Which Superman Costume Best Befits the Man of Steel?

Henry Cavill is just the latest actor to don the famed outfit. But how does it compare to the others who have flown before him?

By Peter Gicas Sep 04, 2011 3:00 PMTags
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With all the talk lately about the newest Superman costume being worn by Henry Cavill in the upcoming Man of Steel, it's only natural to compare the outfit to two of the more iconic images we have of Krypton's sole survivor.

We're referring, of course, to George Reeves and Christopher Reeve, who both had respective turns wearing tights.

But the question is, which one had (or, in Cavill's case, has) the best look?

When it comes to Reeves, who portrayed Mr. Truth, Justice and the American Way on TV's Adventures of Superman in the 1950s, it's probably safe to say that viewers weren't that critical as far as how close the costume resembled the one seen in the comics.

After all, the show initially aired in black and white, so Reeves could have been flying around in hot pink and nobody would have known the difference. Of course, when the program eventually did move to color, it was revealed that the right red, yellow and blue hues were properly being used.

Meanwhile, in 1978, Reeve took over the role in the first of four Superman movies that he would go on to do. Here, too, we see that the costume stayed true to how we envisioned our hero.

But what makes it so memorable is knowing that Reeve famously refused to simply wear padding under the suit and opted instead to undergo an intense workout regimen to add 30 pounds of muscle to his frame. So, right there, he, and his costume, scores some serious points.

As for Cavill, in all fairness, it is a little too early to tell exactly how his look is going to completely pan out until we actually get closer to the Man of Steel 's June 2013 release date.

However, preliminary images that recently surfaced have given us a glimpse of what we can pretty much expect. Gone are the vibrant colors of yesteryear, which clearly reflects DC Comics' upcoming relaunch of the Superman series.

So, when it comes to Supes' suit, what's your fave? Obviously, feel free to give a shout-out in the comments to Dean Cain, Tom Welling (what we see of his, at least) or Brandon Routh as well. Oh, and Nicolas Cage. OK, maybe not.