Despite being the star of the movie that launched an entire cinematic universe, one that has seven further installments scheduled for release by the end of 2022, there’s still no sign of a Man of Steel sequel on the horizon. Henry Cavill’s Superman seems to have become the forgotten man of the franchise having headlined the DCEU’s first outing, before playing second fiddle to Batman in his next appearance and then having his role reduced to an extended cameo in Justice League.
With Warner Bros. intent to forge ahead with a new creative direction in the post-Snyder years, there’s been plenty of speculation about Cavill’s future as the Big Blue Boy Scout. While The Witcher star insists that his time in the costume isn’t over yet, there have also been countless rumors about Superman following the lead of Ben Affleck’s Batman and being re-cast and rebooted.
However, we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones who told us Green Lantern and Justice League Dark shows are coming to HBO Max, both of which were correct – that the studio are wary of the huge fan backlash that they would face if Cavill was dumped as Kal-El, and are now considering making him a prominent part of the DCEU once again. Especially since the actor has also reportedly agreed to take less money for a return.
Having faced a great deal of criticism during those early days, the franchise finally looks to have established itself as a viable alternative to the MCU, and the last thing they want is to go back to the time of Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad and Justice League where the fans were in a state of constant disappointment. Clearly, WB don’t want to face the kind of overwhelmingly negative backlash that there would undoubtedly be if they were to announce that Cavill’s time under the cape was officially done, and are now thinking about bringing him back.
Again, we’ve been told that it’s just being “considered” at present and nothing has been decided on just yet, but it’d be fair to say that the 37 year-old actor has never truly been given the chance to show what he can do as Superman besides looking the part, and there are still plenty of stories to tell in either solo sequels or appearances in other DCEU projects that would give him ample opportunity to re-establish the Man of Steel as one of the franchise’s marquee names.
