By far, Justice League‘s worst kept secret was the fact that Superman would be returning from the dead, following his sacrifice in stopping Doomsday in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. One of the big questions fans had about this though was whether or not Henry Cavill would don the black and silver suit worn by Supes once he was resurrected in the comics. As it turns out, he doesn’t. But there is a reference to it in the movie all the same.
Justice League begins with the world at large mourning Superman’s loss, with the House of El symbol displayed on famous landmarks across the globe. For instance, a giant flag of the ‘S’ emblem is seen draped over Westminster Bridge in London in one scene. As they’re a sombre memorial, the banners are in black with a silver ‘S’, harking back to the black suit.
It was a nice nod, to be sure, but after all the rumors and fan theories pointing to the Big Blue Boy Scout actually donning the costume for real, there was certainly a sense of disappointment when it didn’t end up happening.
It turns out though that such a thing was never even on the cards, as one of Justice League‘s VFX artists has now revealed that there were never any plans for the Man of Steel to slip into the black suit, despite all the speculation that pointed towards him doing so. This is interesting for a few reasons, namely because it debunks the rumor that Zack Snyder’s original cut had Superman in black. Not to mention Warner Bros. kind of dropped the ball here, given that this would have been the perfect way to incorporate the infamous costume into the DCEU.
Still, there’s always the possibility that Superman may don the suit at some point in the future. After all, we know that Henry Cavill’s under contract for at least one more appearance as the character. Where that will be, however, is currently unknown, as both Man of Steel 2 and Justice League 2 are up in the air at the moment, with no firm confirmation yet that either pic will move forward.
Rest assured, though, the Big Blue Boy Scout will most definitely return, and with any luck, he might just have his black suit with him when he does.
