When steel is no longer cold - why is the 2025 Superman (David Corenswet) criticized by the whole network as "silly and sweet", while Henry Cavill is still the toughest Superman in our hearts?

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Part I: Phenomenon - What are the audience arguing about?

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Superherohype.com fan vote:

"Who is more powerful?" Henry beat David with 68%.

Slashfilm.com's highly praised message:

"Corenswet's smile makes him look like a Kryptonian social blogger, not the most dangerous weapon in the night sky."

On the one hand, there are exaggerated memes, and on the other hand, there are film critics' concerns about "dissolution of divinity" - the original narrative of "the great emperor descended to earth" suddenly changed to "the neighbor's academic bully saves cats and dogs."

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Part II: Character Ontology - The Basic Differences between the Two "Supermen"
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Power Level: From "Disaster Level" to "City Level"
Henry's version is listed on superherohype.com:

He pushed the world engine to the lower track by himself;

The axe that almost instantly killed Steppenwolf.

The 2025 version, however, lowered the upper limit to urban street fighting:

It even takes 20 seconds to "charge" and strangle the mechanical giant fish;
The power level is set by the official setting book as "able to hold up the Empire State Building", but compared to the DCEU's Mars, which can be thrown, it can be seen that it has been cut in half.

Gender Grassaw: Divinity vs Humanity Spectrum
Henry's path is "foreign god → lonely savior";
David's path is "sunshine boy + community volunteer leader". thecollision.org Summary:
"Gunn stripped away the heavy burden of being a savior, but also took away the sense of oppression that anyone could crush in an instant."

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Part III: Differences in director control - lens language, rhythm, theme
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Zack Snyder:

90% wide angle + looking up - Superman is always the central light source of the picture;

Slow motion + gravel particles - physical destruction is upgraded to a mythical reality;
Theme: The tension between Kryptonian bloodline and human hope.

James Gunn:

Handheld + TV lighting, making the camera and the character equal;
High density of jokes, the genes of "Guardians of the Galaxy" bring "popcorn" lightness;
Theme: "Superheroes can also make friends", so David frequently tells jokes, wears sunglasses, and hugs elementary school students.
slashfilm.com pointed out that Gunn's film even gave the most explosive stunt scenes to the supporting character Mr. Terrific, forming an awkward signal of "the protagonist is suspended, and the tool man shows off his skills."

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Part 4: Actor shaping - voice, posture, micro-expressions
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Henry:

He lowers his head slightly 70% of the time, looking down at everyone;
British style lowers his voice, echoes with reverberation, and his lines are short and sharp like metal;
David:

Looking up at the person he is talking to, habitually raising his eyebrows;
American style speaks clearly, and the music beats align with the jokes;
Fans summarize in one sentence - "Henry is like an order, and David is like a group text message."
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Part 5: DC's strategic transition over more than a decade - why do we feel "stupid"
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"Family-friendly swing"
After Marvel's failure in the fourth phase, DC gave up the R-rated dark universe at the 2024 shareholders' meeting and decided to match the bright style of "Spider-Man: Across the Universe", resulting in the overall color of 2025 "Superman" changing from Snyder's faded silver heavy to candy saturated color.

"Budget reduction"
Parent company WB-Discovery cuts 25% of special effects budget in fiscal year 2025. So:

Big scenes ≤ 28 minutes;
Actions rely more on close-ups, group scenes, and light shaking to create a "dynamic" feeling.
"Multiverse soft reboot"
For the next new main line of DCU, the "rebooted version of Superman" needs partners with more diverse genders and races. He can't be a god from the beginning, so he can only give way to the more famous green lanterns and female heroes behind him. The role is intentionally "collected", and the audience's intuitive feeling is "downgrading".

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Part 6: Audience psychology-"Why do we miss Henry?"
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Authoritarian comfort: Under the shadow of the global economy, the audience longs for a strong man who can settle everything without reasoning.
Perfect male image: Henry's angular jaw and 33-inch shoulder line bring an inviolable "satisfaction of ancient Greek statues".
Unfinished myth: Snyder's five-part plan came to nothing, and the audience's imagination of Henry's version remained at the super clip of "If he were still here...", rather than a finished film that was inferior to reality.
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Conclusion:
This is not a debate about who is right or wrong, but a decade of reincarnation of DC handing out two signal guns to the world. In 2013, "Man of Steel" used a beam of red light to send a message to space:
"The earth is protected by gods, but gods are also lonely."

In 2025, the signal was changed to a mouth cannon:
"I am Clark, living in apartment 4B. If you have stray cats to save, remember to call me."

Some people heard hope, and more people heard that the era of Superman is over.