This article contains spoilers for Black Adam.
The return of Superman in the DC Extended Universe has some Snyder Cut fans turning against star Henry Cavill.
Coming on the heels of his surprise mid-credits cameo in Black Adam, the Man of Steel star made his DCEU return official in a social media video. While Cavill's announcement drew a largely positive response from fans, a contingent of Zack Snyder's Justice League enthusiasts is not so pleased. Their complaints range from Cavill returning without Snyder to helm the DCEU's future projects, to issues over Superman revisiting the classic red and blue suit rather than the all-black costume from the Snyder Cut.
Throughout his tenure as the Last Son of Krypton, Cavill has experienced multiple controversies. 2013's Man of Steel was met with mixed reviews and sparked criticism over the excessively explosive third act. 2016's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice further polarized critics and audiences with its dark direction, choppy editing and script issues. Once 2017's Justice League debuted, more behind-the-scenes issues ensued, including Cavill's digitized jawline during the Joss Whedon reshoots.
Though Cavill was contracted for one more Superman appearance after Justice League's release, the actor clashed with WB when he was asked to feature in 2019's Shazam! "If he appeared in a cameo as Superman, that would count as one of Henry Cavill’s contracted appearances in a movie as Superman," said Cavill's manager. The financial dispute led WB chairman Toby Emmerich to cease Cavill's future Superman appearances. Shazam! went on to use Cavill's stunt double for the cameo with his head cropped out of his shots.
While his DCEU future was in doubt, Cavill believed there was still "a lot more storytelling for [him] to do" as Superman. Snyder Cut fans had hoped he would appear at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con to make his surprise DCEU return announcement. When The Witcher star didn't show, Snyder Cut fans were outraged. Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson was present for the presentation and fueled fan hopes of Cavill's return.
As the new regime at Warner Bros. Discovery mulls over Superman's DCEU future, Johnson and Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia teased a future project with the Man of Steel facing off against Teth-Adam. "We really want to craft a long form of storytelling and show that these two characters exist in the same universe and are going to have to deal with each other often, either on the same or opposite sides," Garcia said. "Hopefully, they're going to clash at some point, but it's not just about a 'one fight' situation. That was never our dream."
Black Adam is now in theaters.
Source: Twitter