When James Gunn finally dropped the first image of the Superman David Corenswet suit, the internet basically imploded. It wasn’t just a "hey, look at the new guy" moment. It was a massive, tonal shift that left fans arguing in Reddit threads and Twitter (X) circles for months.
Some people loved it. Others? Not so much. Honestly, the first reaction from a lot of folks was "Why does it look so... baggy?"
But there is a lot more going on with this suit than just some loose fabric. If you look closely at the details Gunn and costume designer Judianna Makovsky baked in, you see a love letter to about 80 years of DC history. It’s a weird, chunky, colorful mix of the old school and the "New 52" era.
The Suit That Split the Fandom
The reveal photo was moody. Like, really moody. You’ve got Corenswet sitting in a chair, pulling on his red boots while a giant purple laser (possibly Brainiac, but we're still guessing on that one) blasts away in the background of Metropolis.
People weren't just looking at the laser, though. They were zooming in on the texture.
Unlike the sleek, alien "second skin" of the Henry Cavill era, this suit has a tactical, almost thick-fabric feel. It’s got lines. Lots of lines. Some fans call them "MCU-style paneling," and if you're a purist, those extra seams probably drive you a little crazy. They look a bit like the piping from the New 52 comics, where Superman’s suit was more of a Kryptonian battle-armor than a leotard.
But then you have the trunks.
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Yeah, the red trunks are back. After 18 years of being missing from the big screen, Gunn decided that Superman belongs in his "underwear." It's a bold move. Corenswet himself has talked about them in interviews, saying they give the character a "professional wrestler" vibe—something confident but approachable. He basically said Superman shouldn't look like he’s trying to be "cool." He’s a guy from Kansas. He wears what works.
Those Weird Details Most People Missed
Let’s talk about the "S." This isn't your grandfather’s shield.
The logo is a direct pull from Mark Waid and Alex Ross’s Kingdom Come. It’s sharp, angular, and missing the middle "tail" of the S that we usually see. In the comic, that logo belonged to an older, jaded Superman who had lost his way. Here? It’s bright yellow and red. It’s a "reverse Kingdom Come." It suggests that while the world might be dark and messy, this Superman is the one bringing the light back.
- The High Collar: This is another New 52 inspired choice. It gives the suit a "uniform" feel rather than just a costume.
- The Battle Damage: If you look at the chest and shoulders in that first photo, the suit is dirty. It’s scuffed. This isn't a hero who just flew out of a car wash; he’s been in the dirt.
- The Hair Curl: You can't talk about the suit without the hair. Corenswet has the classic "S" curl on his forehead. It sounds small, but for fans who felt Cavill’s Superman was too "serious," that little curl is a huge signal that we're going back to the hopeful, dorky roots of the character.
Why Does It Look So "Baggy"?
This was the biggest complaint. "It looks like a Spirit Halloween costume," one person wrote. "Why did Corenswet get jacked if he's wearing a snowsuit?"
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Here’s the thing: lighting is everything.
When set photos eventually leaked from the Cleveland shoot (Metropolis), the suit looked totally different. In the natural sunlight, the colors popped. The blue was vibrant, and the red was deep. And that "bagginess"? It turns out the suit was designed to move. In the reveal photo, he was hunched over, which makes any thick material bunch up. When he’s standing tall, the Superman David Corenswet suit actually looks pretty heroic.
It’s also worth noting that Corenswet bulked up like a madman for this role. He reportedly put on about 40 pounds of muscle. There’s an interview where he mentioned that they took his measurements before he finished his training. By the time he put the first version of the suit on, he could barely fit into it. Over the course of filming, as he leaned out, the suit fit changed.
The "Approachability" Factor
James Gunn has been very vocal about wanting a Superman you can hug.
The suit reflects that. It doesn't look like cold, Kryptonian technology. It looks like something that has a bit of weight to it. It’s tactile. By adding the trunks and the yellow belt loops, they’ve humanized the guy.
Compare this to the 2013 Man of Steel suit. That was a masterpiece of design—no question. It was sleek, alien, and looked like it was grown in a lab. But it was also intimidating. Corenswet’s suit feels like a "work uniform." He’s the guy who saves your cat and then helps you move your couch.
What to Watch For Next
If you're still on the fence about the design, wait until you see it in motion. CGI post-production always "tightens" these things up. We saw the same thing with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man suits and even the Batman suits.
The real test won't be a still image of him sitting in a chair. It’ll be the first time we see him hovering over a crowd or talking to a kid. That’s when the Superman David Corenswet suit will either cement itself as a new classic or remain a point of contention for the "Snyder-verse" crowd.
If you want to get a better feel for the vibe, check out the comics All-Star Superman or Superman for All Seasons. Those are the primary inspirations Gunn has cited, and you can see those influences in every stitch of this new outfit.
Keep an eye on the official trailers to see how the fabric reacts during flight scenes. That’s usually where the "bulky" versus "heroic" debate gets settled for good.