Rumore SUPERMAN RETURNS costume design

[King Krypton]

From sources at Superhero Hype! and the Blue Tights Network:



- the bodysuit is dark blue, similar to what sports teams use for their uniforms

- the cape is two-toned--dark red on the outside (the overall red of the costume), bright red on the inside

- collar is not quite the old-style Superman boatneck, not quite a T-shirt collar--it's somewhere in between

- cape tucks into collar, per the classic style

- gold in place of yellow, but may look yellow depending on lighting conditions

- the S-shield is raised and engraved, but may also be reflective (no solid confirmation on this yet)

- boots still have S-shields engraved into the soles in varying sizes, and also have 2-inch lifts to boost Brandon Routh from his natural 6'2.5" height to 6'5" (shades of George Reeves' boots)

- emblem, based on description, seems to be close to the size of George Reeves' shield from the color years of TAoS:


- emblem placement: sits below the collarbone, side corners range to new Superman Brandon Routh's nipples (their words, not mine), bottom edge stops above the abs

- no S-shield on cape (think the WB and Fleischer cartoons, and the comic book art of Alex Ross and Tim Sale)

- fabric has a diamond pattern similar to the rectangular pattern of Spider-Man's duds

- buckle is either an S-shield or a plain diamond, depending on who you ask

- the muscle-mold under the tights is flexible enough to allow Routh to flex his natural muscles (he's said to be huge now) and look absolutely massive as Superman

If the finished costume looks like the above visualizations (both fan art based on the descriptions), I dare say Superman will end up looking fine. At least it'd be a step up from the Batman and Catwoman suits WB's dishing up of late, and the suit's edging closer toward its comic book counterpart. But again, this is all subject to change.

Thoughts?

[Kuuga]

It looks good but the darker reds have that almost brownish look that I've never been too fond of. This would happen often with the coloring of the reds in the Superman Adventures comics.

[King Krypton]

It looks good but the darker reds have that almost brownish look that I've never been too fond of. This would happen often with the coloring of the reds in the Superman Adventures comics.

It also happens with the regular Superman comics at times, too. Depends on the colorist in question. I don't think the red will look quite so "brown" in the movie, though. I think it'll be clearly red. The brownish look in these design interpretations is just a quirk of the coloring.

The biggest points of contention about this rumored design are the texture on the fabric (some fans want the suit flat like Reeve's), the muscle-mold under the suit for Spider-Man-like definition (some think there shouldn't be ANY muscle enhancement), the belt buckle, and the emblem pattern on the boot soles. (There's also been complaining about the shades of red and blue and the use of gold instead of flat yellow, but that's neither here nor there.)

Personally, I think this design works. But until we see an actual suit pic, I'll have to withhold judgment.

[Kuuga]

Well I must admit the idea of the emblem on his belt does seem sort of redundant when he's got in nice and bold on his chest to begin with.

[King Krypton]

Well I must admit the idea of the emblem on his belt does seem sort of redundant when he's got in nice and bold on his chest to begin with.

There are some folks throwing a fit over the idea of the buckle being a plain diamond, according to some descriptions. They want the old circular buckle, period. Personally, I don't mind the idea of a diamond buckle or an emblem buckle. Both seem like reasonable updates to me, and anything's better than Dean Cain's rubber eraser job.

[The Starchild]

King Krypton, who are these "some folks" that you keep talking about everywhere?  I think a diamond shaped buckle is a fine idea.  And I can guarantee you that whether I love the movie or whether I hate it will have very little to do with the shape of Superman's belt buckle!  Talk about nits.

[King Krypton]

King Krypton, who are these "some folks" that you keep talking about everywhere?  I think a diamond shaped buckle is a fine idea.  And I can guarantee you that whether I love the movie or whether I hate it will have very little to do with the shape of Superman's belt buckle!  Talk about nits.

AICN, SHH!, KryptonSite, TheKryptonian.com, some of the more fanatical posters at Superman Cinema...basically the more high-profile Superman sites that love to kick up the most noise. (AICN and SHH! are the worst offenders.)

As for a diamond buckle...like you said, it's no big deal.

[DoctorZero]

I doubt I would have even noticed the belt buckle unless someone had mentioned it.