The superhero genre continues to be a powerful force in the entertainment world, thanks to a number of shared universes in play. DC’s new co-CEO James Gunn is creating the new DCU, which will kick start with the upcoming DC movie Superman. And after various teases, Gunn shared the first look at actor David Corenswet in Superman’s costume. Although the background of the image definitely has me distracted.
What we know about Superman is limited, with James Gunn constantly shutting down rumors about his DC flick. Fans have been not-so-patiently waiting to see what Corenswet will look like all suited up, and now we can see thanks to Gunn’s recent Instagram post. Check it out below:
I mean, how awesome does he look? This suit looks both modern and classic at the same time, partly thanks to its bright colors. And while it’s hard to tell, it looks like Superman has his signature red trunks in this suit, which were noticeably missing from Henry Cavill’s tenure as Superman. Although I have to ask: what the heck is that purple object in the background of Gunn’s post?
The cast list of Superman is led by David Corenswet as the title character, and you can’t deny that he looks pitch perfect in the role in this image. From the hair curl to his good looks, he looks ripped straight from the pages of DC comics.
Hardcore DC fans have already started theorizing about the background of this image, where it looks like Brother Eye is visible. In the comics, this is an artificial intelligence being which orbits the Earth. While originally used by Batman to keep track of various threats, it eventually is owned by the villainous Maxwell Lord.
The latter seems like a perfect reason to bring Brother Eye into the new DCU. After all, Sean Gunn has been cast as Maxwell Lord in the shared universe. So perhaps we’ll see that character in the Superman movie, even if the main villain is Lex Luthor.
At this point all we can do is theorize, but James Gunn included that glowing figure in the background of this Superman image for a reason. It would have presumably been easier to include a shot of David Corsenswet alone, and let the new Superman suit speak for itself. And it should be fun to see what other tricks Gunn and company have up their sleeve as this DC flick gets gradually close to theaters.
The DCEU as we know it ended with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, so this is an opportunity for the studio to start fresh. And it sounds like James Gunn and Peter Safran are carefully crafting the DCU, and making it into a more interconnected shared universe.
Superman hits theaters July 11th, 2025. In the meantime, check the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.