Henry Cavill should play the X-Men Scott Summers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that’s not the only role he should play.
Never count out a performer that’s previously been in a comic book role because they could always return to the genre in a completely different role. We’ve seen that leaving or being replaced means nothing.
Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern to Deadpool), Chris Evans (Human Torch to Captain America), and Zoe Saldana (Aisha to Gamora) are examples of actors who’ve gone from one hero to the next. Now, we look to Henry Cavill; an actor who could – and should – do the same.
Henry Cavill’s Superman in the DCEU was incredible. It’s a shame he didn’t get more time to play the Man of Steel because, with the right material, he could have been the best. Unfortunately, his time as the DC Comics’ character seems to have passed by. Thankfully, there are other comic book characters he can play.
Cavill has an amazing set of skills. This was evident in Man of Steel as well as his other projects, such as The Witcher. He’s been a caring father, a lover, a warrior and so much more. The ability to play all of these traits will go a long way in any project, especially in comic book projects.
The comic book genre is becoming deeper and more powerful as time goes on. Black Lightning is a perfect example. A lot of time was spent digging into the issues that Black people deal with in America.
This article is going to highlight a few of the characters that Cavill could play and why he’d be fantastic.
Henry Cavill as Cyclops
Henry Cavill was recently drawn as Scott Summer (Cyclops). The picture is good, but it doesn’t tell the entire story.
First, and most importantly, Cavill can act the part. It would be easy to see him being in charge of the X-Men. He has a very commanding presence. And he can have that same serious and sometimes overly stoic demeanor. It may seem annoying, but it’s part of his character and what makes him unique and great.
We’ve seen him do that in a bunch of projects and go hand-to-hand with opponents. Now, it’ll be interesting to see him use his optic blasts. Especially as he’s ordering Wolverine to take out a Sentinel.
Speaking of Wolverine, he looks like someone Logan would hate. He has the woman he wants (Jean Grey), he doesn’t think Scott should be a leader, and Logan thinks Scott’s soft. Over time, Logan found out he was wrong and the two became like brothers.
And, while this may not be the most important thing, he looks good in tights. He may not be as slim as Cyclops, but he will definitely look good in the X-Men blue and gold.
Henry Cavill as Christian Walker in Powers
Henry Cavill’s been in a couple of well-known dorky projects. He was (and should still be) Superman and is currently killing it as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher. The reason he may have been so good is he, himself, loves the culture. He once almost missed playing the Man of Steel because he was playing World of Warcraft.
Powers the show missed on a lot of the marks that made the comic book special. Among them was the casting. If there’s going to be another Powers project, Henry Cavill should be Christian Walker. He has the same square jaw and build as Walker and can pull off the personality as well.
It isn’t just Detective Christian Walker. Cavill would have to play a couple of other characters as well. There’s the former superhero Diamond that’s very much like Superman. He was among the most heroic icons in the world. However, on the other side of the hero’s life, Walker was…getting his freak on with groupies and other superheroes.
Long before Walker was Diamond, he was Gora. A barbarian that lived in a time of kings and wizards. Gora carried an ax and did unspeakable things. Sometimes for good and other times not so much.
Henry Cavill as Marvel Comics’ Hercules
This is the coup de grace. Being the leader of the X-Men or Christian Walker would both be roles that Cavill would be stupendous at. But this character is something that could show him in a completely different light. Cavill was meant to play the Lion of Olympus, the great Hercules.
Hercules went through a lot. Some good, some bad. Of course, there were his 12 Labours. Whether or not we need to see them in Marvel Comics is debatable. Nonetheless, they would be cool to see for ten minutes or during the credits.
Later, there are his days of being a lady’s man on Olympus and Earth while being a hero and a drunk (many lead to fights and bar tabs with Wolverine). He was funny, charming, and unfortunately toxic at times. A trait he got over. Eventually, he becomes an Avenger, has a spectacular rivalry with Thor, and is openly bisexual.
However, there were some dark times in this life. Hercules became a bad alcoholic. He didn’t like the person he became and had the strength to stop drinking. It wasn’t easy and he certainly still struggles. The cool thing was seeing that even gods have struggles to overcome.
The layers to Hercules would show more of Cavill’s range. He’s a phenomenal actor who hasn’t been given the chance to do everything he can do. People may say this is, “Just a comic book role” but as we’ve seen that’s no longer the case. Not convinced? Well, Tom Hiddleston in Loki, Elizabeth Olson in WandaVision, and Heath Ledger in Dark Knight, have proven that no longer applies.
What do you think? Are there other comic book characters that Henry Cavill could play? Let us know in the comments below.