DCEU actors Henry Cavill and Zachary Levi celebrates Superman's 80th birthday. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in 1933, it wasn't until 1938 that the Man of Steel debuted on the pages of the comics, Action Comics #1, after the two sold the character rights to Detective Comics. Since then, Kal-El has been the epitome of truth, justice, and hope in pop media culture.

After his stint on the pages of the comics, Superman eventually came to the big screen, but it was Richard Donner’s famous Superman live-action film in 1978 that truly catapulted the character to mainstream consciousness. Played by Christopher Reeve (who would reprise the role three more times) in the classic comic book film, Superman was eventually embodied by a few more actors both on TV and film. The latest iteration is Cavill's, who plays the character in the DCEU.

Cavill, who has been playing the Son of Krypton for five years now across three movies (Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League) has taken it to his official Instagram account to celebrate the iconic superhero his 80th birthday by posting an illustration of an old Superman and reminding everyone that "he paved the way for all of our favourite heroes even if he's not yours personally." The actor also took the time to thank the countless writers and artists who have worked on the DC hero since his inception in the '30s. Check out his upload below:

While Cavill's message is heartfelt and serious, Levi's own Instagram post to commemorate the milestone is more playful, writing in the caption that despite Superman's age, he doesn't "look a day past 75." He hilariously also asked for the Man of Steel to stop punching his upcoming superhero character, Shazam, on the face in reference to the comic drawing he posted where the two DC heroes engaged in a fight. See it below:

For weeks, Cavill and Levi's back and forth on social media lead fans to believe that Superman may have a cameo in the upcoming Shazam! film. It's still currently uncertain how the David F. Sandberg film, Shazam!, will fit into the existing lore of the DCEU both in terms of narrative and timeline-wise considering that Captain Marvel is essentially the newest superhero on the block, but a short appearance by Superman could easily link the two films together which could result in bigger crossover events down the line. Perhaps Shazam can pop up in the long-delayed Man of Steel 2, or perhaps in Justice League 2, whichever comes first.

MORE: Rumor: Henry Cavill Looking To Extend DCEU Contract

Source: Henry Cavill, Zachary Levi

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