Despite the fact that the movie’s marketing campaign made it look like the Superman version of Batman Begins, Man of Steel ended up receiving a mixed response from both fans and critics alike. With writer David Goyer replaced by Chris Terrio for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, it’s hoped that Zack Snyder’s follow-up will fare a little better when it’s released this March.
There were a couple of things in particular which are still being talked about today, specifically Superman breaking General Zod’s neck and the widespread destruction caused by their battle, but Henry Cavill has made it clear in a recent interview that Batman V Superman won’t be going out of its way to address either those or any of the other issues people had with Man of Steel.
“The reception of my first Superman movie, from what I’ve read, was fairly mixed. Everyone I’ve spoken to enjoyed the movie, but [not] unlike if you’re going to meet a stranger in the street, they’re not going to badmouth you to your face. There’s no intentional move, I don’t think, in Batman v. Superman to address any issues that people had with Man of Steel. It’s just a continuation of that storyline and they continue to develop that world and introduce new characters.”
So, while Cavill is clearly aware of some of the negative reactions to Man of Steel, he’s clearly not letting them get him down, and more comments from the British actor make it clear that he’s loving being part of the superhero genre.
“I think maybe people may look down on some popular-culture stuff, but they’re actually very complicated and interesting characters. Superman especially, he’s just wonderfully rich and one of those things, for me, that’s just enjoyable to play. There’s so far you can go with it; if you really, really delve deep into the character, there’s so much you can do. It’s just about exploring it within the vehicles and finding what you want to do. He’s going to have some very interesting character development in this one.”
While Cavill will have plenty of opportunities to further explore Superman in Batman V Superman and the two-part Justice League movie, there’s still no word on a Man of Steel sequel, so it could be a while before he gets another solo outing as the iconic DC Comics superhero.
Either way, we’ll find out what’s next in Superman’s story when he takes on the Caped Crusader come March 25th.