Zack Snyder was feeling a little nostalgic on Christmas Day.
The director of Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League posted a pair of photos of Henry Cavill in what the director called “the original Superman suit.” (Doubtless Snyder meant the first suit they had Cavill try on for Man of Steelnot that of Kirk Alyn, the first on-screen Superman circa 1948.
Cavill made his debut as Superman in the 2013 Man of Steel, which grossed over $668 million at the global box office. He reprised as the Son of Krypton in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Altogether, the three pics grossed close to $2.2 billion.
The first image shows a besuited Cavill, in what looks like a test photo, looking into the distance on a concrete pad with a blazing blue sky behind him.
“The original Superman suit,” wrote Snyder in the caption.
He followed with, “This photo. It was undeniable.”
The second image is a close up amid what looks like the same mise en scène, and we can see the basic outlines of the suit, which includes the traditional yellow belt and red shorts.
Snyder commented on the power of the image.
“With the last image I shared, and this one we showed WB everyone agreed: Henry Cavill was Superman. That’s where the journey began. -Merry Christmas,” he wrote.
The suit in the photos contrasts in several ways with the much more form-fitting costume Cavill wore in Man of Steel. That movie’s suit had a scaled texture to it, with the colors darkened. The movie costume is also missing the trademark belt and shorts.
MAN OF STEEL, Henry Cavill, as Superman, 2013. (Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection)
In 2022, Cavill held forth on putting the suit on again one last time for Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam film.
“I went to Warner Bros.’ studio in the UK and got back in the suit,” Cavill said in a talk at the 92nd Street Y. “It was a very powerful moment for me. I wasn’t sure how I would feel… whether it would be something very emotionally connective because I put the Man of Steel suit back on. I chose that one in particular because of the nostalgia attached to the suit. It was important for me to be standing there and enjoying that moment. That is one of the top moments in my career. It feels great to have the opportunity to wear it again.”
Weeks later, James Gunn informed the world that he was penning a new Superman script, set in the Man of Steel’s younger days, and that Henry Cavill would not be playing him.
Cavill confirmed the news on social media, writing that he had just met with Gunn and Peter Safran.
“My turn to wear the cape has passed,” the ever-classy actor wrote, “but what Superman stands for never will.”
