James Gunn has confirmed DC Studios' plans for Superman and who won't be returning.

Leading up to the release of Black Adam, and immediately following the film's debut, Henry Cavill's Superman comeback was all everyone was talking about. 

Days after Cavill confirmed his return on social media, Warner Bros. announced James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs of the newly branded DC Studios, where they would map out the future of the DC Universe. 

In the wake of these two bombshells, the question fans have been asking is whether Cavill's future was still guaranteed.

And now, it seems that question has been answered.

DC Studios to Recast Superman

In a thread on Twitter, James Gunn confirmed that Superman is part of his and Peter Safran's upcoming DC slate. However, their Man of Steel will not be played by Henry Cavill:

"Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year. Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.

But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future."

"I am writing (and have been for a while). We don’t know who is directing yet."

Warner Brothers has given a very promising update on Man of Steel 2. The first Man of Steel film premiered in 2013, and is considered to be the first film in the DC Extended Universe. Man of Steel grossed $668 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Superman film in history, and the second hightest-grossing film reboot ever after 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man. The film received mixed reviews, with critics divided on everything from Henry Cavill's performance as Superman, to the special effects.

Though Man of Steel wasn't critically acclaimed, it was profitable enough - and beloved by enough fans - to encourage Warner Bros. to pursue other films in the DCEU. It was originally intended for Man of Steel to have a trilogy of Superman-focused films, similar to the Dark Knight trilogy, however, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's success with character crossover films like The Avengers inspired DC to follow suit. Man of Steel was quickly followed up by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016, which saw Cavill reprising his role against Ben Affleck's iteration of Batman, along with Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman. Though Cavill's Superman has appeared in a few other DCEU films, any ideas for a sequel to Man of Steel were seemingly shelved for the time, though may be getting back on track.

In a report from The Hollywood Reporter, sources claim that Warner Bros. is looking towards a Cavill Superman film, which would essentially be Man of Steel 2. The project is being produced by major DCEU producer Charles Roven, and the film is currently searching for writers. Director James Gunn is also in talks with Warner Bros. to do a mystery film where "DC is definitely in play," according to an insider source.

How Black Adam Can Help Man of Steel 2

Dwayne Johnson, the star of DC's next upcoming film Black Adam, has also vocalized his desire to see Cavill return to the DCEU. Johnson has been very eager for a Black Adam versus Superman film, and has teased that Cavill's Superman will be making a cameo appearance in Black Adam. Whether Cavill's rumored appearance in the film will spark a crossover of its own, or simply become a launching point for Man of Steel 2, is currently unknown.

Though there is excitement among some DCEU fans over a potential Black Adam versus Superman fight, many are worried that it may just be a repeat of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a film which was very poorly received by critics and fans alike. However, a simple cameo in Black Adam could be the jumping-off point that Cavill needs to slowly re-introduce his Superman into the DCEU, to make audiences eager for a Man of Steel sequel. With Warner Bros. potentially on board with the project, and Gunn potentially in talks to direct, Superman fans can rest assured knowing that Man of Steel 2 is slowly in the works.

Superman -- like any popular character in pop culture -- has been through plenty of evolution and change over the decades. Since his creation, Superman has come to mean a lot of things to a lot of people, bringing in lots of creative teams to develop a character who went on to define an entirely new genre of storytelling.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #6 (by Mark Waid, Travis Moore, Tamra Bonvillain, and Dan Mora) brings the pair back in time to briefly join the circus. This also alludes to the Man of Steel's original design and the undeniable role that circus performers played in defining Superman and by extension many superheroes' archetypical designs.

Batman and Superman are thrown back in time, in search of a time-displaced Dick Grayson, aka Robin. The pair find him in Corto Maltese in 1892, working with the Stratford Circus. This plays into his origins as a circus performer as a part of the Flying Graysons. When Superman and Batman arrive, Grayson convinces them to stall their return to the present, giving him the chance to solve a mystery that's been gnawing at him since his arrival. Both heroes agree, with Batman quickly becoming one of Robin's acrobatic partners. Superman meanwhile takes on the identity of a bodybuilder, using his immense strength to disguise himself as a circus strongman.

While this is a good use of his abilities to help further his team's place in the circus, it also carries textual weight. Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster are two of the most important people in the history of western comic books, as their most famous creation helped inspire the entire superhero genre. As a result, many of their concepts became the bedrock for similar characters -- like brightly colored tights and a cape.

The design for Superman was based in part on the costumes of circus strongmen, at one point even including laced-up sandals similar to the kind used by these circus performers. It's clear that the classic designs of superheroes descended directly from their aesthetic, all thanks to Superman -- who is regarded as the first superhero in the modern definition of the word. Superman's costume has changed over the years, but his typical appearance remains a core aspect of the genre.

That's what makes his brief tenure as an actual circus strongman fitting, as it allows the Man of Steel to briefly embrace the legacy of the entertainers who inspired his character. While other heroes, like Dick Grayson, have continued to keep circus entertainers present in the superhero-filled DC Universe, Superman has become defined by so many of their elements that it can be hard to remember the foundation that paved the way for the character. Without circus strongmen influencing Siegel, the imagery associated with superheroes might be something completely different -- and Superman would have lost an iconic piece of his design. As a result, getting to see the Man of Tomorrow live out a reference to his creative past gives additional weight to the story.

DC Comics’ final installment of the DCeased storyline, titled DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #1, begins with changing Supergirl’s origin story to align with the zombie apocalypse. In doing so, the comic suggests that Supergirl, who became infected with the Anti-Life Equation, will fight Superman to determine the fate of the alternate DCeased universe.

The saga began with Darkseid corrupting Cyborg’s analog using the Anti-Life Equation, causing him to turn into a zombie and return to Earth. He rapidly infected the population through digital devices connected to the internet. Those infected try to literally claw the virus out of their heads before succumbing to a zombie-like state that makes them eager to transfer the virus through blood-to-blood contact. The Batcomputer estimated 600 million people across the globe were infected during the initial outbreak and believed the number would rise to the billions in the future. The world’s hope is lost when the Anti-Life virus infects Superman and turns him into one of the undead, making him fly into the sun so he can absorb it. Hope lives on, however, when the surviving heroes develop a cure and restore Superman to his usual self.

DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #1 changes Supergirl’s origin story to imply that Zor-El’s discrimination toward Earthlings is what results in his daughter’s death and revival as a zombie. Her power and lack of care for life combined with that of the New Gods poses the biggest threat to the surviving heroes and life in the DCeased universe. Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine’s issue opens with Kara escaping Kandor during Brainiac's invasion. In her escape pod, she can hear Zor-El's narration explaining that she is sent to New Genesis, criticizing Jor-El's decision to send his son to "live with primitives" instead of "benevolent gods devoted to peace." These so-called benevolent New Gods of Genesis (including an unliving Darkseid) have become infected with the Anti-Life virus and attack Kara, turning her into one of the undead. The undead is more powerful than the heroes realize when they find Brainiac's ship damaged, and he is missing his entire lower torso.

The recording shows Zor-El’s misconceptions about Earth since he considers humans “primitives,” a derogatory term that suggests humans are unworthy of equal status due to their lack of knowledge and technological advances. His desire to have Kara live among friendly, peaceful gods implies that Zor-El thinks Earth is an undesirable place to live because its inhabitants are mean, violent mortals. The irony is that New Genesis has become uninhabitable due to the Anti-Life Equation, showing how the virus removes the New Gods' morality, so they do not hold back while subduing and killing a Kryptonian like Supergirl. Their combined strength and lack of morals are emphasized when the Supermen find Brainiac dying, and his ship damaged, suggesting his collection of intergalactic knowledge and power from conquering worlds was insufficient at stopping ruthless, super-powered zombies.

The first installment leaves fans wondering how the Earth heroes will react to Brainiac’s attack and what is coming for them. Supergirl’s powers and immorality as a zombie will undoubtedly challenge Superman and his unwavering morality in DCeased: War of the Undead Gods. It appears that DC Comics is setting up this showdown to determine how the DCeased universe will survive, if at all.

The chances of Henry Cavill returning as Superman look significantly higher with Ben Affleck’s latest return as Batman. The open-ended status of Ben Affleck's Batman, Henry Cavill's Superman, and the general uncertainty over larger DCEU has been an ongoing problem for Warner Bros, stemming directly from the panicked revamping of Suicide Squad and later Justice League. The DCEU and its hero roster have remained in limbo ever since, with only Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman a sure thing.

When it comes to Henry Cavill’s future as Superman, there appeared to be some resolution in sight, with rumors that he would appear at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con to announce his return as the Man of Steel. While that did not ultimately happen, Dwayne Johnson seemingly pressured WB for Cavill's return with comments he offered at the convention. Just a week later, Ben Affleck might have added even more pressure with the surprising announcement of his appearance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Affleck’s departure from Batman due to the negative experience of Justice League’s reshoots turning the movie into an infamous Frankenstein of a movie is well-known as part of the film's behind-the-scenes issues. This made his return for additional filming for the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League and later joining the cast of The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom a very surprising turn of events. In turn, that also makes Henry Cavill's Superman future very relevant to the discussion.

Ben Affleck's Is Returning As Batman, So When Will Henry Cavill As Superman?!

As the response to mere rumors of his SDCC appearance showed, and the palpable disappointment when they did not pan out, Henry Cavill returning as Superman is a must. Ben Affleck appearing in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom does nothing but add to that being the wisest course of action. It also suggests a cameo, or at least a tease of some kind, in Black Adam might well be feasible for Cavill's Superman.

Considering how certain it looked that his Batman days were over before 2020, Affleck’s return in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has even raised considerable questions about whether he might continue further. Likewise, Cavill has clearly grown more beloved in the role, with Dwayne Johnson perpetually teasing Black Adam and Superman having a head-to-head battle. Cavill’s Superman being associated with Affleck’s Batman makes Cavill coming back both a realistic possibility, and the savviest decision for the Man of Steel.

The extent of Affleck’s role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom remains unknown, but it suggests considerable possibilities. The return of Henry Cavill as Superman to face Black Adam, another long-awaited Superman solo movie, or some other kind of appearance is among them. Time will tell, but with Ben Affleck’s Batman coming back one more time, Henry Cavill’s Superman should hopefully follow not long after him.

Warner Bros. is still working to rebuild stability within the DC Extended Universe while continuing to bring new stories into the equation. Part of the difficulty is that these new entries don't appear to include Henry Cavill's Superman, a character that should be much more prominent in DC's overarching story than what's been seen thus far.

To date, Cavill's Man of Steel has appeared in one solo movie and two team-up outings, and he returned to the role most recently for Zack Snyder's Justice League in 2021. However, he hasn't been seen in a canon DCEU outing since 2017, and it's not because he hasn't been available; stand-ins were used for Superman's inclusions in 2018's Shazam! and 2021's Peacemaker series.

Most recently, during test screenings for next year's The Flash, rumors surfaced that Cavill was quickly on his way to being replaced as the DCEU's Clark Kent/Kal-El. Now, as Warner Bros. looks to potentially change its strategy for the DCEU as a whole, new rumors spell a disappointing future for Cavill with arguably his most iconic role to date.

Henry Cavill's Superman...No More?

According to a report from Rolling Stone, Warner Bros. made plans to move in a different direction for the DC Extended Universe, specifically with Henry Cavill's Superman.

After 2017's Justice League became such a critical and financial disappointment, the studio reconsidered the decision to continue with Zack Snyder's darker take on the DC franchise. This included the idea to move in a new direction with Superman and Batman, and Warner Bros. made plans for Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck to be replaced as Superman and Batman, respectively.

In a way, Robert Pattinson's Batman has replaced Ben Affleck's take on the titular hero, on top of Michael Keaton's 1989 hero making a return. There were no specifics provided about who may replace Cavill's Superman.

Warner Bros. Avoiding Cavill's Superman in DCEU

Even for the widely mixed reactions fans had for Zack Snyder's work in the DCEU, one of the most commonly praised decisions from the series was Henry Cavill's interpretation of Superman. He brought a take on Clark Kent that seemed to resonate with a vast majority of DC fans - including those who weren't pleased with Snyder's work - and he was regularly one of the highlights of the movies in which he appeared.

From a subjective standpoint, it seems that Warner Bros. is making a questionable decision by moving forward without Superman, who is undoubtedly one of the most popular heroes in DC's entire catalog. Despite how disappointing Justice League was at the box office, Man of Steel topped it with over $660 million in revenue, and it earned some of the best reviews of any DCEU movie to date.

How Warner Bros. plans to replace Cavill is a mystery, be it through introducing a brand-new Superman or focusing on another character altogether. There are already plans to introduce Val Zod in a film featuring Michael B. Jordan as a producer, and Sasha Calle's Supergirl will make her DCEU debut in next year's The Flash; her outfit has even been confirmed to look similar to Cavill's.

However the company moves forward, it's unfortunate that Cavill may have donned his Kryptonian garb for the last time in the Snyder Cut last year. Nothing definitive has been announced about his character yet, but if this rumor turns out to be true, there is sure to be a Krypton-sized hole in the overall narrative being developed.