Henry Cavill did not make a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic-Con to announce the return of his Superman as was previously rumored by reports that indicated he could be returning to Hall H. Cavill made his debut as the Last Son of Krypton in the Zack Snyder-directed Man of Steel in 2013, kicking off the DCEU proper. While reception to that film was initially frosty, the love for Cavill's iteration of the character has only grown in the years since.
The DCEU has hit plenty of speedbumps in the year since Man of Steel's debut and Cavill himself has only made three appearances - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, and Zack Snyder's Justice League. The latter film was meant to close the door on the so-called SnyderVerse but many have called for Cavill's return to the DCEU. Whether that would serve as a continuation of Snyder's story for the character or not, it's clear audiences want to see Cavill return to what has become a career-defining role for the actor. Just days before SDCC was set to kick off, rumors began circulating that Cavill would be making an appearance in Hall H to announce the return of his Clark Kent.
Unfortunately, that won't be happening yet. During Warner Bros.' panel in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, the actor did not make an appearance contrary to the rumors suggesting he would. Instead, Warner Bros. chose to focus on their highly-anticipated 2022 slate, showing off the first Shazam 2 trailer and a new look at Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam.
In a long line of missteps, the lack of movement on a new Superman movie is one of the most confounding. While there are several projects in development centered around various versions of the Kryptonian, it has been almost 10 years since Superman has had his own solo project. The DCEU has continued to flesh out other members of the Justice League, but WB has remained mum on their plans for Cavill's character. This has led to many calling for Cavill's return to the role in Man of Steel 2, but nothing has come of it yet.
Not only is Superman one of DC's premier heroes, but Cavill's take on the character has slowly gained a glowing reception from both fans and critics. More than anything, it would make sense for DC to bring him back as it could potentially bridge the gap between the now-concluded SnyderVerse and whatever the studio has planned for the future. Right now, though, they seemed focused on introducing a slate of new characters (or bringing back even older ones like Michael Keaton's Batman). While it's understandable that Cavill was unable to make it to SDCC (he's reportedly filming The Witcher season 3 in the UK right now), it's another blow to a studio that is trying to move forward despite its tumultuous past.