First-look image for James Gunn's Superman movie reveals the superhero's new suit – and teases its potential villain
We’re still 14 months out from seeing James Gunn’s Superman movie fly into theaters, but we’ve finally been treated to a first look at the superhero’s new suit.
Revealed by Gunn on his social media channels yesterday (May 6), the highly anticipated reveal of the costume has proven to be pretty divisive. Indeed, whether it’s the design of the suit itself, or the way in which the image has been captured, the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) hero’s new attire has generated plenty of discussion.
Here’s the photograph in question, for those who haven’t seen it:
As mentioned, this is the first time we’ve seen a image of Superman’s new suit in full. In March, Gunn teased a first look at said suit alongside a title change for the film, which was originally called Superman: Legacy. However, that close-up shot only revealed what the costume’s logo would look like, so it’s high time we were shown the full suit.
Immediately after its unveiling, diehard DC fans noted that the Last Son of Krypton’s new suit is clearly taking inspiration from the comic book giant’s 52 comic book series. It’s long been suspected that the first DCU Chapter One film, which is due out in July 2025, would be heavily influenced by this era of late 1990s comics. With those eye-drawing, near-knee-length red boots, slight collar, and the return of Superman’s iconic red trunks, fans – myself included – are even more convinced that Gunn is pulling from various 52 storylines and character arcs for his first DCU endeavor.
Pleasing as it is to get an official look at 2025’s Superman, however, there are numerous fans who aren’t exactly enamored with the suit’s design. As I suggested earlier, DC aficionados haven’t been shy in voicing their opinions about the costume, with various threads popping up on Reddit and ResetEra that contain a whole host of mixed reactions. It seems that multiple fans who aren’t taken with it, then, will need to see how the suit looks and moves in the film itself before changing (or doubling down) on their initial opinions.
Brains versus brawn
We might have found out who’ll be the main villain in 2025’s Superman movie (Image credit: DC Comics)
One thing that DC fans can seemingly agree on, though, is that Superman’s first official image appears to tease the movie’s primary villain. The giant, purple-pink laser being fired into the heart of Metropolis seems to be a dead giveaway that no other than Brainiac, one of Superman’s most noteworthy adversaries, will show up.
Indeed, not only are the colors of said laser largely associated with the exceptionally clever, Colu-born android, but he also plays a significant role in the 52 comics sequel series – the creatively named The New 52 – and its own follow-up series DC Rebirth. It’s possible, then, that Gunn’s Superman film will also draw inspiration from these two recent comic series, plus the 52 lineup, to tell its own story and set up the wider DCU universe.
Of course, Brainiac has featured heavily in other DC comic series. The individual also known as Vril Dox made his debut in 1958’s Action Comics #242, which was just one of many Silver Age-era comics, so he’s been around for a long time. Oh, and he’s also the humanoid responsible for ‘saving’ Kandor, the capital city of Krypton and Superman/Clark Kent’s birthplace, by shrinking it down and placing it inside a glass jar for safekeeping (read: preserve Krypton’s knowledge for his own selfish means).
If Brainiac is Superman 2025’s primary antagonist, could this Kandor-centric plot point be part of its narrative? It would certainly give the titular superhero an incentive to keep Earth – Brainiac’s likely new target and Clark’s adoptive home – from suffering a similar fate. Heck, ‘Supes’ might even come into possession of the bottle jar-based Kandor and, just like in the comics, spend time trying to restore to its normal size. Time will tell. For now, you can catch every Superman movie to date on Max (US), Sky/Now TV (UK), and Binge (Australia).