Superman fans, you can breathe now.
Among the orchestra of talk that Superman himself, Henry Cavill, was turning in his cape and spandex to play for Marvel’s team, DC fans were understandably nervous. Ahead of Disney’s D23 Expo, a viral report claimed he was among a slew of high-profile talent bound for the MCU. Furthermore, they were expected to all be announced during Marvel’s D23 panel.
When that tidbit didn’t pan out, the DCEU faithful breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Honestly, DC’s fans had good reason to be nervous. Reportedly, Cavill and the former WarnerMedia have not seen eye-to-eye since he suited up for 2017’s Justice League. He was supposedly going to make a cameo in 2019’s Shazam!, but negotiations fell apart, resulting in a Superman stunt double being filmed from the neck down for the scene.
Naturally, the rumor mill began to churn out speculation of his impending arrival in the MCU. After all, he has the superhero physique, acting résumé, and fan support to put him at the top of Kevin Feige’s wish list, and he does so love rubbing elbows with celebrities. At this point, Feige is a bit like comic collectors, only he collects A-list actors.
This is the second time Cavill fans have been disappointed by convention gossip. In July, the hot rumor was that he would appear onstage during DC’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con. There, Warner Bros. Discovery would supposedly announce a slate of Superman projects starring Cavill. When he was a comic-con no-show, DCEU enthusiasts began to worry that those Marvel Studios whispers might indeed be true.
While Marvel’s hardcore audience exuded sorrowful moans after the studio’s less-than-stellar D23 panel, DC fans can rejoice in having dodged a kryptonite bullet…at least for now.