I Love That David Corenswet’s Superman Is Bringing Back This Iconic Look Henry Cavill Only Had Once

Summary David Corenswet's Superman will feature the iconic curl, a significant deviation from Henry Cavill's portrayal.

Henry Cavill only sported Superman's curl once, in a post-credits Black Adam scene, disappointing many.

James Gunn's new Superman movie is returning to the character's classic look, fixing past DCEU deviations.

David Corenswet's costume and look for the new Superman movie were recently unveiled, revealing he'll be bringing back a major part of the superhero's iconic look that Henry Cavill only had once across all of his DC movie appearances. The first movie in the DC Universe's Chapter 1, Superman, will introduce a new version of the iconic hero, after Cavill's era was officially laid to rest with the remainder of the DCEU. Superman is currently filming, and director James Gunn recently posted a first-look photo of Corenswet in his superhero costume.

The image features Corenswet's Superman in the midst of suiting up, pulling on his boots while an alien attack appears to be going on in the background. Due to the actor's pose and position to the camera, certain aspects of his costume and appearance aren't very clear. For instance, it seems the Superman costume may include trunks, but it's difficult to tell. However, one part of the Man of Steel's iconic look that Gunn and Corenswet appear to be bringing back for the Superman movie is the hero's kiss curl, as it can be seen in the costume reveal photo.

Related 10 Biggest Reveals From James Gunn's Superman Movie First Look Image Here are all the biggest reveals and teases worth pointing out from James Gunn's first full look at the DCU's new Superman and his exciting costume.

David Corenswet Has The Iconic Superman Curl In His First Appearance

The Superman Curl Can Be Seen In The Costume Reveal Photo

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Throughout the decades, a number of actors have played Superman in live-action, and while some, like Christopher Reeve, have adopted the curl into their look, not all of them have. In fact, in the modern era of Tom Welling's shaggy look on Smallville, Tyler Hoechlin's combed hair on Superman & Lois, and Henry Cavill's slicked-back style in Man of Steel, it seemed Hollywood was moving away from the Superman curl. However, it seems to be making a comeback, with David Corenswet having the iconic Superman curl in the first-look image of his costume.

Related Every Live-Action Superman Costume, Ranked Superman has one of the most iconic costumes ever, but this hasn’t always translated to live-action as effectively as it does in DC Comics.

It's difficult to tell based on the angle of the Superman costume image whether Corenswet's curly lock of hair will fall over the approximate center of his forehead, or if it'll be off to the side, but it's undoubtedly part of his look. The curl is one way to physically differentiate Superman from his Clark Kent persona, so it makes sense for James Gunn to include it as part of the superhero's appearance. Though it remains to be seen how Corenswet will be styled as Clark Kent, it wouldn't be surprising if the curl only appears while he's suited up as Superman, giving the character his iconic look.

It's A Tragedy That Henry Cavill Didn't Get Superman's Curl Until His Final DC Appearance

The Actor Only Had The Iconic Look In The Black Adam Post-Credits Scene

Henry Cavill is, for many, the definitive movie version of Superman. But for all his appearances in the DCEU, the actor only had the character's iconic hair curl once - and it wasn't even in a full movie. In fact, it wasn't until his final appearance, in the Black Adam post-credits scene, that Cavill finally got to sport the superhero's kiss curl. It took nearly a decade of playing the character before Cavill added Superman's curl to his look, which is quite a long wait, but what makes matters worse is the nature of Cavill's final appearance.

Henry Cavill's Superman Appearances Movie Year Man of Steel 2013 Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016 Justice League 2017 Zack Snyder's Justice League 2021 Black Adam (post-credits scene) 2022

Despite Cavill being beloved as Superman, there are a number of criticisms about the way the character was written, most notably about director Zack Snyder's choices of how to depict the superhero. Cavill finally getting to sport the Superman curl seemed to be an indication the character would be more like one that was familiar to viewers, instead of the darker and more deconstructed take created by Snyder. There was an inherent promise to Cavill's Superman appearance in Black Adam, but it ultimately went unfulfilled.

Cavill's brief appearance with the Superman curl became a cruel tease of what might've been.

Just as it seemed like Cavill's Superman would get a second cinematic chance to flourish, DC Studios launched, and James Gunn announced the Superman reboot, later casting David Corenswet as his new Man of Steel. As a result, Cavill's brief appearance with the Superman curl became a cruel tease of what might've been, instead of the triumphant return it was meant to be. This turn of events makes it even more heartbreaking that the only time Cavill donned the Superman curl was in his last appearance as the superhero.

David Corenswet's Superman Fixes The DCEU Mostly Forgoing The Hero's Curl

James Gunn's Superman Movie Is Bringing Back The Man of Steel's Iconic Look

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Superman's kiss curl is arguably as integral to the character's look as the blue and red suit and the 'S' shield on his chest - it's a well-known part of the character's design, and has been for decades. Zack Snyder's decision not to have Henry Cavill styled with the Superman curl was a clear deviation from the Man of Steel's typical appearance. Now, James Gunn and David Corenswet are bringing back this aspect of the superhero's look, which indicates the new Superman will be more like the classic character than the last live-action iteration.

Related 8 Biggest Differences Between David Corenswet & Henry Cavill's Superman Suits Following the first look at the DC Universe's Superman, there are some clear differences between David Corenswet and Henry Cavill's Superman suits.

Since Superman is one of the most popular and beloved superhero characters, it's a relief to know Gunn's take on Corenswet's version will be more recognizable as the Big Blue Boy Scout from DC Comics. After Snyder's deconstructed version of the character, it will be heartening to see Gunn bring Superman back to his roots, hopefully fixing some of the missteps in the DCEU along the way. If Corenswet's kiss curl is any indication, Gunn is set to deliver a much more authentic adaptation of DC's iconic superhero in Superman.

Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Zack Snyder's Justice League and Black Adam are all streaming on Max.