Zack Snyder had grand plans for Superman’s journey, envisioning a trilogy that would have seen the hero face Darkseid and find redemption. Unfortunately, Henry Cavill’s portrayal of the iconic character was left behind with the demise of the Snyderverse. In an interview with GQ, Snyder revealed:
“He was going to have to succumb to the Anti-life, be destroyed, turn the clock back, and then get his chance for this battle against Darkseid. If you will… that would have finished his trilogy of becoming this guardian, and sort of, return him to his humanity.”
Cavill’s Superman last made a cameo in Black Adam (2022), hinting at a showdown with Dwayne Johnson’s character. However, plans for Cavill’s Superman were scrapped with James Gunn’s DC Universe reboot, which introduced a new Superman played by David Corenswet.
Despite Cavill’s Superman facing criticism, particularly for killing General Zod in Man of Steel, Snyder defended the choice: “He’s not going to stop. He wasn’t going to negotiate an outcome, so it was either Zod or us. And that was pretty much the game. There was no like middle ground.
Zod said he would fight until either you kill me or I kill you […] If Superman can’t handle that position, then he’s fake, then he’s not… you got to like… he’s got to address the scenarios that come to him. He can’t pick and choose, as you can’t pick and choose when something is outside of your morality.”
While the Snyderverse hinted at a darker path for Superman, Cavill’s legacy as the Man of Steel remains anchored in his portrayal in Man of Steel (2013).
