Henry Cavill said he improvised the moment in Man of Steel when Superman cries after killing General Zod. After coming to prominence for his leading role as Charles Brandon in the Showtime series The Tudors, the British actor gained international recognition in 2011 when he was cast as Superman, a role he lost to Brandon Routh years earlier in Superman Returns. Released in 2013, Man of Steel became the launchpad for the DC Extended Universe, raking in $668 million at the global box office and minting Cavill and director Zack Snyder as stalwart franchise players.

The movie is known for dedicating a large chunk of the first act to Krypton, which explodes just after Jor-El sends his son Kal-El to Earth to eventually become the titular Man of Steel. After being imprisoned for killing Jor-El, General Zod escapes to Earth to try to transform the planet into a new Krypton via a giant terraforming device capable of wiping out all humanity. Superman eventually destroys the device and is forced to kill Zod when he threatens an innocent family at a train station.

In a cover feature for THR, Cavill dives deeper into Superman’s emotional breakdown after killing General Zod, which was highly controversial among fans at the time since it betrayed the character’s moral code. The actor noted his decision to fall to the ground and cry was improvised during the scene, as it felt aligned with the emotional truth of the character in that moment. Check out Cavill’s illuminating comments below:

The killing of Zod gave a reason for the character never to kill again. Superman falling to the ground and screaming afterward — I don’t think that was originally in the script, but I wanted to show the pain he had. I did far more emotional takes they didn’t choose; tears were happening. He just killed the last remaining member of his species. That’s the choice he made in that moment, and he’ll never do that again.

Cavill claims the moment really warrants a Man of Steel sequel to explore Superman’s trauma after that. When a godlike being displays such an intense emotional reaction, Cavill says, it presents a ripe opportunity to explore his psyche and growth. Despite four years passing since last donning the cape in Justice League, Cavill said “the cape is still in the closet” and remains open to returning for a Man of Steel sequel.

Some of the most memorable moments from the last 20 years of superhero films were improvised on the spot. Heath Ledger famously improvised his Joker fiddling with the detonation remote when the hospital explosion was accidentally delayed a few moments in The Dark Knight. Emotional improvisation, like Tom Holland’s heartbreaking death in front of Tony Stark in Infinity War, is a whole other level entirely, because it illustrates not just an actor’s dramatic talent but the director’s trust in the actor. Henry Cavill has gone on to have a tremendous career outside of the DCEU, and his early chops on display in that climactic Man of Steel scene are surely a large part of that.