Henry Cavill’s Superman exit: Why the DCEU needs this reset
When Black Adam was released in October, fans were stunned to see Henry Cavill back as Superman in a mid-credits scene. After the film’s opening weekend, the actor revealed that he was returning as the superhero for future DCEU (DC Extended Universe) movies.
But in a surprising turn of events on Wednesday, it was announced that the new heads of DC Studios – James Gunn and Peter Safran – were going in a different direction and would no longer need him as Superman.
I understand why the fans are outraged – Cavill has been their Superman for almost 10 years and we all like consistency. I also feel really bad for Cavill because he has been actively campaigning for his Superman return in the press and finally got his wish for a split-second cameo! He dropped out of The Witcher for that. I feel sorry for him but at least he’s now working on his Warhammer passion project. Personally, I didn’t care for Cavill as Superman and I still think Superman is one of the blandest superheroes going.
I also feel bad for the people behind Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as they are made and basically ready to go (if they still get released). The Flash movie is also still on the slate but that’s problematic for other reasons.
However, I have absolute faith in Gunn’s plans for the DCEU. He wrote and directed the Guardians of the Galaxy films and The Suicide Squad, which are all better than what we’ve seen in the DCEU so far, perhaps with the exception of 2017’s Wonder Woman and 2020’s Birds of Prey.
Gunn became head of DC Studios with his longtime producer Safran on 1st November and they are cleaning house and starting again. That is what the DCEU needs. The direction it was going was not working and the films haven’t been making much of a profit. They haven’t had a true hit for a while and its most recent release, Black Adam, was not good.
Warner Bros. wants the DCEU to be as popular as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While I don’t think that will ever happen (even though Marvel has dropped off quality-wise recently), drafting in someone who has worked in the MCU is a masterstroke. I believe Gunn and Safran’s plans will reap rewards in a few years’ time. It will take a while to see these changes but I have complete belief that their reset will reinvigorate the franchise and make its releases exciting once again.