Henry Cavill Wanted By Marvel To Play A Superhero

Even though Henry Cavill already plays Superman in the DC Universe of films, a new rumor states Marvel wants Cavill to play one of their heroes.

By Ross Bonaime | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

henry cavill superman justice league

As the current Superman, Henry Cavill has been integral to DC’s slate of films as the lead in such films as Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League. Yet even though Cavill’s Superman is essential to this universe at this point, a new rumor suggests that Marvel wants a piece of Cavill as well.

This comes from gossip entertainment writer Daniel Richtman’s Patreon, where he mentions this gossip, saying Marvel apparently wants Henry Cavill to play Captain Britain. The character of Captain Britain debuted in 1976 and is the only Marvel character to be written by Watchmen’s Alan Moore. Brian Braddock is a super-soldier who becomes Captain Britain through the magic of Merlin and his daughter Roma.

Keep in mind, Richtman doesn’t give any sources for the rumor, or any evidence that makes this seem true, so don’t hold your breath for Henry Cavill to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Probably more likely is that Marvel might want to do something with the Captain Britain character, made a list of British action actors who could theoretically play the role, and Cavill ended up being on the list.

Henry Cavill Superman

Even though it doesn’t seem likely that Captain Britain would be a major part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would also be a stretch for Henry Cavill to appear in both Marvel and DC superhero films at the same time. While several actors like Ryan Reynolds and Ben Affleck have played both DC and Marvel superheroes, no one has played a major character in both Marvel and DC films at the same time, making this rumor even more unlikely.

There were also reports last year that Henry Cavill had signed a new deal with DC to play Superman in three more DC movies. While it’s still unclear what these projects would be, and if Cavill would be a major part of these films, or if he would just be a cameo has yet to be seen. But with Cavill supposedly signed on to play Superman in even more projects, odds are he won’t have time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well.

However, it’s clear that Marvel hasn’t forgotten about the character of Captain Britain. The upcoming What If…? animated series for Disney+ will show intriguing scenarios that would have greatly changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. One of these episodes will feature Peggy Carter taking the super-soldier serum intended for Steve Rogers, turning her into Captain Britain. This idea might actually make for a more interesting scenario than bringing Henry Cavill in to play Captain Britain. 

Henry Cavill Superman

This also isn’t the first time Captain Britain has been considered for his own property, as there were rumors back in 2016 that Marvel might be working on a Captain Britain TV series. Yet five years later, it looks as though that might have also just been a rumor. Although filming a miniseries as Captain Britain could be easier for Henry Cavill’s busy schedule.

It looks as though for now, Henry Cavill is going to just be Superman, and not also Captain Britain, even though we will see the character soon in animated form. But Cavill will be returning as Superman soon, as Zack Snyder’s cut of the Justice League will be debuting on HBO Max sometime in 2021.