Henry Cavill opens up about how he believes that Zack Snyder's take on Superman was the ultimate symbol of hope for the DC Comics hero. Cavill first brought the hero to life in the DC Extended Universe launcher Man of Steel, becoming the first non-American actor to take on the Kryptonian mantle. Snyder's film served as a darker reboot to the iconic Superman story and chronicle his early journey into discovering his powers and how he can best use them to save humanity from alien forces, including fellow Krypton survivor General Zod and his armies.
Cavill would reprise the role for the second DCEU effort, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which his hero would clash with Ben Affleck's Dark Knight over their methods of crime-fighting and the latter's fears of the Man of Steel abusing his powers. Snyder and Cavill would initially reunite for the highly anticipated crossover film Justice League, though the co-writer/director would ultimately depart the project halfway through production due to the loss of his daughter and creative differences with Warner Bros. for the project. Following the generally divisive reaction to the film and years of a fervent fan campaign to see the original vision restored, Snyder would partner with WB one more time for Zack Snyder's Justice League, restoring over two hours of footage left on the cutting room floor and utilizing an additional $70 million budget for new footage, visual effects and scoring.
Cavill recently sat down with GQ to reflect on some of the most iconic characters in his career, namely that of Superman in the DCEU. In looking back at the character's arc through the franchise, Cavill recalled Jonathan Kent's advice to Clark to keep his powers hidden from the world and how that would shape Snyder's Superman to be a symbol of hope for humanity. See what Cavill said below:
"Clark does follow that advice at first. But then realizes that’s not the way to go, and that he must do what he must do regardless of that advice. And that was the beautiful bit. That even though he has restrained himself and lived this life of loneliness essentially, he’s still willing to step out of the shadows and become the hero. Despite that it’s going to have a negative impact on his life. And that, I think, is the aspect of that symbol of hope. He’s representing everything that’s good about mankind. Despite the fact that mankind may not be good to him."
Cavill's time as the DCEU's Superman has seen as much of a divisive response from critics and audiences as the films in which he appears overall. Some have praised Cavill's ability to tap into Clark's inner turmoil of how best to be a hero and his chemistry with co-star Amy Adams as love interest Lois Lane, while others have found his portrayal to be stiff, namely in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Though many were initially pleased by the lighter turn in the theatrical cut of Justice League, some found the shift to be jarring and much attention was drawn to the poor attempt at digitally removing Cavill's mustache from Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation that he couldn't shave off for contractual reasons.
His performance in Zack Snyder's Justice League, however, would receive far better reviews from critics and audiences alike and better fall in line with Cavill's comments on why Snyder's Superman is a symbol of hope. Unlike the rushed theatrical cut, the former DCEU filmmaker was able to spend more time showing the grief his family felt upon his loss and how that would better motivate him to do right by humanity and become a symbol of hope, a nice departure from the doom and gloom of his battle with Affleck's Dark Knight. While Cavill's DCEU future is largely unknown, audiences can revisit his time as Superman with all of his films currently streaming on HBO Max.
Source: GQ
