Hans Zimmer: Henry Cavill, to Me, Is So “Perfect” That I “Can’t possibly imagine anybody else playing Superman”

Since the advent of comics, Superman has been one of DC’s strongest IPs – both culturally and commercially. With historical lore attached to the character, Superman has enjoyed a place at the top of the comic book pedestal, and only a few actors have been allowed the honor to embody the godlike superhero over the past century – Henry Cavill is one of them.

In the grimdark pop cult universe reimagined by Zack Snyder, Superman is a displaced god struggling with dual identities and fighting for a place in a world that cannot accept his reality. Snyder’s superhero is not a cut-and-dry figure of morality who rises above all sins and becomes a beacon of truth, hope, and justice for the people. Rather, he is one of the people – just as haunted by the evil in this world as he is moved by the good in humanity.

Henry Cavill brought Zack Snyder’s vision to life

For a centurion, DC’s Superman has been one of the oldest, strongest, and most revered of all superheroes ever created. In 1978, Christopher Reeve elevated that reverence by bringing one of the best live-action renditions of the character to the silver screen. The film set the tone for every superhero movie that followed thereon, with Richard Donner being hailed as one of the forerunners of the superhero industry.

However, it wasn’t until 2013 that Superman got the masses talking. With Man of Steel, Zack Snyder started a revolution that would have DC in tatters by the end of the decade. His signature style of storytelling scandalized the common people, betrayed the code of ethics that Superman represented, and turned the Man of Steel into a flawed figurehead of ambiguous morality.

Henry Cavill helped bring all of that to life. His Superman was an antithesis to the puritanical deity of “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.” Snyder’s vision – however divisive and resentful – was an authentic representation of a man burdened by the weight of the world, who was believed to be the physical manifestation of the best in mankind while also consistently defeating and rising above all evil and corruption.

Hans Zimmer’s loyalty to Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel

Despite Superman moving out of the dark ages of World War II and the Cold War, the character is still considered to be a rallying cry for hope and a better tomorrow. Henry Cavill’s Superman does not help move that vision along. Instead, his rendition of the character is grounded knee-deep in reality as he struggles with isolation and lack of purpose in a difficult and evolving world.

When faced with an impossible choice of staying true to his code of ethics and protecting a trapped family from being murdered by General Zod, he commits the ultimate sin to save their lives. The earth-shattering scream that followed carried with it a lifetime’s worth of guilt, shame, and the realization that there was no redemption for what he had done.

As Cavill himself noted in an interview with Tim Lammers: “Although Superman himself is not subject to the frailties of the human flesh, he’s very much subject to the frailties of the human mind.”

This struggle fascinated Hans Zimmer who handcrafted the moments that defined Superman’s first flight, his naïve fascination with doing good in this world at a time of need, and his inevitable fall after being manipulated and backed into a corner by his nemesis. He confessed: “I don’t think we could have done this movie without Henry. He to me is so perfect. I can’t possibly imagine anybody else playing Superman.”

Zack Snyder’s superhero not only resembled the duality of mankind but was unapologetic about blurring the line between good and evil. Henry Cavill completely embodied that trait and alongside Snyder, Zimmer, and David S. Goyer, brought one of the most real-world, gritty, and daring adaptations of the character to life.

Man of Steel is currently streaming on Max.

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