Zack Snyder Celebrates Man of Steel Release Amid Recasting of Henry Cavill’s Superman

Zack Snyder, who, of course, directed his own trilogy of DC superhero movies, took to social media to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his series’ first entry as DC Studios is deep in the process of recasting Henry Cavill’s superhero.

It may be difficult to fathom for some that Man of Steel was released exactly ten years ago on June 14, 2013. While it probably doesn’t feel that long for fans, the first DCEU movie arrived while Marvel Studios’ MCU was still in its relative infancy.

Man of Steel put a fresh coat of paint on one of the most iconic superheroes ever and brought in a new actor to portray Superman: fan-favorite Henry Cavill.

Snyder Shares Commemorative Superman Image

Zack Snyder took to his social media platform of choice, Vero, to share a photo of Henry Cavill’s Superman as he appeared in Man of Steel. The picture has a large number 10 overlayed on top of it to signify the movie’s tenth anniversary of release.

Snyder’s caption for the post read: “Thank you all for coming on this journey with me #Manofsteel”

This photograph of Cavill as Superman had actually been seen before and was first shown sometime around Man of Steel’s initial release.

The original image can be seen below:

Previously, Zack Snyder celebrated Batman actor Ben Affleck’s birthday with a similar Vero post.

Cavill’s Superman Is Special To Many Fans

Superman has had quite a lengthy on-screen history. From Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh’s cinematic incarnations of the Man of Steel, plus television versions dating back to the 1950s, there’s no shortage of live-action takes on DC’s flagship hero.

And this trend still continues, with Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent appearing on Superman & Lois, plus James Gunn being deep into recasting the next big screen adaptation of the blue-clad boy scout for 2025’s Superman: Legacy.

But a special place in many a fan’s heart is reserved for Henry Cavill’s Superman. First appearing in Man of Steel, the actor went on to portray the character in several other projects.

And Cavill, while arguably not a traditional interpretation of the Last Son of Krypton, got to do a healthy amount of Supermanning during his somewhat short-lived stint in the role. 

He did battle with General Zod, duked it out with Batman, got killed by Doomsday, and then brought back to life by the Justice League. He also stood toe to toe with Black Adam, even if that ended up going nowhere.

It was clear too that Cavill genuinely enjoyed playing Superman, which is why it was seen as such a low blow by some when it was announced that he would be vacating the part so it could be taken over by another actor for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s revamped DCU.

But such is the nature of these popular superhero types. There’s always someone else waiting in the wings, ready to jump at the chance to play such iconic figures.

Hopefully, Clark Kent as he is painted in Superman: Legacy will embody some of the aspects of himself that Cavill never received the opportunity to dig into, like his near-shakable sense of optimism and his unwavering status as a beacon of hope.