.png)
The Symbol of Hope
Superman has always been a symbol of hope. Created by Jerry Sigel and Joe Shuster during the 1930’s, he was and always will represent the determination of the human spirit, a simple solution to overwhelming odds. While the idea of becoming Superman with all his responsibilities and complex moral decisions seems daunting, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who does not at least find the idea of wielding such power to be appealing. Nobody is born with the ability to fly or tear through concrete like wet tissue paper, but there are certainly other ways to be similar to the Man of Steel. A great way to do this is through Superman inspired menswear which often can be tied to a live action costume from the screen.
The first comic with Superman. Image courtesy of NBC NEWS.
Superman’s Debut (1938)
Before talking about outfits designed with Superman in mind, we must first delve into the original costume Superman himself wore. When Siegel and Shuster first began drafting designs for Superman, they initially based the design of the tights on larger than life circus performers, more specifically the strongmen. Strength is a rather defining trait of the Superman character, as a majority of the conflicts the hero is best known for revolve around how he uses his strength. He could easily just destroy his archenemy, Lex Luthor, by just throwing him really hard, but that would not be true to his character. He is a man of brawn, but not a wall of muscle with all brawn no brain. As such, it just makes sense that something like circus strongmen play such a big role in his original design.
We then move onto the color scheme of Superman. Siegel and Shuster immigrated to the United States for the same reason a lot of folks did and still do, because they and their families saw a land of boundless hope and opportunity. With Superman’s origin story being him being sent to Earth and landing in a small farm in Kansas after his home planet was blown up, the immigration allegory is rather clear. As such, the reasoning for the red, blue, and gold color scheme is multi-layered. Within the story itself, his costume was made by his birth mother using Kryptonian materials. This highlights the Kryptonian side of his heritage. Meanwhile, the costume uses colors often associated with the United States of America because it is a land of opportunity and possibilities for those who come from across the globe. It would be this very ensemble that would inspire both the costumes of screen adaptations and various fashion designers.
A signed image of Kirk Alyn in costume. Image courtesy of IMDB.
Superman Serial Suit (1948)
One of the earliest onscreen appearances of a live action came from the 1948 black and white era Superman TV show starring Kirk Alyn. In the grand scheme of things, Superman does not have that many drastic changes to his costume. Kirk Alyn’s costume helped solidify a lot of the key factors of THE Superman design. The red boots, cape, and trunks accompanied with the blue suit, yellow belt, and of course the iconic red S emblem on his chest. While the emblem is not the original 1938 design, it does fit the emblem being used in the comics at the time. All that being said, the colors did not come out on the televisions at the time, but fans still had access to the comics and other media to still see the color scheme.
Fleischer Style Shirt. Image courtesy from SuperHeroStuff.
A nice throwback piece is this shirt inspired by the Max Flischer Superman cartoons which were popular at the time (1941) and now considered classics. This shirt is available on SuperHeroStuff if you want this blast from the past.
Superman flying through the air. Image courtesy of IMDB.
Superman I-IV Suit (1978, 1980, 1983, 1987,)
The four Superman movies of the 1978-87 era starring Christopher Reeve are considered classics among Superman aficionados. These movies gave fans things like the cellophane S projectile, Reeve’s stellar performance, and much more. Looking at the costume itself, very little is changed about the iconic design. We still see the red cape, blue suit, and that memorable emblem. However, upon closer inspection we see a difference in the back of the costume, specifically a second emblem on the back of his cape that is entirely yellow, which once again fits the designs of the comics during that period. For the most part, these costume designers seem to have a strong dedication to comic accuracy.
Superman Suit in the most literal sense. Image courtesy of Opposuits.
A piece of apparel that evokes the vibrancy of the original Reeves’ suit is this suit jacket, necktie, and pants combo from Opposuits available on their website.
A Superman who will always catch you. Image courtesy of IMDB.
Superman’s Suit Returns (2006)
The next live action Superman we will discuss is 2006’s Superman Returns starring Brandon Routh as Superman. Superman Returns is admittedly a more polarizing film than its predecessors. It focuses on a more emotionally driven story and has a few people singing its praises, but ultimately some fans found the lack of action to be a serious sticking point for them. However, we are not here to talk about the perception of the writing of this film. We are here to talk more about the design of the costume.
Brandon Routh’s Superman wears his standard blue tights with the red boots, trunk, and cape along with the classic yellow belt. The yellow emblem on the back of his cape is gone again and is instead replaced by a more minute detail. The older suits did in fact have belt buckles, but this one is a lot more pronounced and brandishes a miniature version of the golden S emblem we’ve come to know and love.
Superman logo shirt. Image from DC Shop.
Another piece of Superman apparel that follows a similar principle of following the classic look with a couple of small changes is this Superman shirt from DC’s official shop. This shirt takes a minor deviation from the original logo design, but still maintains the stature and shape of the original.
Henry Cavill’s Superman. Image courtesy of IMDB.
The Man Of Steel (2013)
The new era of the 2010’s brought in the introduction of Zach Snyder’s Detective Comics Expanded Universe, or DCEU as most called it. With Henry Cavill playing the role of Superman, fans really had their hopes up for this new Superman. However, things didn't pan out as the fans expected, because Snyder had an extremely different idea in mind for this version of Superman. This Superman would be more realistic and more dramatic than ever before.
This is reflected in many aspects of the film including Snyder’s interpretation of John Kent, a focus on the military, and of course the costume. This is the most dramatically different Superman suit we have seen thus far. For starters, all the colors have been muted. The bright blue has been darkened into a navy blue and the yellow on his emblem has become faded. The red trunks and yellow belt are completely gone. Instead, the costume now has small metal-like flourishes here and there such as around the waistlines and on the cuffs. Any placement of a secondary emblem such as on the back of the cape or the belt buckle is also completely gone too.
KITH’s black Superman jacket. Image courtesy of TrendHunter.
The more grounded aesthetic of Snyder’s Superman can be reflected by KITH’s Superman jacket in collaboration with Warner Brothers. Specifically the black iteration as it is reminiscent of the mostly black attire of the Kryptonian army in the film.
He puts his boots on one foot at a time. Image courtesy of IMDB.
The New Superman (2025)
The soon to be latest installment of the live action Superman films is James Gunn’s Superman starring David Corenswet in the titular role. James Gunn has a reputation for directing more tonally comical movies including the Guardians of the Galaxy films and the live action Scooby-Doo movies. Some fans believe that the more lighthearted tone of James Gunn’s works will allow for room to return to Superman’s roots, spurred on by the fact that many members of the cast have gone on record and said that many choices are intentionally harkening back to the films of Reeves.
We see a departure from the heavy muting of the Snyderverse Superman suit. The colors are brighter and the metallic accents are gone. The yellow cape emblem returns alongside the yellow belt and red trunks. The return of these bright colors could be seen as a proclamation of Superman’s core values returning.
The new 2025 shirt. Image courtesy of DC’s Shop.
Bigger and brighter than ever before, this movie inspired merchandise directly from DC’s own shop.
Why Should We Care About Superman’s Uniform?
The many different details of Superman’s costume are picked in a way that reflects his values, much like how what we wear is often reflective of ours. As explained before, the colors of blue, red, and yellow represent not the general concept of America, but the boundless opportunities that the nation’s birth and survival are meant to stand for. Superman’s costume is bright and colorful to represent the beacon in the dark, the light that will keep you safe when you’re scared. When people recite the famous quote that Superman stands for “Truth, justice, and the American way,” that is his moral compass. It guides the overwhelming power he wields to help those who are simply unable to help themselves.
There is a fascinating article by CNN about how the famous Superman emblem has become a much bigger staple in the fashion world. To summarize, CNN writer Leah Dolan believes that the reason for Superman’s icon status is rather simple: his iconography. Superheroes have only gotten more and more popular under the influence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Superman was the very first superhero. He was the reason other superheroes wear tights and capes.
Superman is more than a basic superhero. Some people think Superman is boring, but the altruism and drive to do what’s best are what makes people look up to him. Everyone wants to be Superman. Really it all comes down to the two halves of his name. “Super” describes his unfathomable strength, speed, laser eyes, ice breath, and so on. “Man” represents the fact that he was raised in one of the most down-to-earth settings of a small farm in Kansas. His personality, his altruism, his compassion is something that any human is capable of.
