It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's the Superman Costume Thread! - Part 1

[Bruce Malone]

What do you think the explanation for wearing the suit will be? I'm just wondering how they are going to give clark the motivation to put on what most would find a pretty ridiculous outfit?

Some message in the fortress of solitude telling him about his alien past perhaps? I just can't see the kevin costner dad going "hey put those tights on son!"

 

[elgaz]

Trunks looked fine at the time, but times change.

They're obviously going in a much more 'alien' direction with this Superman suit. It's more organic looking, more contoured and much more detailed than previous efforts which looked pretty much like what they were most of the time - human-designed spandex costumes. This one actually looks like it's from an alien civilisation. To try and somehow add human-style trunks onto that just for sentimentality's sake would not only be idiotic looking, it would totally ruin the whole theme they're going for with this new design.

 

[elgaz]

What do you think the explanation for wearing the suit will be? I'm just wondering how they are going to give clark the motivation to put on what most would find a pretty ridiculous outfit?

Some message in the fortress of solitude telling him about his alien past perhaps? I just can't see the kevin costner dad going "hey put those tights on son!"

It appears that both Zod and Jor-El will wear variations of the same costume (essentially), so I assume Clark will discover that it's standard Kryptonian garb. So when he's in Superman guise (as opposed to his 'human' persona, Clark Kent) he will proudly wear his Kryptonian clothing and the 'S' on his chest (the crest of his Kryptonian house) as a symbol of his Kryptonian heritage.

It also serves to further the distance between his Clark Kent persona and Superman persona.

 

[Glassjaw]

Haha yeah pretty sure it won't be too much to do with Pa and Ma kent's side of things. In the trailer we see he asks 'I have so many questions, where do I come from?' He gets his answers from his fortress of Solitude/Jor El hologram, learns about his dead family/race. Meanwhile as a result of Zod, the world needs Clark to stop leading his hermit life in order to save the day, so he accepts his Kryptonian side and steps into the light ('One day they will join you in the sun'), suiting up to save the day. Perhaps it'll come across as partly avenging his race, since it seems Zod might have something to do with Krypton's face.

 

[Kal-El.9859]

It appears that both Zod and Jor-El will wear variations of the same costume (essentially), so I assume Clark will discover that it's standard Kryptonian garb. So when he's in Superman guise (as opposed to his 'human' persona, Clark Kent) he will proudly wear his Kryptonian clothing and the 'S' on his chest (the crest of his Kryptonian house) as a symbol of his Kryptonian heritage.

It also serves to further the distance between his Clark Kent persona and Superman persona.

bingo...that's a great explanation. it boggles my mind how some people just don't understand things and want certain things just for sentimental reasons or "to break up the blue". Man it gets on my nerves!

 

[Kal-El.9859]

Haha yeah pretty sure it won't be too much to do with Pa and Ma kent's side of things. In the trailer we see he asks 'I have so many questions, where do I come from?' He gets his answers from his fortress of Solitude/Jor El hologram, learns about his dead family/race. Meanwhile as a result of Zod, the world needs Clark to stop leading his hermit life in order to save the day, so he accepts his Kryptonian side and steps into the light ('One day they will join you in the sun'), suiting up to save the day. Perhaps it'll come across as partly avenging his race, since it seems Zod might have something to do with Krypton's face.

fate maybe? haha...just giving you a hard time

 

[Lead Cenobite]

That's because you cant really have both like it is. Or the trunks need to be more discrete. Smaller somehow.

Make them too small and they look like speedos.

 

[Dr.]

What do you think the explanation for wearing the suit will be? I'm just wondering how they are going to give clark the motivation to put on what most would find a pretty ridiculous outfit?

Maybe after he ends up nude from a few fiery rescues, he learns to appreciate clothing of a more durable nature.

 

[Rust]

Make them too small and they look like speedos.

I know, but it's gotta be possible to realize.

 

[elgaz]

I know, but it's gotta be possible to realize.

I posted this a few pages back. I don't think the traditional trunk style works with the new suit, so to add red to the crotch area you have to somehow tie it in to the lines of the suit, almost like a layer underneath the blue rather than a pair of trunks pulled over the top, which is how it usually looks. I still prefer the suit with no trunks or any red in that area, but if had to be added this is how I would do it.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Trunks looked fine at the time, but times change.

They're obviously going in a much more 'alien' direction with this Superman suit. It's more organic looking, more contoured and much more detailed than previous efforts which looked pretty much like what they were most of the time - human-designed spandex costumes. This one actually looks like it's from an alien civilisation. To try and somehow add human-style trunks onto that just for sentimentality's sake would not only be idiotic looking, it would totally ruin the whole theme they're going for with this new design.

It appears that both Zod and Jor-El will wear variations of the same costume (essentially), so I assume Clark will discover that it's standard Kryptonian garb. So when he's in Superman guise (as opposed to his 'human' persona, Clark Kent) he will proudly wear his Kryptonian clothing and the 'S' on his chest (the crest of his Kryptonian house) as a symbol of his Kryptonian heritage.

It also serves to further the distance between his Clark Kent persona and Superman persona.

 

[moviefreak]

The blue in MOS suit is too deep and detailed, so adding bright red will make the design look weird. The red trunk design work best with the classical superman film like Reeve's. However, like the manip posted by elgaz, it's best to have a dark blue, almost black instead of red in the trunk area.

The whole MOS suit's colour is subdued and this work best in the kind of realism that Snyder's trying to bring unlike Donner's which had different sensibility for the time period and mode of cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth, just check some of latter's work like Tess, A Bridge too Far & Cabaret.

 

[Rainer7]

This is not a bad look, good job!

 

[Krumm]

I posted this a few pages back. I don't think the traditional trunk style works with the new suit, so to add red to the crotch area you have to somehow tie it in to the lines of the suit, almost like a layer underneath the blue rather than a pair of trunks pulled over the top, which is how it usually looks. I still prefer the suit with no trunks or any red in that area, but if had to be added this is how I would do it.

I think this was my reply to it a few pages ago

Spoiler

 

[The Shield]

Could you stop the red so that it's only North of the belt?

 

[Young Superman]

The trunks look bad on the MOS movie suit.

 

[Kal-El.9859]

I think this was my reply to it a few pages ago

Spoiler

nutcup?

 

[spidermanJLA!~]

I posted this a few pages back. I don't think the traditional trunk style works with the new suit, so to add red to the crotch area you have to somehow tie it in to the lines of the suit, almost like a layer underneath the blue rather than a pair of trunks pulled over the top, which is how it usually looks. I still prefer the suit with no trunks or any red in that area, but if had to be added this is how I would do it.

The trunks don't really work here imo. While on the statue it looks good, I can imagine how it can look on the actual MOS suit. No thanks.

 

[StarvingArtist]

True. But if the “trunks are needed to break up the color” argument is complicated and nuanced and applies mostly to Superman (and not so much to, say, Flash or Captain Marvel) then this complexity and nuance should be acknowledged. The more general/categorical claim is what invites the counter examples (from trouble makers like me ).

It's refreshing to actually have a dialogue for once on this forum.

I suppose "complicated and nuanced" is a fair general way of placing Superman's design in an appropriate category separate from Flash or Captain Marvel. I'd postulate that Superman's look has more in common with Marvel's though for similar reasons.

Here's the bottom line: People's misgivings about the trunks, or even the cape, the boots, or whatever....all of these issues have a common origin. That origin is very simply that Superman was concieved without compelling reasoning behind the suit. It was meant to be appreciated more on a symbolic level rather then a literal one, similar to Uncle Sam in many ways. However, the appeal of brands that draw their allure from symbolism tend to be very subjective because ultimately there in many cases is no literal real world underlying reasoning for the specifics of the aesthetic. It just kind of "is what it is." Superman was meant to be a colorful catharsis representing the unlimited potential for good and heroism in humanity. Who cares where he got the suit?

This poses interesting problems 70 years later. Superman's power as a symbol has waned over the years, and lots of other heroes, while owing their existence to Superman, still are honestly better conceived and more creative. Such is the territory that comes with building upon and refining an original idea. The ideas behind a lot of the newer heroes make more sense in a real world context. We love these characters and want them to exist so badly that we've made them uber-realistic. Regardless though, Superman still appeals to people and imprints like a hot brand on young kids. Children don't give a crap that he wears his underwear on the outside. And when they grow up, they seem to generally fall into 1 of 3 categories: a.) they grow out of comics altogether, b.) they continue to love superman as they first saw him, or c.) having become conscious of social trends, other interests, and education begin having a tough time taking the character seriously and become critical of him, demanding he evolve with them so that they can hang onto their appreciation.

I could elaborate on what I think equals quality change in Superman's suit but I'll save it. I think this is enough food for thought.

 

[Kal-El.9859]

The trunks don't really work here imo. While on the statue it looks good, I can imagine how it can look on the actual MOS suit. No thanks.

Yeah I don't care for it either. It may look good on a photo of a statue but on an actual person, it'll probably look ridiculous

 

[LaughingMage]

Uhm, kinda awkward to make this my first post but anyway:

I think the argument that the design needs the trunks is not without merit. It does break up the blue and as the MOS suit is as of now the elements are not balanced making it look weird for the lack of a better word.
That doesn't mean a trunk less design would not work for Supes but leaving off only the trunks in the MOS suit is what throws the balance off. It's the current arrangement of tall red boots, blue bodysuit and cape that doesn't go well without the trunks. if the MOS costume designer would have also eliminated the boots, only leaving the blue body suit, red emblem and cape, the design would look balanced again. Likewise if he or she would have gone with the red boots emblem and blue body suit or without cape and boots and only the symbol. There are Superman designs which go trunk less without coming off as unbalanced. Like, for example, the Eradicator suit or the space suit from Superman Returns (couldn't find a picture that showed the whole suit).

But just eliminating the trunks throws off the balance of the design elements retained, imho.



That said, trunks could work with the MOS suit if done right.

 

[Lencho01]

personally, i still prefer a design that includes the trunks...

I think the trunks would look better if the piping or whatever people want to call it wasn't there.

Uhm, kinda awkward to make this my first post but anyway:

I think the argument that the design needs the trunks is not without merit. It does break up the blue and as the MOS suit is as of now the elements are not balanced making it look weird for the lack of a better word.
That doesn't mean a trunk less design would not work for Supes but leaving off only the trunks in the MOS suit is what throws the balance off. It's the current arrangement of tall red boots, blue bodysuit and cape that doesn't go well without the trunks. if the MOS costume designer would have also eliminated the boots, only leaving the blue body suit, red emblem and cape, the design would look balanced again. Likewise if he or she would have gone with the red boots emblem and blue body suit or without cape and boots and only the symbol. There are Superman designs which go trunk less without coming off as unbalanced. Like, for example, the Eradicator suit or the space suit from Superman Returns (couldn't find a picture that showed the whole suit).

But just eliminating the trunks throws off the balance of the design elements retained, imho.



That said, trunks could work with the MOS suit if done right.

I personally like the trunks and think they help balance the suit out. I feel like with the MOS suit, they didn't really find a good way to help balance the lack of trunks. And as much as I've seen some great fan art of the suit, I think it looks worse on paper.

Would be great if the suit looks that colorful in the actual film.

 

[Mad Love]

I'm curious what exactly people mean by balance. People don't actually dress according to "balance". The red briefs attracts more attention than his shield. To fresh eyes, people don't even think about looking his crotch with the MOS suit. It's only those who are used to the briefs that think something is missing. It's not really about balance or breaking up the blue. Briefs or no briefs - both works.

There's a difference between fashion and costume. Losing the briefs works better with the "realism" of Kryptonian fashion they're going for.

 

[The Shield]

I'm curious what exactly people mean by balance. People don't actually dress according to "balance". The red briefs attracts more attention than his shield. To fresh eyes, people don't even think about looking his crotch with the MOS suit. It's only those who are used to the briefs that think something is missing. It's not really about balance or breaking up the blue. Briefs or no briefs - both works.

There's a difference between fashion and costume. Losing the briefs works better with the "realism" of Kryptonian fashion they're going for.

I like this^ New eyes do not miss or need the briefs or even think about it. And you show someone with "new eyes" both with and without and I'm willing to bet that those people will choose the without at a higher %. Heck, I would even say the familiar but none fan eyes will choose without.

 

[Boy Scout]

Uhm, kinda awkward to make this my first post but anyway...

Welcome.

This is the best implementation of the briefs on that suit I've seen so far. Nicely done.