A new report reveals that Henry Cavill’s Superman return to the DC Universe was already in the works through an iconic DC Comics arc. After being absent from the franchise formerly known as the DCEU since 2017, Cavill finally reprise his version of Superman this year. Cavill first donned the suit in 2013’s Man of Steel as part of Zack Snyder’s launch of the cinematic universe based on DC Comics. While it was brief, Cavill’s Superman appeared in the Black Adam post-credits scene where a conflict between him and Dwayne Johnson’s antihero was created.
However, a new report suggests that DC Films had an alternative idea of how to bring back Cavill’s Superman to the DCU. According to THR, former DC Films boss Walter Hamada was working on a “long-range plan” for Cavill’s incarnation of the DC icon. Per their sources, Cavill’s Superman would have been appearing in small appearances through various DCU movies as part of a “breadcrumbed” strategy. The long-term goal was to build his appearances into a Crisis on Infinite Earths-based movie, which would have returned Cavill’s Superman to the DCU on a full-time basis. Thus far, Hamada and no one involved at Warner Bros. has commented on the story.
Why Crisis On Infinite Earths Wouldn’t Help The DCU
What is problematic with this particular Crisis on Infinite Earths plan is that it misses the point of the iconic storyline. Having this arc be used as a way to bring back Cavill’s Superman would have been redundant. Hamada almost approached this as a way to solve a problem that never existed, as Cavill’s Superman had still been in the DCU at this point, and it wasn’t as if he was trapped in another universe or being held back. Johnson also mentioned how Hamada rejected the idea of using Cavill’s Superman, hence why he had to go over the former DC Films boss to get the character in Black Adam.
The other problem with Crisis on Infinite Earths being used as a vehicle for the DCU is that this was a storyline that has already been done in live-action and very recently at that. Between December 2019 and January 2020, The CW’s Arrowverse franchise did its own Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptation after having built up to the iconic storyline for the last few seasons, primarily through The Flash show. Even in the five-part crossover event, the Arrowverse incorporated the DCU when Ezra Miller’s Flash crossed over and shared a scene with Grant Gustin’s version of the DC icon. To try to replicate that arc in the DCU, in order to bring Cavill’s Superman back on a regular basis is a method would be a mistake, simply because Crisis on Infinite Earths is not a storyline that is meant to act as some kind of bandaid.
Doing Crisis on Infinite Earths on the big screen would be a treat for DC fans across the board, but right now, there is no foundation for it in the DCU. In the end, this arc may never be done since DC Studios’ James Gunn and Peter Safran are currently taking the franchise in a new direction as they work on a 10-year-long plan. With the fate of Cavill’s Superman currently up in the air, time will well if he is going to continue as the Man of Steel in the DCU.
Source: THR