Henry Cavill and his fans have been advocating for his return as DC's Superman for a long time, but it isn't until now that it seems the Man of Steel star may actually grab the cape from his closet and don the red-and-blue tights once again in a sequel to the Superman film.
Supes was last seen in 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League, which left a better taste than the 2017 version when Joss Whedon had to digitally burn Cavill's mustache off. Outside of the Justice League movies, Cavill's Superman has only appeared in one film other than his own, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He almost appeared in Shazam!, but a faceless body double took his place due to Warner Bros.' inability to determine Cavill's future as the hero.
Many rumors have suggested that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has heard the cry from fans that want more Cavill in the DCEU, constantly teasing that Superman will appear in his upcoming Black Adam movie, similar to how the two heroes met at the end of DC's League of Super-Pets.
As the new movie The Flash is rumored to be a giant reset for the DCEU movies, creating a new cinematic plan that doesn't have to worry about the bunch of botched blockbuster attempts in the early days of the DCEU, some fans are worried that will mark the end of the line for Cavill's Superman hopes since they can create a new Superman following that critical movie.
Now, an industry insider is doubling down on this notion, claiming that Cavill is back in a big way as the fan-favorite Kryptonian from Kansas.
Man of Steel 2? Henry Cavill Reportedly Returns
Former "Birth. Movies. Death." editor-in-chief and industry insider David Faraci revealed on his "Marvelvision" podcast that some "behind-the-scenes" evidence suggests Warner Bros. is making another Superman movie with Henry Cavill due to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's negotiations.
When asked to give more detail, Faraci explained that Johnson "went hard, full-court press on Warner Bros. and made them go to Henry Cavill," stating that the Black Adam actor is facilitating "a new deal with Henry Cavill, including (...) a new Superman movie:"
"I got some more information about this. It’s not, like, specific. It’s all behind-the-scenes stuff that I thought was kind of fascinating, which is that the reason why Henry Cavill has returned as Superman in Black Adam is because The Rock demanded it. Like, he went hard, full-court press on Warner Bros. and made them go to Henry Cavill and they had to sign a new deal with Henry Cavill, including saying they were gonna develop a new Superman movie. And it was all because The Rock insisted."
David's cohost - his brother, Devon - joked that Warner Bros. may regret agreeing to The Rock's demand for a new Superman movie if it doesn't do well at the box office, to which Faraci admitted that "they have now locked themselves into another Henry Cavill Superman" by agreeing to Johnson's terms.
However, Faraci reiterated once more that he's learned that Warner Bros. is "working on a Henry Cavill Superman movie:"
"Not only is Henry Cavill gonna be in Black Adam, my understanding is they’re working on a Henry Cavill Superman movie."
This comes after many rumors that Henry Cavill's Superman would not only appear in Black Adam but also in the yet-to-be-released Flash movie.
Adding fuel to the fandom flame, @ViewerAnon tweeted that "Henry Cavill fans are going to be happy moving forward with DC movies." The user then added that relations between Cavill and Warner Bros. have mended, and now "it's not just a Black Adam scene" that Superman could appear in:
"I don't want to step on anyone's toes, these aren't my scoops to make, but I think Henry Cavill fans are going to be happy moving forward with DC movies. It seems like the bridge between WB and Cavill has been crossed and it's not just a BLACK ADAM scene."
Cavill's Shaky Future as DC's Superman
It's always been curious why Warner Bros. doesn't jump on more Cavill Man of Steel content, but it's never been a question of whether Henry Cavill is on board with the idea of returning as Superman. The actor's already made it clear that "there is still a lot of storytelling for (him) to do as a Superman," also adding that he would "absolutely love the opportunity."
Rumblings around The Flash have suggested that Henry Cavill "appears to be done" as Superman following a test screening for the film. It doesn't necessarily negate the potential of his appearance, but it certainly seems that if he did appear, then it would somehow be the last appearance of Cavill's Kryptonian.
Of course, this news comes months after that initial report, and The Flash was still doing reshoots up until early October. The report concluded that "movies can change a lot" in the 15 months between the report and the film's scheduled release. With all of the constantly moving pieces in DC's film department, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think Superman has since been added to The Flash.
Some may be thinking that this rumor doesn't exactly line up with what Warner Bros. plans have been for Superman in recent years. In fact, a J.J. Abrams-produced Black Superman project was reportedly in development, but production on that has reportedly slowed since the company was purchased by Discovery. Whether those plans are delayed or scrapped altogether, Cavill has been surrounded by more Superman chatter than anything involving Abrams' unmade movie.
On the front of multiple ideas for Superman at the company, Man of Steel producer Charles Roven thinks Warner Bros. has to "allow for multiple visions" of Superman, rather than sticking to one story. This supports new ideas like Abrams' Black Superman or CW's Superman & Lois, but it also encourages Warner Bros. to reconsider how many fans enjoy the vision of Henry Cavill's Superman.
Regardless of what Warner Bros. pictures for the future of Superman in its DC films, it seems The Rock has made them realize that fans want to see Henry Cavill continue to be a part of it, and now it's resulted in a sequel finally being made for 2013's Man of Steel.
Check out Superman's apparent DCEU return in Black Adam when it debuts in theaters on October 21.
