What will the new Superman suit look like?
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Following the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) merger last year, a significant reorganization occurred, resulting in the departure of former DC head Walter Hamada. James Gunn, the acclaimed director known for his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), particularly the Guardians of the Galaxy series, has taken over his position.
Serving as CEO alongside co-CEO Peter Safran, Gunn plays a crucial role in reshaping the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), known initially for iconic characters such as Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Henry Cavill’s Superman from Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The first new DC Universe (DCU) will be a Superman franchise reboot titled Superman: Legacy.
Now, new details about the much-anticipated Superman: Legacy have emerged, with intriguing information about the new Clark Kent/Superman David Corenswet’s suit.
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James Gunn’s previous DC credits include directing The Suicide Squad (2021) — a marked departure from the 2016 Suicide Squad featuring Jared Leto as the Joker — and Peacemaker (2021), starring John Cena (Peacemaker). Gunn has now assumed a position of creative leadership within DC Studios, basically serving as a counterpart to Kevin Feige’s position at Marvel Studios, with the responsibility of guiding the creative direction of the DCU. Currently, DC Studios is gearing up for a multi-chaptered endeavor that will allegedly prove unique in the realm of superhero media, aiming to provide audiences with a departure from the offerings of Marvel Studios.
A New Superman Legacy
Written and directed by Gunn himself, the upcoming DC film will essentially reboot director Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013). The Superman: Legacy cast consists of Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), who will be Clark Kent’s romantic interest Lois Lane, Nathan Fillion, who will play Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Isabela Merced taking on the role of Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan (Barry), known for his prior DC role as Victor Zsasz in Gotham (2014-2019), returning to the DC universe in another role as Metamorpho.
Nicholas Hoult (Renfield, X-Men: First Class) assumes the role of the villainous Lex Luthor. Sara Sampaio, a Victoria’s Secret model, joins the cast as Luthor’s partner-in-crime Eve Teschmacher, while Skyler Gisondo has been officially confirmed to portray Clark Kent’s best friend Jimmy Olsen, confirming a previously reported rumor.
Corenswet’s New Super-Suit
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), writer and filmmaker Dan Marcus is saying that the new Superman suit is “not gonna be what we’re expecting” — and that it might just be surprising enough to elicit some sort of fan reaction:
Not that this matters at all, but I heard from a friend who is working on LEGACY that the Superman suit is not gonna be what we’re expecting and is very curious for how fans are gonna react. Take that for what you will.
Not that this matters at all, but I heard from a friend who is working on LEGACY that the Superman suit is not gonna be what we’re expecting and is very curious for how fans are gonna react. Take that for what you will. https://t.co/0B7oaceYo5
— Dan Marcus (@Danimalish) January 22, 2024
However, Marcus is careful to reassure fans, elaborating on Gunn’s Superman by stating that he believes the new reboot to be “something really special”:
@superma01377721: Have you heard anything about the story?
I can’t elaborate, but as vague as this sounds, I have a good feeling Gunn is going to deliver something really special.
I can’t elaborate, but as vague as this sounds, I have a good feeling Gunn is going to deliver something really special.
— Dan Marcus (@Danimalish) January 22, 2024
James Gunn recently took to Threads to answer fan questions, talking about how Corenswet actually tried on the previous Superman suit (likely Cavill’s) for screen testing — and that he was actually too tall to fit:
Christopher Keelty: Did David do a wardrobe test in a different Superman costume like Henry did?
Gunn: Yes everyone who screen tested was screen tested in the previous suit (although David had a hard time fitting as he’s so tall!)
With all this information in mind, fans have begun to posit very interesting theories. User @DrAwesomeX suggests that Gunn could be trying something very stripped down — an outfit made of a simple “t-shirt, cape, jeans, and work boots” like “New 52’s beta Superman”:
Can’t help but wonder if the suit is gonna be something akin to the New 52’s beta Superman design. The one where he’s just wearing a Superman t-shirt, the cape, and the jeans and work boots.
I heavily doubt he’d wear this the entire film, but at the very least I could easily see them adapting something like this to better represent how early on his career is, and that he’s still not a very well known figure amongst Metropolis
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An idea like that would absolutely set Gunn’s Superman apart from the rest — particularly the Zack Snyder Justice League-era Man of Steel (2013), which saw a particularly gritty and dark take on Clark Kent’s origin as Superman. Henry Cavill’s Messianic figure (and Snyder’s associated aesthetic) is most likely one that Gunn wants to set his new DCU apart from.
Seeing as Matt Reeves’ rather visually dark The Batman world is also canon to DCU’s new “Elseworlds” continuity separate from the mainline DCU, all of Gunn’s work has to stand out tonally and aesthetically from past DC — and even Marvel — offerings.
What do you think Gunn’s Superman: Legacy suit will look like? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!