Coming off the success of The Dark Knight trilogy, WB wanted to take a similar route for Superman, leading them to bring Zack Snyder on board for 2013’s Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill. But considering, unlike Batman, Superman is a bright and optimistic character, making him dark and brooding didn’t land well among fans, and with BVS, these issues only aggravated.
While the DCEU might’ve gotten more wrongs than rights regarding the beloved heroes, it did excel in the costume department, especially with Superman, which inspired Black Panther’s iconic suit.
Henry Cavill’s Suit Served as a Reference for Black Panther
Whether it be the black suit in ZSLJ or the traditional one in Man of Steel, the costume designers did hit out of the park with the Superman outfit. Even though the colors on Henry Cavill‘s suit in Man of Steel were a little muted, which is reasonable following the darker atmosphere it was going for, it still has the recognizable elements from comics. Made of foam latex with a bright chromed finish, the Superman suit and its texture inspired the late Chadwick Boseman’s one in Black Panther.
Ruth Carter, Black Panther‘s costume designer, revealed the Man of Steel suit was a major reference point, leading them to create a sleeker costume that highlighted T’Challa’s physique.
He told Inverse:
“When I observed Superman’s suit and his texture, I could actually see the musculature underneath was silver. I thought this is fabulous for the Black Panther. We’re gonna use that suit, make it ‘vibranium,’ because it needs to feel laced in vibranium and have luminosity. The muscles needed to have the highlights that the silver would give underneath.”
Production designer Hannah Beachler also shared a similar vision to Carter and was heavily influenced by vibranium, and ensured to incorporate them in the world they were building.
David Corenswet Is More Leaned Towards an Upbeat and Bright Superman
Before landing the role of Superman, David Corenswet, who is set to bring the character back to its roots, always wanted to see a more upbeat version of the Man of Steel.
While the actor clarified he had no issues with the darker and gritty tone of Cavill’s Kal-El, he wanted the next Superman in line to bring back the aspects that made him an icon.
He told EW:
“But my pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman. I would love to see somebody do an upbeat, throwback [take on Superman]. I love the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright and optimistic.”
Poetically, it’ll be Corenswet himself to take the character back to its bright and cheerful persona with Superman, for whom Gunn has chosen to take reference from Kingdom Come for his suit.
Man of Steel is available to stream on Max.
