James Gunn's Superman Is Bulking Up & Fans Can't Stifle Henry Cavill Comparisons
Now that there's photo evidence that Superman star David Corenswet is already looking Jacked for his DC Universe debut, fans are starting to compare the actor's looks to his superhero predecessor.
Just Jared featured recent photos of Corenswet before catching a ride to the Santa Monica Airport as the actor is apparently trying to conceal his identity with a baseball cap and sunglasses. One thing Corenswet can't hide, however, is his bulked-up physique — a look so transformative that it has fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, making comparisons to "Man of Steel" star Henry Cavill.
Even though Corenswet is sporting a full beard, fans like @blurayangel compared a photo of writer-director James Gunn's new Superman actor to a shot of Cavill with sunglasses and whiskers, and the result is stunning. Hollywood insider @CanWeGetToast also shared a close-up photo of the "Superman: Legacy" actor, commenting, "Our Superman is looking absolutely YOLKED. It's also UNCANNY how similar he looks to Henry Cavill with that build and beard lmao."
Many other fans on X are reacting to Corenswet's bulked-up bearded look in disbelief. "I legit [thought] that was Henry, lmao," wrote @NotBoogey, while @definitely21et posted, "He's pretty much Henry but younger." Meanwhile, @gabenav21 posted, "LMAO no way they got a [Cavill] clone" with a crying emoji, while @breaking57 joked, "[Hi], I'm David the budget version of Henry Cavill."
Corenswet has been compared to Cavill for years
This isn't the first time fans have remarked that the bearded and bulked-up David Corenswet looks like Henry Cavill. In 2019, just as Corenswet was about to star in the Ryan Murphy-produced Netflix comedy-drama "The Politician," the actor told Entertainment Weekly, "It came to my attention before the internet got a hold of me."
Out of mere happenstance, four years before he was cast by writer-director James Gunn in "Superman: Legacy," Corenswet said his vision of playing Clark Kent is opposite to Cavill's. "My pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman," he said. "I would love to see somebody do an upbeat, throwback [take on Superman]. I love the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright and optimistic."
DC found its Clark Kent and Lois Lane in Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan in late June 2023 when the blockbuster casting news was revealed. Barring any delays brought on by the SAG-AFTRA strike, "Superman: Legacy" is currently set for a July 11, 2025, release in theaters.