Superman has existed since 1938 and has had movies and shows since 1941. In almost every adaptation, he’s had his classic blue and red suit, but which suits were the best? In this article, we’re going to look at the five greatest live-action Superman suits and why.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns Suit (2006)
This suit has a lot to like. As the spiritual successor to Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh had big shoes to fill. He pulled off the role very well, and with a few tweaks, his suit would’ve been perfect. It has a bold blue, a nice fit without obvious fake muscles, and a raised Superman crest. Also, if you look closely, the pattern of the suit is made of small Superman symbols.
However, there are two things that bring this suit down. The red is too dark, and the crest is too small. It works when the trunks are maroon, but when the cape and boots are almost brown, the suit just doesn’t work. Also, the symbol being too small makes the suit look like it was made for someone other than Brandon Routh, and it’s so small that the focus is split between the chest and belt symbols. Putting those aside, this suit was very good for being the first suit on the big screen since Christopher Reeve.
5: Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman & Lois Suit (2021)
When Tyler Hoechlin made his debut as Superman in the CW show Supergirl, his suit left lots to be desired. However, after his own show was announced, it was revealed that he would have a new suit. The suit was partly inspired by the New 52 look, which sacrifices the trunks for a red belt. However, it keeps the fabric look from past iterations.
As the show progressed, he got more airbrushed fake muscles and a cheaper-looking fabric, but in his first season, he had, by far, his best costume. The blue and red complement each other nicely, the lines aren’t distracting and highlight Hoechlin’s natural muscles, and overall, the suit just looks good. It would be higher on this list if the belt were replaced by trunks, the crest were more defined, and the blue and red had brighter shades, yet it is still a very good suit, especially for a CW TV show.
4: David Corenswet’s Superman Suit (2025)
With the start of a new DC movie universe, a new Superman suit was greatly needed. After the disappointment of Henry Cavill’s Superman suit, the costume team for Superman had a huge task, and they did not disappoint. The colors are perfect, the muscle definition isn’t forced, but you can still see his figure, and the suit brings back the classic trunks and has a beautiful emblem. The emblem is huge and fills the whole chest while also being distinct from those of other Supermen. The material looks professional instead of cheap.
The blue and red stand out clearly on screen, and a small detail that works perfectly is how the suit is looser than past iterations, which makes him feel more human and less godlike while still showing his build. This man is clearly Superman.
The only problem with this suit is the lines. Lines are often used in place of fake muscles to define the muscles, yet Superman’s tapered symbol naturally makes him appear larger and more muscular. Lines aren’t necessarily a bad thing on suits, but on a classic suit like Superman’s, they feel unnecessary, especially when used in overabundance.
3: Tyler Hoechlin’s Fleischer Suit (2021)
In the series pilot of Superman & Lois, audiences saw a suit inspired by Superman’s 1941 cartoon look. In 1941, the Fleischer brothers made a series of short, ten-minute cartoons about Superman. Having been made only three years after the debut of the character, the cartoons featured Superman before he had a distinctive symbol like he does today. So, the Fleischer brothers made their own symbol with a red S, a black background, and a yellow outline. Superman & Lois used this as the inspiration for Clark’s first suit that his mom made before he got his Kryptonian one later in the show.
This adaptation looks like a cartoon brought to life. The blue and red match the cartoon perfectly, the trunks and cape connect seamlessly to the bodysuit, and the crest is a good size. The only problem with this suit is the overabundance of fake muscles, which make the already muscular Tyler Hoechlin appear as if he were a toy or action figure. Aside from that, this suit was a perfect adaptation of a bygone era.
2: Christopher Reeve’s Superman Suit (1978)
It’s hard to believe how perfect Christopher Reeve was as Superman. He had the right height, build, and look, and he was a great actor. Something that made his Superman even that much better was the suit. Hollywood wasn’t trying to make him realistic or gritty as they would with later films; they decided to keep it classic.
The blue and red are the exact right shades, the crest is the right size, the belt buckle looks perfect, and the fit of the suit perfectly showcases Christopher Reeve’s physique without relying on any fake muscles or lines. This suit was a comic come to life. It was truly the best it could be for the time, and the only way it could’ve been better would’ve been to use modern fabrics not available at the time.
1: Brandon Routh’s Kingdom Come Suit (2019)
This suit takes the best parts of every past suit and combines them into a perfect Superman suit, and it’s a shame we only see it in a few short scenes. This suit debuted in the Arrowverse crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths, where it was used as little more than a cameo or callback. During the event, the main universe’s Superman and Lois travel the multiverse looking for the so-called “paragons” that are required to save the multiverse. In doing so, they meet an older version of Brandon Routh’s Superman from his movie, sporting yet another new suit.
This one, modeled after Alex Ross’s Kingdom Come design, has virtually no flaws. There are no lines crowding the suit, the trunks and cape are a nice, full red, the belt looks just like a comic book, and the logo itself is raised and large enough to fill his chest. The fake muscles aren’t distracting, the colors work nicely in live action, and the texture stops the suit from looking cheap or flat. This suit cannot be praised enough, and it’s astonishing that it comes from a cameo in a TV show crossover event.