So yeah.

This happened.

After years of rumors, twists, turns, weird Instagram videos, Twitter campaigns and pretty much everything else you can think of, Henry Cavill has again appeared in a DCEU movie as Superman.

Over these last few years I’ve been following a lot of the news about WB and DC. While most of it has been depressing (hence, why I haven’t written about it), recent developments have given me, and I’m sure a lot of the fanbase, a lot of hope. With the WB-Discovery merger now well underway, new head of the studio, David Zaslav, has been examining the company’s bottom line and ferreting out what hasn’t been making money. Among the many assets that are being examined is DC Comics, which hasn’t been making money on its movies, or at least, not as much as it could be.  In one of his first comments after being appointed, he said that WB had been focusing too much on art house type films, while characters like Superman have been “left to languish.”

I figured that meant we’d probably be getting more Superman at some point, but I didn’t realize it would be this soon!

Couple the regime change with constant pressure from superstar Dwayne Johnson- whose agent, Dany Garcia, also represents Cavill- for a Superman/Black Adam fight, and things were really looking up! Walter Hamada, who was said to have been the one in the way of a new contract for Cavill, had his own contract terminated recently, and ultimately the door was open once again for Henry Cavill to return. Some speculated that he would not have if it were only for a cameo or two, and this was validated earlier this week:

Henry is currently making his rounds promoting Enola Holmes 2, and during these interviews he has indicated that there are big plans for the character, including possibly a Man of Steel 2.

All I can say is that my excitement level had been ratcheting up really since the Zaslav announcement, and it culminated with my feeling over the moon after seeing Black Adam. I’ve been saying, ad nauseam, that Henry Cavill is the definitive Superman of this generation, and he deserves a chance to make a great movie about the character. While I know it’s sacrilege to even discuss the possibility of an actor being better for the part than Christopher Reeve, with a good movie I don’t know if I wouldn’t be willing to go even there. In essence, WB have been confused and staring at each other while sitting on a gold mine. Thankfully, it seems that the powers that be have finally figured it out.

While I knew I could find the post-credits scene to Black Adam pretty much anywhere, and certainly have enjoyed audience reaction videos galore, I physically went to the theater to see it because I wanted to send a message.

Give me Superman again in a movie, and I will buy a ticket.

Henry has done many, many interviews since news about his return broke, and I’m really liking what I’ve been hearing! His instagram message to the fans made it sound like the Black Adam cameo is the mere tip of the iceberg. This fits, as it’s hard to imagine an actor of his popularity coming back for just one cameo in the midst of a busy slate.

I am eagerly awaiting whatever the next Superman project is that comes our way, and I do have a couple of thoughts about where to go from here. For starters, it seems like it’s not too late to do a sprawling saga within a shared universe. Despite the radio silence on Superman, Batman (the Affleck version, anyway), and the Justice League, it seems like other DC properties have unabashedly been making references to other DC characters (see “Suicide Squad, The”). CW shows have now been doing this for years, and Black Adam leaned into it in a big way with the Justice Society and Intergang. If Dwayne Johnson and the new honchos at WB-Discovery have their way, it sounds like that is the direction these movies are going to take.

While I don’t want to sound ungrateful, I have to go on record and say that what I don’t want is a sequel to Man of Steel. I wasn’t a huge fan of Snyder’s take on the character, even if the visuals were great, nor was I sold on the supporting cast. Amy Adams just looks too cutsie to be Lois Lane, Larry Fishburne and Diane Lane were decent as Perry White and Martha Kent, respectively, and Jimmy Olsen was on screen for all of five seconds of BvS. I will watch it if that’s the direction they go, but a fresh start to Superman with Cavill would be optimal. Perhaps we’ll see some kind of a reset with The Flash next year to launch everything, who knows…

All of that can wait, however, because Henry Cavill is back and Superman is once again coming to the big screen! I’m glad that Dwayne Johnson stubbornly stuck with this for the better part of a decade, and it is nothing less than a gift to we the fans.

Thank you.

Easily the coolest thing I’ve seen on screen in years. LET’S GO!!!