Before Superman, Henry Cavill Appeared in a Fantasy Movie With the MCU’s Future Daredevil

Henry Cavill has built an impressive Hollywood career, moving from a supporting turn on The Tudors to major roles across multiple franchises. As Geralt of Rivia, he anchored Netflix’s The Witcher for three seasons, and as August Walker, he went toe to toe with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Next, he is set to play the immortal Connor MacLeod in Amazon MGM’s Highlander reboot, while actively developing a Warhammer TV show for Prime Video. Still, no role has defined Cavill’s career like Superman, the character he played across Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League. Yet, long before he wore the cape, Cavill shared the screen with an actor who would go on to become one of Marvel’s most enduring heroes, in a little-seen fantasy film that quietly doubled as an unofficial crossover between two comic book universes.

Director Matthew Vaughn’s 2007 adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel Stardust starred Charlie Cox as Tristan Thorn, a young man who crosses a magical kingdom to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he loves. Nearly seven years after Stardust reached theaters, Cox was cast as Matt Murdock in Marvel and Netflix’s Daredevil, announced in May 2014 and premiering in April 2015, a role he later carried into Daredevil: Born Again after Marvel folded the character into the mainline MCU. Daredevil ranks among Marvel’s most durable street-level heroes, and Cox has now played him for over a decade, with guest roles in other MCU series and even an iconic turn in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Meanwhile, Cavill’s own path to a comic book franchise came when Warner Bros. cast him as Superman in January 2011, more than three years after Stardust‘s release, with Man of Steel arriving in theaters in 2013. It’s curious to notice that Stardust features them both before their comic book fame, although they would soon become two of the most recognizable faces of their respective franchises.

Daredevil and Superman Came Face to Face in Stardust, a Movie Filled With Charming Performances

Stardust opened against a $70 million budget and closed its run with a worldwide gross of $137.5 million, a modest result that undersold the film at the time. In the years since, the movie has built a devoted following through home video and streaming, and it is now regularly cited as one of the more overlooked fantasy films of its decade. Within Stardust‘s story, Cox and Cavill are romantic rivals. Cavill plays Humphrey, a wealthy and arrogant suitor competing with Cox’s Tristan for the affection of Victoria (Sienna Miller), the woman who promises to marry the protagonist if he can bring her a fallen star. Cavill’s role is small, nothing more than a supporting antagonist, but Vaughn still gives him enough screen time to establish Humphrey as a genuine threat. Cox, by contrast, carries the film’s emotional throughline, playing Tristan’s transformation from a naive shopkeeper into someone capable of surviving a kingdom governed by witches and sky pirates. The two actors only share a handful of scenes, but it’s still interesting to witness their Stardust encounter with anachronistic eyes, as Daredevil and Superman are literally facing each other, even though neither actor’s superhero future was on the industry’s radar at the time.

The performances in Stardust are one of the main reasons the movie is so beloved today, and they are not limited to Cavill and Cox. In fact, Stardust‘s most memorable performance belongs to Robert De Niro, who plays Captain Shakespeare, a feared sky pirate secretly hiding a flamboyant alter ego from his crew. De Niro leans fully into the absurdity of the role, and his willingness to flip his own tough-guy reputation upside down gives Stardust a sense of humor that separates it from more self-serious fantasy films of the same era. We also have Claire Danes as the fallen star Yvaine, and Michelle Pfeiffer as the witch Lamia, both who undertands that the magical adventure is a setting to explore deeper truths about what it means to be human, and how only through connection can we live a full life. Beyond the cast, Vaughn balances swashbuckling action and a straightforward romance without letting any single element overwhelm the others, which also helps explain why Stardust has aged into a comfort watch for fans who caught up with it well after its theatrical run ended.

Stardust is currently available to stream for free on Kanopy and Hoopla. The movie is also available to rent or purchase across major digital platforms.