What Superman's black costume really means

Superman's red and blue suit — in its various incarnations and designs — is as iconic as any other aspect of the character. Fans might argue about whether they prefer the New 52 design, or a more classic version that includes the infamous red underwear, but eventually Superman never flies too far away from the red-and-blue look; he always circles back. 

That doesn't mean artists haven't given the Man of Steel radical new looks every now and then. Some worked better than others, and ever since the hero's death at the end of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, fans have been waiting for one of the more popular redesigns to arrive in live action. They're finally about to get it, but it won't be Henry Cavill sporting the darker duds. 

The upcoming Arrowverse crossover "Elseworlds" features — among others — Tyler Hoechlin as Superman, and leaked set photos reveal Hoechlin in a much darker Superman uniform than most would be used to. DC Comics fans will recognize it as similar to a Superman costume usually associated with the character's resurrection in the comics after the 1992 Death of Superman event. The black suit and numerous variations have reappeared over the years, and looking at those appearances hints toward what we might expect from the black-clad Superman of "Elseworlds." 

Five years after his death and resurrection, Kal-El would wear briefly wear the black suit again, starting with 1997's Action Comics #729. 

The 1996 DC Comics line-wide event Final Night was kinder to Superman than Death of Superman in that it didn't kill Kal-El, but once again he found himself powerless. After numerous battles with the event's villain the Sun-Eater (who does exactly what the name suggests), Superman found himself needing to do things like drive cars and not get hit by bullets. With a little help from the New Gods and a brief return to the black regeneration suit he wore after his resurrection during Reign of the Supermen, Superman got super again. 

Unfortunately, a few issues later the Man of Steel would enter the much-maligned Electric Superman era, and while sure, maybe they'll do that one in an Arrowverse crossover too, you shouldn't hold your breath. 

Considering the black suit's origins, it could be a hint that the suit Tyler Hoechlin will be donning in "Elseworlds" is a signal that the crossover's Superman will be recovering from injuries, a recent de-powering, or even death. 

Superman briefly donned a black suit once more in the 2001 JLA storyline "Man and Superman" which took the psychological duality most superheroes experience (e.g. Superman/Clark Kent, Batman/Bruce Wayne) and made it a much more physical experience. The Justice League encountered aliens who used their powers to take away any of the heroes' inner conflicts. Superman and Clark Kent became two completely separate people with separate lives. The same happened with most of the other League members. Batman and Bruce Wayne became separate people; as did Green Lantern and Kyle Rayner, the Flash and Wally West, etc. 

At first, rather than try to correct the situation, most of the super halves of the changed Leaguers threw themselves into their newfound freedom from the mundane and they signaled this shift in part with radical costume changes. Superman donned a new black outfit. While the logo was much different from that of the 1992 regeneration suit, the arms of the outfit were lined with strange bone-like structures that appeared identical to similar structures that were on his regeneration suit before he redesigned it. In JLA #53, Wonder Woman warned Superman that his new look was bothering people, but he brushed aside her concerns. It was never explicitly stated, but it seems likely this more "pure" and Clark-less Superman was wearing a suit that had the regeneration capacity of his older black suit and that he wore it to maximize his powers. Without his more human half to balance him, the notion of his new look having a negative impact on the populace likely seemed a trivial concern compared to the added power.

It was so brief that even if you noticed it might not have come off as intentional, but Superman's black suit kinda/sorta shows up in 2013's Man of Steel. 

A nightmare sequence shows General Zod explaining his plan to terraform Earth into a new Krypton, wiping out humanity in the process. The scene ends with Superman appearing in a field of skulls and eventually descending into the bone as if it were quicksand. As he sinks, Superman's suit appears to grow darker. In a 2018 interview with Digital Spy, Michael Wilkinson — one of Man of Steel's costume designers — confirmed the nod to Superman's regeneration suit was intentional. 

The choice is interesting considering the black suit was designed to heal Superman. So why, in a nightmare sequence, would it appear as Superman is surrounded by death? Was director Zack Snyder brushing aside the suit's practical application and simply going for the obvious association of death and the color black? Or, considering the scene was all taking place in Kal-El's mind, was the appearance of the black suit an unconscious call for help?

In the 2015 event Convergence, the pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lois Lane were brought into the world of the New 52. The New 52 version of Superman would eventually die and the older version would take his place, but before that happened, the pre-Flashpoint Superman did his best to help the world in relative secrecy in 2015's Superman: Lois & Clark. 

To distinguish himself from the New 52 Superman and to attract less attention, the older Superman wore a suit clearly based on his old black-and-silver regeneration suit. Once Rebirth came and he replaced his younger self, Kal-El returned to a red and blue outfit.

This is a reminder that the Arrowverse black-clad Superman might not be an alternate version of the character. When a darker version of Superman's outfit is spotted in the Fortress of Solitude in season 2 of Supergirl, Superman explains he wore it during a time when he wanted to act with more secrecy. Assuming the "Elseworlds" crossover is taking place on alternate Earths, it's possible the Arrowverse Superman we already know is wearing the black suit and that he's doing it specifically to minimize the attention he gets. Maybe he doesn't want to step on any alternate Superman toes, or maybe he fears the impact his public presence could have on other Earths.