Beyond watching the skies for birds and planes, we’re also keeping our eyes firmly peeled for sightings of the newest Man of Steel. When Superman: Legacy hits screens in 2025, we expect a huge shift for everyone’s favorite Kryptonian.
The DCU‘s Superman: Legacy release date is still just beyond our reach, but that doesn’t mean that James Gunn hasn’t already dropped a few hints here and there about what we can expect in Superman’s Gods and Monsters outing. And one of those hints revolves around our favorite DC character‘s iconic costume.
In a recent Instagram post, Gunn shared an image of a wall in his production office, which is covered in images of Superman. It’s essentially a shrine to the DC hero, and seems like it’s a clue towards return of Superman’s classic red trunks in the new movie as a homage to his classic garb.
If you look at the collage, you’ll note Superman’s trunks in almost every image. We’re taking this as an insight into the upcoming DC movie, so we’re really hoping those red undies will be showing back up.
We’ve not seen Superman in his red trunks in quite a while. When Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was released, some hardcore fans were disappointed to see that the new uniform was a toned down, darker version of what we’d always loved. And, of course…no red trunks!
Thankfully, Gunn’s aware of fan’s preferences towards Superman’s eye-catching suit, and he even ran a poll on the subject earlier this year on Twitter. 59% of responders voted pro-trunks, meaning that more than half of fans wanted to see them make a comeback.
“This is for fun,” Gunn wrote. “We’re not going to decide whether Superman has trunks or no trunks based on an egregiously non-scientific Twitter poll.” Well…based on those production office images, we can’t help but think that maybe it had at least a little influence. We hope so, anyway.
This tiny detail might not seem like it’ll make much of a difference on the new movie, but it’s actually an important element that can give us a clue as to what kind of Superman we’re going to get.
For years, we’ve grown used to Henry Cavill’s brooding take on the hero, and we fully expect Gunn’s version to return to a slightly more colorful, comic-orientated iteration. What better way to show that than a cheeky pair of bright red trunks?
The trunks have been just as iconic to Superman’s design as his signature ‘S’, or his flowing red cape. In fact, he’s worn them throughout most of his comic book tenure, with the first major exception being in 1991, when the character was resurrected from the dead in a black and silver costume.
The trunks were also notably done away with during the New 52 arc, when they were swapped out for a much less garish belt. This also coincided with 2013’s Man of Steel, which also left the trunks behind.
In short, it’s been a long time coming for their return, and there’s no better time than now to bring them back. Gunn’s Superman is said to be the “embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way.” Now, what’s more Americana than a pair of tight red trunks?
Revisit the DC movies in order to prep for the upcoming superhero movie. You can also get to know the best DC villains to see who might appear, and we’ve also got breakdowns of the flicks to come, like Swamp Thing, The Bold and the Brave, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
Don’t miss our list of the best movies of all time, and take a look at our feature on the five things we want to see from James Gunn’s new DCU, and one we don’t.