Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill Will Never Escape a Horrid Allegation Against DCEU’s Superman as David Corenswet Keeps Winning Hearts
- Zack Snyder's version of Superman faced criticism for overlooking his core traits as a beacon of hope and a kid-friendly hero.
- James Gunn’s upcoming 'Superman' with David Corenswet promises a brighter, more colorful portrayal.
- Corenswet highlighted the trunks’ significance in Superman's positivity and relatability, especially to kids.
Superman has been one of the faces of the overall superhero landscape, both in comics and on-screen, throughout the years. The Man of Steel has gone through different changes and iterations since he first appeared in the late 1930s in comics and in the late 1940s on screen.
Making a Superman movie has always been challenging. As James Gunn is looking to reboot the whole DCEU with a new DCU starring David Corenswet as the new Superman, fans would like him to take care of one big criticism that Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill’s version of Man of Steel still faces.
David Corenswet’s Superman highlights Henry Cavill and Zack Snyder’s biggest allegation
After Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns failed, Zack Snyder brought Henry Cavill in for Man of Steel, which was released in 2013. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie was a decent hit as it grossed over $670 million worldwide after a production budget of $225 million.
However, the film was rated 57% by the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and most of the criticism pointed out Snyder’s direction that focused more on maintaining the grittiness and a dark tone of the film rather than letting the story breathe and letting the titled character open up.
It almost seemed like Snyder was still in his Watchmen mindset and wanted Superman to be Doctor Manhattan, who was a superbeing but in a conflict and in the middle ground of morality between his humanity and God-like abilities. This increased especially in Batman v Superman.
Although Superman does show these traits, unlike Doctor Manhattan, he has always been a beacon of hope for humanity, and no matter how bad things are and no matter what his powers are, he will do what is right for the people. It seems to make him more brooding, Snyder dismissed the positivity of Superman, which still gets pointed out by fans.
just watched man of steel and rewatched batman v superman… henry cavill is such a bad superman 😭 it’s like he was made only for the dudebros, he doesn’t embody enough of the earnestness and good-natured energy of a Clark Kent, and wtf is this ‘disguise’ I’m https://t.co/JAIQZtjhRw
— Elle 🦇 (@elles_thots) December 26, 2024
I think Cavill would’ve been great if he was allowed to actually be Superman instead of whatever Snyder made him
— Juggs Judy (@WhereIsGawd) December 27, 2024
He was never good in the role I think people only like him because they hate superman or they just like cavill because he's attractive
— Tr3nchcoat_Ang3l (@ThillZach33) December 26, 2024
>It’s like he was made my for the dudebros
— Davemaster (@HeavyMetalSlug) December 27, 2024
Of course. Snyder is an empty-headed dudebro who is a Batman fan first & foremost, & clearly more interested in eschewing the classic rendition of Superman in favor of making him a scowling Batman-esque figure in a blue & red costume.
If man of steel and BVS was my introduction to superman I would've definitely understood why some ppl say the superman is a boring character 😂
— SUPER SOCIETY (@MDMCorp125) December 26, 2024
Moreover, Superman is meant to appeal to kids as well, that’s the basic difference between him and Batman. The Man of Steel needs to be light-hearted and colorful enough to be loved by kids while keeping it engaging enough for adults, something that Snyder missed in his vision.
How David Corenswet ensured that his Superman is kid-friendly
From the very first look, James Gunn’s Superman looks brighter, more colorful, and more happening than Snyder’s versions. The suit of the superhero has brighter shades of red, blue, and yellow, and most importantly, the iconic trunks are back.
Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel never donned the trunks, and it has been a topic of concern for Gunn for the longest time. In an interview with CinemaBlend, the director revealed that he was skeptical about them and tried out several combinations of the suit. Gunn said,
I was on the ‘no trunks’ team for a long time. For a long time. And Zack [Snyder] said that when he was doing it, he tried a billion different trunk versions, as we did. And I kept going back to, ‘No trunks, no trunks, no trunks.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, let’s just grind it out. Let’s just keep trying trunks and see what happens.’
However, when the suit was being finalized, David Corenswet told Gunn why the trunks served a bigger purpose. The director revealed,
David [Corenswet] said something to me that really affected me. We were trying on all these different versions, and we screened tested with trunks and no trunks. And one of the things David said is that Superman wants kids to not be afraid of him. He’s an alien. He’s got these incredible powers. He shoots beams out of his eyes, [he] can blow the truck over. He’s this incredibly powerful – could be considered scary – individual, and he wants people to like him.
He wants to be a symbol of hope and positivity. So he dresses like a professional wrestler. He dresses in a way that makes people unafraid of him, that shows that. That really clicked in for me.
Gunn agreed that “trying to pretend that Superman’s costume doesn’t have some frivolity to it at its base, trying to make it look serious, is silly.” Although it might still be a topic of debate, it can’t be denied that the addition of trunks makes Superman less intimidating to kids and people in general, which essentially shows him as a friendly superhero, as he should.
Superman will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.
Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice are available to stream on Max.
