Superman has been written by a lot of different people in his 80 years of existence, both in comic books and other media projects. Dan Jurgens is among the more notable creative minds that's tackled the Man of Steel for the comic book medium, as he's been writing the character on and off for nearly three decades, most recently with his Action Comics run during the DC Rebirth relaunch. So when it was reported yesterday that Henry Cavill was leaving the Superman role behind and departing the DC Extended Universe, Jurgens took to social media to offer his two cents on the matter, saying:
Not that my opinion matters, but I have always felt that Henry Cavill is perfect for Superman, especially with the right material.
I have to disagree with Dan Jurgens that his opinion doesn't matter, as he's one of the most influential Superman writers of the modern era, particularly for the famous "Death of Superman" storyline, which was partially adapted in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. If anyone is qualified to speak on Superman, it's him, and as Jurgens stated on Twitter, he's definitely a fan of Henry Cavill's depiction of the Kryptonian hero. Keep in mind that it still hasn't been officially confirmed yet if Cavill is indeed hanging up the red cape, but if it's true, then it sounds like we can count Jurgens among the people who are sad to see him go.
Seven years after Superman Returns failed to relaunch the Kryptonian's film series, Man of Steel rebooted the character through a darker lens, drawing polarizing reactions from critics and fans. Rather than given Henry Cavill's Superman another standalone sequel, Warner Bros instead decided to pair him with a certain Caped Crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which generated even more polarization than its predecessor. Just like in Dan Jurgens' "Death of Superman," Batman v Superman ended with Kal-El/Clark Kent sacrificing himself to stop Doomsday, but a year and a half later, he was resurrected in Justice League and is back to protecting humanity. There's been talk for years about Man of Steel 2 moving forward, but with this latest Cavill update, it doesn't look like that'll happen anytime soon.
As for why Henry Cavill may be retiring as Superman, supposedly it stemmed from him not being able to cameo in Shazam! due to scheduling issues, and from there the door shut for good on the actor reprising the hero again. Hours after the news broke, Cavill posted a bizarre video in response to the Superman rumors, neither confirming nor denying them, and earlier today it was reported that things are still up in the air regarding Cavill's future as the Man of Steel. This is definitely one of the weirder behind-the-scenes stories to emerge from the DCEU, and we'll be sure to keep you updated on how the situation develops.
With or without Henry Cavill as Superman, the DCEU is continuing on December 21 with the release of Aquaman, and don't forget to look through our DC movies guide to find out what other movies are on the way/in development for the superhero franchise.
