For such a long time now, the wish to see Henry Cavill returning for Man of Steel 2 was simply that, a wish. But, tides do turn, and even though it took 9 long years and The Rock’s intervention, the wish has reportedly come true. The rumors have never been surer in this entire time and if the actor is in fact stepping into his reds and blues, one needs to analyze under what conditions and what the fandom should expect.
Henry Cavill’s Return Will Have Terms & Conditions Applied
After the ugly affair with Zack Snyder, Warner Bros. had washed its hands off of the director. Their final attempt to sever all ties happened under the merciless restructuring of David Zaslav’s Warner Bros. Discovery. But the CEO also advocated the introduction of The Rock‘s Black Adam and was very persistent on Ezra Miller‘s The Flash coming out. Even with piling controversies and appalling misconduct on the actor’s part, Zaslav was suspiciously invested in getting the film to see the light of day, by whatever means necessary.
Reports have been suggesting for quite a while now that The Flash will completely reset the DCEU. On the other hand, The Rock repeatedly kept parroting — the hierarchy is about to change, and Black Adam, too, seems intent on ushering in a new era of DCEU. Both these projects, with their extreme budget and vision, will determine the future of the canonical DC Extended Universe.
If Henry Cavill manages to step into the universe defined by Black Adam and Flash, Superman will be at the mercy of the two characters. Given that the rumors are vehemently suggesting Cavill’s return, Zaslav is not likely to relinquish control over the rebuilding of his franchise the second time around. When it comes to the SnyderVerse, the structure of Warner Bros. has been shaky from the start. It makes sense if the only way Zaslav would welcome back the prodigal son with open arms is if it’s cleansed and rehabilitated of all past associations.
The Rehabilitation of Henry Cavill’s SnyderVerse Superman
Man of Steel 2 could pretty much launch DCEU 2.0 almost a decade after it helped establish the original edition. However, The Flash will pave the path for the new and redefined era of DC before Cavill swoops in to cut the inaugural ribbon. The Ezra Miller film is known to be exploring the ‘Flashpoint’ paradox which has the potential to alter the mainstream timeline. If The Flash attempts to rewrite history, it would mean SnyderVerse and the origin of DCEU will be completely erased in one fell swoop.
Then a Man of Steel 2 wouldn’t make sense because there would be no continuity after the events of the original film. And at this point, the revival of the Justice League narrative is far from feasible. Black Adam might offer a small peek at the way things were with the SnyderVerse before The Flash erases it, under Zaslav’s authority. This will allow the latter complete control to frame his 10-year vision completely to his liking, which up to this point had been stumbling at the roadblock of Snyder’s creation.
Henry Cavill may come back much to the fandom’s patient victory, but the year ahead of us will define if the wait was worth it or whether the martyrdom of the SnyderVerse magnified the allure of the films in its legacy than in its originality.
Source: The Direct
