Ever wondered why Clark Kent’s glasses somehow prevent him from being recognized as Superman, despite just being… glasses? It’s a fun question that often comes up whenever a new Superman comes around, and this month’s release of the DC Universe kickstarter is no different. Indeed, official social media posts for the movie have played on this idea, with Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) and Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen) expressing their confusion when Superman actor David Corenswet takes his glasses off.
@superman Seriously though, where’d Clark go?
♬ original sound – Superman
But why exactly do the glasses work in this Superman movie? DC Universe steward James Gunn told ComicBook that he has an explanation that is comic book canon: they’re hypno glasses.
“That’s canon in the comics,” Gunn said. “It’s kind of been forgotten but that’s from the comics. I was sitting with Tom King, the comic book writer, and I was like, ‘You know the thing that I just don’t really know how to reconcile in myself is the glasses because the glasses always bothered me as a kid.’ They bothered me because I just don’t have that much suspension of disbelief to believe that.”
Gunn went on to insist that Corenswet did a great job making Clark Kent and Superman look like different people, “even more so” than Christopher Reeve. Reeve’s performance as Superman is often praised for the subtle changes he made to posture and mannerisms as he shifts from playing the tentative reporter and the world’s most powerful superhero.
“You know, they’re two different people even though I think out of all the actors that have played Superman, Corenswet looks the most different as Clark Kent to Superman, even more so than Chris Reeve,” Gunn said. “But he [King] said, ‘You know, there’s an answer for that in the comics, it’s canon that they hypnotize people.’”
The somewhat goofy explanation is in keeping with the tone Gunn’s new Superman is shooting for. Teaser trailers have revealed a number of fun one-liners from Superman, as well as the use of his freeze breath to blow a dog to safety. And, of course, there’s all sorts of co-op punching shenanigans with Krypto the Superdog.
The inevitable next question is, what does Clark Kent look like when he’s wearing his hypno glasses? In the same interview, Gunn said the glasses make Kent look like he has a fuller face: “He looks a little bit blockier in my mind when he’s got the hypno glasses on.”
IGN’s new feature, How James Gunn’s Superman Reinvents the Look and Feel of Kal-El’s World, touched on the design of Clark Kent’s glasses in the new movie.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
