Henry Cavill’s Return as Superman May Already Be Over

Longtime DC fans were buzzing when Henry Cavill showed up in the closing credits of Black Adam, returning to the role of Superman several years after it looked like he’d been put out to Kryptonian pasture. Shortly after Black Adam debuted in theaters, Cavill giddily took to Instagram to announce his “official” return as the Man of Steel.

“I am back as Superman,” Cavill said. “The image you see on this post and what you saw in Black Adam are just a very small taste of things to come.”

Or maybe not.Black Adam and Cavill’s announcement came before James Gunn and Peter Safran were brought in to be the new co-CEOs of DC Studios. And according to  The Hollywood Reporter, the pair have big plans for DC that could differ drastically from what the previous regime had in store. Those in the crossfire could include Cavill, who per a “rumor” might find whatever Man of Steel sequel was in the early stages of development shut down, along with Jason Momoa and his Aquaman franchise, following the upcoming sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Supposedly, Cavill’s announcement of his return was legitimate when it was made, and discussions were underway about what a new Man of Steel could look like. But that was before Gunn and Safran were installed at the top of DC Studios, and they appear to have their own plans about where to proceed with Superman and other Justice League characters.

It seems like very little is definitively settled at this point. Henry Cavill may still show up in The Flash, and there’s no guarantee that we won’t see him in a new Man of Steel, or in some other DC movie. But for DC to grandly reintroduce Cavill in one movie, film a cameo with him for another, and then consider dropping his character for a second time all within a matter of months kind of sums up the state of the DC Movie Universe over the last few years, if one even exists. The Flash is currently scheduled to premiere in theaters on June 16, 2023 — with or without Henry Cavill.