“They have dirtied him up a little bit”: The Killing Joke Voice Actor Was Impressed With Zack Snyder for Not Making Henry Cavill Look Dull as Superman

Henry Cavill needs no introduction to the entertainment world! He has gained worldwide acclaim for his portrayal of Superman in the DC franchise. But his portfolio is much like his Man of Steel character as he has already crafted iconic characters whether it be Geralt of Rivia in the The Witcher series or Sherlock Holmes in the Enola Holmes series. 

While his exit from the superhero franchise has left fans in grief, the studio is set to debut with David Corenswet as the new Kal-L thus continuing its character’s legacy. Given the incredibly powerful character he portrayed in the franchise, Batman voice actor, Kevin Conroy praised filmmaker Zack Snyder for making the former’s character interesting. 

Kevin Conroy’s Take on Henry Cavill’s Superman

Kevin Conroy has earned widespread acclaim for voicing Batman in several animated media which kicked off with Batman: The Animated Series (1992). In an interview with Red Carpet News, he shared his thoughts on Henry Cavill‘s Superman who debuted in Zack Snyder’s directorial, Man of Steel. 

According to the former, the Kryptonian native is ‘boring’ since he already possesses supernatural abilities that aid him in his time of need. He told Red Carpet News, 

“Superman, he’s square-jawed, farm-fed, he’s just so boring.”

However, he was quick to praise Snyder for making that character “dirtied” giving further depth to Clark Kent. 

He shared, 

 “They dirtied him up a little bit, which I think is really smart because he was dull, ya know?” 

While The Last Son of Krypton had won everyone’s hearts by saving humanity in the 2013 film, his character, later on, took a grin tone as Snyder’s Justice League featured a future timeline where Clark Kent destroyed and conquered Earth. It seemed to have occurred after Darkseid ended up killing his love, Lois Lane, and made him his pawn in his evil plan. The superhero’s inability to save the love of his love led him to fall to darkness, thus giving his character an evil depth which Snyder beautifully created. 

Zack Snyder’s Thoughts on Knightmare Timeline

The Synderverse turned out to be quite a special era for fans as it consists of several amazing stories including the Knightmare timeline which gives a sneak peek of the evil Superman who seized control of the planet. When asked to give specifics about Bruce Wayne’s vision of a corrupted superhero in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the filmmaker wrote on Vero (via Comicbook) unfolding the event that led to that timeline. 

“or if someone lost someone close to them they might become Susceptible to a certain Equation and might blame a certain Bat for events that a too soon Bruce would know nothing about.”

But, Cavill wanted to reflect more on the Jor-El son’s lighthearted version before switching to what fans witnessed him in the later portrayals in the DCEU. 

He told GQ, 

“I was very keen on really fleshing out Superman’s early stages of his journey first. We had Man of Steel, and then we went quite a bit darker with Batman v Superman. And if he were to succumb to the Anti-Life Equation and become bad Superman [in Justice League sequels], I really wanted to make sure that we saw the hero Superman and we saw the true symbol of hope, the beacon of light, before we went down the path of darkness and then redemption. It’s still something that I’m very keen to flesh out.”

Now, the actor has been set free from superhero portrayal as his return in the Black Adam only to end things well in DCEU left many shocked. With new DC bosses, James Gunn and Peter Safran planning a new direction in the franchise, the Kryptonian native will now be portrayed by David Corenswet who is set to debut in DCU’s first movie, Superman: Legacy.