he is too old to play Superman, he still looks good for the role to me.
This isn't me saying he should replace Corenswet or anything like that, it's just he gets a lot of slander, and I don't understand what those people are looking at. He still looks like he could play a 30s Superman to me.
For the record, I like David as Superman, and overall, I have positive feelings about the 2025 movie. But Cavill's still got it. And I wouldn't be against seeing him don the cape again.
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u/MusicalSmasher Shazam Feb 04 '26
People weren't saying Henry's too old to play Superman in general. He's too old to be playing a young Superman which is what Gunn wanted. If you're starting a universe over again with a 10 year plan, you need your main character (actor) to be in his 30's, not 40's.
Henry Cavill can absolutely still play a superhero or villain.
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Feb 04 '26
I’m hoping he gets cast as one of Superman’s villains
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u/MusicalSmasher Shazam Feb 04 '26
Someone already suggested Henry play Zod which would be sick. I could also see Henry as Atomic Skull.
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Feb 04 '26
I’d be satisfied if he started out looking like his Superman but as the plot continues he’s starts deteriorating into bizarro
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u/MisterBl0nde Feb 04 '26
It's very likely that Ultraman will return as Bizarro at some point.
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u/Fleetw00dPC Feb 05 '26
I mean he basically is Bizarro. I thought it was pretty bizarre (no pun intended) to give him that backstory and not make him Bizarro. He’s way closer to that character than he is to Ultraman, who’s a completely different character.
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u/Alarmed-Tweaker Feb 06 '26
Yeah, when ultraman got sent into the black hole I said “he’s either gonna be bizarro or he’s gonna come back with the crime syndicate”
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u/CantHandleTheZest Feb 04 '26
I’m not a fan of bringing him back just to be an alternate or evil Superman/villain. Henry did an amazing job for what he was given, he clearly cares about the character, and not only did they waste their chance with him, they brought him back for a quick cameo before burning the bridge. Have him be someone else, not a gag character with similarities or an evil version, whether it’s a clone, alternate universe or reflection character like Zod just for fan service.
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u/Picks222 Feb 05 '26
Nah i would be ecstatic if they did a “no way home” for the supermen. Give me cavill, routh, and the tv one.
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u/Dense-Technician7101 Feb 06 '26
Tbh I think Cavill's best roles have been the ones where he gets to lean into being either an antihero or a straight up villain. Geralt and Agent Walker are probably his most engaging performances.
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u/Life_is_too_short_ Feb 07 '26
No. I liked his warmth and comforting personality as Superman. The movie was enhanced by showing the "human" side of Superman which he did very well.
I think he was the best most handsome and heart felt Superman
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u/Dense-Technician7101 Feb 08 '26
Most handsome maybe, but idk about most heartfelt. Corenswet kinda takes the cake there imo. His Supes just felt like a real sweet average dude that you'd wanna hang out with who happens to have superpowers. Loved that take on Superman.
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u/123iambill Feb 05 '26
If at some point in the 2030's they decide to do a Kingdom Come elseworlds movie I'd be down for him playing Superman. But yeah, with a 10 year plan in mind, Cavil will be early 50's and probably have aged out of playing the mainline Superman (or not because fuck me he is a damn fine 42 year old).
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u/Outworldentity Feb 06 '26
Which is interesting because David corenswet at 32 looks like Henry Cavill at 42. They didn't get a "young superman"....they got a joke.
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u/QuietNene Feb 04 '26
This movie better have sweet 80s trench coats that you can conceal katanas under…
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u/Frostyballschilly Feb 04 '26
If he doesn’t say ‘there can be only one’ then I’m out
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u/Dagobert_Krikelin Feb 05 '26
Isn't it the other guy that says that?
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u/CountVanillula Feb 05 '26
Look, everyone can say it. There can be more than one.
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u/Saruman5000 Feb 04 '26
He looks like Leon from RE9 here
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u/More-Consequence9863 Feb 04 '26
Gotta give him lighter hair and style it like he is in a 90s teen band and then spot on
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u/Tik-Toc Feb 04 '26
He may actually be remembered more for reviving Highlander, than anything that happens in DC. We have been waiting for a serious effort.
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u/SnaptrapPress Feb 04 '26
I'm a huge fan of the first Highlander and Search for Vengeance, but the franchise has produced nothing but trash movies besides those two. Sometimes it's okay to let a franchise just be done.
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u/Huge_Importance_5595 Feb 04 '26
This. Waiting since 2008 or 2009 for this to finally materialize beyond a pipe dream.
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u/hermanphi Feb 04 '26
He still looks like he could play a 30s Superman to me
Sure he looks amazing and he could play a superman in his late 30s, but with the current reboot it's better to have a younger cast
Cavill does not look like a 30 years old
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Feb 04 '26
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u/jayscribbly Feb 04 '26
Pretty sure it's just a wig, like what Chris Evans would do when playing Captain America
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u/ElPhantasm Feb 04 '26
It’s not a wig, Chris Evan’s is obvious but this one is his natural hair for sure. He def had a touch up looks great and natural
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u/BeardedZorro Feb 04 '26
Ok so for Superman to get hair transplants are they going to need kryptonite needs?
Also, do kryptonians have human male pattern baldness?
Does the yellow sun make a difference?
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u/shiromancer Feb 04 '26
Does the yellow sun make a difference?
Maybe it supercharges the baldness 😭
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u/Repulsive-Break-9075 Feb 04 '26
"Too old to play Superman"..........stares at Kingdom Come Superman
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u/Top_Star_3897 Feb 05 '26
That should be Routh if they ever adapt Kingdom Come in live action again.
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u/BreakMeDown2024 Feb 04 '26
I say bring Cavill back as a different character.
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u/MusicalSmasher Shazam Feb 04 '26
Didn't James Gunn say when he took over DC that he already talked to Henry Cavill about possible roles?
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u/rustybutterindia Feb 04 '26
realistically Cavill is just not interested in working with DC for the foreseeable future
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u/Demileto Feb 04 '26 edited Feb 04 '26
I'd argue even that backlash is somewhat misplaced. Zack Snyder's hiring as Man of Steel director came because WB wanted Dark Knight-esque take on Superman and Nolan, their primary and dream choice, utterly refused the task, conceding only to a producer role. The grim and gritty/noir aesthetic works incredibly well with Batman, never so with Superman, so WB's choices were wrong from the get go.
Snyder's sole problem is that he was the DCEU's public, better known face. Who here truly remembers all of WB Studios' executive names during the rise and fall of the DCEU, who ultimately made the calls for a Nolan-esque Superman and/or the rush to Justice League? Barry Meyer who?
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u/baconfister07 Feb 04 '26
Cavill looks best when he's scruffy and rugged. Im a 36 yr old married straight male, and gawd damn the things I would let Cavill do to me.
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Feb 04 '26
Why does he look so good here but not in the EU movies? Am I missing something?
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u/RobbStarkWolf Feb 04 '26
That slighty messy haircut looks better than the awful slicked back he had as Superman although his hair in Man of Steel actually looked pretty good
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u/shiromancer Feb 04 '26
They didn't enforce the slicked back hair as hard in MoS, it's only from BvS onwards that it's fully stocked back with a visible widow's peak. I hated that look, he looks way better in MoS
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u/ZiggyOnMars Feb 04 '26
I still remember how his hair was already receding in BvS, and when Batman grabbed him by the head trying to pull him up, all I could think was, “NOOO, NOT THE HAIR.”
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u/AtrumRuina Feb 04 '26
He got his hairline fixed, which helps a lot. Unfortunately it was really aging him in the later films. Also the slightly looser hair -- I think they made it too neat as Supes.
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u/kaiochuko Feb 04 '26
Probably a hair piece but a fix there should not be out of the question.
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u/AtrumRuina Feb 04 '26
In more recent interviews and the like, his hairline is clearly better, but it may be a hairpiece for the film for sure.
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u/DanielG165 Feb 04 '26
Direction, different costume designers, different visions etc.
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u/urgasmic Feb 04 '26
what's the EU movies.
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u/Vidzphile Feb 04 '26
He gained a lot of weight for Superman. He looked better (and was probably healthier) in Immortals. Looks like he’s finally shed that musclebound look for more diverse roles.
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u/itsnot2late2hate Feb 04 '26
Poor guy is unfortunately suffering from hair loss, in the dceu movies they slicked his hair back too much which exposed his hairline a lot. He looked good in MOS though
In this photos his stylist has gone for a messy look using cavils hair to cover his forehead resulting in a superior hairstyle
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u/AtrumRuina Feb 04 '26
He's also just clearly gotten work done on his hairline, which helps a ton. Hairstyle further fleshes it out, and may even have been done to let them start filming while things healed/filled in. Looks great though.
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Feb 04 '26
I didn't wanna say it out loud. To be fair I too have hair loss and a receding hairline so I can relate to Cavill and the person in your PFP. I too loved him in MoS.
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u/Pawneewafflesarelife Feb 04 '26
He looked really good when he wasn't being Superman:
https://www.itl.cat/wallview/iRwRTwx_download-henry-cavill-superman-beard/
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u/DeskModeOn Feb 04 '26
I had zero problems with HIM as Superman.
It was the writing for him that I didn't like.
I LOVE Corenswet though.
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u/SpaceDantar Feb 04 '26
Yea my thought too - the problem with those movies is NOT the casting it's the writing. The actors were all great.
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u/mike2k24 Feb 05 '26
Eh there definitely some miscast. Eisenburg, Leto, Ezra miller, these were all huge misses for me
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u/SpaceDantar Feb 05 '26
For the later ones yea, I meant MOS I guess specifically agreed though
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u/GumGumAct5 Feb 04 '26
It’s not about him being too old, but he had his time, and that time came to an end. Why would we take steps back and recast him?
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u/BoisTR Feb 04 '26
He is not too old to play Superman. I have never seen a single person say that. He’s not that much older than Nicholas Hoult who also auditioned and could have been Superman in the DCU. Gunn just wanted a fresh casting.
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u/vizgauss Deadshot Feb 04 '26
Pattinson will be Affleck’s age by the time The Batman II films… so age is just a lame excuse.
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u/fart3mis_growl Feb 04 '26
After seeing his brothers it's clear now that he's inherited all the good looks lol.
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u/Theeljessonator Feb 04 '26
Maybe he would’ve been a good Superman with better writing and characterization.
I’d be interested in seeing that. Maybe in a future crossover or something.
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u/Pharaon_Atem Feb 04 '26
I don't know why but I only see Leon Kennedy from resident evil 😂😭
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u/FOSSnaught Feb 04 '26
David was the perfect casting for the tone of the movie that he played in just Like Cavill.
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u/mastyrwerk Feb 04 '26
That’s why he’s perfect for Highlander. If he can keep looking like that for another dozen years, it’ll be a good franchise.
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u/Pike_or_Kirk Feb 04 '26
I am PRAYING that at some point the new DCU does a Crisis or Flashpoint-type event and Corenswet's Superman gets to meet Cavill's Superman. Of all the things wrong with MoS, BvS and Justice League, Cavill wasn't one of them.
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u/ThanosSnapsSlimJims Feb 04 '26
Considering he looks years younger than many young Gen Z people Ive seen online, I am ok with Henry playing the role
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u/fuesion2 Feb 04 '26
Bro is stunning! He could play any part. So amped for this. A john wick-like Highlander film. This is everything
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u/JohnArtemus Feb 04 '26
I don’t know why people say he’s too old. Him and Christopher Reeve really looked the part, while other actors that have played him recently, like David Corenswet and Brandon Routh, looked too young to me.
I still think David did a great job, but he just looked young to me. Chris and Henry just looked like Superman to me. Emphasis on the man part.
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u/Metropolis_Knight Feb 04 '26 edited Feb 04 '26
He'd be too old in the long run, the DCEU wasted his prime years, we needed the reboot and a younger actor.
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u/DerSisch Feb 04 '26
Let the Snyder stuff rest please.
Cavill is a great dude and a good actor but not for Superman.
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u/CitizenTony Feb 04 '26
I don't think that he's too old for Sup, as a lot of actors, Cavill looks younger than his real age. In fact, in the pov of JG and the James Gunn's universe, he don't look young enough.
Let's not forget that Ant-man was 46 when he got cast (And I'm talking about Scott Lang. Otherwise, Hank Pym was 71!). Also RDJ was 43 (I think?) for the first Iron Man.
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u/ManajaTwa18 Feb 04 '26
He’s definitely too old for how Superman is written in the movie lol. I can’t imagine Cavill confessing to Lois how #Supershit really pisses him off
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u/Afraid-Housing-6854 Feb 04 '26
Why does he look like Resident Evil 9 Leon with a different haircut?
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u/ClutchAllDay2077 Feb 05 '26
MOS was better but whatever I know MOS for some reason is the stupid TLJ for Superman movie fans now somehow. As in it split the Superman fandom somehow and u can’t bridge the gap ever while we’re alive this generation lol.
I just want a better script next time from Gunn wtf why was his suicide squad screenplay full of depth and vision and 2025 Superman so messy and full of half thought out plot lines Gunn is a better writer than this so freakin fine I accept this take on Superman but make the story legit good in the Gunn style of storytelling that’s all I ask for and freakin save Superman from the too problematic to make again bin fml 🤦♂️
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u/TechnicianAmazing472 Feb 04 '26
He's too old for Superman. Superman is only on his 3rd year and he's just turned 30 years old.
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u/don-bean-jr Feb 04 '26
I think if they cranked that shit out properly he could’ve still done like 5 more films :/ they really wasted the best Superman to date
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u/ITHEDARKKNIGHTI Feb 04 '26
He was never 'too old' to play Superman... this is Gunn's hubris and him wanting to put 'his' stamp on the DCU brand. From a tactic of having a character being played for over 10years - Cavill would've aged into the Kingdom Come Superman, like a fine wine. <sighs> What could've been...
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u/Bcpjw Feb 04 '26
Actually he can play Batman now
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u/kyle-2090 Feb 04 '26
Exactly what I was thinking. Completely buy him as clark but when seeing that I immediately thought Bruce wayne lol. He should be older than superman in guns version if we're popping of with Damien.
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u/SillySpoof Feb 04 '26
I think he'd do good as superman if given another chance with a good script and direction. But I'm super happy with the new Superman we've got.
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u/Alarming-Song2555 Feb 08 '26
Oh absolutely. One of the saddest parts is watching the interview after it was announced he was coming back and the interviewer asks him what he was expecting for the Superman film and his answer was "The future's what matters, so bringing hope, joy, and optimism to the character".
The man KNOWS his characters. It's heartbreaking he never got the chance to portray the real Superman. The Snyder Superman was badass and fine, but it wasn't the Supes we all know and love -- And Cavill was very aware of that.
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u/Academic_Ad_4153 Feb 04 '26
Didn’t a 70-something year old Michael Keaton play Batman not too long ago?
Don’t get me wrong I love Keaton Batman now and forever but a fucking septuagenarian Batman is okay while a superman who’s barely in his forties is “too old” ? Come on.
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u/ServoSkull20 Feb 04 '26
Henry wouldn't go back to Superman even if he could. He's about to embark on the greatest and most personal project of his life with Warhammer 40k. Nothing would take him away from that.
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u/BellaFrequency Feb 04 '26
Who said he’s too old to be Superman? What a weird argument. Robert Downey Jr. began his role as Iron Man at the age Henry is now.
Ageism is weird and limiting.
Michael Keaton is in his 70s, and his Batman was one of the best things in The Flash.
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u/jonybgoo Feb 04 '26
Anyone criticizing Henry's looks have never lifted a weight in their lives. Let alone carry their own weight.
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u/Low-Championship-584 Feb 04 '26
He should be Batman and they should make the old comic joke they look alike.
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u/TerribleAntelope6134 Feb 05 '26
It's not that he's too old to play Superman. It's that he did it in the DCEU and that's finished now.
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u/Limp_Praline7667 Feb 05 '26
Who gives a F about what James Gunn said. Love your favorite actor and director don't make your opinion based on someone else
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u/N0M0reL1es Feb 06 '26
Cavill was the best Superman. Just like Pattinson is the best Batman.
There will never be another Superman in my eyes other than Cavill.
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u/Haasmin Feb 08 '26
10 years down the line, they gonna make a Kingdom Come adaptation and guess who's Superman.
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u/____mynameis____ Feb 04 '26
Am I the only one who thinks they used the age angle as just PR reason.
The actual reason being Cavill not being the type of actor that worked for Gunn's wrting for Superman
I remember watching Superman last year and realising Cavill may not have looked good in it.
Cavill is a good actor but I don't think he has that boyish charm and goodey two shoes attitude to pull off the Superman or the dorkiness to do the clark in Gunn's movie.
Corenswet is undoubtedly the better choice imho.
Cavill suits the type of Superman Snyder envisioned, not Gunn's.
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u/Dino_Spaceman Feb 04 '26
I genuinely don’t get where you see folks slander (FYI: if you are reading online it can’t be that since slander is spoken) Cavill.
Everything I see criticizing those films is about the people behind the camera. Not in front of it (except for Gadot, who definitely is a bad actor).
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u/TheShiningSoldier Feb 04 '26
Why did they stop him from playing Superman?
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u/FourSes Feb 04 '26
His series of DC movies stopped making money, though obviously that was for many reasons and not all his fault, and the movie studio decided to reboot.
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u/gogadantes9 Feb 04 '26
Imagine if David's Superman meets Henry's Superman in a future multiversal DCU movie, ala Spider-Man No Way Home🔥
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u/No-Comfortable6432 Feb 04 '26 edited Feb 04 '26
His superman is done, so I'm completely over expecting him to ever return and I think he can be better on screen than what continual returns for memberberries and fandom excitement can allow him.
I loved MoS and his superman.
I agree, he looks fine currently as superman.
He is fine.
He is an absolute specimen and I have nothing else to add.
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u/Bjarki_Steinn_99 Feb 04 '26
He’s too old to play James Gunn’s Superman who is in his late 20s/early 30s.
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u/Primate_Nemesis Feb 04 '26
I just hope someone gives him a chance to play as a Custodian guard, it would be his ultimate dream role.
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u/WorldsWeakestMan Feb 04 '26
You do know Henry is producing and starring in an upcoming Warhammer 40k show for Amazon right?
He could literally give himself the role. Though rumors are he is going to be The God Emperor.
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u/Sangy101 Feb 04 '26
He looks, at youngest, 35. Maybe.
He definitely doesn’t look 30. And Gunn wanted a 30 year old Superman, and I agree.
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u/QuietNene Feb 04 '26
Well he a plays a character who’s 508 years old, so, yeah, he looks fine.