Following the reveal of David Corenswet's suit for the upcoming Superman film, some complaints seem to ignore a significant part of various Superman costumes throughout his history. Superman will release on July 11, 2025, and will be the first movie (and official launch point) for the brand new DCU following the end of the DCEU. Everything known about Superman so far seems to indicate it will go back to the hero's roots, while keeping updating things modern audiences, including bringing back key costume design elements missing from most modern day adaptations.

Superman's new costume features a few iconic elements in this vein, such as the red trunks that sometimes come with the suit and a more vibrant color scheme. It's an interesting new take on the classic design while still having its own identity. One thing that really sticks out against most comic book movie suits is the lack of muscle definition the new costume has, which has been the case for a large portion of the character's comic history, but not so much the case for most modern live-action adaptations of the Man of Steel.

DCU Superman's Costume Musculature Complaints Ignore The DC Hero's Matching Comic Designs

The discourse around David Corenswet's new Superman costume since its reveal hasn't been unanimously positive, and the lack of muscle definition is one of the complaints being thrown around. It's a complete change of pace from most form-fitting superhero suits today, including the highly defined suit for Henry Cavill's Superman in the DCEU. Still, the more bulky (and less defined) aesthetic of the suit feels much more in line with classic interpretations of the character throughout comic history, and earlier live-action costumes like the iconic suit of Christopher Reeve.

Superman, in general, is defined more by his stature than by muscles alone, and as such hasn't always needed significant muscle definition in his costume to get that point across. A lot of classic designs of Superman had him appear more bulky and broad, compared to showing more defined musculature. A more modern interpretation of this design choice is All Star Superman, which was highlighted as a major point of inspiration for James Gunn's Superman, which pulls heavily from that story's costume design as well.

Superman's DC Comic Design History Makes Getting A Universally Loved Live-Action Suit Almost Impossible

At the end of the day, costumes are subjective, and each fan has their own idea of what would make the perfect costume.

Of course, Superman's design hasn't always remained consistent over the past 80 years. Various design elements have come and gone, including the trunks and belt as well as the classic red and blue color scheme for a number of stories. Most of the time, the ideal suit is what fits with the story being told. With so many changes throughout Superman's history, it makes sense that viewers can't quite come together on what is the definitive design for Superman.

At the end of the day, costumes are subjective, and each fan has their own idea of what would make the perfect costume. These ideas come from what resonates most with each person, such as the stories they connected with the most or what adaptations they have spent the most time watching or reading. There might never be a costume that is unanimously loved, and that's okay.

David Corenswet's costume for Superman never needed to show off how much muscle definition to show off his strength. The costume wears its inspirations on its sleeve while becoming its own thing in the process, as James Gunn is clearly going for a specific look and tone with the character that feels respectful of what came before it. It's a design that embodies what made Superman so visually iconic and also recontextualizes it for a modern-day take on the character.