Henry Cavill has some ideas of where he'd like to take Superman next, and his perspective shows why he was the ideal choice for the DCEU's Man of Steel. Cavill first began as Superman in 2013's Man of Steel, and subsequently returned in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder's Justice League. While reception to the first two was very split, the Snyder Cut's arrival—following the extensively reshot theatrical cut that floundered in 2017—has been well-received, along with Cavill's portrayal of Superman specifically. It remains to be seen where the character will go next, or if Cavill will get the chance to continue in the role, but the actor has some ideas about where Kal-El could go in his solo story.
Cavill spoke (via GQ) on where he'd want to take Superman in an interview, emphasizing the struggles Kal-El experienced so far as showing the "early stages of his journey". Cavill then stated his desire to see Superman, at his current stage, become "the true symbol of hope, the beacon of light, before we went down the path of darkness, and then redemption". Cavill is of course referencing Superman being placed under, and then freed from the Anti-Life Equation under Darkseid, in the Knightmare timeline teased in Batman v Superman and Zack Snyder's Justice League. What Cavill's comments show is how well-suited he is to embody the essence of Superman.
The core of Superman as a hero is not his strength or his invulnerability, but the example he sets. Indeed, that's the very arc that Zack Snyder had set him on beginning in Man of Steel, with Cavill also commenting on Clark Kent grappling with the repercussions of mankind's reaction to his very presence on Earth. Ultimately, Superman's purity leads him to set his apprehension aside to help the world.
With villains like General Zod, Lex Luthor, Steppenwolf, and Darkseid, the world's most famous superhero facing physical and philosophical challenges is inevitable—even seemingly insurmountable ones like the Anti-Life Equation. At the same time, his core strength is his inherent goodness, and that's what any story about him will always rest on. Cavill is a busy man with projects like Netflix's The Witcher and the Chad Stahelski-directed Highlander reboot on his plate, and Warner Bros. has other Superman projects in the works, including Michael B. Jordan's Val-Zod Superman series for HBO Max. Nevertheless, there's no denying that Cavill is clearly game to reprise the role.
After Superman's defeat of Steppenwolf in the Snyder Cut, interest in his return as the Man of Steel has spiked sharply. Cavill recently confirmed in a THR interview that "the cape is still in the closet", and has also dropped numerous soundbites indicating his clear eagerness to continue. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson continues to stoke the fires for his long-teased showdown of Black Adam and Superman, though whether Cavill might cameo in Black Adam to set up that epic collision isn't known yet. In any case, Henry Cavill's ready to put on the cape once more, and his comments on the spirit of the Man of Steel show that he remains the perfect Superman for the DCEU.
