James Gunn’s Superman Ends a Man of Steel Debate That Goes Back Decades

2025’s Superman has kicked off James Gunn’s DC Universe in style, and hopefully settled an old debate about The Last Son of Krypton. Gunn’s movie is classic Supes – hopeful, heartfelt, and full of pure heroism. It’s a very different approach from the Man of Steel portrayed by Henry Cavill in Zack Snyder’s DC movies, which took the character in a darker direction. That’s not to knock it, as Cavill’s Superman was very good, but Gunn and David Corenswet’s version is exactly what was needed to reboot the franchise now, and that does mean running counter to what came before.

That goes for several fundamental aspects of the character, right down to the costume. The new Superman suit is much more traditional in its color and design, like something lifted off the page of a comic book (which could be said for much of the movie). And, yes, that includes the trunks. Whether the Big Blue Boy Scout’s big red underwear should be on the outside or not has been a debate long before Cavill or Corenswet came anywhere near the costume, but Gunn’s movie is a resounding yes for that. And if more proof were needed, it’s in the version of the Superman costume without trunks.

Obviously, a behind-the-scenes photo isn’t the exact same as the finished product in a movie, which would’ve had many more details added, but the image still makes a compelling case for why the red trunks should always be visible. In the case of Corenswet’s suit, it looks oh-so-very wrong without them (and a little too much like Superman is in his pyjamas). They might’ve changed things up had they decided to go down the “no trunks” route, but it’s hard to imagine it being an improvement over the costume we got in the end.

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The costume in Gunn’s movie is a superb Superman suit. Notably, Cavill’s version didn’t go for trunks. This was slightly less of an issue with its darker color scheme and more sculpted design, but the unbrokenness of the blue is still jarring to the eyes even then. When you have something more akin to the one in the 2025 movie, or other traditional takes on the costume, it looks even worse. The red is needed to break it up, and add another pop of color; the combined visual elements make the whole, er, package more aesthetically appealing.

The argument against the trunks is that they’re silly, and no good reason exists for Superman wearing them on the outside. That’s understandable, especially as we’ve got further away from the origin – they were initially inspired by circus strongmen, which is a harder argument to make in 2025 than it was 1938. But that’s still part of the point: this is a Superman movie unafraid to be a little silly; it wholly embraces the comic book weirdness of it all, and the trunks come with it.

They make the character stand out. The juxtaposition of Superman is that he’s the best of us, and not like us at all. His costume needs to immediately convey a sense of wonder that should come with such a being, without striking fear into ordinary people. The trunks, even if they might be considered silly, are a part of that. And, based on the image of Corenswet at least, it looks much more ridiculous without them, shattering the illusion.

For Superman to be a success, Gunn needed to capture the essence of the character – and, yes, the trunks are a part of that. If you close your eyes and try to picture Superman, whether it’s movies or comics, the imagery will have red trunks. They are every bit a part of his design as the red cape and the symbol on his chest. Superman should always have trunks, it shouldn’t have been a debate before 2025’s movie, and it certainly shouldn’t be one after seeing the alternative.

Superman is currently playing in theaters, and will be released on VoD on August 15th.