The new Superman has just offered us the best explanation for why his character continues to wear his “underpants” on the outside.

Nearly 20 years later, Superman will once again wear his “underpants” outside his suit with the premiere of the cinematic reboot of the DC Comics superhero directed by James Gunn. He did not do it in Man of Steel or Superman & Lois, nor in many of the latest animated adaptations that we have seen of the character, but the filmmaker dared to recover this distinctive element despite not having it completely clear after making several costume tests. Why did you end up taking the step then? By an argument by David Corenswet.

“Superman is a symbol of hope and optimism”

In a chat with IGN, The filmmaker admits that he had mixed feelings during the development process of the movie whether or not to recover the underwear. He wanted to do it, and like Zack Snyder he tried “millions” of combinations, but none of them completely convinced him and he was against putting it on. It was then that the actor chosen to play Superman arrived and gave a very good argument.

“I was on the team without ‘underpants’ for a long time. (…) But David [Corenswet] He came and told me something that really affected me. We were testing all these different versions, and we did screen tests with and without them in the suit. And one of the things that David said is that Superman wants kids not to be afraid of him. What you want to be is a symbol of hope and positivitythat’s why he dresses like a professional wrestler.” — James Gunn

“He’s an alien. He has incredible powers. He shoots lightning out of his eyes and can make a truck fly. He’s an incredibly powerful individual, so much so that could be seen as scary, so you want people to like you“, he added. This way it’s not only about making the suit look cool, but also accessible, in the sense that people, including children, don’t feel intimidated by it when they see it.

And what do you think, do you think that not wearing underwear makes you more accessible to children? This Thursday we will see a first teaser of Superman. The film will hit theaters on July 11, 2025, promising a story with a lot of humor, yes, but not as much as in other films by the director, and lots and lots of fantasy in your world.

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