The merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery could give hope to both Superman fans and advocates of the completion of Zack Snyder's DC movie arc. Since the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League in 2021, calls for his unrealized DCEU sequels have been virtually ceaseless. Though Warner Bros. declared the Snyder Cut as the final chapter of Snyder's DC story—better known as the "Snyderverse"—upon its release, the company's recent merger with Discovery could offer some indication that might not be set in stone.
Per a Variety report, Discovery is seeking to perform a complete "overhaul" of DC movies after the merger. The report cited concern within Discovery that numerous major characters aren't being properly put to use by the studio. In news that has no doubt excited Superman fans and the many hoping to see Henry Cavill return to the role of Clark Kent, Superman was named as a particular priority in this regard. The implications of Discovery's edict could also go deeper.
The merger has only just been finalized, and with multiple DC movies on the way, the newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery will doubtlessly be spending months mulling over what their DC overhaul will entail. The fact of an overhaul being implemented at all, let alone the renewed attention to Superman, portends considerable changes in the operation of DC movies is on the way. That could be beneficial for Superman as a character, Henry Cavill's role in the DCEU, and the push for Zack Snyder's five-movie arc to be finished.
Warner Bros. Didn't Know What To Do With Superman
Following Warner Bros. abandonment of Snyder's plans, development on any future Superman projects has been sluggish at best. Though Superman makes a cameo at the end of Shazam!, it's only from the neck down due to Warner Bros. and Cavill failing to reach an agreement. A black Superman reboot penned by Ta-Nehisi Coates was announced, but there's been little hard news about it since. A Val-Zod Superman-centered HBO Max series pitched by Michael B. Jordan also has been announced, though the promising project remains in its scripting stage.
With the upcoming Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson has been quite vocal in his desire for his anti-hero to battle Cavill's Superman. Cavill himself has also been equally eager to continue in the role, and while there have been online rumors of some kind of Superman cameo or tease in Black Adam, nothing definitive has been revealed yet. When even a star of The Rock's caliber is facing apparent studio hesitance in a pitch for the Man of Steel's future, Discovery's analysis of there being a lack of urgency around DC's most iconic character in a cinematic capacity is very much on the ball.
Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Can Revive Snyder's Superman Plan
With talks breaking down between Cavill and Warner Bros. in late 2018, it wouldn't be until the 2021 release of the Snyder Cut that audiences would see Superman in a movie again. Cavill's role in the film was widely well-received, and also accompanied by the whiteboard layout of Snyder's planned Justice League 2 and Justice League 3. It's become increasingly evident that Snyder's five-movie arc—in which Superman's story was the centerpiece—remains the most solidified plan for the Man of Steel that Warner Bros. has had. The non-stop #RestoreTheSnyderVerse calls also continue to show a quite clear interest in his arc being seen through.
Discovery's edict that Superman is being left on the bench could indicate there is still a chance of the Snyderverse being revived. Going hand-in-hand with Discovery's observation, the Justice League as a united team could arguably be seen as being just as underutilized as Superman himself. With the studio having communicated no definitive plans of any kind for either Superman or the whole League, the only appearance either have made since the Snyder Cut's release was in a cameo in the finale of HBO Max's Peacemaker. Even then, Batman and Cyborg weren't present, with Superman and Wonder Woman in silhouette, and only Jason Momoa's Aquaman and Ezra Miller's Flash were fully shown, albeit very briefly. With Warner Bros. inability to initiate plans for both Superman and the Justice League, Discovery's reading of the situation could be the first domino to fall in the potential for Snyder's plans to be given a second life.
It bears repeating that Snyder's present Netflix commitments would need to be taken into account. Working in the favor of that would be the numerous spin-offs set up by Zack Snyder's Justice League. These include, among others, Ben Affleck's Batman movie, the Deathstroke origin film, the Ryan Choi Atom movie, and a Cyborg solo movie. With Rebel Moon and Planet of the Dead on Snyder's immediate horizon, a streamlined path would be needed for the completion of Snyder's arc to actually be properly planned and executed. Using these spin-offs along with David Ayer's original cut of Suicide Squad as interim projects between the first and second Justice League movies would provide the most effective method of doing so. Cavill has also been vocal about his desire to do another Superman movie, and this too could be used as a build-up tool for the eventual Justice League sequels. That also gets into how Warner Bros. Discovery's post-merger mandate for Superman to be emphasized on film again could mutually benefit both the Man of Steel himself on singular level as well as fans pushing the "Restore the Snyderverse" hashtag.
The DCEU's Multiverse Can Make Superman's Golden Age
What makes Superman's cinematic absence so bizarre is the fact that Warner Bros. has everything at their disposal to push the Last Son of Krypton like never before. With the Multiverse as the new rage of superhero films, there need not be only one version of a given character at at any point in time. In the case of Cavill's Superman, there's a multi-pronged future Warner Bros. Discovery could build for him in the Justice League sequels and his battle with Black Adam. Cavill has also spoken of his eagerness to capture the Man of Steel's hopeful nature in another Superman solo movie, and ideally, one that takes place between Man of Steel and Batman v Superman would be able to do just that. There's also another Superman ready to go with Superman Returns' Brandon Routh having returned for the Crisis On Infinite Earths mini-series. Both Routh himself and many Superman fans have expressed interest in him continuing in an HBO Max movie or series. With Routh's Superman being the modern continuation of Christopher Reeve's, following him further as another Superman in DC's Multiverse would be just as smart as Cavill continuing.
Meanwhile, Superman & Lois has been the only consistent Man of Steel presence in the past year with Tyler Hoechlin's Kal-El. With the show positioning itself as a "Superman's Greatest Hits" type series, frequently homaging every past Superman iteration while telling its own story, Superman & Lois is already headed into season 3. Between currently running and potential projects, Warner Bros. Discovery could unleash a never-before-seen Superman blitz with Cavill, Routh, Hoechlin, as well as Jordan's Val-Zod series and Coates' Superman screenplay. Between theaters, television, and HBO Max, the advantage would go far beyond simply the SnyderVerse's restoration. For Superman fans across the board, the general feeling that the Big Blue Boy Scout is slipping through the cracks would be a thing of the past.
The desire by fans for the SnyderVerse to be restored remains a process with numerous logistical elements to be worked out, including the scheduling of multiple participants like Snyder and Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher's dispute with WB being resolved, and designing the plan in such a way as to harmoniously co-exist with DC's forthcoming film slate. Still, Discovery's desire to re-evaluate the current DCEU operation may mark the potential early beginnings of that door being re-opened. With any luck, the possibility for multiple Men of Steel in DC's Multiverse could make the sequels to Zack Snyder's Justice League just one Superman story of several to finally enable the Last Son of Krypton to fully take flight again.
