Henry Cavill plays Ryan Enright in Squadron 42 — a pilot in the 42nd Squadron, the unit that gives the game its name. His casting was one of the project's best-kept secrets for years, and he remains one of the most-searched cast members. Verified: 2026-10-12.

How Cavill joined the project

The story, as documented in community wikis citing official material: Cavill — a well-known PC gamer — had people close to him approach Cloud Imperium Games to say he would be genuinely interested in being part of Squadron 42. CIG kept his participation under wraps for a couple of years before revealing it publicly on October 11, 2018 in the Cinematic Teaser shown at CitizenCon 2018. Cavill confirmed the same day on Instagram:

"And answer the call I did! It was a genuine pleasure and a real privilege to be a part of this unfolding saga and to have the opportunity to play Ryan Enright."

Behind-the-scenes footage of his shoot followed that week in official developer updates.

Who is Ryan Enright?

From the documented character material: Ryan Enright is a member of the 42nd Squadron who appears during the Battle of Vega II — the engagement that frames the game's prologue. He flies an Anvil F8 Lightning and appears alongside Cal Mason (Jack Huston) in a Hornet and Aegis Retaliator pilots. Beyond that, official material keeps his story details under wraps — anything you read about his fate, screen time, or mission roles beyond this is speculation.

Where you can see him

  • The 2018 Cinematic Teaser — his reveal appearance.
  • The October 2026 "The Oath" trailer and its promotional stills — Cavill's Enright was the headline image of the cast-reveal coverage, shown in a cockpit shot.
  • The gameplay reveal era material — official stills and behind-the-scenes clips from the performance-capture shoot.

For the rest of the ensemble, see the full cast table; for the pilot he shares the screen with most often in older material, see Mark Hamill's Colton.

Character facts sourced to official material via the community wiki and October 2026 press coverage. Speculation about screen time is deliberately excluded.