Superman: Legacy is no more – but don’t worry, the next big-screen adventure of the iconic DC superhero hasn’t been cancelled.
The first film in the reborn DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) has simply undergone a name change. The film was unveiled yesterday (February 29) by DC Studios co-head James Gunn on Instagram to celebrate the Man of Steel’s birthday. Superman moving forward.
That’s not the only surprise that Gunn, who also wrote the script and will direct the opener of DCU Chapter One, had in store. Revealing the new title was our very first look at the legendary hero’s new suit – well, at least it’s an extreme close-up of the Kryptonian suit logo. However, it has all the hallmarks of the classic Art Deco design: striking red and yellow tones, the iconic ‘S’ center piece and blue piping; the latter of which is the primary color associated with Superman’s famous suit, and the color that will likely largely make up his new suit.
The snowflakes resting on the suit pretty much confirm that Superman will feature the character’s famous North Pole-based Fortress of Solitude. In the comics, the Fortress of Solitude is where Kal-El (known on Earth as Clark Kent) learned of his Kryptonian heritage and why he was sent to our planet. Gunn has already confirmed that his Superman movie won’t be an origin story, so we’ll either see Kent operating from his icy base of operations throughout the film, or get a few flashback scenes showing him finding his suit and learning about his past and taking on the Superman mantle.
The film’s title change and suit/logo reveal coincided with the start of principal photography Superman. Seven days earlier, Gunn posted a selfie on Instagram – with the film’s main cast – after the group’s first table read. According to The coverthe shoot will last four months, which will give Gunn and the film’s hundreds-strong crew approximately twelve months to get the film ready for its scheduled July 11, 2025 release.
A new kingdom awaits
The reveal of Superman’s new suit logo seemingly provides further evidence that the DCU’s first film will be inspired by the DC comic book series Kingdom come.
Firstly, the logo itself seems to be heavily influenced by the logo that adorned Superman’s costume during the four issues of 1996’s Elseworlds. The image above shows how strikingly similar Superman’s are Kingdom come emblem is the same as the one seen in Gunn’s Instagram post.
More evidence can be found in a reply from Gunn to a fan on Threads. As the screenshot below shows, Gunn confirmed the work of Alex Ross – who co-created Kingdom come – was a big inspiration for the suit’s look.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard from Gunn Superman possibly takes over his signals Kingdom come. During the aforementioned table read, Isabela Merced – who will play Hawkgirl in the highly anticipated film – leaked the film’s logo on social media (thanks DCULeaks’ Reddit page for the catch) before deleting her post. With the Kingdom come-inspired emblem in the wild, some fans have speculated it would be in 2025 Superman could reuse Kingdom come‘s plot, in which an older, burned-out Clark Kent rediscovers his purpose through the next generation of superheroes.
“What if (Superman) Legacy is a reverse Kingdom Come?” Reddit user Spiderlander thought. “What if, instead of a jaded, older Superman bringing traditional values back to younger heroes, we get a younger, fresher Superman bringing traditional values to older, jaded heroes?”
So all signs seem to point towards Gunn Superman story from Kingdom come. However, it will be some time before we get official confirmation one way or another via an official story synopsis. In the meantime, find out how to watch the DC movies in chronological order or by release date. You can also check out one of the previous ones Superman movies on Max (US), Sky (UK), Binge (Australia) or – for a limited time – on Netflix worldwide.