Although a certain segment of comic book fans will always try to pit James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU (DC Universe) against each other. the now defunct DCEU (DC Extended Universe) mainly managed by Zack Snyder, Gunn and Snyder seem to have a pretty friendly relationship. Gunn, who directed The Suicide Squad and is set to kick off the live-action DCU with his take on the 2025 Superman, actually asked Snyder for advice on the Superman costume, which is pretty important because it's generally the most visually recognizable element for any Superman film. People are also very protective of what Superman should look like in their vision of The Last Son of Krypton, which is likely why the first reveal of David Korenswet as Superman in the upcoming Gunn film. sparked a heated debate among fans.

While Gunn's somewhat loose take on superhero cinema may seem a far cry from Snyder's more down-to-earth, gritty approach, both have a clear love for the comics and the characters they're adapting, so it's not much of a surprise that Gunn might turn to his predecessor as the director of the movie Superman for a little help. In an interview with Briefly about the screenGunn shared a fun story about his discussion with Snyder about the most challenging part of the costume to make it look cool: Superman's trunks.

In the interview, Gunn explained that he "really went back and forth" on whether or not to include Supes' red underpants with Corenswet and costume designer Juliana Makovsky, even reaching out to the Man of Steel and Justice League director. . for help. He told Screen Brief:

“I even talked to Zack Snyder about it. He said, "I tried like a billion versions of the trunks and I just never got there." And I said, "I see how it is." I didn't know about the coffins, but I couldn't, I continued to take them off and went in, it's very colorful, the coffins are on, I don't know it's so colorful, how do you feel? He's like "I want that."

Snyder indeed tried to stay authentic to the comics with his vision of Superman that included the classic red underpants on the outside of the costume, but he just found it impossible to make them work in his darker, more nihilistic version of things. This means that the Snyderverse Superman costumes have a sleeker design with no panties, briefs or any other type of red fabric on the body. Some fans i really love the look of the "more mature" superman without the trunksbut honestly? I'm with Corenswet.

In the end, Gunn decided to keep the coffins due to Korensvet's explanation of why he wanted the bright colors as well. The actor told Gunn: "Yeah, he's an alien from outer space who's super powerful, who doesn't want kids to be afraid of him." This inspired Gunn made that idea a costume design directiveand the result is a Superman costume designed to make people feel safe and comfortable, especially children. The DCEU costumes were certainly cool, but they also felt aimed at an older audience in a way that occasionally didn't feel true to the character. Ultimately, there's very little difference between those Superman costumes and the Homelander costumes in The Boys, even though they're wildly different characters because the focus seems to be more on bad looks than inspiring hope and comfort.

When I was younger, I thought Superman was kind of angry and it wasn't for me, but Superman honestly should they feel a little angry. He's an alien raised on a farm who just wants to make the world a better place. Supes is sweet and honest and kind and his costume should represent all of those things. Corenswet's costume evokes old costumes while incorporating some newer elements (he's heavily influenced by the New 52), and the result is a Superman costume that feels almost timeless. It's as colorful as the Golden Age of Comics, but updated for more modern sensibilities, and honestly? It rules.