In 2013, a British actor emerged to take after big names like Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh, and Tom Welling. Moreover, the star stood all set to star as the next Superman in Zack Snyder’s ambitious outing and DCEU kick-starter. Yes, Henry Cavill came up as one of the most physically accurate iterations of the red cape with Man of Steel. However, beneath his sheer rugged build and charismatic prowess lay a persona that somehow meddled with the costume designers’ approach to work.

An iconic suit that debuted with that movie lives fresh in memory even today. However, back then, there lay one unique hurdle in crafting the same.

Henry Cavill made Man of Steel costume designers feel “distracted”

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Man of Steel and Henry Cavill became synonymous for how Zack Snyder’s version of the character strayed vastly away from the usual, joyous Clark Kent of earlier movies. But getting rid of the iconic red briefs over the blue suit also drew attention. In talks with Fashionista on June 20, 2013, the flick’s costume designer, Michael Wilkinson, revealed the intricacies involved like giving it a “dimensional texture”. However, he declared that the toughest of them all “was not to be distracted by Henry’s perfection”.

Expanding on it, he stated that suit trials and fittings usually took more than four and a half hours. Despite the scorching heat in Illinois then, ranging beyond 100 degrees, Cavill endured putting on various layers of mesh, bodysuits, and the actual new chain-mail blue suit without a complaint. Naming him an “incredible specimen of humanity,” Wilkinson praised his calmness and patience, which made his team’s work easier.

In the same interview, the designer also dissected the finer details of the character’s alter ego, Clark Kent’s fashion sense.

Zack Snyder believed this could help Superman hide from the world

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Michael Wilkinson opened up on how the Rebel Moon director believed that “Clark’s clothes help him hide from the world”. In order to make that narrative fit within the movie, the designer opted for oversized clothing, plaid shirts, and a generally traditional yet professional set of attire to mask his physique and then added Paul Smith frames to complete the look and make Superman transform into a humble The Daily Planet reporter.

Furthermore, to make Henry Cavill as Clark Kent even more natural, the team added a University of Kansas and a Royals t-shirt. After all the designs stood set and done, the final result turned out to be a cohesive union of ideas and fiction, even if the movie itself went on to score divisive reviews, despite defense, for its action sequences.

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What are your thoughts on the professionalism shown by Henry Cavill during Man of Steel? Let us know in the comments below.