A therapist breaks down Henry Cavill’s controversial stint as Clark Kent/Superman in the DCEU after the actor wraps up his time in the franchise.

•  Henry Cavill’s portrayal of Superman in the DCEU, starting from “Man of Steel,” is examined by a therapist, discussing his personal conflicts and journey.
•  The Identity Status Theory is used to understand Cavill’s Superman and how his perspective on responsibility as the Last Son of Krypton evolves over time.
•  Despite some narrative choices being criticized, Cavill’s work as Superman is widely appreciated, and many feel that Warner Bros. missed out on fully utilizing his potential in the DC projects.

Henry Cavill’s Superman is revisited and explained by a therapist. 2023 marks the 10th year anniversary of Cavill’s debut as Clark Kent. The actor is Zack Snyder’s inaugural hero for the DCEU via Man of Steel and appeared in a total of five films, including Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max (currently called Max). Despite being a fan favorite, Cavill’s stint as Superman was tumultuous, resulting in his abrupt departure on the heels of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe revamped.

With his arc effectively completed, Cinema Therapist looks back at Cavill’s arc as Superman starting from his time starring in Man of Steel. Hosts filmmaker Alan Seawright and licensed therapist Jonathan Decker break down the character’s personal journey and morals. Watch the video below:

In the clip. Decker and Seawright break down Clark’s personal conflicts, starting with the opposing words of wisdom from Pa Kent and Jor-El. Despite his unparalleled powers, this internal turmoil hampered the hero’s ability to do his job:

Clark was raised by Jonathan to be a decent person, but you have to choose if YouTube going to reveal who you are or not. You have to choose if you’re going to be a hero or not. But he’s also not sure what’s the right thing to do. Because my dad has taught me to be afraid, Jor-El is telling me I can be a hero, I can be a force for good. And so he’s like, “I’m going to do this. I’m going to commit to it…

You try and fight the good fight and what ends up happening is you piss off the wrong people and then they hurt people. This is a choice that he has made to become the Superman we know and love

Henry Cavill’s Superman Broken Down By A Therapist Explained

In the video, Cinema Therapy uses the Identity Status Theory to better understand Cavill’s Superman’s personal woes. The concept states that “our identities are determined by our choices and commitments” and that “they evolve over time.” Despite only appearing in five films, the character’s narrative only really panned out in three — Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League. That being said, the Identity Status Theory is still helpful in understanding Cavill’s Superman better, considering his changing perspective on his responsibility as the Last Son of Krypton.

By the time Cavill’s Superman gets to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, his view of the world was already tainted. While he was never depicted as the traditional beacon of hope that the character is known for, Snyder further doubled down on the interesting but divisive version of the character as he became more and more pessimistic and cynical. Unfortunately, Cinema Therapy isn’t exactly on board with certain narrative choices in Superman’s DCEU arc. They particularly criticized Pa Kent’s parenting principle and how it only confused Clark more as he figured out his path forward.

Amid a string of controversial movies in the DCEU, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t appreciate Cavill’s work as Superman. His casting was superb, hence why many were massively disappointed when the DC Universe rebrand effectively ended his stint as the character. Not fully taking advantage of his potential is possibly one of the biggest misses of Warner Bros. when it comes to their DC projects.