With the start of the new cinematic DC Universe, James Gunn is shepherding in a new take on Superman that will help set the tone for the universe in theaters on 2025. One of the most striking choices has already been shown on multiple occasions is the director's choice for Superman's iconic logo, a logo Gunn has provided an even cleaner look at on social media.
The Symbol of Hope
Gunn has been extremely active on social media discussing and promoting the DCU before Superman even started shooting, and he has not slowed down. For his latest post, Gunn took to Instagram to provide a clean look at the symbol audiences can expect to see on Superman's suit when the hero takes flight on the big screen and how vibrant the iconic yellow, red, and blue color scheme will be.
The new look at the logo follows weeks of behind the scenes photos emerging on social media showing off various details of Superman while it films in and around Cleveland, which is serving as the film's stand-in for Metropolis. These include peaks at some of Metropolis' locales and the various other characters populating the DCU including Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and Mister Terrific.
As for the logo itself, some of the more comic-savvy viewers have been abuzz about the choice since it was originally revealed in April.
The logo design is lifted directly from the 1996 four-issue miniseries Kingdom Come which centers on older versions of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and many other heroes as their generation comes to clash with a younger, more violent generation of heroes. Superman, in particular, plays a central role in the story as his decision to come out of retirement to try and stop the excessive collateral damage caused by the younger heroes sets in motion a series of events that sends the world teetering on the edge of the apocalypse.
The only difference is the film's version of the Kingdom Come logo will use the traditional Superman color scheme as opposed to the black, red, and blue seen in the comic miniseries.
Darker Days Ahead?
While he may have gone with the more traditional color scheme, Gunn's choice of logo for Superman could be hinting at a darker future for the DCU despite hints of a very vibrant and diverse universe.
The first phase of releases for the DCU has been titled Chapter One: Gods and Monsters which, as it implies, will feature plenty of both as Gunn and his fellow DC Studios head Peter Safran guide the new cinematic universe. Between film and TV, audiences are going to be introduced to this universe's versions of Superman, Batman, Supergirl, the Green Lantern Corps, and many others during this period.
Among those releases, though, are some projects that fans could argue will be inherently darker in nature given the characters featured. The chief example of this possible future is The Authority, a team of heroes first created by WildStorm before the publisher was acquired by DC.
Gunn teased that the team believes “the world is completely broken” and it is their duty to fix it “by any means necessary.” This would put the team in line with the more violent heroes such as Magog from Kindgom Come and effectively lay the groundwork for a similar story to play out over time in the DCU.
Superman is scheduled to release in theaters on July 11, 2025.