We can argue for years about the merits (or lack thereof) in regards to the movies that Henry Cavill appeared in as Superman – and segments of the internet have been doing just that since roughly 2016. But it felt like nobody was rooting against Cavill in the role. The man looks like he was born to play Kal-El, and it’s just a shame things worked out as they did. That being the case, this might actually make for a pretty fascinating double feature, setting aside the ungainly appearance of it as a means of boosting digital sales.
“Man of Steel” has been a mixed bag ever since it was released. Directed by Zack Snyder, it remains a very divisive film, but one that showed us the promise of Cavill’s take on the character. Yet, his tenure was kneecapped by the unfortunate rollouts of both “Batman v Superman” and “Justice League.” But due to Dwayne Johnson’s persistence, Cavill got the chance to suit back up for a post-credits scene in “Black Adam” that teed up the ball for much more to come. I can, anecdotally tell you that my theater went wild during that scene and was otherwise quiet for most of the movie.
It promised us a bright, new future for the character. It promised that, perhaps, the best was yet to come for this iteration of the beloved DC Comics hero. And yet, it’s a scene that will ultimately amount to nothing in the end, in favor of a big reboot of the DC Universe. Now, one can watch it and simply wonder what might have been in a different world.
“Black Adam” and “Man of Steel” are currently streaming on HBO Max, for those who aren’t feeling up to shelling out for the combo pack.