Zack Snyder Shares Full-Body Photos of Henry Cavill Wearing Christopher Reeve’s Original Superman Suit
Zack Snyder recently shared a full-body photo of Henry Cavill wearing Christopher Reeve’s original Superman costume, and it’s a powerful reminder of how seamlessly the role of the Man of Steel has passed through generations.
Snyder captioned the post with the perfect line: "Henry Cavill. The original Superman suit. This photo. It was undeniable."
The image features a moment that captures the lineage of two of the most iconic portrayals of the DC superhero. Reeve defined Superman for decades after starring in Richard Donner's 1978 Superman: The Movie, and Cavill brought a new intensity the character.
It’s pretty cool seeing this new image of Cavill wearing Reeve’s Superman costume. Snyder has always praised Cavill’s embodiment of the character. In a past interview he talked about the first time Cavill walked into the room wearing Reeve’s suit:
“If you can put on that suit and pull it off, that's an awesome achievement. He walked out, and no one laughed. Other actors put that suit on, and it's a joke, even if they're great actors. Henry put it on, and he exuded this kind of crazy-calm confidence that just made me go 'Wow. Okay.' This was Superman.”
When he shared the first test image, he said: “First test with Henry... I knew right away he was my Superman.”
And again, in October, he posted a black-and-white shot from Batman v Superman on Instagram with a caption that couldn’t be more direct: “Henry Cavill is Superman.”
Cavill has also shared what it meant to him to step into Reeve’s legendary suit, saying: “It’s extremely cool. There’s no other feeling like it. They just put it on, I turned around and looked in the mirror and you can't really play it cool—you sort of guffaw and laugh.
“I thought 'OK, holy hell, this is real, it's not a joke anymore. This is it [...] you're doing it, you're right in the middle of it.'“
Wearing the same suit that Christopher Reeve made famous must’ve been a wild experience for Cavill! While the DCEU has gone through massive changes and new actors are now stepping into the cape, fans still look back at Cavill’s Superman era with a ton of love and appreciation.