To say that Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel is going to be a headlining act when the film is released next summer would be an understatement, but to date, photos depicting the Superman we all know and love have been hard to come by.
Thanks to Empire Magazine‘s March issue, that’s no longer the case. Putting Henry Cavill and Snyder’s Superman on the cover, fans need not wait for the issue to go on sale to see whether or not Cavill’s got the look. Gone are the handcuffs of an arrested Kryptonian – and in his place, meet the Man of Steel in all his glory.
If Henry Cavill really is feeling the pressure of portraying a global icon, he’s certainly not showing it in this image. Aside from providing yet another look at the unmistakably alien nature of the Superman suit itself, any doubts that Cavill was going to meet the physical demands of playing the strongest man in the world should be put to rest.
The actor is no stranger to demanding workouts for past roles, but the Last Son of Krypton doesn’t just have to be big, or strong, or barrel-chested; he’s got to have presence. That doesn’t look to be a problem here (granted, a lot of that may be thanks to the pose).
See for yourselves (click the image to enlarge):
The magazine’s assertion that Snyder’s Man of Steel is Superman ‘getting the Dark Knight treatment’ is sure to raise some hackles among skeptics and fans alike, but there’s no denying the relationship between the two franchises. Even if executive producer Chris Nolan has repeated that Superman is a whole different animal from Batman, writer David S. Goyer confirms that both heroes required an update for today’s issues and sensibilities, coming from the same need for icons we can relate to.
Considering that Kal-El is one of the last surviving members of his civilization, a refugee on Earth forced to choose between his adopted world and his fellow invading Kryptonians, there’s plenty for Goyer and Nolan to work with. Themes of acceptance and paranoia hinted at in the first Man of Steel trailer, for starters. But all that philosophizing could turn to lip service and navel-gazing if audiences don’t buy Cavill as both Superman and Clark Kent, and even if a bespectacled Kent is still elusive, it seems Snyder and co. are taking a new direction.
The first impression given by this highly-detailed look at the big blue Boy Scout is not of a human dressed up in a costume, but a genuinely otherworldly figure. It’s fitting, then, that rather than reducing the Kryptonian plot lines to mere back story or context, Man of Steel will be spending plenty of time under Krypton’s red sun. We’ve got our own theories on why that is, but have a few months to wait before finding out whether we’re right or not.
Either way, this image reiterates the message communicated thus far: this is a different take on Superman. Some of the changes made to basic characters and elements will upset fans more than others, but if audiences get to see something they haven’t from a franchise as long-in-the-tooth as this one, that in itself is something to be proud of.
What do you think of the new photo for Man of Steel? Does Cavill have the kind of Super-charisma to carry the role (even in a still image), or does the re-imagined, spit-curl-less Supes still leave you skeptical?
Man of Steel hits theaters June 14th, 2013. Pick up Empire‘s March issue on newsstands this Thursday.
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Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.
Source: Empire
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this cover makes me laugh for some reason.. Superman looks so stiff hah
Haha, I thought pretty much the same thing.
On another note, Is there a Villain version Cover of General Zod.
Much like they did with The Dark Knight Rises [Batman and Bane] and Star Trek Into Darkness [James T. Kirk and John Harrison].
I don’t really think so. I’d love to see such a cover though.. especially since we haven’t seen that much of Zod. I’m curious
Awesome
Well, I think he definitely has the look! Getting more excited by the minute!
The Massive Biceps, ’nuff said…
Fer sure!
Super awesome!
Ive got every copy of Empire magazine since January 2002 sitting on my book shelf at home, it makes me very happy, just saying
Good cover. Hopefully the same can be said for the movie come June.
I hope this movie is good. I’m not too knowledgeable of DC characters but I want to see them succeed.
Same here cause Marvel and DC having successful movies will not only push each other but also other studios into making great comic book movies and actually caring if the stories and directing work instead of throwing any old crap at us and hoping the name value alone will see success.
Could even see lesser known or previously failed characters used in future movies.
Good cover but I feel like he told the photographer “I don’t know what to do with my hands” before that shot ha But this is, imo, the best superman costume ever put on film.
Your joking right?
I agree !
wow… my superman fetish is tingling.
God this is breathtaking lol
wow. he even LOOKS bullet proof in this pic! looking forward to this!
My 2 main sources for movie news and info are…
Screen Rant
Empire Magaizine
I’m in the U.S. So I’m always a little behind on issues but it’s well worth the $10 per and I highly recommend it to anyone else looking for a movie magazine that’s 100 times better than anything printed here in the states.
I love Empire magazine and have bought it for years, I do however get a little frustrated with their reviews, I tend to head over to Total Film for that, both have great websites tho and Empire can also be purchased on the iPad if you’ve got one
Yeah, if I had had 1 complaint it would be that Empire can be pretty liberal with their 5 star reviews.
IMO if you’re gonna give a film 5 stars it has to succeed on every level and that’s pretty rare. I like Total Film also but I’ll only buy the special editions because $20 a month on 2 magazines isn’t a luxury I can often afford.
His chest is really deep, Cavil bulked up. Not sure if it looks right, probably just the side view.
I used to prefer Total Film, but I get most of my movie news online now.
lmao this cover reminds me of that really fudged up Captain America art from Rob Liefeld.
But I know the movie will be awesome.
He looks Bad ass
I did not care for any of the batman movies (yeah, I know–big heresy), or the Superman movies, either (heresy #2.–hope I don’t get excommunicated from comic-book movie fan-land). I am holding out hopes that this Superman movie may redeem the brand a bit, though. In the meantime, I want a Flash movie, a Green Lantern #2, starring Ryan Reynolds again as Hal Jordan (just fix the weak spots: make him more serious, no bedroom scenes, better script). Sinestro plotline is a fortune for DC waiting to happen, if they would just quit quivering in the headlights and do it! I do want a Justice League movie as well, and would love to see a team-up movie between Flash and GL (Barry Allen and Hal Jordan), as well as a team-up movie between Dr. Fate and Hourman (Kent Nelson & Rex Tyler). Another idea might be a team-up movie between Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, and The Atom (there–introduced 3 JLA characters without over-burdening the flick with characters!). Lots of potential out there, if DC utilizes it, and quits putzing around with empty maybes and promises while constantly trotting out the same old two tired-out heroes, Batman and Superman. And I wonder if DC could come up with a good movie for Deadman (or TV series), as well as a movie for The Spectre?
The colors could be a tad brighter, but other than that, I absolutely love the design of the new Superman suit. They did a great job at making it look like a suit from Krypton, while still genuinly looking like Supermans costume
Wow, that looks horrible. What’s up with his neck?
I thought I was the only one who noticed that. Once you see it you can’t unsee it :S
Oh yeah!! Looks like his head has been pasted onto the end of someone’s thumb!
lol!
Is it just me or he looks like a bodybuilder dressed up like a Supermanish ice skater? Since day one I did not like the idea of this guy playing Superman. He’s the Man of Steel, but he does not need to look like he has lots of steel spheres packed up under his suit to live up to the name. Take Reeves for an instance: best Superman ever, he was not anything like this…
Superman is like 6’4 in the comic and 220 pounds. Calvil’s physique is a perfect portrayal for Superman…I like Reeve as Superman, but Calvil looks way better. Especially with an updated suit. He looks like he would brake Reeves back, along with his silly spandex suit with underwear….That suit looked se retarded!
That suit must be a pain to put on. Looks great though.
Was this the best out of all pictures?.. he looks kinda lame. I mean the Suit looks awesome my favorite Superman suit but he looks like he`s modeling or something
Looks good this is the movie I’m looking forward to this year
I actually wanna see DC find some success outside of Batman and if Man of Steel is successful we’ll see other DC characters get that shot
Wonder Woman, Flash,Shazam, Teen Titans…even a Green Lantern 2…..but better lol
After Dark Knight Rises and Goyer’s string of horrid films in addition to Snyder’s string of cheesey films, I have ZERO DESIRE to see this film.
mmm nice tight spandex bulge…yummy
I cannot wait to see Henry Cavill playing “The Man behind the Cape” this summer.
I wasn’t too fond of the original Superman films or the latest “sequel”, but I absolutely love the Dark Knight Trilogy and I like Zach Snyder as a Director, so I think with those things co-mingled, people are going to be in for one heck of an awesome movie!
It’s interesting, because the cover appropriately displays the Supes I know and love, but that element of “otherworldliness” very clearly stands out…and yes, Henry Cavill put on some serious muscles for this flick.
I’m looking forward to seeing how Henry does in this movie. I thought he was awesome as Theseus in ‘Immortals’, and just having finished watching ‘The Tudors’, I wanted to cry when Charles Brandon died. He was such a sympathetic character… you had to feel sorry for the position he was put in so often by Henry (the king).