Henry Cavill (b. May 5, 1983) is a British actor best known for his portrayal of Superman in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with Man of Steel and ending with Black Adam.
- Pictured: Cavill as Superman in Man of Steel
Professional History
Henry Cavill is a British actor often associated with his roles in dramas and the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Some of his most famous roles include Geralt of Rivia on The Witcher, Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes and Enola Holmes 2, and August Walker in Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
However, he is perhaps best known for his role as Superman in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with Zack Snyder's films Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Both films proved incredibly divisive on the whole, but Cavill's performance as the character was largely praised. After the poor reception of the 2017 film Justice League, which had been heavily re-edited and re-shot by DC Studios and Joss Whedon, Superman was relegated to merely cameo roles, not even being portrayed by Cavill himself.
In 2021, DC Studios released Zack Snyder's Justice League, Snyder's original edit of Justice League, on Max, which featured much more of Cavill as Superman. Cavill was later brought back for a cameo as Superman for the mid-credits scene of Black Adam, which star and producer Dwayne Johnson hoped would lead to future films that would reinvigorate interest in the floundering DCEU, as well as filming some scenes for The Flash.[1] Cavill even left his role on The Witcher to make time for his future as the Man of Steel, leaving the role of Geralt to Liam Hemsworth.
However, due to Black Adam's box office and critical failure, combined with lack of audience interest in the DCEU, DC Studios was taken over by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who chose to reboot the DCEU into the DC Universe. While some actors from the DCEU would remain to reprise their characters in the DCU, Cavill was not one of them, and he was dropped as Superman, being replaced by David Corenswet for the upcoming film Superman. His scenes for The Flash were also cut in that film's editing process, leaving only two CGI recreations of his character behind. Cavill has officially stated he is finished playing Superman, but Gunn has stated that he and Safran have discussed him playing a different character in another project for the DCU.[2]
Work History
Acting Credits
| Man of Steel | June 14, 2013 | Superman |
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| Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | March 25, 2016 | Superman |
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| Justice League | November 15, 2017 | Superman |
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| Zack Snyder's Justice League | March 18, 2021 | Superman |
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| Black Adam | October 21, 2022 | Superman |
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| The Flash | June 16, 2023 | Superman (Archive footage) |
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