Highlights
- The debate over Superman wearing trunks in James Gunn's upcoming movie divides fans, with a case for both options.
- Gunn seeks to create a classic Superman film that aligns with the 'old-fashioned' comics, possibly including the iconic trunks.
- Differences in era suggest that Superman's suit might forego the traditional trunks to reflect evolving norms, but ultimately, Gunn will decide.
James Gunn is currently filming Superman, with the DC Comics flick due to be released on July 11, 2025. Gunn has written the upcoming movie, as well as taking on directing duties. He is also the man behind the DC cinematic universe, alongside Peter Safran, and they are hoping to emulate the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans are speculating about what Gunn's iteration of the superhero might feature, with one of the questions surrounding whether Superman should wear trunks in the new movie.
David Corenswet will replace Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel, with Rachel Brosnahan portraying Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult taking on the iconic Lex Luthor role and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner. The movie is set to be a new take on the Clark Kent story, and is bound to feature a lot of different elements, with Gunn keen to put his own spin on the superhero.
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The argument for Superman wearing trunks
Superman (2025) | |
|---|---|
Starring | David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult and Nathan Fillion |
Written By | Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster and James Gunn |
Directed By | James Gunn |
James Gunn's Superman movie is bound to divide the fan base with his unique take on the character, but when it comes to whether The Man of Steel should incorporate the famous trunks into the new suit, there is an argument for both options. The argument for Superman wearing the trunks is that Henry Cavill's iteration of the character didn't wear the trunks, so the new version has a great opportunity to do something different and bring back the trunks.
Gunn has stated that the new DC Universe will be faithful to the comics, and if the director's comments about Superman's tone and comic book inspirations are to be believed, the movie should feel like the old school classic Superman, which would include bringing back the 'old-fashioned' look which included the trunks.
Arguably, the greatest big screen version of Superman was Christopher Reeve's take on the character, which he portrayed in four Superman movies from 1978 until 1987. Reeve's Man of Steel famously wore a suit which included trunks, and this small detail would help the new Superman movie align itself with this iconic version of the character.
The argument against Superman wearing trunks
Fans are very passionate about every major and minor detail of James Gunn's new Superman movie, and it would be impossible for the blockbuster to please everyone. That is very much the case with the classic trunks on Superman's suit. There is a large section of the fan base who would argue that Superman's trunks shouldn't return in the new movie.
Superman originally wore his underwear outside his costume because 'Underpants on tights were signifiers of extra-masculine strength and endurance in 1938.' This was the year of Superman's creation and this quote was taken from Grant Morrison's book, Supergods. Superman's abilities far exceed normal humans, and this led the superhero's creators to design his costume in a way that the audience would instantly understand the character.
However, this was 1938, and it's 2024 now and things have changed drastically, and there's an argument that the suit should represent these changes, and not include the trunks, as the original reasoning for including them has lost its meaning.
There's an argument that the character's red trunks are old-fashioned, and they were in need of a change. That has been evident in recent adaptations of the character, not including the trunks. David Corenswet's Superman suit may follow this trend, but DC fans are very divided on the issue. Either way, James Gunn will do what he thinks is best, and he isn't likely to bow to pressure from the fans.
Should James Gunn's Superman suit include trunks?
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to whether Superman's suit should feature the famous red trunks. It is likely a decision has already been made on the issue, with filming currently underway on James Gunn's new movie. It's possible that set photos and videos could leak which could reveal the first look of David Corenswet wearing the famous suit, and the contentious debate over the red trunks will go into full swing.
James Gunn has spoken about his opinion on the trunks issue on his threads account:
This might be an extreme point of view. The costume has changed in many, many ways throughout the years. They are all (or mostly all) valid versions of Superman, with or without trunks, with or without yellow S on cape. with or without black around the S, with or without mullet, and on and on and on.
In addition, James Gunn recently shared the first photo of David Corenswet in the new Superman suit on set. While there are some obviously distinct features such as the stylized 'S' and even Clark's signature spit curl, it's still hard to see if the suit includes the iconic trunks or not.
It would appear that James Gunn doesn't feel strongly either way about whether Superman should or should not wear red trunks, with the answer to this question of whether Corenswet's Superman will wear them will be answered before July 2025 when the movie is released in theaters.
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