Henry Cavill, Tyler Hoechlin, and Tom Welling’s Men of Steel join forces in new DC artwork as they each get iconic versions of the Superman costumes from the comics. Over the last few decades, multiple actors have played Superman in live-action both on the small and big screens. As the Man of Steel has been reimagined time after time for TV and film, the DC icon has also had his suit redesigned in live-action, leading to a selection of Superman costumes that have appeared on-screen.

 

However, while there have been many Supermen in live-action, most of them have only had a handful of versions of the Kryptonian hero’s comic book suit. Buffy2Ville shared new artwork of Welling, Cavill, and Hoechlin teaming up together in a multiverse story while each donning a different iteration of Superman’s famous uniform.


While Welling has never worked with Cavill, the actor did share the screen briefly with Hoechlin’s Superman in 2019 when he reprized the role of Clark Kent from Smallville during Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. Hoechlin will be finishing his time as the Man of Tomorrow this fall when he returns for Superman & Lois season 4, premiering in October on The CW.

 

The Superman Actors’ Costumes And Comics Origins Explained

 

James Gunn's New Version of the Superman Movie Logo

kingdom come art of superman looking sad  New 52 Superman using his super strength in DC comics

 

Superman returns in a black suit in DC comics Superman's black suit in Zack Snyder's Justice League

Welling’s Superman costume is based on the iconic Kingdom Come suit, where the Man of Steel donned a very unique version of the beloved House of El symbol. In 2019’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, Brandon Routh’s Superman was able to wear the full design that was introduced in Kingdom Come. James Gunn’s DC Universe may not be using the red-and-black version of the S-shield, but the Kingdom Come logo is making its cinematic debut in 2025 in the new Superman movie with David Corenswet.

The suit that Hoechlin is donning in the Superman fan art is heavily inspired by the design that was introduced in The New 52 back in 2011. While the artwork includes the classic trunks again, The New 52 had Superman, for the longest time, go without them as part of his new armored look. During his time in the Arrowverse and Superman & Lois, Hoechlin has had four costumes, where only one of them went with the trunks.

Cavill’s costume is an adaptation of the black costume that he wore when he came back from the dead after The Death of Superman. Known as his regeneration costume, the suit absorbs solar energy in order to increase the speed of his healing process, which wasn’t part of the version that Cavill wore in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, as it was simply a black-and-silver version of his regular uniform. As Superman gets ready to make his cinematic return in 2025, time will tell what other looks he may have in future DC Universe stories.