Zack Snyder plans to use Superman in the black suit in his version of Justice League. But what does it really means for Kal-El’s story?
Snyder’s Justice League Cut is the most exciting upcoming DC project for many reasons. From fan service to character arcs, the reasons vary and rightly so. In 2017, when Joss Whedon helmed the movie a lot of changes were made to the movie. Disastrously!
DC’s Extended Universe kick-started in 2013 with Henry Cavill starrer Man of Steel with Zack Snyder at the helm. Snyder envisioned a much dark universe and darker characters with their moral dilemma. One of his main themes was what happens when our heroes turned to the dark side. Not like in MCU’s Captain America: Civil War where heroes are fighting based on personal interests but really D.A.R.K.
Watch: Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Black Suit Superman
The original Justice League was planned in three parts wherein each character’s arc contributed to the storytelling. Over the years, Snyder gave fans glimpses into his cut of the movie without going into much detail. The titbits also kept fans engaged in #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement.
Zack Snyder’s Black Suited Superman
The end of 2016, Batman Vs Superman: The Dawn of Justice saw the death of Superman. He sacrifices himself by taking a krypton spear and launching it into Doomsday. 2017, Justice League saw the resurrection of Superman but differently than what Snyder had imagined.
Watch: Superman’s Death Scene
Snyder had imagined a Superman in the Black Suit when he comes back to life.
Justice League costume designer Michael Wilkinson told Digital Spy, “Zack is extremely respectful and passionate about the depiction of Superman in comic books and graphic novels, and traditionally when he is resurrected, he is in the black suit.” However, what fans got to see was a black suit Easter egg in the Blu Ray DVD.
Importance of Superman’s Black Suit
Traditionally, Superman’s black suit is known as regeneration suit. It symbolises his resurrection and recuperation. He donned it for the first time in 1992 comic, Death of Superman event. The suit draws power from the Sun and in few events when Superman felt weak or saw a near-death event, he’d donned it. In a sense, the suit is made not for battle but for healing.
Since then, many iterations of the black suit have appeared.
Watch: Superman Vs Batman
Sometimes it also symbolises Superman turning evil. Like in Superman Prime comic, Superman loses his mind and kills the league. He was seen in a black suit. In another instance, in DC’s The New 52 timeline on Earth 2, Darkseid managed to clone Superman. The clone wore the black and red version of the suit.
Superman losing his mind is not a new thing. In his history of close to 80 years, he has done some evil things. On one occasion he burnt Batman alive and on another snapped his spine. He once beat Green Arrow to death, put his fist through the Joker. He also killed Darkseid’s son and worst of all, he once killed himself!
Yes, comics back in the day were all kind of CRAZY.
Henry Cavill’s Black Suit Superman
Zack Snyder drew from the Golden and Bronze age of comics, the dark theme of the comics which mirrored somewhere the reflections of the state of society at those points of time. However, all the storylines brought it back to one single plot point, Death and Resurrection of Superman and the use of the regenerative black suit.
In 2016, Snyder laid his groundwork for the darker sides with the death of Superman in BvS. In a tease, he indicated that JL was supposed to revisit Superman’s death in its opening scene. Opposed to the theatrical version where Batman, Diana, Flash, Cyborg all were involved in reviving Kal-El’s body.
Specifically, Cyborg has a vision of the future in which Superman sides with Darkseid. Which further trigger’s Cyborg’s armour defence system to see Superman as an enemy after his resurrection.
Snyder planned to keep Henry Cavill in the black suit throughout the JL movie. Cavill’s Superman would have worked towards earning his traditional blue-red suit in the following movies.
Sadly, the black suit was washed red-blue in Whedon’s version. Meaning, lot of Kal-El’s storyline was left out on the editing floor. If the reveals are anything to go by and knowing well there won’t be any major re-shoots for the JL, looks like Cavill would have to go through the death and resurrection of Superman all over again. (Update: Zack Snyder indeed did some additional photography for JL however, Cavill wasn’t a part of it.)
With Snyder back at the helm coupled with fans excitement towards the suit. The colour code of the suit simply tells us that Superman’s darkness is about to be revealed to the fans.
And who knows with Zack Snyder, how dark can it get!
