Henry Cavill's take on the character of Superman is too flawed compared to the portrayal of Christopher Reeve, according to Action Comics writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson.
Speaking at a panel during New York Comic Con 2021 (cheers Comic Book), Johnson explained that the ideals that Superman embodies is pure altruism and a gentleness that all people should aspire to. Christopher Reeve's performance in the 1978 film of the same name is this concept in a nutshell, continued the writer.
"That version of Superman that he was where he just, there's no, like when he smiles, it's like there's no ego in it, there's no haughtiness, it's just like, 'I'm your friend, I'm going to help you,'" elaborated Johnson. "You know, like just like when he's when he catches her in the helicopter and you've got to use that, he kind of smiles like everything's good."
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In the original drafts of the script, Superman would have been the baddie of The Suicide Squad, though we do learn that Bloodsport is incarcerated for an attempted assassination of the Man of Steel. Check out our chat with Idris Elba and Daniela Melchior below!
On the other hand, Henry Cavill's characterisation of the superhero is one that isn't sure of his identity and role on Earth. "[Fans] like seeing a more relatable Superman and that's not what I like at all," said the writer. "I want to see, I want [a] Superman that shows us the way and shows how we're supposed to be, that's the best of us always."
Johnson has since clarified his comments on Twitter, adding that this version of the hero is not the type of person that he points toward when it comes to role models for his son. "It's the very beginning of Superman's career, and that's fine for the story they set out to tell in Man of Steel," said Johnson. "But it's not a hero that I aspire to be like, or that I hope my son aspires to be like. And it's not the version in Action Comics right now."
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"Our Superman knows his place in the world: he's here to help, to do the right thing, to inspire us," he concluded. Each to their own, of course, but it's clear that Cavill's portrayal of Superman has resonated with people from all over and builds on Reeve's inimitable legacy.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.Topics: Superman