Filmmaker Zack Snyder recently posted a new pH๏τo of Henry Cavill as Superman from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but the response shows that DC Universe audiences have unequivocally moved on to James Gunn and David Corenswet’s Superman. The transition from the Cavill-led DCEU to DC Studios’ new DCU has been a bumpy one, but it looks like we’re finally, fully, in a new era of Superman on film.
Cavill’s tenure as Superman spanned nearly a decade, from his introduction in 2013’s Man of Steel to his final appearance in the post-credits scene of 2022’s Black Adam. Yet, it could still largely be characterized as a missed opportunity, with Man of Steel 2 never materializing and his performance in Justice League being butchered by reshoots. Black Adam then seemed to tee up Cavill’s Superman to return, only for it to be announced a few weeks later that he would be recast.
Ultimately, Corenswet landed the Clark Kent role in Gunn’s reboot film; Superman debuted to extremely positive reviews and excitement from audiences who were eager for a new take on the Big Blue Boy Scout. Still, there remains a contingent of fans dedicated to seeing Cavill once again don the Superman suit, and they seemed to be given a boost of morale by Snyder himself last week.
Zack Snyder’s Recent Post Sparked Superman Debate
On Instagram, Snyder posted a new image of Cavill in costume as Superman on the set of Batman v Superman, with the caption, “Henry Cavill is Superman. From BvS sH๏τ with my monochrome 50mm Noctilux. 3 weeks on Instagram thanks to everyone.” Although the post appears to be mainly in honor of his Instagram anniversary, it’s re-sparked the debate over Superman.
The comments on Snyder’s post are a mix of those that support Corenswet (“David Corenswet is actually Superman. Hope this helps!”) and those that want to see Snyder return to direct a continuation of Cavill’s Superman story: “Henry Cavill is the Superman! Comeback [sic] Zack Snyder, you are the best.” However, the comments do, interestingly, lean in one distinct direction.
DC Audiences Are On Board With David Corenswet’s Superman
The top-liked comment on Snyder’s Cavill post reads simply, “Girl move on.” With nearly 11,000 likes as of publication, this seems to be the prevailing sentiment about the state of Superman. There are, of course, plenty of comments supporting Snyder and Cavill and hoping they can somehow continue telling their Superman story, but none have nearly as many likes.
Based on this, it would seem that Gunn and Corenswet have won over audiences with their take on Superman, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise since the movie holds an 83% critic score and 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s clear that viewers enjoyed Superman and are excited to see where Gunn and Corenswet take him next — which will be in the follow-up film, Man of Tomorrow, releasing in 2027.
