Cavill has portrayed the Last Son of Krypton since 2013’s Man of Steel, reprising his role in other DCEU films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as well as both the Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder versions of Justice League. But while Cavill has a contract with Warner Bros. for one more appearance as Superman as part of the original agreement, the company has instead moved forward with other Superman projects without the fan favorite actor. If Marvel Studios comes calling, could Captain Britain be the perfect role for him? Check out what Henry Cavill had to say and what other roles he might play in the expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Captain Britain and why Henry Cavill is perfect for it
Created in 1976 by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, Captain Britain made his debut in Captain Britain Vol. 1, issue 1. The comic sets the origin of the hero in flashbacks. Brian Braddock, a young doctor of physics is recruited by the mystical Merlyn and his daughter Roma to become Britain’s champion. In the beginning, Braddock required the use of his costume and items such as the Amulet of Right and the Star Scepter to access his powers of super-strength, invulnerability, and flight. Later on, Merlyn changed this to make the interdimensional energies innate to Braddock’s body, but that would slowly dissipate the farther away he is from the British Isles while not wearing his costume. This would further be altered so that Captain Britain’s powers are solely based on his confidence level. Captain Britain is also a nexus character, similar to the Scarlet Witch. He is connected to the other Captain Britains in the multiverse, of which all are members of the Captain Britain Corps. Aside from that affiliation, Braddock is also a member of Excalibur, England’s version of the American Avengers. Excalibur is also closely connected to the X-Men thanks to former members Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Phoenix (Rachel Summers).
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) November 11, 2021 Speaking to THR, the popular genre actor discusses about his major franchise roles. Aside from playing Superman for the DCEU, Cavill has brought to life Sherlock Holmes for the Enola Holmes film (led by Millie Bobby Brown) and Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher. With the latter role, Cavill is reportedly going to be receiving a 7-figure salary per episode, making him one of the highest paid stars on the streaming service, so he is not exactly hurting for roles. The actor would certainly make for a charismatic and imposing Captain Britain, if the opportunity arises. With the multiversal adventures that Braddock often finds himself and his allies in Excalibur in, there is a lot of freedom and potential for an actor of Cavill’s caliber to explore.
Other MCU superhero roles for Cavill
But Cavill’s statement does mean he is open to other MCU roles that no other actor has played yet. Captain Britain is not the only superhero that would make a perfect fit for Henry Cavill. And not all of it needs to be British, either. One particular role could be Hyperion. The reality-displaced leader of the Squadron Supreme, Henry Cavill could comfortably take on this Marvel heavyweight. An Eternal from a different dimension, Hyperion is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel pantheon. But given that Hyperion is a direct pastiche of DC’s Superman, it might not offer much in the way of diversity. Another potential superhero that Cavill could take on is The Sentry. Another attempt from Marvel Comics to create a Superman-archetype with the power of one million exploding suns, The Sentry aka Robert Reynolds is differentiated mainly by his neurosis. Unlike the ethically and psychologically stable Man of Steel, The Sentry is plagued by various mental issues, one of which is schizophrenia. In fact, The Sentry subconsciously created his worst enemy, The Void, which is himself that manifested his darkest compulsions. Finally, a potential MCU role that would be great for Henry Cavill would be the Herald of Galactus himself, The Silver Surfer. As Marvel Studios is gearing to bringing the Fantastic Four into the MCU fold, the Sentinel of the Skyways would not be far behind. And while Norrin Radd has the same level of power and altruism as Superman, he requires a notably different approach. After all, part of the Silver Surfer’s gravitas is that he is atoning for the countless deaths he helped cause by serving the world devourer, Galactus.
But is he really done with Superman?
Despite how Warner Bros. is apparently distancing itself from bringing back Cavill’s Superman with alternate versions of the superhero, the actor has stated he is not quite done with the role. Both he and Warner Bros. are contractually obligated for his one more appearance as the Man of Steel. But more importantly, Cavill has a strong connection to the beloved comic book character: He later continued: Regardless of whether or not he joins the MCU in the future, Cavill is perfectly happy being in action and adventure roles. It is something he looks forward to doing for a long time: For now, Cavill is enjoying the genre roles he plays and savors the off-time he can get with his other passion: gaming. Just recently, the actor spent the lockdown break re-playing The Witcher RPGs at the highest difficulty settings. You can catch Henry Cavill as Superman in DCEU films streaming on HBO Max. And he returns as Geralt of Rivia in season 2 of The Witcher on Netflix this December 17, 2021.
