The recent news of Henry Cavill leaving DC’s Superman not only made fans upset but has also led to some questions about the future of the DCU. So far, DC Studios announced recasting some of the cast, like Jason Mamoa, in other DC roles, while shelving other projects like Wonder Woman 3. Unfortunately, the news of Cavill’s departure led to fans doubting James Gunn’s leadership in DC.
Gunn released a thread on Twitter and announced that their “DC Slate” is ready to go, and they look forward to sharing future projects around next year. He then went on about his plans for his version of Superman and how he wants to focus on “the earlier parts of Superman’s life,” hence why Cavill no longer has the role. He did say that he looks forward to working with Cavill in the future, but no recasting news was announced or hinted.
Sadly, Gunn’s tweets were met with backlash. While there is hope that Gunn might do a decent job, many claimed that it was “a waste of talent” to not include Cavill’s Superman in his vision of the DCU. It is understandable why DC’s newest execs want to separate their work from the old DC regime, even so, fans are upset that DC is throwing this opportunity away. Especially since there are people who love Cavill’s performance.
Some fans began to call BS on Gunn’s statement since he claimed that both he and Cavill are excited about the future. However, if you read what Cavill wrote, you can tell that he’s heartbroken that his time in the DCU has come to an end. So clearly, two different messages were sent.
Cavill played the role of Superman since 2013 in Man of Steel, and since then continued the role until Justice League. The iconic DC hero had some headless cameo appearances post-Snyderverse, until his iconic return in Black Adam. It’s currently unknown what will happen to Cavill next, especially since he’s no longer in Netflix’s The Witcher series. But fingers crossed that he would make a return in the superhero scene.