In truth, the red “undies” were not supposed to actually be external underwear, at all.
After all, why was he wearing “underwear” on the outside of his tights? We’ll never know, but it’s possible that the Last Son of Krypton was tucking in those days, or just very confused about how people deal with their private parts.
Back then, when Superman was drawn by Joe Shuster, his trunks and crotch area were pretty flat, meaning his bulge was almost non-existent at the start of his illustrious career. The history of Supermans “bulge” goes all the way back to his very first appearance in Action Comics #1 in 1938. 38 years ago this weekend, Richard Donner’s Superman movie was promoted with the tagline “You will believe a man can fly.” The visual effects were impressive, but what he was packing behind his fly was impossible not to notice. Because he’s a guy wearing a skin-tight outfit, every single part of Superman is accentuated, including his fortress of solitude. Whether you want to admit it or not, if you’ve read a Superman comic or watched any of his many TV shows and movies, you’ve thought about the Man of Steel’s bulge.
