The Snyder Cut of Justice League will feature black suit Superman. An iconic staple of Superman lore, Zack Snyder has confirmed that in his version of Justice League , Superman would have worn the black suit throughout the film.

Superman’s black suit has incredible significance to Superman’s history, being shown in various comics, television shows, and alternate stories. Most notably, it is associated with the rebirth of Superman. Ever since Superman’s death in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the black suit has been heavily demanded by fans, and Zack Snyder intended to deliver it with Justice League.

Zack Snyder revealed via social media that Superman would have worn the black suit throughout his cut of Justice League; Snyder also discussed several details about the suit and its significance to his Superman story. Given the black suit’s relevance to the death and return of Superman in the comics, there is greater significance of black suit Superman in the Snyder Cut than simply the director’s trademark aesthetic.

What Black Suit Superman Means in the Comics

From Elseworlds stories to special moments and events, Superman has donned the alternate color scheme numerous times in the comics. None are as famous as the black color suit he donned in the Death and Return of Superman comic arc. The black suit was formally introduced in 1993’s Reign of the Supermen story arc, which followed the iconic Death of Superman written by Dan Jurgens. From then on, the black suit has become synonymous with the Death and Return of Superman himself.

On a plot-level, the black suit is a regeneration uniform for the Man of Steel to recover when losing significant energy from the sun. It is a way for him to heal quickly, the suit acting as a magnet to absorb as much yellow sun radiation as possible to get Superman back to full health. In the comics, Superman fought and “died” at the hands of Doomsday while also saving the Earth. He was then revived in the Fortress of Solitude and debuted in the black suit so he could return to save the Earth while still at considerably less than full strength. Superman would of course return to the classic red and blue suit shortly after the events of Reign of the Supermen when his powers were back at full strength.

The suit made appearances in comics here and there, mostly as a nod to the iconic Superman story and as a way to spice up comic stories and give Superman some alternate costumes to keep things fresh. He would wear different types of black suits in various interpretations. In Superman: The Animated Series, season 2 episode 12, “Brave New Metropolis”, the character donned a black suit symbolizing his change from a hero to a more tyrannical leader following the death of Lois Lane.

In Batman Beyond, Superman again appears in a black and white suit, this time symbolizing his age and maturity. In the Arrowverse crossover Elseworlds, an evil variation of Superman wore a black suit as well. The most recent prominent time Superman wore the black suit in the comics came at the end of the New-52 and beginning of Rebirth, where pre-Flashpoint/post-Crisis Superman puts on the black suit to distinguish himself from his New-52 counterpart and stay covert. With all these variations, how does Zack Snyder use the black suit in Justice League?

Zack Snyder Shot Superman in a Blue Suit, But Would Have Changed it to Black in Post

Since Justice League began filming, the black suit was immediately part of the film’s teases and fan discussions. In 2016, Henry Cavill shared an Instagram post featuring a close up of the Superman costume in black. Fabian Wagner and Michael Wilkinson each spoke about a black suit Superman, with the former playing coy about its role in Snyder’s film. However, due to compromises between the studio and Snyder, much of the Snyder Cut featured Superman in his classic red and blue. Set photos from the final battle against Steppenwolf, for example, feature Henry Cavill in his classic suit.

As it appears that Zack Snyder intended to have Superman in his black and white colorway during these scenes, the change would have had to occurr during Justice League’s post-production, before the film’s release. Unfortunately, when Joss Whedon was brought on for reshoots, all of these plans were abandoned and Whedon’s final product speaks for itself. Virtually every single Superman sequence in Snyder’s Justice League was either abandoned or heavily altered to present a more candy-coated Superfriends approach to the franchise.

With the Snyder Cut a topic that has become more popular than ever, with almost the entire cast and crew chiming in with their support to see the vision fulfilled, black suit Superman is seemingly back on the table. Engaging with the fans on the social media platform Vero, Snyder revealed more details about the black suit Superman and his role in the story. On a practical level, for every question about specific Superman moments in Snyder’s cut that we know of, such as Flight 2.0, the conversation with Alfred, the final battle and the shirt rip, Snyder reaffirmed that Superman would be in the black suit. The question remains, just how long will Superman be in the black suit?

What Black Suit Superman Means for Snyder’s Story

Zack Snyder’s Superman has worn the black suit before Justice League. In 2013’s Man of Steel, his Superman appeared in an all-black variant of his suit while under being persuaded by General Zod to give up the codex. In this scenario, the black suit symbolized what Superman would look like under General Zod’s command. Like all the outcasted Kryptonians who were sent to the Phantom Zone, an all-black uniform is worn with the symbol of their house on their chests. The nightmare sequence of Man of Steel showcased the black suit in that fashion but it is not how it would have been used in the Snyder Cut.

With 214 minutes of footage, there is no knowing just how many Superman scenes fans have missed out on. Snyder did reveal to fans that Superman would have chosen the black suit in the Justice League scene where Clark is walking through the Kryptonian ship shortly after his resurrection. In the version of this scene included in the home media special features, the hero walks by the black suit, but picks his classic costume. In terms of the story, it is unknown if this black suit is also a regeneration suit like the comic counterpart, or a more symbolic suit like in Rebirth. Zack Snyder has implied Jor-El would either be seen or heard in the Snyder Cut during these moments; perhaps he leads Clark to choose the black suit before heading into battle against Steppenwolf with the rest of the league.

When asked when Superman would wear the classic suit again, Snyder answered that it would have happened in the next two films, implying that Superman’s arc was a true Hero’s journey. When Snyder’s Justice League finally sees the light of day, fans will be very excited to see Superman wear the iconic black suit on screen.

Next: Crisis On Infinite Earths Reveals What Happened To Smallville’s Superman

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