Marvel Has Already Been Building A Team That Henry Cavill’s Rumored MCU Hero Would Be Perfect For

Recent speculation hints at Henry Cavill soon joining the MCU, and Marvel Studios may have already been setting up the perfect superhero team for his favorite Marvel role. Rumors of Henry Cavill being introduced into the MCU saw a huge increase following his departure from the DCEU, in which he portrayed Clark Kent’s Superman between 2013’s Man of Steel and 2022’s Black Adam. Henry Cavill has been fan-cast as a variety of powerful Marvel Comics characters, but his personal favorite role could see him debut before the conclusion of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, and potentially lead a formidable new team.

Henry Cavill rose to international prominence as Superman in the DC Extended Universe, though many criticized his depiction of the Man of Steel, and were disappointed when his superhero career came to an abrupt end in 2022. While Superman has been recast, Henry Cavill’s freedom from the DCEU creates the opportunity for him to appear in the MCU instead. Henry Cavill has been suggested for powerful Marvel roles such as Hyperion, Cyclops and Doctor Doom, but there is perhaps a more appropriate role for the British actor that could see him lead a brilliant superhero team in the MCU’s future.

Related

10 Harsh Realities of Rewatching Henry Cavill’s 5 Appearances In The DCEU

Now that the DCEU is officially over, it is possible to look back at the entirety of Henry Cavill’s run as Superman, and certain parts don’t hold up.

Henry Cavill Has Expressed Interest In Playing The MCU’s Captain Britain

Even though there has been a great deal of speculation about which Marvel Comics character Henry Cavill could play in the MCU, the actor himself has already revealed which hero he’d want to bring to life in Marvel Studios’ ever-growing franchise. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter back in November 2021, a full year before his official departure from the DCEU, Henry Cavill noted that he would want to play a “modernized version” of Marvel Comics’ Brian Braddock, a.k.a. Captain Britain. This has perhaps been Cavill’s most popular fan-cast, and his debut as Captain Britain is possible in the Multiverse Saga.

I’m never going to say a Marvel character that is already being played by someone else, because everyone’s doing such an amazing job. However, I have the internet and I have seen the various rumors about Captain Britain and that would be loads of fun to do a cool, modernized version of that — like the way they modernized Captain America. There’s something fun about that, and I do love being British.

Brian Braddock first appeared in Marvel Comics back in 1976’s Captain Britain #1, introduced as the son of Sir James and Lady Elizabeth Braddock, who was born and raised in Essex, UK. Braddock becomes the superhero Captain Britain after assuming the power of the Amulet of Right – rather than the Sword of Might – from Merlyn and Roma, which leads to him becoming the protector of the United Kingdom, as well as a member of the multiversal Captain Britain Corps. As well as introducing this multiversal team, Marvel Studios could form another superhero group after Captain Britain’s MCU debut.

Marvel Studios Has Introduced Several British Superheroes

Henry Cavill’s debut as Captain Britain would bring a brand-new British superhero into the MCU, but this isn’t the first time that heroes from the United Kingdom have made their mark. In fact, British heroes and villains have been introduced into the MCU from the very beginning. 2008’s The Incredible Hulk debuted Tim Roth’s British and Russian Emil Blonsky, a.k.a. the Abomination, who Phase 4 revealed had learned the error of his ways. The likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s magical Mordo and Hannah John-Kamen’s phasing Ghost also debuted in the Infinity Saga, but Phases 4 and 5 have introduced even more.

Marvel Studios has introduced many more British superheroes during the Multiverse Saga, perhaps most prominently including Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman and the Eternal Sersi, portrayed by Gemma Chan, who explored London in 2021’s Eternals. While Moon Knight’s Marc Spector is American, Oscar Isaac’s depiction of Steven Grant, one of Spector’s alters, is British, and he even has a different costume as Moon Knight to differentiate the two. Although not even human, Secret Invasion’s G’iah is portrayed by English actor Emilia Clarke, and she is currently residing in the United Kingdom after having absorbed the powers of many iconic MCU characters.

Related

The MCU Finally Introduced Its Captain Britain In The Weirdest Way

Secret Invasion’s finale ended with G’iah striking a deal with British intelligence, which could tease the introduction of the MCU’s Captain Britain.

Marvel Studios’ upcoming projects could also introduce new British superheroes to the MCU. In Marvel Comics, Eric Brooks, a.k.a. the vampire hunter Blade, was born in Soho in London, though since American Mahershala Ali is set to portray the Daywalker in the MCU’s Phase 5, it’s possible Blade’s origins could be changed, just as they were for Wesley Snipes’ depiction in the 1990s. The same can be said for two exciting heroes in Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four, as both Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn are English, so it’s possible that Sue and Johnny Storm may have new British origins.

Secret Invasion May Have Teased The MCU’s MI-13

The dramatic increase in British and UK-themed superheroes in the Multiverse Saga may be setting up the introduction of the MCU’s MI-13. First mentioned in Marvel Comics in 1996’s Excalibur #101, MI-13 is a British intelligence agency akin to SHIELD and SABER that deals with strange happenings in the United Kingdom. Officially titled the Extraordinary Intelligence Service (EIS), MI-13 was built from the wreckage of the old Weird Happenings Organisation (WHO), Black Air and other related programs, to form the most sophisticated and far-reaching intelligence service in the UK, and the organization employed several formidable British heroes, including Captain Britain.

Although not mentioned, 2023’s Secret Invasion may have set the stage for the MCU’s MI-13. Olivia Colman’s Sonya Falsworth was introduced as a high-ranking MI6 agent, but after her experiences with Nick Fury and the Skrulls, she appears to be building a new team, with G’iah being her first recruit. It would make sense for Falsworth to form MI-13, and this could see her bring together British superheroes to create the United Kingdom’s first Avengers team. Rumors concerning Henry Cavill’s debut as Captain Britain only support this idea, as he would be the perfect Captain America allegory in MI-13’s team.

When Could MI-13 Debut In The MCU?

MI-13 hasn’t yet been confirmed to be coming to the MCU, but the events of Secret Invasion clearly laid the foundations for the organization’s establishment, and recent Captain Britain rumors could also inform this. This means that MI-13 may be introduced before the end of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, meaning there are several upcoming projects that could debut the group. Most notably, Marvel Studios’ upcoming Blade reboot could establish MI-13 as a historical organization in the MCU that has remained hidden until now, similarly to SHIELD, should Eric Brooks’ British origins from Marvel Comics be retained in the live-action MCU.

There has also been recent speculation about the potential for Moon Knight season 2, and since British Steven Grant would be a fantastic asset to MI-13’s superhero team, it’s possible that this rumored season could introduce the organization. With Dane Whitman’s future as the Black Knight unclear after Eternals, a potential sequel to the 2021 movie could introduce MI-13, while the group could also make themselves known in Phase 6’s Avengers 5 or Avengers: Secret Wars. The idea of a British Avengers team forming under MI-13 is exciting, especially if Henry Cavill leads the team as the MCU’s Captain Britain.