Impossible Role Proves Where He Really Belongs in Hollywood (& Some Fans Aren’t Going to Like It)

Henry Cavill has had quite an interesting career, to say the least. Although his darker take on Superman for the DC Extended Universe was considered controversial for its time, and many fans are still divided on it, there are still quite a few who can’t help but admire how different it was. Outside of what is arguably his most recognizable role, however, he also found success in the realm of television with Netflix’s The Witcher series. Despite the dedicated following of fans that the actor has amassed over the last decade, when it comes to his other film work, unfortunately, the box-office returns don’t seem to reflect it very well. Films like Argylle and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, ones that tried to put Cavill as the main heroic face of their marketing, have shown that he isn’t quite the box-office draw that one would expect a former Superman to be.

Outside the realm of Netflix and the DCEU, the only film he’s been a major part of that had an equal amount of critical and commercial success was the sixth Mission: Impossible film, Fallout. The film had him playing the role of a detestable hot-headed villain, and audiences seemed to agree that it was a role he was perfectly suited for. There seem to be plenty of people who believe that Cavill would be an ideal choice to play the next James Bond, but his role in Fallout has convinced me that he would actually be much better off going in the opposite direction. If he wants to achieve a greater and more consistent level of theatrical success going forward, I think that he needs to ditch playing lead heroes and embrace more villainous roles that are arguably more suited to his range.

Henry Cavill’s Last Few Films Haven’t Done Him Any Favors

With Audiences Sleeping on His Latest Works, and With Some Seeing Him as Miscast in Other Roles, The Actor is In Need of a Bigger Break

After Henry Cavill publicly stepped away from his role as Geralt in The Witcher, allegedly due to creative differences with the showrunners, many fans believed that it would allow him the freedom to finally return as Superman in the DCEU after the mid-credits tease that Black Adam provided. For those fans who were initially upset by the news that the franchise would be reset and that Cavill’s return would not be happening, most would think that they would still want to support his upcoming work in any way they can. In 2024, the action comedy films Argylle and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare were released within only months of each other. Even though they were directed, respectively, by Matthew Vaughn and Guy Ritchie, two highly celebrated filmmakers, and featured Cavill as the main face of their marketing (although his role as the title character in Argylle was really more of a minor one), both films failed to gross their budget back (or even half of it).

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If these numbers alone are any indication, it can very easily be assumed that movie-going audiences just aren’t all too interested in seeing Henry Cavill take on more lead hero roles. Or, at least not enough to convince them to pay to see it in a theater. There’s also his role as Sherlock Holmes in Netflix’s Enola Holmes franchise to take into consideration. Even though the films themselves have been received well both critically and in home viewership numbers, one of their biggest criticisms has been the debatable miscasting of Cavill as Sherlock. Those familiar with Arthur Conan Doyle’s works will know that his portrayal is quite a far cry from how he’s portrayed in the source material, as his muscular frame doesn’t quite suit the character aesthetically, and his overall performance lacks the same standoffish and eccentric demeanor that previous actors like Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. had played Holmes with so brilliantly.

To say that his film career has been struggling would be an overstatement, as he hasn’t had any trouble landing other work (he recently wrapped filming on a live-action Voltron film); it does appear, however, to be in a bit of a slump when it comes to having films that gain more attention from audiences. If he wants to land another big theatrical hit film with a sizable part, I think it’d probably be best for him to start taking on more projects that would have him playing more parts that are better suited to his range. For those who may be wondering what kinds of projects and roles this new career route will entail, they need not look any further than his role in the Mission: Impossible franchise for the perfect example.

Henry Cavill Played a Very Convincing Villain in Mission: Impossible – Fallout

The Role of August Walker Fit Him Like a Glove, and He Gave Perhaps His Most Dedicated Performance With It

The sixth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise brought in Henry Cavill for the role of August Walker, a burly and hotheaded CIA agent. Although the character was introduced as an ally to the IMF, it’s revealed midway through the film that he is really the extremist known as “John Lark” that the team had been hunting and who is looking to destroy the existing world order with a set of nuclear bombs. In the role, Cavill uses his physical presence to great effect, and having him play such a darkly cunning and threatening individual showed just what he can be capable of when he fully gives in to his character, and how much more effective his talents can be when he’s cast as one that is more suited to his limitations as an actor. To date, it’s the only notable villain character that he’s ever played, but it’s also enough to make anyone wonder why he hasn’t played more of them. As much as Cavill claims to love playing characters like Superman and Sherlock, there’s an obvious passion and energy to his performance as Walker that just hasn’t been seen in any other role of his.

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If anything, his performance serves as proof of just how much more fun he has playing a villain, whether he wants to admit it or not. It also proves that maybe playing a villain is what he’s not only best at, but an opportunity he should be actively pursuing more of, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. In an article for Entertainment Weekly, Darren Franich praised Cavill’s “wonderful performance” in the film and considered it to be a redemption for the lack of emotional range he displayed as Superman and in other previous roles.

It’s unlikely that Cavill will be surprising anyone with the kind of performance that will show how unexpectedly well he can handle comedy or have him move audiences to tears with an emotional drama anytime soon. Most of his upcoming projects appear to be big-budget sci-fi and fantasy action epics, all having him play heroes once more, which, given his recent flops, could spell trouble for their box-office run. So, with all that in mind, why should he not try to take advantage of another opportunity to play the kind of character that he was obviously born to?

Why Henry Cavill Is Better Off Playing Villains (For Now)

If He Wants a More Successful Run in Movies, He Needs to Embrace His Villainous Side

Looking back on his work from over the past decade or so, it’s obvious that Henry Cavill is the kind of actor whose performances seem to rely heavily on his physical presence rather than his emotional range, which is part of why his more brooding take on Superman, as well as his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, have been so controversial. Even though directors keep casting him in the kinds of heroic roles that require him to be larger than life, it’s obvious that those kinds of parts are not in his wheelhouse. Most of the time, his performances appear to come off as if he just isn’t able to fully embrace the depth of them to do justice to their personalities. Not every actor is meant to play all kinds of roles that require a more flexible range that is easily adaptable for other genres, like comedy or drama, and there’s nothing wrong with that; actors like Jason Statham still draw in massive crowds and ticket sales with audiences who love seeing them do their usual thing. I think that Cavill has proven that he’s not just a fantastic action star, as opposed to some great thespian, but that he’s even better at playing an action villain, and it’s something that would almost guarantee to have audiences lining back up for another film of his if he were more open to the idea of playing another one.

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I think the real problem is that Cavill has loved the idea of playing the hero for far too long and is always looking for the next big franchise to make it happen, when it’s obvious that it’s not where he belongs; or at least it’s not something that is going to gain the attention of movie-goers. Audiences are always hoping for something new and different, and playing another villain is something that could be the key to giving Cavill the path to a more successful career that he really deserves. Looking at the failure of his most recent movies, it really seems like audiences are tired of seeing him as a hero, at least for now. Whenever they get tired of seeing him as a villain, who’s to say whether he’ll finally be embraced as the hero once more?

Mission Impossible 6

Release Date

July 13, 2018

Runtime

147 minutes