How Henry Cavill’s Superman Became DC Films’ Version Of Marvel’s Hulk

Superman and Hulk both struck out with two attempts at a solo franchise. Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel may be, like Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, most useful as a crowd-pleasing supporting player.

According to The Wrap and other trades, Henry Cavill is in negotiations to return to DC Films. Cavill has played Superman three times, a starring role in Man of Steel, a co-starring role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and a glorified cameo in Justice League. Reports allege the negotiations are not for reshoots for the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League or a stand-alone Man of Steel 2. If this is all to be believed, it would appear Warner Bros. is attempting to turn Superman into a high-powered added value element, no longer responsible for justifying his own movie but offering crowdpleasing support to other DC superheroes. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s what Marvel eventually did with the Hulk after two failed solo movies.

In 2003, Universal distributed Ang Lee’s ambitious and introspective Hulk, starring Eric Bana as Bruce Banner and Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross. While the first Super Bowl teaser earned some displeasure over its comparatively cartoony effects, interest ran high right up until its June 17, 2003 release date. The film earned mixed reviews, and it opened with a $62 million Fri-Sun debut, which was a record for the month of June. Alas mixed word-of-mouth over the film’s character drama-over-action focus, arthouse sensibilities and whether it was actually a good movie (I still admire it more than I enjoy it) led to a then-massive 69.7% second-weekend plunge, earning just $18 million and eventually finishing with just $132 million domestic and $245 million worldwide on a $137 million budget.

Cut to five years later, as Universal and Marvel would release another Bruce Banner flick, this time starring Edward Norton as Banner and with a narrative that A) dealt with the origin story in the opening credits and B) was considered the second chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite opening a month after Iron Man’s massive $102 million launch (the second-best opening ever for a non-sequel at the time), Incredible Hulk was ill-received, with mixed reviews and an audience that didn’t find the idea of a more conventional and mainstream Hulk movie that much more enticing than an arthouse one. Cue a $55 million opening, a 60% second-weekend drop and a $135 million domestic and $265 million global cume on a $150 million budget.

In 2006, Warner Bros. would spend around $260 million, counting previously developed Superman movies that never took flight, on Bryan Singer’s melancholy Superman Returns. Arriving just a year after Chris Nolan’s Batman Begins, the Brandon Routh vehicle told a tale of Clark Kent having returned from a five-year journey to the remains of his home planet only to find that the world had moved on in its absence. The film opened to mixed-positive reviews and a $53 million Fri-Sun/$108 million Wed-Tues Independence Day weekend debut, with some critics and many audiences either outright disliking the action-lite and inconsistently toned superhero drama or respecting it more than enjoying it. $200 million domestic and $391 million worldwide, along with a mixed reception, meant that there would be no sequel.

Cut to seven years later, when Warner Bros. would team up producer Chris Nolan (fresh off his Dark Knight trilogy), screenwriter David Goyer and director Zack Snyder for a Man of Steel. Starring Henry Cavill, the more “mainstream” origin story would offer grandiose scale and superpowered action many felt was missing from Superman Returns. With strong trailers and solid buzz, Man of Steel opened with $128 million, a record for June and the second-biggest non-sequel launch at the time. Alas, it would earn mixed reviews for its tonal issues, as well as much handwringing controversy over its carnage-filled battle sequences whereby Superman would save the world but not hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire. It would earn $291 million domestic and $668 million worldwide.

We can debate whether the grosses for Man of Steel meant that Superman couldn’t carry his own solo superhero weight, but A) both Man of Steel and Superman Returns had lousy legs and B) there’s a case to be made that Superman is a character like (relatively speaking) Tarzan, King Arthur or Han Solo, that everyone has heard of but not everyone wants to see headlining a big-budget action adventure film. Marvel swapped out Ed Norton for Mark Ruffalo and turned Bruce Banner/Hulk into a winning supporting player in The Avengers. Since then, Hulk has been something of a utility player, showing up in major supporting roles for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok (which blended “Thor 3” with the “Planet Hulk” comic arc), Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

To a certain extent, that’s what happened with Cavill’s Superman. He was forced to share the spotlight with Ben Affleck’s Batman in Dawn of Justice ($330 million domestic and $873 million worldwide, but from a $166 million domestic/$424 million worldwide launch). However, once he came back to life and found his happy place, Cavill’s Superman was a winning heroic figure in Justice League who, like Ruffalo’s Hulk smashing his way through Loki’s invading army, was a crowd-pleasing addition when allowed to point that power and strength toward targets that absolutely deserved a whupping. Superman as a character, especially after two disappointing reboots and 42 years after Superman: The Movie, no longer justifies a stand-alone blockbuster, he can certainly lend a hand around the DC Films universe.  

Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984 is already finished, as is (give or take standard reshoots or release delays) James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, while Matt Reeves’ The Batman needs no Superman cameos. So if this all comes to pass, one might speculate Superman may show up in Shazam 2 and/or Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, which makes sense as both properties could use an added value element. Shazam! was a critically-acclaimed hit, even if it got kneecapped by Avengers: Endgame in its fourth weekend and never recovered, but $366 million (on a $90 million budget) means “room to grow.” While Shazam! has the elements for spawning a potential breakout sequel, it wouldn’t hurt to have Superman give some life lessons to Zachary Levi and Asher Angel’s teen superhero.

This scenario represents the best of both worlds. Cavill seemingly enjoys the role and returning in a supporting capacity still allows for other projects like The Witcher or Mission: Impossible – Fallout. It’s hard to imagine a DC Comics universe, and yes Shazam, Aquaman and Birds of Prey still take place in the world established by Man of Steel, without a Superman. However, the last two solo outings showed that the character may not be as popular as he is merely well-known. What worked for Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner (removing the guilt and moral complications and turning him into an A-level designated hitter) may well work out for Henry Cavill’s Clark Kent. DC Films may need a Superman, but the world doesn’t necessarily need another stand-alone Superman movie.