Henry Cavill, who plays Superman in Warner Bros’ DC Extended Universe, celebrates National Superhero Day by praising Marvel and DC stars. The DCEU has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start, with Warner Bros’ two 2016 entries - Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad - receiving largely negative reviews and a divisive reaction from moviegoers, though both did perform well at the box office. In the wake of Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad, comic book fans debated the merits of Warner Bros’ path to establishing their cinematic superhero universe and compared the DCEU to the likes of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise and, more often, Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Heading into 2017, Warner Bros is gearing up to debut two more entries in the DCEU: Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman and Zack Snyder’s third entry in the franchise, Justice League. Marketing on Wonder Woman is entering the final stretch with five weeks left until the film’s debut, though Warner Bros also recently debuted the first full trailer for Justice League. Now, one DCEU star honors not only his fellow DC actors, but those who bring all superheroes to life on the big screen.

Celebrating National Superhero Day, Cavill posted an image to Instagram of himself wearing a Superman T-shirt. In the caption, Cavill tagged or hashtagged the stars of the DCEU, the MCU and Fox’s X-Men franchise, praising them for their work in their respective superhero films and “setting such a fantastic example for superhero fans.” Take a look:

Fly your colours today brothers and sisters. Its National Superhero day! I personally just want to thank all of you guys and gals for keeping us so entertained and setting such a fantastic example for superhero fans, young and old, around the world. @PrattPrattPratt @Gal_Gadot @vancityreynolds @ChrisHemsworth @BenAffleck @RobertDowneyJr @MarkRuffalo @PrideOfGypsies @Rehsifyar @TheHughJackman @MargotRobbie @JoelKinnaman @ZoeSaldana @DaveBautista @VinDiesel @paulbettany @renner4real @samuelljackson @aarontaylorjohnson @officiallyelizabetholsen @nicholashoult @jamesmcavoyrealdeal @booboodaddy @sophiet @kodismitmcpheeofficial @alexandrashipppp @brielarson @tomholland2013 @imsebastianstan @chadwickboseman #DonCheadle #PaulRudd #AnthonyMackie #ChrisEvans #BradleyCooper #EzraMiller #ScarlettJohansson #SuperheroDay #TyeSheridan #BenedictCumberbatch #WillSmith A post shared by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on Apr 27, 2017 at 11:32pm PDT

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As Marvel and DC fans have likely noticed, the conversations around superhero movies can turn decidedly toxic on social media, and have seemingly done so with more frequency since the debut of Batman V Superman - following which, certain fans claimed movie reviewers took bribes to give the film negative reviews. And, as the conversations in general have heated up, so has the long-standing rivalry between Marvel and DC fans, though it’s arguably grown more noxious in recent memory.

However, Cavill’s Instagram post celebrating National Superhero Day makes it clear that there’s no such rivalry or ill will between the stars of Warner Bros’, Fox’s, and Marvel Studios’ biggest superhero films. Cavill took the time to honor the stars of The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Deadpool in addition to his fellow DCEU stars who will be joining him in Justice League later this year as well as those who appeared in last year’s Suicide Squad. It presents a unified front in terms of the actors who portray the fans’ favorite heroes and is inclusive for those who enjoy all superhero movies.

Of course, Cavill’s post isn’t likely to bring about the end of the Marvel and DC rivalry - or the more toxic discussions fans have seen in recent years. Still, it certainly shows that Cavill is willing to uphold Superman’s values of fighting for peace both onscreen and off - which seems like the perfect way to celebrate National Superhero Day.

Next: How Batman V Superman & Suicide Squad Changed WB’s Plans

Source: Instagram

  • wonder woman Release Date: 2017-06-02 Justice League Release Date: 2017-11-17 Aquaman Release Date: 2018-12-21