James Gunn’s Superman may still be more than a year away, but Gunn gave fans a tantalizing new glimpse of this superhero movie reboot via a new image showcasing star David Corenswet donning his Superman costume. As with Gunn’s original debut of Superman’s chest emblem, this lone image actually tells us a lot about the tone and plot of the new movie.
Let’s break down what we learn from this Superman photo, from the many design inspirations behind Superman’s costume to the identity of the alien monster attacking Metropolis and more.
The Design of Superman’s Suit: The Return of the Red Trunks
Corenswet’s Superman costume is an interesting melding of different comic book and movie influences. Based on Gunn’s various comments regarding the tone of the film, fans could be forgiven for expecting a more traditional Superman costume akin to the one worn by Christopher Reeve in the classic Superman films. But as it turns out, this suit has plenty of modern influences as well.
In fact, the new suit seems to share plenty in common with Superman’s Jim Lee-designed New 52 costume, a more aggressive and armor-like take on the traditional look. That inspiration is most obvious in the high collar (no exposed neckline here) and the shape of the boots. The intricate linework on the suit also brings to mind the lines of the New 52 suit.
At the same time, there are touches that hearken back to more traditional Superman costumes. The most significant of these being the inclusion of Superman’s red trunks and yellow belt. 2013’s Man of Steel famously jettisoned the trunks for Henry Cavill’s Superman suit, but they’re back now. We can also see Corenswet sporting a classic spitcurl in his hair, another nod to the classic comics. These elements serve to contrast the more contemporary, even militaristic New 52 elements with a nod to a more down-to-earth, folksy take on Superman.
The new suit does share certain elements in common with the DCEU version, however. For one thing, there’s a heavy use of texture across the whole of the suit, similar to Cavill’s Superman. The color palette is also fairly muted compared to the more vivid hues of Reeve and Brandon Routh’s versions of the Man of Steel, though it’s hard to say how much that may be due to the lighting of the photo.
Finally, there’s the S emblem. We already went over the design inspirations of the suit’s chest logo in detail when it was first revealed, but the gist is that the logo borrows directly from the acclaimed graphic novel Kingdom Come, with its more angular and aggressive rendition of the El family crest. However, the colors are more traditional here, whereas Kingdom Come features a red and black emblem designed to reflect the disillusionment of its older Superman.
In short, there are many disparate influences at work with this new Superman costume. It’s not a complete detour from recent live-action Superman costumes, but certain elements do draw upon the classic Superman comics. Can we infer that this speaks to the story direction of the movie as well? Is Gunn pulling from all interpretations of Superman in the hope of crafting the ultimate cinematic take on the iconic hero?
Humanizing David Corenswet’s Superman
Apart from giving us our first glimpse of the full Superman costume, this photo seems intended to do one thing – showcase a more human side of the Man of Steel. We see him laboriously suiting up to join the battle against an alien threat terrorizing Metropolis. Everything from his slumped posture to the damaged state of his costume suggests this is a Superman who feels the pressure of being a hero.
For one thing, there are obvious signs of battle damage across the costume. This is hardly a pristine, unblemished super-suit. Nor is it anywhere near the first time Supes has donned his costume and headed out to battle evil in his city. The costume has already taken a real beating. The battle damage may even be a direct result of clashing with the alien monster seen in the background (more on them in a bit).
There’s also the fact that the costume seems intentionally designed to not be as form-fitting as past live-action suits. It’s clearly more heavy-duty than skintight spandex, but it also doesn’t fit Corenswet’s body as seamlessly as, say, Cavill’s Superman costume. This creates the impression that Clark’s suit is a homespun design rather than advanced battle armor generated by some ancient Kryptonian machine.
The pose in this image also seems very intentional, showing Clark methodically donning his boot as he prepares to venture out into the field of battle once more. This is a humbler side to the character we haven’t really seen in past Superman movies, which always tend to have Superman just show up to the fight in full costume. The message is clear – he puts his costume on one leg at a time, just like us ordinary folks.
Much has already been made about the fact that this image shows Clark seemingly taking his time getting dressed while Metropolis burns down behind him. But to Gunn’s credit, we think this picture is more about trying to establish a certain mood and establish this working-class take on Superman rather than literally showing him dawdling before a big fight. Besides, one could argue that this scene is happening at super-speed. Gunn doesn’t strike us as the kind of storyteller who would have Superman waste time when lives are at stake.
The Alien Attack
This image gives us a taste of the threat Superman will be battling in the new movie. Some sort of alien monster is attacking Metropolis, laying waste to the city with a powerful energy blast. So far, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is the only confirmed villain for Superman, but this image confirms that there’s more to the picture than just Clark Kent’s greatest human nemesis.
Many fans have speculated that we’re seeing Brainiac attacking Metropolis. That’s certainly a distinct possibility. While Brainiac himself is humanoid in appearance, he tends to show up piloting a massive, skull-shaped spaceship. If this is Brainiac, his goal may not be to destroy Metropolis, but rather to shrink the city and store it as part of his personal collection, as he has done in the comics. Once that mission is accomplished, the rest of the world may be doomed to destruction.
However, other fans have suggested this could be Solaris, a villain created by writer Grant Morrison as part of the DC One Million crossover. Also known as “The Tyrant Sun,” Solaris is an artificial sun who wages war on the descendants of Superman throughout the centuries. Solaris also appears in Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman, with Luthor joining forces with the oversized villain to turn Earth’s solar radiation blue and rob Superman of his powers. Gunn has pointed to All-Star Superman as a major source of inspiration for his movie, so it’s entirely possible we could see this alliance in live-action.
It’s also worth noting that we can see a flash of green energy amidst the pink orb. This is almost certainly an Easter egg teasing Green Lantern. We know that Nathan Fillion has been cast as Guy Gardner in the film, so that’s probably him battling the orb while Superman gears up to join his fellow hero. However much these two heroes may butt heads in the movie (antagonizing other heroes is Guy’s favorite pastime), ultimately they’re fighting on the same side.
That’s all we were able to glean from this new Superman image. Which villain do you think is attacking Metropolis? Let us know your theories in the comments below.
For more on the future of the DCU, see what’s been announced for the DCU’s Gods and Monsters phase and brush up on every DC movie and show in development.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
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