With several recent updates, James Gunn has revealed the first look at David Corenswet’s Superman suit and it is far from Henry Cavill’s costume. But the stark contrast has an inherent meaning behind it as Zack Snyder’s Superman and Gunn’s version were designed by two different filmmakers. Here’s why the two Superman suits look so different.
David Corenswet’s Superman Costume
David Corenswet as Superman. Image Credit: James Gunn/Threads
James Gunn has directed cosmic heroes in their adventures before and it’s not too hard to recall his MCU hit trilogy Guardians of the Galaxy, but with Superman, it appears that the director will not flash Superman’s cosmic adventures.
In its essence, Henry Cavill’s dismissal from his Superman role makes sense as Zack Snyder has detailed the origin story of Superman in Man of Steel. Now, we all have noticed several distinguishable traits including the colors of it. David Corenswet’s Superman costume looks rugged, faded, and kind of retro. The classic Superman trunk is also visible in the first look with what appears to be a belt. While both the actor’s costume has almost identical classic red capes, they are slightly different.
Further, the red-colored high boots are designed with the same essence to complement the overall look of the suit— the shoes are also kind of faded. Corenswet’s costume has certainly created a huge buzz as it has indicated several meanings, primarily the potential thematic essence Gunn is set to establish in the new version of DC Universe.
Why Henry Cavill’s Superman Suit Was Different?
Henry Cavill in Man of Steel. Image Credit: Warner Brothers.
Henry Cavill’s Superman suit was very different from any other iterations of Superman appearances, be it comic books, animated shows and movies, or the live-action portrayal of the iconic DC character. Sure, it does look good, inherently modern as Snyder decided to ditch the trunk while making the suit quite glossy and vibrant with a darker shade of blue.
Essentially, Cavill’s Superman suit does not look earthly, it supports Snyder’s thematic significance of the narrative he wanted to present and every dynamic of it. We have a celestial villain General Zod in Man of Steel and his costume, by design looks quite similar to that of Superman’s. “You have to honor what has been done and what the canon is and what the suit looks like that’s been around for a very long time, but yet at the same time you want to modernize it,” Man of Steel producer, Deborah Snyder hinted the challenges associated making with the modernized version of it insisting on the fact that the suit had to fit “Kryptonian society,” (via X).
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But Cavill’s suit was always intended to have the background essence of his home planet. Cavill’s Clark Kent found his suit in a hidden ship, it was not tailored anywhere on Earth. “We really very much wanted the suit to have come from someplace,” Producer Charles Roven said. “To come from the legacy of Krypton.”
Costume Designer of Cavill’s Superman, Michael Wilkinson gave further insight into why Cavill’s Superman attire was so different. “Rather than the thing which is made out of the cloth that his parents wrapped him,” was not going to match the authenticity of the alien costume, he said. Primarily, everything about the Snyder version of Superman had to have a strong connection to his home planet as the director was keen on reminding us that he is unworldly and Godlike, and for that, the earthly costume would not make sense.
Zack Snyder Ditched The Trunk
Henry Cavill as Superman
Certainly, It was never easy to make something new out of a pile of references with established mythos. “Red underwear? I probably looked at hundreds of versions with the underwear. I mean, I tried, honestly to okay, let’s make it work ‘cuz it’s Superman,” Snyder said of his initial dilemma with the red trunk. And eventually, the director ditched the classic red trunk.
Cavill loved it, the very suit looked alien, body tight and kind of flashing the human anatomy— flashing the abs. “I love it, I think it’s a very good modernization of something very classic,” Cavill said.
For the costume-designing team, the suit had to be extremely precise orbiting around one inherent idea— it had to look like Kryptonian. The team has made 3D modeling to get right into the details including the belt, bootlace, the buckle, and the ‘S’ emblem on his chest. In its essence, the ‘S’ on Corenswet’s costume was exactly what Gunn had previously teased but again, it was far too distinguished from Cavill’s costume— while Corenswet’s version has more diamond-shaped geometric essence, the ‘S’ on Cavill’s costume was more curved out with a 3D feel to it.
So, the real explanation of the difference in the suits of Superman essentially reflects on the fact that the narrative of Gunn in Superman would be more earth-centric. This can be further confirmed by the earth-bound characters including Lex Luthor, The Engineer, and co. In this regard, it is also safe to say that Cavill’s version of Superman would not fit into Gunn’s narrative. Regardless, Superman has been one of the most hyped movies that is expected to smash the box office records.
Superman is slated for an 11 July 2025 release.
