What Does Superman’s Presence on This New ‘Justice League’ Poster Mean?

Drew Dietsch
Movies DC
Movies DC

Justice League is only a few months away and we’re about to get hit with a marketing hurricane. It was only a matter of time before the marketing revealed that Superman was returning to the fold. The unambiguous ending of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice all but shouted that to the heavens. We’ve seen a few fan-made posters that inserted the Man of Steel into the Justice League lineup, but today gives us our first official look at Kal-El’s return.

Check out the poster, but keep reading because we’ve got a lingering few questions about this revival.

justice league superman poster

What About That Black Suit?

The biggest question – other than how they’ll explain away Superman’s revival – is why he isn’t in a black outfit. In the comic book arc The Death and Return of Superman, Clark came back with his powers severely diminished. He was also wearing a black suit (sans cape) with a silver S insignia.

superman black costume death and return of superman

A lot of fans assumed that Justice League would bring this iconic look to the big screen, and they actually got what seemed to be confirmation from Henry Cavill himself. Cavill posted this picture on his Instagram that basically revealed the black costume’s appearance.

So, is the black suit still going to show up? It’s definitely possible. The marketing team might be holding off on showing the black suit for a cool reveal in the movie. It’s also a possibility that the studio doesn’t want the black suited Superman to show up in marketing because of the tonal approach the advertising is taking. Justice League is positioning itself as a fun, almost light-hearted superhero film. Having Superman show up looking like he took his suit to a Hot Topic tailor might smash that image.

Could We See Two Super Suits?

Another theory is that Justice League will take inspiration from The Death and Return of Superman by having Clark show up in the black suit and not have all of his powers. In the comic book, he had to use weapons and gadgets in order to fight his enemies while his body soaked in some solar radiation and recharged his abilities. A similar plot point might be what happens in Justice League, so Clark might have the black suit while he’s powered down and then reclaim the ol’ red and blue duds once he’s back up to full power.

Here’s hoping we get to see some more of Superman in the marketing now that the posters and latest trailer have told us he’s returning. We’ll know the answers to all these questions when justice League opens on November 17.

Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.