Henry Cavill is now best known for playing Superman in DC’s movie universe (unofficially known as DC Extended Universe) but this might have not happened had he played Edward Cullen in Twilight, as the author wanted. Though the Twilight Saga gave the careers of its protagonists a big boost, that might have not been the case for Cavill, and playing the sparkling vampire could have messed with his involvement in DC, and thus change the DCEU completely. The DCEU as the world now knows it began in 2013 with Man of Steel, presenting Henry Cavill as the new Clark Kent/Superman and making way for other superheroes to join the fun on the big screen.

Cavill’s Superman came back in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and was last seen in Justice League, which wasn’t the big hit Warner Bros. was expecting. As such, the DCEU is now going through many changes, and Cavill’s Superman future is now unclear. But before the DCEU was a thing, in a different realm where vampires, werewolves, and humans co-exist, the Twilight book series made the jump to the big screen. The first film, Twilight, was released in 2008, and had Kristen Stewart as mortal Bella Swan and Robert Pattinson as vampire Edward Cullen – but that role was originally intended for Henry Cavill.

Related: Why True Blood & Twilight Happened At The Same Time

Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer had a clear vision of how she wanted Edward Cullen to look, and her perfect actor for it was Henry Cavill. However, he was never approached by her nor the producers, and was too old already to play an eternal 17-year old vampire. Meyer later lamented losing her “perfect Edward” and proposed that he played Carlisle instead, but again, Cavill was never formally offered any role in the Twilight Saga. But supposing it all worked out differently and he played Edward Cullen, his DC future would have been affected, and he might have never worn the Superman suit.

Twilight Would’ve Been Worse With Henry Cavill as Edward

The problems of the Twilight Saga were many: the story was heavily flawed, the characters weren’t well developed, and the quality of the films decreased a lot as the story progressed. What kept Twilight afloat was its loyal fanbase, which grew once the films were released. But among the flaws there are some silver linings that can be found in the Twilight Saga, such as what it meant for the careers of its main cast, especially those of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Both were the biggest stars at the time, and lived under the spotlight for years, to the point where Pattinson didn’t have good things to say about his Twilight experience.

Still, the Edward Cullen fans saw on the big screen has a lot to thank Robert Pattinson for. Playing the character as a tortured soul was Pattinson’s idea, which proved to be a great one as it had a big impact on viewers, especially those not familiar with the books. While Henry Cavill was not a newcomer and had experience in the drama genre, he wouldn’t have given Edward what Pattinson did, and the impact of the Twilight Saga as a whole wouldn’t have been the same. In addition to that, Stewart and Pattinson’s chemistry was unique, and couldn’t have been replicated had someone else taken Pattinson’s place.

Henry Cavill Wouldn’t Have Been DCEU’s Superman

Henry Cavill Superman DCEU future explained

The Twilight Saga began in 2008 and ended in 2012, as the fourth novel, Breaking Dawn, was split into two films. Cavill’s projects between those years had a bit of everything: comedy (Whatever Works), horror (Blood Creek), action (Immortals, The Cold Light of Day), and historical fiction on television with The Tudors. Of course, he could have worked in other projects even if he played Edward Cullen, but it’s unlikely he would have done as many and from different genres and styles. Cavill got the role of Superman in big part because he was already cast in Superman: Flyby, which was shelved, and was considered for the role in Superman Returns, but it went to Brandon Routh. Cavill most likely wouldn’t have been considered for Flyby nor Returns (and, in turn, Man of Steel) had he been part of the Twilight Saga, mostly because being Edward Cullen meant keeping a certain physical look as it wasn’t just a one film deal, and Superman requires gaining muscle, so it wouldn’t have worked.

Related: WB Shouldn't Struggle Making Superman Relevant, Man of Steel Already Did It

Would The DCEU’s Superman Be Better Without Cavill?

Justice League Henry Cavill Snyder Cut Superman

The problem with the DCEU’s version of Superman is not just one, though Cavill’s performance is part of it. Many found his work in Man of Steel to be stiff and lacking of charisma, an opinion that didn’t change with the subsequent films. It doesn’t help that the stories weren’t the best, with plots that were nonsensical and over-complicated, and trying too hard to set a dark tone so the DECU could differentiate from its competitor, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having a different actor playing Superman in the DCEU would have only fixed one problem, and even if it had been a “better” actor, Superman wouldn’t have been fully saved.

Would Robert Pattinson Still Play Batman Without Twilight?

Whether you like Twilight or not, it’s undeniable that it was the role that put Robert Pattinson on the map, and opened many doors for him – but at the same time, playing Edward Cullen for years drove him to play very different characters so he could shake Twilight off, which in turn drew a lot of attention to his work, as he proved that he has range. Though Twilight will always be a big and important part in Pattinson’s career, he has moved away from its shadow, to the point where he can now be part of other franchises, such as the DCEU. In Pattinson’s case, had he not had Twilight, he wouldn’t have The Batman, while in Cavill’s case it would have been the opposite.

It’s possible, however, that if Pattinson hadn’t played Edward Cullen, he would have taken part in a different YA franchise, as there were many at the time, though their legacy isn’t the same as Twilight's, so they wouldn’t have given him the same benefits. Ultimately, Twilight is what set the basis for Robert Pattinson’s future projects, among those The Batman, but that doesn’t mean it would have done the same to any other actor who could have played Edward Cullen, as Pattinson brought something different to the character Meyer created. As for Henry Cavill, it was good that he didn’t play Edward Cullen, and even though his time as Superman wasn’t the best, he’s now ready to take on different roles.

Next: What Went Wrong With Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

Key Release Dates