Henry Cavill fans think karma has finally caught up with the Hollywood bosses who dropped him as Superman.
James Gunn and Peter Safran, the top heads at DC Studios who effectively ended Cavill’s run as the Man of Steel, are now being replaced in a major shake-up after Skydance Motion Picture Group recently acquired Warner Bros. Discovery.
Highlights
- James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-CEOs of DC Studios.
- Following the announcement, fans compared their exit to Henry Cavill being fired as Superman.
- James Gunn previously admitted that Cavill was treated unfairly and recalled feeling sorry for the actor.
- Gunn said he is relieved to leave the corporate demands of running DC Studios.
“Good. Now they should just re-hire Cavill as Superman,” one commented online.
Henry Cavill fans think karma caught up with James Gunn and Peter Safran
After holding onto their posts for four years, James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-CEOs of DC Studios.
Former Marvel exec Jeremy Latcham was hired by Skydance as the new president and chief creative officer of DC Studios and will take over from December 1.
Gunn and Safran, who reportedly had a decade’s worth of plans in the works, will return full time to creative work.
For fans, the latest developments have brought back memories of Cavill’s controversial exit, which came just weeks after the actor had seemingly confirmed that he would be returning to the role.
In 2022, Cavill made an uncredited, surprise cameo as Superman in Black Adam, prompting excitement about his future in the DC Universe.
He subsequently announced that he would be returning as the superhero in an October 2022 post on Instagram.
However, fans were sorely disappointed a couple of months later when Cavill said the Superman cape was passed on to someone else.
“I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it’s sad news, everyone,” Cavill wrote on Instagram. “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman.”
A couple of months after Cavill announced his Superman comeback, he shocked fans by saying he was replaced
Now, with Gunn and Safran no longer at the helm of DC Studios, Cavill fans have been feeling a sense of justice over the latest events.
“David Ellison did exactly what James Gunn did to Henry Cavill 4 years ago,” one commented online. “KARMA IS REAL.”
Another fan said they “agreed 100%,” adding: “Karma always cashes the check eventually. Gunn showed Cavill the door like he was disposable; now he gets to find out how that feels. The Man of Steel deserved better.”
“Hollywood really said recycle the drama, new studio, new victim. Cavill deserved so much better honestly, still mad about it,” wrote another.
“Four years ago Henry got told in a meeting he was not coming back, and now the same thing happened to the guys who told him,” read another comment. “Hollywood really runs in circles.”
Gunn admitted that the British heartthrob was treated “unfairly” when the Superman cape was passed
Years after Cavill was fired, Gunn admitted that the British heartthrob was treated “unfairly.”
“It’s terrible – believe it or not, the day we were dealing with trying to figure out if we could take the job at DC Studios, the day the deal closed, all of a sudden, they were announcing that Henry was back,” he said in a 2025 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
“I was like, ‘What is going on? We know what the plan is. The plan was to come in and do Superman. It was really unfair to him and a total bummer,” he added.
Gunn claimed that the premature announcement was a result of some people at DC trying to “force their way.”
“We came in, and that was really unfortunate. I’m like, ‘This poor guy,’” he recalled.
Among those fighting for Cavill’s return at the time was Dwayne Johnson, who said he “fought hard” to bring him back.
“Henry Cavill is our generation Superman and in my opinion, the greatest Superman,” Johnson said in a video on X, lamenting how DC Studios “inexplicably and inexcusably” did not want Cavill back.
Johnson and Cavill shared the same manager, who also joined the former actor in lobbying for the latter’s return as Superman.
Cavill had one request after he was dropped by DC, Gunn said in his past interview
During his podcast interview in 2025, Gunn said Cavill was an “absolute gentleman” when they broke the news to him.
“He said, the only thing I ask is that I’m able to reveal it myself as opposed to coming from you guys.’ And I’m like, ‘That’s a class act,’” he added.
Gunn also claimed at the time that he would love to put Cavill in another DC film some day.
Fast-forward to November 2026, and Gunn is now the one facing an unexpected change in his DC career.
The filmmaker confirmed that he and Safran would be stepping down from their leadership roles in a statement on Instagram.
“I didn’t know if I wanted this job when it was offered to me, but I just couldn’t pass up the unique opportunity. I’m glad I took the job,” he said in a lengthy statement.
He went on to admit that the job has been “trying, to say the least.”
Gunn admitted in his latest statement that the job has been “trying, to say the least”
“I dislike the at-times corporate nature of the job,” he said before thanking Safran for “taking the brunt of that.”
The outgoing DC boss then mentioned how his wife and actress Jennifer Holland might be the “happiest” about him stepping down from the role.
“I’m always a very hard worker, but as a filmmaker I would at least get to take short breaks to unwind, and I’ve stolen even that time from both myself and my loved ones over the past four years,” he said.
“And the thing my ADHD hyperfocus has had the most difficulty with has been dividing my time between projects I’m incredibly passionate about and the ones I’m not so much, and all the things I have to do as a studio head,” he added.
Gunn said he would miss the people he worked with but is also “incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking.”
The major shake-up came after Supergirl saw disappointing ticket sales after its June opening.
The movie was seen as both a critical and commercial bomb, while Clayface, released last month, is expected to bring home the moneybags.
"Not a single good movie." Viewers left harsh comments for James Gunn on social media
