SUPERMAN: Henry Cavill's DCEU Appearances Ranked From Worst To Best According To Rotten Tomatoes

SUPERMAN: Henry Cavill's DCEU Appearances Ranked From Worst To Best According To Rotten Tomatoes

Henry Cavill's stint as Superman has officially reached its end, but looking back at his time in the DCEU, how do the movies he starred in all stack up against each other according to Rotten Tomatoes?

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - Dec 15, 2022 12:12 PM EST
Filed Under: Superman

Did you know that Henry Cavill has only starred in one Fresh DCEU movie? Despite playing Superman for nearly a decade, the actor really didn't have the easiest ride in this now-defunct franchise, and while we're sure he's upset that his return has been scrapped, it may also come as a relief. 

Despite primarily being part of movies deemed "Rotten" by critics, the British actor really gave the Man of Steel his all and clearly cared a great deal about the character. 

Warner Bros. didn't utilise him in the way he deserved, with a mere three appearances between 2013-2017, and then a five-year wait for a brief cameo in a terrible movie. Needless to say, seeing how these various projects all compare according to those all-important Rotten Tomatoes scores makes for interesting reading, hence why we've collected them here for you. 

To take a look through this ranking, all you guys need to do is click the "Next" button below!
 

Before We Get Started...

Shazam-2-Director-Superman-copy

These don't quite warrant "Honourable Mentions," but Henry Cavill's Superman has technically made two additional cameo appearances throughout the DCEU. 

The first came in Shazam! (90%) when a stand-in was used for the Man of Tomorrow's visit to Billy Batson's school. It's believed Cavill was approached, but clashes over money meant it didn't work out. Superman would later show up for a shadowy cameo in the Peacemaker (94%) finale, though he was hidden in shadow alongside Batman and Wonder Woman.

We're not going to count either of these in this ranking, though it's ironic that both projects would serve as his best-reviewed DCEU appearances had we actually seen Cavill's face.
 

5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

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Score: 29%

Rotten or Fresh: Rotten

Critics Consensus: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice smothers a potentially powerful story -- and some of America's most iconic superheroes -- in a grim whirlwind of effects-driven action.

We know many of you will disagree, but Batman v Superman gets a bad rap. Yes, there's a lot about the movie that doesn't work, but small moments (like Lex Luthor's pee and the whole "Martha" debacle) have been blown out of proportion and made much worse than they actually were. 

Doomsday did look pretty dire, but Batman's fight with Superman was a sight to behold, as was the Trinity assembling for the first time on screen. Sadly, the movie is relentlessly grim at times, but Zack Snyder delivered on that title and Cavill did some impressive work picking up with this character again after Man of Steel
 

4. Black Adam

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Score: 39%

Rotten or Fresh: Rotten

Critics Consensus: Black Adam may end up pointing the way to an exciting future for DC films, but as a standalone experience, it's a wildly uneven letdown. 

There's not a lot to talk about here as this hugely publicised cameo was only really a few seconds of yet another bad DCEU movie. Black Adam had little in the way of redeeming qualities outside of Dwayne Johnson's performance, hence why he hyped up Cavill's long-awaited Superman return to such a large degree. 

We loved seeing the actor suited up again (especially with a brighter costume), but aren't convinced the Man of Steel working for Amanda Waller or being lined up as Black Adam's next punching bag was a wise creative decision.
 

3. Justice League

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Score: 39%

Rotten or Fresh: Rotten

Critics Consensus: Justice League leaps over a number of DC movies, but its single bound isn't enough to shed the murky aesthetic, thin characters, and chaotic action that continue to dog the franchise.

Say what you will about Joss Whedon's Justice League - and we really don't have anything particularly nice to share - but the filmmaker's reshoots certainly gave us the more hopeful Superman many fans wanted. It was somewhat ruined by that distracting and embarrassing CGI jaw, of course, but there were glimmers of the Kal-El the world needs at times here. 

As the movie's MacGuffin, the actor didn't get really get the opportunity to sink his teeth into the greatest of material, but it was yet another solid performance with a few fan-pleasing moments (such as that race with The Flash). 
 

2. Man of Steel

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Score: 56%

Rotten or Fresh: Rotten

Critics Consensus: Man of Steel's exhilarating action and spectacle can't fully overcome its detours into generic blockbuster territory. 

Now nearly a decade old, Man of Steel was Cavill's DCEU introduction and that franchise's equivalent to Iron Man. Clearly not planned as the opening chapter in a shared world, it's a relatively standalone tale that offers a frustratingly slow take on Superman's origin, expanding on what happened on Krypton and waiting until Clark Kent is in his 30s before he suits up. 

There's a lot to enjoy, however, including the hero's first flight, Cavill's earnest performance, and some stunning visuals. It's just a shame the destruction of Metropolis and the way Superman "defeated" General Zod has overshadowed the movie with such a large amount of controversy. 
 

1. Zack Snyder's Justice League

zack-snyders-Justice-League

Score: 71%

Rotten or Fresh: Fresh

Critics Consensus: Zack Snyder's Justice League lives up to its title with a sprawling cut that expands to fit the director's vision -- and should satisfy the fans who willed it into existence. 

Zack Snyder's Justice League was vastly superior to Joss Whedon's cut, but didn't really give Superman that much more to do! He had a black costume in place of the red and blue, and the final battle played out a little differently, though there was nothing extra here to really blow the minds of fans. 

Cavill didn't return for any additional photography (unlike Ben Affleck, Amber Heard, and Jared Leto), but we did get a glimpse at what Snyder had planned for his Man of Steel. That involved a villainous turn and falling to Darkseid's will - not quite the optimistic future for the hero we know Cavill wanted.
 

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TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 12/15/2022, 12:02 PM
MoS: mid
BvS: shit
JL: he barely had a cameo in it

I seriously dont get why Cavill leaving the role is such a big deal.
BatmanBeenDrinking
BatmanBeenDrinking - 12/15/2022, 12:06 PM
@TheHumanSpider2 - cause a lot of people rank MOS pretty high including myself. I think you're in the minority for BvS, while a lot of people didn't love it I don't think the majority thought it was shit... And JL was shit with Zacks being slightly better
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 12/15/2022, 12:08 PM
@TheHumanSpider2 - it isn't a big really I'd say.

He's had more appearances than Bale as Batman, and that wasn't a big deal either. Guess difference is, Bale's movies were actually great
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 12/15/2022, 12:16 PM
@bkmeijer1 - Bale was the lead in three movies, Cavill was the lead in just one.

@BatmanBeenDrinking - It was that bad, though.
BvS failure at the BO and the terrible reception were the reason why they changed course for Justice League.
And MoS also lost money, and was incredible divised when it came out.
bs77
bs77 - 12/15/2022, 1:03 PM
@TheHumanSpider2 - Agree. I like Cavill, but he was never given anything great to work with. The writing was so bad on all of these DCEU movies. I don't feel like he ever truly inhabited the role like Chris Reeve did. It was a huge missed opportunity. He could've been the definitive Superman, but he wasn't. I hope Gunn doesn't squander the next talent that comes along.
Taonrey
Taonrey - 12/15/2022, 1:20 PM
@BatmanBeenDrinking - he’s definitely not in the minority with BVS
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 12/15/2022, 1:47 PM
@TheHumanSpider2 - Potential.

Or, in this case, the potential of having potential given a different characterization.

Maybe, I dunno, but I think it plays a role.
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 12/15/2022, 2:20 PM
@bs77 - @EskimoJ -

The potential was there, but the same goes for Andrew Garfield.
And he starred in TWO Spiderman movies, and there wasnt even a fraction of this conmotion when Amazing 3 was cancelled.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 12/15/2022, 2:31 PM
@TheHumanSpider2 - true. I just mentioned it to illustrate how often he got to appear as the character (over a longer time span as well).

Even though his total screen time is probably less, the GA is used to Cavill being Superman. But like I said, not a big deal for me.
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 12/15/2022, 3:13 PM
@bkmeijer1 - I think we would be fine if it wasnt for the cameo in Black Adam, which got a lot of people excited.
Even I was curious for Cavill having the chance to redeem himself in one final movie.
But it was all a ruse from him and The Rock...
BatmanBeenDrinking
BatmanBeenDrinking - 12/15/2022, 3:39 PM
@Taonrey - if we looks at fan reciption then he is in the minority with about a 60 40 split in favor of the movie. Again I am no saying it was great but definitely not shit...
BatmanBeenDrinking
BatmanBeenDrinking - 12/15/2022, 3:44 PM
@TheHumanSpider2 - you said it when it first came out(I would still disagree and say it was more positive reception vs negative), over time it had gotten the positive reciption the studio wanted.

BvS was about a 60 40 split in postive reception.

Still I just disagree with BvS being shit. Dragon ball evolution was shit lol that's my bar and BvS is nowhere near there.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 12/15/2022, 4:53 PM
@TheHumanSpider2 - yeah, that and the hyping up of Superman's appearance and potential throwdown with Black Adam got people unnecessarily invested in Cavill's Superman again
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 12/15/2022, 12:03 PM
Even though the movies were all mediocre at best, I do still like Cavill as Superman. He had some great moments nonetheless (especially his fight with Steppenwolf).
tb86
tb86 - 12/15/2022, 12:22 PM
@bkmeijer1 - I kinda agree except if you are referring to the Snyder Cut as mediocre.
bcom
bcom - 12/15/2022, 2:07 PM
@bkmeijer1 - I will always maintain that it wasn't Cavill that was the problem, it was the material that let him down. The way Superman was written and treated in BvS and JL was rubbish.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 12/15/2022, 2:33 PM
@tb86 @bcom - Cavill for sure wasn't the problem. The material definitely let him down, even the Snydercut (he was absent for too long).
bcom
bcom - 12/15/2022, 4:05 PM
@bkmeijer1 - And when he did show up at the end all he did was punch Steppenwolf, a lot. Even when Steppenwolf was out for the count Superman still continued to pummel him and even lasered off one of his horns. Superman would never be that senselessly brutal. I actually found it a big step down from Whedon's JL.

I will say one thing about the theatrical cut of JL, at least they portrayed Superman a lot more true to the character than the Snyder cut. Mid fight he noticed that civilians were in trouble so took off to help them before returning to the fight. THAT'S Superman.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 12/15/2022, 4:54 PM
@bcom - oh yeah. What I liked it from that fight is that Superman just took Steppenwolf's axe to the shoulder like it was nothing.

As for the rest of that fight, I don't really remember a lot. From either cut.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 12/15/2022, 12:06 PM
FilmGuy7878
FilmGuy7878 - 12/15/2022, 12:09 PM
MoS: Alright at best

BvS: One of my guilty pleasure films

JL 2017: Utter dogshit

ZSJL: Pretty damn good

Black Adam: So mediocre but pretty tolerable.
Forthas
Forthas - 12/15/2022, 12:12 PM
I can't understand the reverence for critic scores. They are people just like you and me who give their opinions. The audience score is FAR MORE representative of the public's like or dislike of a film. It is a huge statistical sample. When compared to all Superman films, Man of Steel is one of the best. Man of Steel’s Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score compared to the seven other live action Superman films puts it at the third OR MAYBE EVEN second most liked Superman film ever. Given that the audience score is a statistical measure, MOS places well within the margin of error thus making it effectively tied for second place with Superman II.


Superman The Motion Picture [86%]
Superman II [76%]
Man of Steel [75%]
Batman v Superman [63%]
Superman Returns [61%]
Superman III [23%]
Superman Quest for Peace [16%]
MrDandy
MrDandy - 12/15/2022, 12:17 PM
As I’ve said, I don’t really like any of Cavill’s films as Superman (except for maybe ZS Justice League), but he still had the potential to be a fantastic Superman and never was given the chance with the creative teams that he was a part of.
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 12/15/2022, 12:19 PM
Oh so everyone hates and mocks the other lists, but we're cool with this list?



DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 12/15/2022, 12:23 PM
@DarthOmega - Josh right now. But what about my lists?

MrDandy
MrDandy - 12/15/2022, 12:19 PM
1. Zack Snyder Justice League- 6/10
2. Man of Steel- 4/10
3. Justice League- 3/10
4. Batman v Superman- 3/10
dracula
dracula - 12/15/2022, 12:20 PM
If Man Of Steel had been this


he probably would have had a more satisfying run (probably wouldnt force batman into the second movie either)
Spoken
Spoken - 12/15/2022, 12:27 PM
....like he barely DID anything lol.

I didn't mind his Superman except we never were able to see THAT Superman. I had hoped a sequel would just explore a Superman movie to explore his character. This is why audience members

No. Let's throw Batman...not just Batman but WONDER WOMAN! No...not good enough? Let's throw AQUAMAN, THE FLASH, CYBORG AS CAMEOS! Throw in Death of Superman for good measure!

There is zilch of character development other than the main general story that fleshes out throughout the series, and even when it does try to be of service of the universe, we get these half-baked cameos in silhouettes, or never thought out characters who show very few progression.

The DCEU was nothing more about then putting duct tape on a leaky pipe, over, and over, and over again hoping the leak stops. Now here is Gunn to rip out the whole [frick]ing plumbing system to put new pipes for modern day use.

I like him, good actor...but just nah man......its done with. I'm good.

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