#Henry Cavill Pleads with Toxic Fans to Stop Spreading Negativity

Social media has never been a place for civil discourse or rational debate. And online fandom wars have often devolved into vicious personal attacks and threats against those who disagree with one side. One person who has had enough of the toxicity is actor Henry Cavill. In a lengthy Instagram post, the Man of Steel actor directly addressed the portion of his fandom that is indulging in heated “speculations” regarding his career and personal life.

“Dear fans and followers, I wanted to make a wee community announcement. I couldn’t help but notice that there has been some social animosity of late. It’s becoming increasingly prevalent on my feed. There has been lots of, let’s call it speculation for now, about my private life and professional partnerships. Now, while I do appreciate the passion and support by those very people who are “speculating”, It has come to such a point that I needed to say something, which in itself, is a bad thing. We are living in an age of social enlightenment. More and more, people are realizing that their views may have been blinkered and that they need to expand them to encompass others.”

RELATED: J.J. Abrams Has No Plans to Write or Direct Any DC Comics Movies
As far as the professional speculations are concerned, it is easy to see what Cavill is referring to. Ever since the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, DCEU fans have redoubled their efforts to #RestoretheSnyderVerse, a demand which includes bringing Cavill back as Superman for a Man of Steel sequel. The recent news of J.J. Abrams rebooting the franchise with a new Superman movie has angered many fans of the “SnyderVerse”, who have not been shy about letting their anger be known. According to Cavill, he would like to see his fans take a more “enlightened” approach to their online behavior.

“So, to you out there who are expressing your disdain and showing your displeasure through a surprising variety of ways, it’s time to stop. I know it can be fun to speculate, to gossip, and to dive into our own personal echo chambers on the internet, but your “passion” is misplaced, and it causes harm to the people I care about most. Even your most conservative of negative assumptions about both my personal and professional life just aren’t true. Let’s embrace this age of social enlightenment together, and move forward with positivity. I am very happy in love, and in life. I’d be enormously grateful if you were happy with me. If you can’t bring yourself to be happy with me, then at the very least try to do yourself proud and be the best version of yourself.”

Aside from speculations over his future in the DCEU, the actor has also been the subject of much speculation regarding his personal life and who he is dating, and it seems Cavill has had enough of the gossip-mongering. It remains to be seen if the statement from the actor will make his fans ease off on the online toxicity and, as is clearly the subtext of the message, chill the “eff” out.

Topics: Superman, Justice League