After years of speculation, Henry Cavill is making it official: he is back as Superman.

The actor shared a video confirming his commitment to play the DC hero in future films after returning for the mid-credits scene in Black Adam, which was released over the weekend and marked his first time in the role since 2017’s Justice League.

“I wanted to make it official — I am back as Superman,” Cavill said in a video. He thanked the fans, “most of all. Thank you for your support and for your patience.” He added that what audiences saw in Black Adam is a “very small taste” of things to come. 

Though there are no writers or director attached, the intention is for Cavill to star in at least one solo Superman movie, his first since 2013’s Man of Steel. Other movie appearances could potentially follow as DC Films gets an overhaul under new Warners film bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy.

The Instagram video had been in the works for weeks, with the timing eyed for after Black Adam’s opening weekend, when a good chunk of the audience would see his return. The timing also protected the movie’s theatrical experience.

The journey to get Cavill back in the cape was fraught.  Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson and his team initially were denied the cameo idea by then-DC film boss Walter Hamada, who had his own plans for Superman. But Johnson, whose manager Dany Garcia also reps Cavill, went around Hamada’s back to De Luca and Abdy, who began their jobs in July and who gave the idea the thumbs up.

Still, it was even unclear if a deal to get Cavill in the movie could be worked out. The Black Adam team initially filmed Superman with a body double, and test screened the scene without showing the character’s face. Then last month, Cavill filmed his end of things in London after the deal was closed. 

Cavill has had a long journey with Superman. Zack Snyder cast him in the role in 2010 during a process that saw him don late actor Christopher Reeve’s costume. Cavill first played Superman in Snyder’s Man of Steel and reprised the role for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). In 2018, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that his future as the character was in doubt amid a creative overhaul at DC.

Cavill, however, over the years has tentatively spoken of being open to a return. He told THR in 2021: “As I always say, ‘The cape is still in the closet.’”