Superman is going to show up in Justice League at some point, but if it is like this, fans are in for a treat.
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Thus far in the promotion for Justice League, Superman has bee largely absent. Save for an appearance on two posters, Warner Bros. has been coy about showing too much of him, and many fans think it could mean he is returning in his black suit towards the midway point of the film.
Artist Royy Ledger decided to create his interpretation of Henry Cavill’s returning Kryptonian, and it seems spot on to what the film version could ultimately be. It uses the current blue costume as a base but gives it a black and silver color scheme. Ledger also added a full beard to Cavill’s face and gave him the long haired look from later in the comics.
This version also fits with what some have predicted to be the plotline to get Superman back into the fold. There are some theories that point to Superman coming back to life as an enemy first, tasking the League with taking him down and restoring him to his heroic roots. Probably just an after effect of dying and coming back to life as opposed to being under someone else’s control.
If that’s the case, then Ledger’s “Hope is Dead” tagline is probably again spot on, as black suit Superman looks pretty pissed here, with heat vision primed and ready.
The DCEU mimics the comics storyline in this case, although in an extremely compacted fashion. In the comics, Superman falls after defeating Doomsday but is kept from completely heading to the afterlife by his father after he suffers a heart attack. Over the next few months fans would be introduced to several other people claiming they are the one true Superman, but eventually, the real Superman emerges wearing a black and silver suit. He isn’t full powered yet, but he manages to help take down Mongul and the villainous Cyborg Superman, who turns out to be Hank Henshaw.
Now, the DCEU version won’t be nearly as complex in this regard, as that took place over a long sequence of comics and this is one film. Still, fans would love to see them work in a black suit Superman in some form or fashion.