DC Ruined Henry Cavill’s Hollywood Career

While not everyone loved Man of Steel, it was at least solid enough that people were intrigued to see what happened next. Despite some script criticisms, everyone praised Henry Cavill as the modern Superman. He has a great look, was clearly committed to the role, and was genuinely endearing in interviews. I think it’s fair to say Henry Cavill was the most liked actor in the DCEU.

But things quickly fell apart for Henry Cavill with the rush to do the storyline for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The biggest thing people remember that movie for is the laughable conflict resolution of Batman and Superman calling off their fight because their moms have the same first names. And it only got worse from there.

There was the disappointing Justice League, director Joss Whedon becoming embroiled in scandal, and Henry Cavill’s fellow League costars talking about hating their experience working on the movie. Obviously, it impacted many more people than just Cavill, but I think he felt like the one on the cusp of really breaking out into a household name. Instead, his biggest projects all became synonymous (through no fault of his own) with infamy.

With DC floundering, Henry Cavill channeled his passion into another project with The Witcher, where he played Geralt of Rivia. A well-known fan of the books and video games, he seemed the perfect fit for Geralt in Season 1. But then the writers started feeling they knew better than the source material and began taking the show in directions Cavill didn’t support. He could have stayed on to at least try and make the best of his career, but then DC came knocking again, to the worst results yet.

Henry Cavill donned the Superman costume once more for a cameo at the end of Black Adam, announcing he was back as Clark Kent. It sounded huge at the time, and fans were excited to see him still on board for the role after so many other actors had left. Unfortunately for Cavill, Black Adam was just the latest DC movie to perform poorly, and the end of the DCEU was announced soon after.

And to pour some salt in the wound, when it was announced James Gunn would be rebooting the franchise, he made it clear while some DC actors might stay on, Cavill would not.

“We didn’t fire Henry,” said James Gunn of Henry Cavill’s possible continuation as Superman “Henry was never cast.” He went on to make it clear that Cavill would not be cast either. “I like Henry, I think he’s a great guy. I think he’s getting [messed] around by a lot of people, including the former regime at this company. But this Superman is not Henry, for a number of reasons.”

So basically, for sticking by DC in their low moments and giving up one of his dream roles of Geralt, Henry Cavill got tossed aside. Playing one of the most recognizable superheroes of all time should be a launching pad for a huge career. But you look at the hype Cavill had when he starred in Man of Steel in 2013 and where he is now, and his stock has fallen. Now he’s seen as a nerdy, handsome guy who probably needs a better agent so he doesn’t keep getting dead-end roles.

I truly hope Henry Cavill bounces back with some strong movies in the future. But I can’t help but find it incredible in a bad way that working with DC wasted so many of his prime years as an actor. At least he’s not alone in that regard, though, since the majority of the DCEU actors wound up in the same boat.