In the world of superhero cinema, every detail matters- and for Superman, that means his infamous trunks. While Zack Snyder tried a modern, gritty take on Superman with Henry Cavill in the 2013 hit Man of Steel, and it did make the front pages for its CGI-heavy visuals and seriousness, there was one major omission that still irks fans to this day: the iconic red trunks.
Stripping Cavill’s Superman of a classic comic book element in favor of a sleeker look was indicative of Snyder’s decision to distance the superhero from the original hopeful, colorful roots. Fast-forward to 2025, and we’ve got another Superman waiting to save the damsels. And it looks like David Corenswet, our newest superhero, might have been the one to convince director/producer James Gunn to stick with the OG trunks.
David Corenswet’s part in bringing the Superman trunks back
In a recent Fandango interview, David Corenswet appeared alongside co-stars Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, and the writer/director/producer of the upcoming Superman, James Gunn. The cast joined Fandango host Perri Nemiroff to tease what’s ahead in Gunn’s upcoming superhero movie. While avoiding spoilers, the conversation subtly turned to Superman’s iconic red trunks.
Gunn recalled:
One of the biggest questions was, were we gonna have trunks or were we going to, you know, not have trunks. I talked to Zack Snyder who was like, ‘You know I tried a billion different versions with the trunks and at the end of the day it just I tried it but it just I couldn’t get there’, and I was feeling exactly the same way. David he tried in not Trunks and he tried in Trunks and I still was going to go with not Trunks and then you said…
Corenswet chimed in:
Well, you were… You wanted trunks in theory. But the problem is they look kind of silly. You were looking for a way to make them look cool or you were looking for a function, an explanation for having them, justify them, and my thing was just, maybe they’re supposed to look a little silly maybe the reason he wears them is to look a little silly basically to undermine how powerful he really is.
The decision to ultimately include trunks in the upcoming film was deeply influenced by Corenswet himself. For him, the trunks weren’t just another part of the costume but the very thing that defined Superman. They were a part of the mythos that kept the otherwise intense character a little grounded in silliness, just as a clever contrast to his powers.
Why Superman’s trunks matter in the comic book lore
Zack Snyder’s decision to omit the signature red trunks for Henry Cavill’s Superman in Man of Steel might have been rooted in realism. We get it, he wanted a Kryptonian warrior, not a 20th-century Boy Scout. But his approach, while visually impressive, led to serious critique surrounding Cavill’s incomplete superhero suit.
The red trunks are more than just a throwback to the original Clark Kent. They’re a visual anchor in Superman’s design. In the comic books, the trunks helped break the bodysuit’s monotone silhouette, making the character more iconic and balanced. Eventually, the trunks came to be a tradition, religiously followed by the writers of Action Comics.
Always trunks for me #Superman pic.twitter.com/whNRWSLdno
— Michael J™ (@Arthurknight) June 11, 2025
The return of the trunks in Superman (2025) will be a sort of emotional reassurance for fans.
Fan reactions across social media to this return to an OG Superman tradition have been extremely positive. The enthusiasm highlights how even the tiniest of details in costume design can have the biggest impact on how the character is perceived.
Superman is all set to release on July 11, 2025 (USA)
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
