James Gunn has recalled the “terrible” way Henry Cavill was fired as Superman, admitting the British actor was treated “unfairly”. The Guardians of the Galaxy director was hired by Warner Bros to oversee the studios’ DC output after a string of flops, and one of the first jobs on his list was to hire a brand new actor to play the man of steel.

While the latest version of the Man of Steel might be ushering in a new and promising era for the DC Universe, James Gunn recently spoke out about the monumental mix-up that was made near the end of the previous one, which saw Henry Cavill briefly return as Superman, only to take off the cape for good.

Now that Superman is performing well at the box office, buoyed by positive word of mouth and critic reviews, James Gunn is admitting that there was a lot riding on the film's success.