The school of thought regarding Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has evolved quite a bit since Man of Steel came out in 2013. When that film, a cinematic reboot for the Superman character that completely started him at zero and introduced him to a new generation of fans, came out and did good numbers at the box office all eyes were on the follow-up. There had been all kinds of rumors that the film was meant to usher in a new era of inter-connected DC Comics films. When it did well, naturally the thought of a sequel came up.

Then, suddenly, at Comic-Con 2014, we found out that not only was there a sequel coming, but that it would include Batman! And it would seize on their antagonistic relationship from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Whoa! So, suddenly, Man of Steel 2 became Batman vs Superman. But then in the months to follow, the more we heard about the project, the more its focus seemed to be shifting away from Superman. It started to become a running gag that Superman was going to be a bit player in his own movie, which was quickly evolving into a prequel to Justice League instead of being a follow-up to Kal-El’s quest.

Nowadays, I don’t think anyone that follows these kinds of films thinks of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as a Superman sequel. It’s clear that it’s an entirely different animal, and now Henry Cavill is making that point crystal clear. In a red carpet chat with MTV, Cavill was asked about the “sequel,” under the assumption that it was one, and the British actor was quick to correct the interviewer:

“I wouldn’t call this a ‘Superman sequel.’ This is ‘Batman vs Superman,’ so it’s a separate entity altogether. It’s introducing the Batman character, and expanding upon the universe which was kicked off by ‘Man of Steel.’ So yeah, watch the space. See how it turns out. Again, everything can change in the editing room. But, as it stands, it’s definitely an introduction of the character [Batman] and, ultimately, the introduction of ‘Justice League.'”

There wasn’t a follow-up question, asking if we should expect a more direct sequel about Superman’s journey at some point, but there you have it, folks. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will not be a Superman sequel, so if you were a fan of the world set up in Man of Steel and are hungry to see more of Clark’s personal evolution, you’re going to have to put that craving on hold for now.

You can see the full interview here: