Fashion Fury: Man of Steel and Dark Knight Rises

This week saw a lot of teaser images for DC's upcoming movies though some of them weren't intentional and what kind of fan would I be if I didn't try to make huge assumptions based off a handful of images without context?

First up is the first official image from the Zack Synder helmed "Man of Steel", a movie being made for copyright reasons first, and for genuine entertainment second, maybe. Here we have our Superman, Henry Cavill, hanging out in some incredibly dark bank vault. I'm not really sure what they're trying to convey with Superman destroying a bank, but the dim lighting makes me worry that this is going to be as edgy and music videoy as Zack Snyder's previous films.

Now as for Superman's costume I think it was a good move to stick pretty close to the classic costume. The only real difference the blue Spider-Man gills and that parachute sized cape. The gills make sense as I doubt regular blue would look so eye-catching but that cape is going to look pretty odd during action scenes. Seriously, that thing's Spawn-sized.

The one lingering mystery is his red underwear. After much searching for a brighter version as well as far more time in PhotoScape staring as Superman's groin than I care to admit to I'm unsure if we're getting the classic crimson crotch or the now modern regular blue pants.

My biggest complaint is that logo, it's unnatural and kind of bloated, like something that would be on a budget Superman Halloween costume. It looks like it couldn't handle a gentle breeze let alone a bullet.

Verdict: Probably the right direction but I highly doubt I'll like the execution.

Now for the double feature of Bane and Catwoman from "Dark Knight Rises" which is perhaps the most under-guarded movie set ever.Earlier in the week a ton of images of Tom Hardy's Bane leaked but now all I can find is this single image on Bleeding Cool. From what I recall Bane wears a wool-lined coat, and some outfit covered in lots of pouches that I will choose to describe has combat fatigues. I think we can all let out a sigh of relief that this costume is far-removed from the typical comic book outfit because a luchadore mask and muscle shirt would probably damage the credibility of the Batman movie world.

His clothing remind me of a seasoned mercenary which could mean we'll see the skilled tactician from the comic books. His gas mask, I really don't know, it seems quite BDSM and it's the only time in the entire franchise where I wasn't so sure it fit with the rules of the world. It, combined with the clothing, makes me think Bane looks like a boss from Metal Gear Solid which I guess is kind of cool.

Teaser shots of Anne Hathaway's Catwoman/Selina Kyle finished off the week with a bitchin' picture of her tearing things up on a Batpod. I chose to avoid reading message board responses as I imagine this stripped down look did not sit well with some fans. I'm sure people are let down by the lack of her signature cat ears but I don't think that would fit with the world Christopher Nolan's made. Instead it seems to be going for a strictly logical costume that features a sleek, form fitting outfit and some Sam Fisheresque pair of night vision goggles.

While I understand the logic of the design I must admit it lacks the sort of visual flair that Heath Ledger's Joker had. If you remove those night vision goggles she's just some woman in a plain black body suit. But then again it's just one teaser image, maybe there's more to see. Furthermore the costume is only half the character, who knows what Hathaway's interpretation of the character will add.

Verdict: I'm sold on some of these ideas but not so much on others. I'll save my judgment until we get an official trailer.