It is commonplace for an actor to research the character they’re portraying, especially a comic book character. For Superman actor, Henry Cavill, however, his choice of reading material to prepare for Justice League leaned towards DC’s own back-to-basics approach known as their DC Rebirth line.
Although only in the latter half of the movie, this was the British actor’s third outing as Clark Kent and his caped alter ego following 2013’s Man of Steel and 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Henry revealed in Justice League: The Official Collector’s Edition magazine that he delved into the Rebirth material, which he thoroughly enjoyed. “I’ve been really diving into that, “ Cavill admits. “It’s fun to see where the DC Universe is going, and see how closely our movie universe is matching it.”
The Rebirth version of Superman is a pre-Flashpoint version of Clark Kent and Lois Lane reintroduced as canon during the Convergence storyline. That version of the Kent’s, along with their then-five-year-old son, Jon, journeyed from their destroyed universe and into the New 52, where they laid low until the death of the New 52 Superman forced Clark out of retirement to take center stage. Jon, now ten, has discovered his own Kryptonian abilities and taken up the mantle of Superboy, partnering with Robin in the monthly Super Sons series.
Thanks to Myxyzsptlk’s recent meddling, their history and that of the New 52’s history merged together, allowing The Kent’s their lives and careers back. While Justice League’s plot had none of that story, the fact that Cavill is reading Rebirth and the upcoming Flashpoint film adaptation rumored to be a reset for the DCU could be heading in that direction. It could also be the answer to the movie version of Clark’s dilemma regarding his dual identity given legally his civilian guise is still dead.
In the meantime, Henry remains ecstatic for stepping into the boots of the iconic hero again. “I love wearing that suit. No matter how warm or uncomfortable it gets, it’s the Superman suit. There’s no feeling like it. It’s a truly unique, special think and I hope I get to do it for many years. I’m really happy.”
