Superman star Henry Cavill trades in his DCEU role to become one of the main players from X-Men ’97 through new Marvel Cinematic Universe art. 2024 marked the first year for Marvel Studios, where they finally got to produce an X-Men-related project, as X-Men ’97 brought X-Men: The Animated Series’ characters back into the world of television. One of the crucial players in X-Men ’97 season 1, just like in the original series, was Magneto, who he had numerous massive moments throughout the season.

As Magneto took center stage towards the end of X-Men ’97 season 1, someone who has now started to emerge as a frontrunner by fans to play him in the MCU is Henry Cavill. To show what Cavill could potentially look like as the iconic mutant, digital artist Spdrmnkyxxiii shared magnificent artwork of the British star as Magneto.

Cavill is no stranger to the superhero genre as he portrayed Clark Kent, a.k.a. Superman, as part of the DCEU movie timeline for Warner Bros. While he has never talked about the X-Men, Cavill has shown interest in joining the MCU timeline, particularly as Marvel’s Captain Britain.

Why Henry Cavill Doesn’t Make Sense As The MCU’s Magneto

As amazing as the work of Cavill being Magneto is, as well as the former DCEU veteran being a solid actor, there are a couple of reasons why he wouldn’t fit the role in the MCU’s X-Men movie. Despite Cavill, as of this year, being 41 years old, he often looks younger than his age in movie and TV roles. Since Magneto is, in most incarnations, a bit older than that in a lot of X-Men stories, they would want an actor who, age-wise and visually, fits the role.

It’s also key to remember that Magneto is Jewish, a massive part of his entire character history that is bound to be explored in the MCU’s version of the X-Men, meaning Marvel Studios would be best suited to committing to hiring an actual Jewish star to play Magneto – which would take Cavill out of the running. It’s worth taking into account that Cavill is also becoming a very busy actor, meaning committing to the MCU for someone as huge as Magneto would likely not even be possible within his schedule.

Given the fallout for Cavill in the DCEU after initially being set to return as Superman before James Gunn’s DC Universe was revealed, the actor hasn’t been in a hurry to return to the superhero genre. Even if he doesn’t fit the bill as Magneto, there are a lot of other Marvel characters that Cavill would be more suitable for if Marvel Studios were to ever tap him. With the success of X-Men ’97, time will tell how the series will influence the MCU’s X-Men reboot.

Source: Spdrmnkyxxiii/Instagram