Summary

• Henry Cavill's Superman and Geralt roles share an unresolved story problem that needs to be avoided in Highlander.
• Cavill's involvement in the Highlander reboot presents a new opportunity to wrap up his character's arc effectively.
• The Highlander reboot must ensure a proper conclusion for Cavill's character and not rely on a potential sequel due to past failures.

Highlander, and it must avoid one problem that Cavill’s biggest characters have in common. Henry Cavill is now one of the most popular action stars of the last decade thanks to two major roles in two very different franchises. In 2013, Cavill ed the superhero genre when he played Clark Kent/Superman in the DC Extended Universe’s first movie, Man of Steel. Cavill reprised his role in two more movies and had a couple of cameos before the DCEU went through a reboot.

In 2019, Cavill ed the world of The Witcher when he starred in Netflix’s TV adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels. Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt of Rivia received a lot of praise from critics and fans of the novels and video games, and was the one consistent thing in the series as it faced backlash for the many changes it made to the books. Now, Cavill is adding another franchise to his filmography with Highlander, but it has to avoid a big problem Superman and Geralt have in common.

The Biggest Problem With Henry Cavill's Superman & Witcher Roles

Henry Cavill’s Biggest Roles Share One Problem

Superman and Geralt helped further establish Henry Cavill as an action star, but they share one huge problem that risks becoming a really bad career trend: the stories of both are unfinished. Cavill’s Superman had a strong start in Man of Steel, and his next appearance was in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. At the end of Dawn of Justice, Superman died after being exposed to kryptonite and being fatally wounded after that, but he was resurrected in both versions of Justice League.

Due to a behind-the-scenes shake-up after Zack Snyder had to step down from filming, Justice League has two versions: the one completed by Joss Whedon and Snyder’s cut.

The DCEU has its own version of Superman, played by David Corenswet, so Cavill’s time as Superman is officially over.

After that, Cavill’s version of Superman had cameo appearances in Shazam!, Black Adam, and The Flash, but his story wasn’t completed. As mentioned above, the DCEU went through a reboot with the DC Universe, which now has its own version of Superman, played by David Corenswet, so Cavill’s time as Superman is officially over. Unfortunately, the same story was repeated with The Witcher. Cavill played Geralt of Rivia since the first season of The Witcher, but he surprised everyone when he revealed season 3 was his final season as Geralt.

As The Witcher had already been renewed for a fourth season, Liam Hemsworth was cast as Cavill’s replacement. However, The Witcher season 3 didn’t really do anything to close Cavill’s chapter as Geralt of Rivia, so the show did the same as the DCEU with Superman and left Cavill’s Geralt story incomplete.

Henry Cavill's Highlander Needs A Proper Conclusion (Even If A Sequel Happens)

Highlander Can’t Repeat A Henry Cavill Career Trend

Of course, the end of his time as Superman and Geralt of Rivia doesn’t mark the end of Henry Cavill’s career. At the time of writing, he has the action adventure In the Grey coming up in 2025, and he already found his replacement for Superman and Geralt in Highlander. Cavill’s involvement in a Highlander reboot was announced in 2021, but it wasn’t until two years later that Lionsgate confirmed the project is moving forward with Cavill starring as Connor MacLeod and with Chad Stahelski as director.

Highlander has to avoid the big problem with Cavill’s Superman and Geralt of Rivia and give its character a proper conclusion, even if it gets a sequel. Highlander is a franchise, so there’s a chance Cavill’s reboot could get a sequel if it does well with critics and general audiences, but as its future is uncertain, it needs to make sure that the story of Cavill’s MacLeod isn’t left hanging.

The Original Highlander Proves The Reboot Can't Depend On A Sequel

Highlander Doesn’t Have A Good Track Record With Sequels

Highlander II: The Quickening was released in 1991, and it was a massive failure, so much so that it’s now regarded as one of the worst movies ever made.

The Highlander reboot faces a challenge due to its bad track record with sequels. Highlander became a cult film, but the sequel’s reputation is the complete opposite. Highlander II: The Quickening was released in 1991, and it was a massive failure, so much so that it’s now regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, and the third movie completely ignored its events, serving as a sequel to the first movie.

Ending Cavill’s Highlander with a big tease that sets up a sequel wouldn’t be the wisest idea, even if the first movie is good and the production team behind it is quite promising. Highlander simply can’t rely on a sequel due to its terrible track record, so it’s yet another reason for it to give Henry Cavill’s MacLeod a complete story and do what Superman and Geralt couldn’t in that regard.