Two roles that proved Henry Cavill to be the perfect face of a savior figure fell into the Brit’s lap with years of distance between them. As Superman in Man of Steel, he soared as the Last Son of Krypton through the steel-clad realm of Metropolis. Whereas in The Witcher, he wielded the steel to protect the Continent’s best interests. While the DC flick that came out a decade ago certainly enthralled comic book enthusiasts, many would argue that his time as Netflix’s quintessential monster hunter was a lot more memorable.

Here is why that argument somewhat makes sense. 

The years of experience Henry Cavill brought to The Witcher

In the early 2010s, Cavill was riding the wave of Man of Steel’s success until misfortune struck when his second project as Superman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice failed to impress fans. However, between these two stints with DC, he found his footing again through the espionage thriller The Man from U.N.C.L.E. which was wildly successful. 

In his experimentation with future projects like 2017’s Sand Castle and 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the now 40-year-old was presented with opportunities to perfect his craft. So, when The Witcher came knocking at his doorstep in 2019, he had amassed enough experience to lend a layered intrigue to Geralt absent from his past roles. 

ALSO READ: The Witcher vs Superman: Which Henry Cavill Project Has the Best Action From the Two?

This was also possible due to his inclination towards the genre The Witcher falls into. 

Cavill’s obsession with gaming helped him understand Geralt

While there is no doubt that the sculpted gent looked the part of Superman, as Geralt he was much more in his skin. Well, this is because he closely knew of Geralt’s disposition in The Witcher. He had played the video game that preceded the series for so long that he wished to star in a series based on it. 

He exercised plenty of effort to bag the role, too. The dedication with which Cavill reflected the source material in the character, best believe he cherished his Geralt role a lot. His efforts to keep it true to the books and games just go to show how involved he was with the character.  

In many ways, his White Wolf part gave him a lot to work with, too. 

The rich storyline that Man of Steel simply cannot compete with

In Geralt’s words, “People like to invent monsters and monstrosities.. to feel less monstrous themselves.” While this escape-from-reality mindset stands true of both The Witcher and Man of Steel, the former tackles its fantasy-based theme head-on. It also does so with much more gray area than the superhero character from DC. 

One thing that denotes The Witcher is its intricate storyline that weaves together numerous characters through history stretching back eons. In comparison, the comic book-inspired Man of Steel takes a much more straightforward approach to good and evil. Well, commoners are bound to find the former more relatable while simultaneously being more engaging. 

Do you agree that The Witcher presented a better role for Henry Cavill than Man of Steel? Share your thoughts in the comments.