Superman is back, but does that mean the downfall of another potential Henry Cavill role? While the Man of Steel may have returned to the DC Universe in Black Adam, a recent interview shuts down rumors that the actor could be making the leap to Marvel’s cinematic universe instead. What does it all really mean? Let’s dive in.
What happened — Earlier this year, rumors began to circulate that Henry Cavill had been cast as Hyperion in Loki Season 2. While these rumors were never substantiated, it felt like the kind of thing the MCU would potentially do in casting the Superman actor to play Marvel’s version of the Man of Steel. (Remember Ralph Bohner, anyone?)
For the unaware, Hyperion is very much Marvel’s take on Superman. He’s the sole survivor from an alien world who arrives on Earth and becomes a hero. He has similar powers to Superman and even looks like him. However, unlike Kal-El, Hyperion has also often been framed as a villain in the comics and various cartoons. (He once decapitated Namor and destroyed all of Atlantis.)h It was believed that he and his associated team, the Squadron Supreme, would be the villains of Loki Season 2.
Unfortunately, it turns out that isn’t the case. In an interview with Josh Horowitz, Cavill refuted any claims that he could be joining the MCU.
“As far as I know, I am not going to be in Loki,” he said.
He followed this up by noting that it would be particularly difficult to play both Superman in the DCU and Hyperion in the MCU at the same time.
“It would be a tricky one to handle at this stage,” Cavill said. “If James Gunn can do it, maybe I can too."
Gunn, who will take over the DCU as co-chair of DC Studios next month, is in a unique position as a director with experience working for both Marvel and DC. He also claims to have pitched a crossover at one point featuring Groot of the Guardians of the Galaxy teaming up with Harley Quinn. But that’s a far cry from letting Marvel create a parody of DC’s greatest hero using the very same actor.
The Inverse Analysis — While it’s possible these Loki rumors were bunk to begin with, most claims like this have some sort of basis in reality. It’s possible Marvel was at one point courting Henry Cavill to suit up as Hyperion, but those talks likely fizzled out as soon as he got the call from DC (if not before then).
Of course, it’s possible we could see some other actor play Hyperion in Loki Season 2. It’s even possible Cavill is lying now. We’ll just have to wait and find out.
Loki Season 2 is expected in mid-2023.
