It’s been almost eight years since Henry Cavill’s Superman snapped the neck of Michael Shannon’s Zod like it was a twig in Man of Steel, and fans are still debating the merits of having the Big Blue Boy Scout straight up murder someone, which goes against everything he’s typically stood for in the comic books.
Zack Snyder has addressed the criticism on multiple occasions, as have Cavill and Shannon, but with the news that the next standalone Superman movie is going to be a recast reboot with J.J. Abrams spearheading development, any chance to dive deeper into what makes the DCEU’s canonical Kryptonian tick appears to have been taken off the table for the foreseeable future, if not for good.
However, there’s been no shortage of speculation surrounding Cavill’s short and long-term futures, which includes talk of HBO Max’s Man of Steel 2 and a jump to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The latest rumor comes from insider Daniel Richtman, who claims that The Witcher star wants to explore the evil Knightmare version of Superman that’s set to factor into Zack Snyder’s Justice League, should Warner Bros. afford him the opportunity to head down that storytelling avenue in another project.
On paper, the idea of Cavill headlining a blockbuster set in an alternate future where he’s sided with the forces of evil and become a feared and tyrannical figure is certainly intriguing, but there’d no doubt be a lot of fans dismayed at the prospect after the backlash to Man of Steel‘s conclusion, which would be sunshine and rainbows by comparison.
An evil megalomaniacal Superman has never been seen on the big screen before, though, and while it would be different and exciting, unfortunately it looks as if the studio’s feature-length plans don’t involve Cavill taking top billing in anything.
