Zack Snyder has never felt like going back to the past through a casual act, so it is understandable as to why the recent Christmas surprise resonated just so much with the generations of Superman fans. Sharing some of the few, unpublished test photographs of Henry Cavill in the original suit of Christopher Reeve, Superman, Snyder yanked the veil on one of the biggest milestones of the new superhero films. The shots made at the first casting steps of Man of Steel fix the moment when the influence of doubt had disappeared, and the feeling of certainty had gained. This was not a mere screen test to Snyder, nor was it to Warner Bros. This was the time Henry Cavill became Superman.

The Christopher Reeve suit cannot be described as less important. To millions of people, Reeve was Superman in all his naivete, a figure of hope and restraint and moral Straith Jacket in an era when supermen were still grounded in serious idealism. It was symbolic and dangerous to allow Cavill to put on that same suit. It put him in the very shadow of a legend and asked to be compared with it. The fact that Snyder chose to put Cavill to the test in that suit implies that there is a great respect when it comes to the legacy of the character, not to mention the fact that he trusted Cavill could shoulder the emotional burden of it without parody.

Snyder disclosed that the images had been taken several years prior to the release of Man of Steel in 2013, when Warner Bros. needed a Superman in which to base a whole new DC movie universe. The director posted the photos on his Instagram page, stating that they were shown to the studio leaders themselves during the casting. Snyder says that the response was swift and unanimous. The pictures told more than auditions or conversations would have told.

“Henry Cavill. The original Superman suit. This photo. Nothing was doubted, Snyder wrote in one of the captions, and with that, a decision which would otherwise have required months of discussion had been made.

In a follow-up posting, Snyder wrote, With the most recent picture I posted, and this one, we displayed WB [and] the whole team was just unanimous that Henry Cavill was Superman. It was the place of origin of the journey.

There is something significant in those words that indicate the way the casting choices made at this level are in reality. Though talent, body, and acting play a role, there is always a moment when an actor just feels right because talent notwithstanding, body notwithstanding, and performance notwithstanding. Superman, in more than any other character, requires such instant identification. He has to feel the same and new at the same time, bigger than life but based on humanity. In such pictures, Cavill did not seem an actor wearing a costume. He emerged like a natural heir, who would not forget the past to create a new one.

The concept of passing the torch is a phrase that is applied somewhat in pop culture, yet it is well deserved here. Superman by Christopher Reeve marked a new period in the history of cinema in which the trait of heroism was the sincerity. The Superman of Cavill, who had been influenced by the more pessimistic and inward-looking vision of Snyder, was a superhero that represented the world at war with fear, surveillance, and moral ambiguity. Having Cavill in the suit of Reeve emphasizes the fact that they are not opposites but a continuation of one story as they are adapting to various cultural moments, but still, they are upholding the same core ideals.

The total of three substantial films that Henry Cavill appeared as Superman would be included in the DC Universe of Steven Snyder: Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Throughout these movies, Cavill played the role of a Superman with a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, who is misunderstood, and physically distraught due to the impact of his powers. This meaning separated viewers. Others praised its emotional naturalness, and others yearned to see something more free and conventionally optimistic. However, the critics of the films many times admitted that Cavill was physically present and sincere in his role.

In hindsight, it is obvious that the issue was not with the casting of Cavill. The pictures of the test that are being circulated are only reinforcing such a belief. They present an actor who was visually, symbolically, and emotionally in the character since the first time. Snyder has not based his faith in Cavill on marketing rationality or franchise strategizing, but on a gut feeling that was undisputed in the room.

The fact that these photographs were released many years later also makes one wonder the way in which the legacies of superheroes develop. The fact that such characters as Superman survive is because they are being reinterpreted. Every actor has something informed by their time, the worldview of the director and the expectations of the audience. Superman by Reeve was a source of comfort in hard times. The Superman played by Cavill posed challenging questions concerning power, responsibility and place of belonging in a divided world. Neither erases the other. They are in dialogue instead.

It is also somehow human of Snyder to choose Christmas to publish these pictures. The holiday is commonly linked with nostalgia, thought and tradition which are themes that have strong linkage with Superman as a cultural icon. Restating the fact that Cavill first entered the suit of Reeve, Snyder was not sparking controversy or speculation. He was commemorating a memory, both personal and movie, that defined his career and the DC Universe that he assisted in creating.

The Cavill Superman image has become more palatable to the audience with the years, particularly when the talk about creative control, attempts by the studio to interfere with the production, and alternate versions of movies has become more open. His depiction has been seen now by many fans as having lacked narrative consistency and long-term vision. The revelation made by Snyder confirms that the groundwork was good in the beginning although the implementation had difficulties throughout.