The Many Suits of Superman

By Rick Marshall

In the 75 years since Superman made his debut on the cover of Action Comics #1, DC Comics' iconic hero has gone through quite a few costume changes. With Man of Steel flying into theaters this week, there's no better time to reflect on the evolution of Superman's wardrobe in comics, television, and movies. Here are 20 of the most memorable costumes worn by the Man of Steel.

Artist Joe Shuster first conceived of Superman with a police-style badge logo on his chest and some interesting footwear. While the roots of the character's iconic look can be seen in this early sketch – possibly one of the first appearances of the character – the Man of Steel has clearly come a long way from his humble roots.

The cover to Action Comics #1 offered the official debut for Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel's creation, whose look was based on the traditional uniforms of circus strongmen, with a shield and cape added to convey authority and imbue the character with a sense of nobility. While his logo would go through countless changes in those early years, Superman's basic look has remained relatively constant through the decades.

One of the highlights of the golden age of American animation, Fleischer Studios' Superman cartoon shorts featured a slightly different logo on the Man of Steel's uniform, with a black background for the red “S” and a yellow border for the shield. The first cartoon produced by the studio was nominated for an Academy Award, so the slight change in wardrobe clearly had the approval of all the right people.

By the mid-1940s, Superman's costume had evolved into the classic design that would serve him for decades and become the most recognizable look for the Man of Steel. Bright red boots, a yellow belt, and a diamond-shaped logo with a yellow background, red border, and red "S" became the standard for Superman around this point, and would carry over for years to come.

The very first live-action appearance of Superman featured actor Kirk Alyn wearing a relatively simple costume that captured much of the classic look, though the black-and-white presentation of these short, serialized adventures hid the fact that the suit was actually brown and gray in real life. All in all, though, the character's debut in the live-action world was a visual success.

George Reeves donned Superman's costume for the 1951 black-and-white film Superman and the Mole Men and then again for the celebrated TV series The Adventures of Superman, which ran from 1952-1958. This time around, the trunks were a little shorter, and the “S” was cleaned up a bit. When the series transitioned to color, he wore the first, true red, yellow, and blue version of the suit.

Possibly the most memorable version of Superman to date, Christopher Reeve's portrayal of the Man of Steel kept the costume constant across all four movies in his celebrated franchise. The first film in the series also suggested that the "S" logo was the symbol of Superman's Kryptonian family – an idea that later found its way into the comics.

A pair of actors portrayed a teenage Superman in this four-season TV series which made the costume a little brighter and the main character a bit younger for an exploration of the Man of Steel's early adventures. For both first-season star John Haymes Newton and subsequent-seasons' star Gerard Christopher, the Superboy costume remained a fairly loyal copy of Christopher Reeve's movie costume.

Following the “Death of Superman” arc in the comics, the Man of Steel made his triumphant return in Superman: Man of Steel #25 sporting long hair and a black costume that would last for the next several issues. The new look was part of Superman's resurrection – made possible by a Kryptonian "regeneration matrix" – and lasted a short time before he returned to the classic red, yellow, and blue.

Dean Cain's costume for this long-running, fan-favorite TV series opted for a significantly darker shade of blue, but the biggest change was on top of his head. Instead of the trademark spit-curl, this version of Superman had slicked-back hair, and it was Clark Kent who kept it curly.

This alternate-universe version of Superman eventually found his way into the mainstream continuity, thanks to fans' love for the 1996 Kingdom Come story by Mark Waid and Alex Ross that introduced him. This iteration of the character was old, bitter, and world-weary, with a black belt and background on his costume's logo to reflect the darker tone of his world.

Generally hated by fans, "Superman Blue" debuted in Superman #123 after a battle caused the Man of Steel's powers to change. Now an energy-manipulating hero, the new Superman existed for a year in this form before returning to his classic look – but only after spending a few months split into red- and blue-suited copies of himself. Don't bother asking why, as it's a period most Superman fans would rather forget.

This aborted reboot of the Superman franchise was set to be helmed by Tim Burton, with Nicolas Cage starring as the Man of Steel. No surprise here: The eccentric director had more than a few changes in mind for Superman's costume, including a weird, silver version of the suit that he would wear at some point. It's almost a shame we'll never see it. Almost.

Before he was Hollywood's most sought-after filmmaker, J.J. Abrams scripted a Superman reboot movie that Brett Ratner or McG were expected to direct. While his screenplay is available online and takes numerous liberties with the character's origin, designs for the costume worn by Superman in the film also show some big changes from the classic red, yellow, and blue suit – including the lack of traditional trunks.

Featuring a return to Superman's classic look and tone, this spiritual sequel to the live-action film franchise cast Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel, wearing a slightly modified version of the familiar costume. This time around, the logo and trunks were a bit smaller, and the red elements of the costume were a bit darker.

While the hit series Smallville famously abided by the "no flight, no tights" rule in its retelling of Superman's early years, the ninth season saw actor Tom Welling's Clark Kent finally becoming a costumed hero – though his outfit was more metalhead than superhero. Known as "The Blur," this pre-Superman crimefighter fought evil in a black t-shirt with the "S" logo, jeans, and a black trenchcoat.

Clark Kent added some color to his superhero suit in the tenth season of Smallville with a costume that featured a red jacket with the “S” logo and a blue shirt. Sure, it was still a far cry from the cape and tights, but it's a big step away from the goth-friendly version of the costume Tom Welling wore in Season 9.

DC Comics' recent relaunch of its entire universe featured a return to Superman's roots in the new Action Comics, which featured a young Clark Kent learning to control his powers and become the hero he's destined to be. His initial costume is as rough as he is, with a simple “S”-logo t-shirt and red cape accompanying jeans and boots.

The adult Superman of DC Comics' rebooted universe shares quite a bit of visual cues with his live-action movie counterpart, from the absence of trunks to the sectioned, textured material of the costume. The similarities are certainly not a coincidence, though the comics version of the costume remains the brighter of the two.

Henry Cavill's costume in the new movie may be the most alien of the Superman suits to ever make it to the big screen, and the most different from the original suit's design. Featuring a muted palette and a textured, web-like material, the Man Of Steel costume certainly gives the impression of a darker Superman story, though we'll have to wait and see if the character's latest adventure really can be judged by its cover.