Superman is a timeless character. He has been portrayed by many different actors throughout the years, and will continue to be played by many more. Out of that long list of performers, there are a select few that have stood out. Of course, nearly all of the actors who've portrayed him have done a good job, but some of them simply own the role. Two good examples are Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill. Reeve is the Superman actor for many generations, having portrayed him in one of the most iconic superhero movies of all time, Richard Donner's 1978 Superman: The Movie.
Cavill had somewhat of a rough time as the hero in terms of critical reception. However, he is considered by many as a perfect physical representation of the Big Blue Boy Scout. Some may not be aware of this, but there is some overlap between Henry Cavill and Christopher Reeve, not only because they played the same character, but because Cavill screen tested for Man of Steel in Reeve's original superhero costume. Eight years ago, in 2017, Zack Snyder shared a black-and-white picture of Cavill in the outfit. Now, we've gotten a much better look at him in the costume.
Snyder took to Instagram to share a colored, full-body pic of Cavill sporting Reeve's Superman suit, and I do not exaggerate when I say it's glorious:
Snyder picked the most appropriate caption possible, stating: "Henry Cavill. The original Superman suit. This photo. It was undeniable."
The director then shared a closer look at Cavill in the suit, revealing in the caption that the two pictures he shared prompted Warner Bros. to agree that the actor would portray Superman: "With the last image I shared, and this one we showed WB, everyone agreed: Henry Cavill was Superman. That's where the journey began. - Merry Christmas."
The Batman v Superman director previously spoke about what it was like to see Cavill in the Reeve costume. Talking to Entertainment Weekly (via Comicbook.com), Snyder said how impactful it was when the actor walked into the room wearing the classic suit: "If you can put on that suit and pull it off, that's an awesome achievement. He walked out, and no one laughed. Other actors put that suit on, and it's a joke, even if they're great actors. Henry put it on, and he exuded this kind of crazy-calm confidence that just made me go 'Wow. Okay.' This was Superman."
Snyder has been very forward regarding his praise for Henry Cavill as the Last Son of Krypton. In 2017, when he shared the aforementioned image of the actor in costume, he captioned his post with (via The Hollywood Reporter): "First test with Henry... I knew right away he was my Superman." In October, the director posted a black-and-white picture of Cavill from Batman v Superman on Instagram, and captioned his post with: "Henry Cavill is Superman."
Cavill himself also expressed how important it was for him to get to wear the classic outift while speaking to Total Film in 2011 (via THR): "It's extremely cool. There's no other feeling like it. They just put it on, I turned around and looked in the mirror and you can't really play it cool—you sort of guffaw and laugh. I thought 'OK, holy hell, this is real, it's not a joke anymore. This is it [...] you're doing it, you're right in the middle of it.'"
Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder's Justice League are available to stream on HBO Max.
What did you think about Snyder's Henry Cavill image? Who has been your favorite live-action Superman so far? Drop your thoughts in the comments!