Henry Cavill’s cinematic Superman is back.
This was confirmed by his cameo appearance in Black Adam.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cavill expressed (while sporting an S-curl on his brow!) his vision for the character going forward:
“What I do want, is hope, optimism, and joy. Those three things are essential for the character.”
Such a statement is one to elicit hope, optimism, and joy from those who strongly agree: myself included.
As I’ve argued in several essays (linked below) here on Superhero Studies as well as on FEE.org, the story that best captures what is “essential for the character” is the comic series All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison. That story is brimming with hope, optimism, and joy and would be the best source material for the creators of upcoming Superman films to draw from.
Superman’s hopefulness is reflected in his motto in All-Star Superman: “There’s always a way.” Even against the most unimaginably dire odds, Morrison’s Superman never despairs, never relents. He keeps striving until he figures out how to resolve every crisis and save everyone.
This hopefulness is based on his fundamental optimism. Morrison’s Superman believes that humanity can ascend to a glorious future and that even the most wicked of men (like Lex Luthor) have good in them and are not beyond redemption.
And Superman’s hope and optimism generate a sense of joy: for Superman himself as he serves the humanity he so loves and believes in, and for everyone he inspires as they thrill to his heroic achievements.
Richard Donner’s two Superman movies also had these three essential ingredients in good measure. In Zak Snyder’s films featuring Cavill’s Superman there were some hopeful, optimistic, and joyful moments, but these were swamped by too many notes of despair, pessimism, and trauma.
This had more to do with the directing and writing than Cavill’s acting. So I’m cautiously hopeful, optimistic, and joyful about the prospect of Cavill playing a more inspiring Superman in forthcoming films.
Right now the world needs all the inspiration it can get.
For more, see the following essays of mine: