The handsome, square-jawed and dark-haired actor David Coransqwet sits in a superhero costume, complete with iconic kiss curl, red boots and the emblem of the House of El emblazoned on his chest.
It’s exciting, right? Everything is present and ‘correct.’ What could fans possibly be unhappy about?
Well, this is modern-day fandom and the internet, so it turns out rather a lot. Although, all the comments mainly centre on two things – and then proceed to argue about them.
The new image was posted simultaneously by Gunn and Coranswet, and by far the most liked and replied-to public comment describes it as “trash”, before going on to list what’s wrong with it.
Gunn and his team will have been anticipating lingering resentment from Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill fans, with one simply posting: “We want Henry,” but the vitriol and mockery are rather extreme.
Furious fan jasonlaboyphotography posted: “What is this trash?! Are you kidding me?! This looks like a goddamn cosplay! Let’s not forget to mention this looks like a bootleg Henry clone! This suit is absolute trash!!!! What a massive downgrade to what Michael Wilkinson and Zack Snyder created for MOS/BVS/JL. HATE this suit!”
The post already has well over one thousand likes and climbing, which leaves it sitting at the top of the comments section.
More than one comment dismissing the look as ‘cosplay’ has prompted an equally furious response from cosplay fans who resent their world being used as an insult and byword for poor quality. One blasting back, simultaneously defending the community and insulting the film image: “I photographed some of the most skilled cosplayers around and they do a better job at custom suits than this trash.”
The other main theme of the negative comments is the way that the suit fits with the second most popular comment, from shutterswideshut, saying, “A very strange reveal image, and his suit looks baggy. Idk man.”
ponchoxl agreed: “It’s not bad but why does it look baggy/wrinkly?” to which d3sroy replied: “Do your clothes not crease? It’s realistic, no real life superhero would have a suit that doesn’t crease it’s simply physically impossible just CGI and post-production bs to create an aesthetic.”
This prompted p.exch to reply: “True, true and I’m going to take a shot in the dark assuming this is the suit his mother made.”
Which leads into a whole other theme related to the direction Gun is expected to take by setting the story with a slightly younger, leaner, more boyish Superman than seen before on the big screen.
Rather than Superman finding his suit in the Kryptonian scout ship like Clark does in the Cavill opener Man of Steel, it looks like Gunn is going back to the comic book origins where his adoptive mother Marta Kent makes it.
Fans immediately started bickering over where a farmer’s wife would get such high-tech fabric, but the comics clearly state that she uses fabric found in the ship Clark arrived in as a baby.
Everyone, of course, is entitled to their opinion but Gunn has always, ahem, stuck to his guns regarding his artistic vision. All agree that Cavill never had a proper chance to show what he could do with the role but Gunn took the very unpopular decision to wipe the slate clean just weeks after Cavill had announced he would be returning in the role.
The director then confirmed The Marvellous Mrs Maisel star Rachel Brosnaghan and Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The cast so far is rounded out by Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen), Sara Sampaio (Eve Teschmacher), Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific), Terence Rosemore (Otis), Anthony Carrigan (Metamorpho), Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl), Nathan Fillion (Guy Gardner), María Gabriela de Faría (The Engineer) and Wendell Pierce (Daily Planet editor Perry White.)
Little more is known about the plot but the film currently has a July 11, 2025, release date.