James Gunn’s Superman movie won’t fly into theaters for another year, but we’ve just gotten our best look yet at the iconic superhero’s next big-screen adventure.
With principal photography moving to Cleveland, Ohio, a bunch of leaked images – courtesy of Cleveland.com – have given us a much better look at the Man of Steel’s new costume. Unlike the first-look image of Superman’s new suit, which gave the impression that Gunn’s movie would be another dark and gritty take on the DC superhero, these pictures confirm that’s not the case.
Indeed, the costume, which takes inspiration from numerous Superman comics, including the B-52 lineup and 1996’s ‘Superman: Kingdom Come’, is much brighter and more colorful than Zack Snyder’s take on the Kryptonian.
The suits are out! 🦸♂️ Superman and what appears to be Mister Terrific from DC Comics are in full uniform and together filming a scene in downtown Cleveland. Photos: Joshua Gunter, https://t.co/a4YA4W2Cro pic.twitter.com/QoM3G0NUCDJune 24, 2024
James Gunn’s Superman movie entered full production in late February, with the forthcoming DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) flick being shot in Svalbard, Norway and Georgia, USA before moving to its most recent filming location. It’s unclear how many more weeks/months are left before principal photography wraps, but the DCU Chapter One movie isn’t set to arrive in theaters until July 2025, so Gunn and company have plenty of time to complete work on it.
Who is Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific in 2025’s Superman movie?
I know Superman is the talk of the town from those set photos, and he does look really good, but I’m really floored by how fucking PERFECT Mr Terrific looks. Like that’s literally just him in real life pic.twitter.com/8sHnmdcMr6June 24, 2024
Superman and DC fans weren’t just treated to a new glimpse at the legendary hero’s new costume, with other leaked images confirming that David Corenswet’s Kal-El/Clark Kent was joined on set by Gunn (DCU co-chief and Superman‘s writer-director), Rachel Brosnahan (who plays Supe’s perennial love interest Lois Lane), and Nicholas Hoult (he’ll portray Superman’s iconic adversary Lex Luthor).
Outside of people commenting on the Man of Steel’s suit, online discussions were largely dominated by the first official look at one of Superman’s fellow heroes: Mr. Terrific, who’ll be played by Edi Gathegi in one of the most exciting DCU Chapter One projects.
“But who is Mr. Terrific?” I hear you cry. Good question, and one I’m happy to answer. Real name Michael Holt, this superpowered individual made his debut in ‘Spectre’ volume 3 #54 in June 1997, and has gone on to have an integral role in DC Comics over the past 25-plus years.
MR.TERRIFIC LOOKS AWESOME! pic.twitter.com/6Fadm4eeUkJune 24, 2024
An incredibly intelligent person (he has 14 PhDs and is considered to be the third-smartest man on Earth), self-made millionaire, company founder, and gold medal-winning Olympic athlete, Holt probably doesn’t need to add ‘superhero’ to his list of accomplishments. In true comic-book fashion, though, he did – adopting the pseudonym of Mr. Terrific (the second person to do so after Terry Sloane) to fight crime and otherworldly threats.
So, what are his superpowers? For one, his genius-level intellect – or, as Holt describes it, having “a natural aptitude for having natural aptitudes” – which allows him to pick up complex skills quicker than most.
Like Batman and Iron Man, though, Mr. Terrific is also aided by plenty of tech, gadgets, and other items he’s created/developed. He has a nanite-based suit that he can switch to instantaneously using the mask on his face, is invisible to all forms of electronic detection (apart from infrared and sonar), and has floating ‘T-spheres’ that help him combat threats, fly, project holograms, break into buildings… you know, the usual stuff.
Judging by the leaked set images, it’s clear that Gunn and the film’s crew (especially its costume department) are going all-out to honor Mr. Terrific’s iconic look from the comics. Gathegi is seen wearing a biker jacket lined with his famous ‘Fair Play’ and ‘Terrific’ emblems stitched into the leather material. He’s also seen wearing his trademark nanotech mask, while the rest of his suit is a mostly black-and-white ensemble – again, something that perfectly adapts his costume from the comics.
We’re likely to see even more leaked images from production in the weeks ahead, so be sure to follow TechRadar for more big reveals when they’re, well, revealed.