Man of Steel's Henry Cavill recently shared his thoughts regarding DC's upcoming Black Superman film. DC first announced that they would be developing a new Superman movie with a Black lead earlier this year, with author and occasional comic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates tapped to pen the script and Star Wars' JJ Abrams producing. The news has been met with mixed reception, particularly from those that would rather see lesser-explored Black DC characters receive their own films rather than simply race-swapping Clark Kent (who is usually depicted as white in the comics).
Racial aspects aside, fans of Zack Snyder's DC films are worried that the arrival of this new Superman may spell doom for Cavill's incarnation of the character. Snyder's interpretation of DC's pantheon of heroes is rather unorthodox compared to traditional depictions, with his vision of Superman departing quite significantly from the usual cheery and optimistic characterization that appears in most Superman stories. And yet, while Cavill's portrayal as the iconic Kryptonian hasn't been immune to criticism, even many of his harshest critics admit that he could potentially flourish in the role under a different writing team. However, Cavill himself seems to remain optimistic.
In a recent interview with THR, Cavill gave his candid thoughts about the Black Superman project. He is excited for the movie, saying that "Superman’s far more than skin color [...] [he] is an ideal." In terms of the film's implication on the wider DC cinematic universe, the actor emphasizes that it is possible to "have multiple Supermen going on," citing Joaquin Phoenix's Joker as an example of a successful concurrent portrayal that exists outside of the DCEU's continuity. Check out Cavill's full comments below:
It’s exciting — Superman’s far more than skin color. Superman is an ideal. Superman’s an extraordinary thing that lives within our hearts. Why not have multiple Supermen going on? Joaquin Phoenix did a wonderful Joker movie; so what if it’s not tied to the rest of [the franchise]? They have multiple Superman comic book storylines happening at the same time.
There's definitely room for more than one Superman to exist in DC's upcoming slate of films. While studios may be hesitant to have concurrent portrayals of the same character for fear of confusing audiences, Joker proved that audiences are quicker than studios might think. Cavill's Superman could easily coexist alongside a new Black Superman so long as their portrayals remain distinct from one another, just as Phoenix's tragic Joker set itself apart from Jared Leto's chaotic interpretation of the character.
Although a Black Superman film may remain a contentious topic, it's important to remember that no idea is inherently flawed — it all comes down to execution. Miles Morales faced similar criticisms when he first took up the mantle of Spider-Man, yet he has since become one of Marvel's most iconic modern heroes. Hopefully, Coates and Abrams' will be able to do the same for their version of the Man of Steel.
Source: THR
