After a five-year absence from the DCEU, Justice League star Henry Cavill finally returned as Superman in Black Adam's post-credits scene. That was meant to usher in a new era of storytelling revolving around the character, with tentative plans in place for a Man of Steel sequel along with roles in The Flash, Black Adam 2, and Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Those projects all went out of the window when James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Studios was formed...and so did Cavill! The actor was quite quickly told that his Superman had no place in the new DCU, bringing his stint as the character to a rather undignified end.
During this week's DC Studios slate reveal, Gunn made it clear Cavill was never fired as the Man of Tomorrow; he just wasn't hired to be part of Superman: Legacy. The filmmaker even acknowledged that the actor had been "d*cked around by a lot of people," but said the Brit won't be the DCU's Supes for "a number of reasons."
The Hollywood Reporter has followed up on that latter point, revealing that Gunn's Superman is considerably younger. He'll be around 25, suggesting the DCU will be far more youthful than the Snyderverse.
For comparison's sake, Cavill turns 40 later this year and would be 42 by the time Superman: Legacy is released.
In the nicest way possible, it seems the actor was too old for this version of Superman, a Kal-El who is still finding his place in Metropolis as both a superhero and cub reporter for The Daily Planet.
Gunn has confirmed that the DCU has some history, so it will be interesting to find out how long the hero has actually been serving as Superman once this movie begins. While we'll have a Batman who is old enough to have a 10-year-old son, if actors like Gal Gadot (37) and Jason Momoa (43) return, will they not look out of place alongside Superman?
It's an exciting, albeit confusing, time to be a DC fan, that's for sure...