Superhero movies: 25 best superhero movie performances of the decade

19. Henry Cavill as Superman

Superhero Movies: Man of Steel, Batman V Superman, Justice League

People love to trash the DCEU superhero movie franchise. Almost like it’s the cool thing to do. The movies are too dark or the characters aren’t like the comic books they love. Some of that may be true, but it doesn’t tell the entire story. Not all of the DCEU movies are bad. In fact, Man of Steel may be their most complete project, largely due to Henry Cavill’s performance as Clark Kent and Superman. Yes, you have to separate the two; they’re two different characters. Superman is the hero who inspires the world while in public, while Clark Kent is the mild-mannered reporter and friend. Henry Cavill did a bang up playing both.

The one negative that people had was that he killed General Zod in Man of Steel. However, his reaction was perfect. The look of sorrow after he snapped Zod’s neck was exactly what we’d expect. Then, to see him break down in tears after was everything we needed to see. That should have been enough to quiet the comments.

Cavill showed personality. He had the same infectious smile as Superman, he was funny, and looked the part when he was fighting villains. During Justice League, it was entertaining watching him fight alongside his teammates. Before that, there was a scene where he came back to life (that you can see above). A different side was on display. The one that proved that Superman could do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. A quick glimpse of what Batman saw in his dream. Sure, Cavill’s Superman wasn’t exactly like the comic, but it was still damn good.