With Henry Cavill Out, Who Will be the Next Superman?

Before Henry Cavill’s (very) short return to Superman, most fans believed his time in the suit was over, which led to fancasts going back years. One of the names that routinely popped up in a proposed shake-up far is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. There’s no mystery why, because aside from it being obvious he’d rock the hell out of the red cape, he’s already no stranger to the superhero world. He’s played Doctor Manhattan in HBO’s critically acclaimed Watchmen series and already has a key fob to the DC Studios, thanks to his role as Black Manta in Jason Momoa’s Aquaman films. But with rumors the next Aquaman movie will be the last with Momoa (even more likely now, considering the Cavill news), there’s no reason the shake-up couldn’t allow for Abdul-Mateen to strip out of one pair of tights into another.

Diego Calva

With every new iteration of a superhero, there are opportunities to dig into different aspects that make up the core of our favorite characters. Following the news of Cavill’s departure, some fans have put Diego Calva forward as a Latino iteration of Clark Kent. Known mostly for his role in Narcos: Mexico, 2022 was a banner year for Calva, generating awards buzz for his memorable turn in Damien Chazelle’s divisive Babylon. To many, Superman’s immigrant journey is a defining and comforting aspect of his story that, although touched upon in previous iterations, could be handled with more depth and grit if the diversity of options was widened. Calva is a fresh face, but probably not for long as his career continues the up-and-up. In that sense, DC Studios would be smart to nab him early.

Tom Holland

Ok, this one is kind of bonkers unless Tom Holland has a death wish, which is the only way he could conceivably swap prominent superhero franchises. That hasn’t stopped his name from being thrown around by fans who believe he fits the mold of a young Clark Kent. It makes some sense when you consider that he’s slightly aging out of the role of Spider-Man in the MCU, a character who has never, on screen at least, ventured much farther out than early adulthood. The transition from teenage Spider-Man to mid-twenties Clark Kent could be a way for Holland to step into more mature roles, especially considering there’s still been no official confirmation that he’s returning as our friendly neighborhood superhero. Far-fetched, sure, but that’s the joy of fancasting after all.

This story originally ran on British GQ with the title “Who is going to be the next Superman? Nicholas Hoult, Jacob Elordi and more frontrunners…”