Superman's Xenomorph-Fighting Spacesuit Confirms His Symbol's Importance
While the red and blue suit is Superman's most iconic, he has had numerous looks, including a spacesuit when he came face-to-face with Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. Superman vs. Aliens gave the Man of Steel a costume that was a major departure from his usual. This outfit could hardly make the hero recognizable on its own, requiring his logo to be added in some capacity to achieve that task.
Though Superman has faced Darkseid's version of Xenomorphs, they're nothing compared to the real deal. This Dark Horse Comics and DC Comics crossover forces Superman to take on Aliens' iconic xenomorphs, while at a heavy disadvantage. He has implemented a no-killing rule in his life, which the Man of Steel applies to these fearsome foes, despite the fact that it leads to many dying and him being infected. Throughout his encounters with these enemies, his iconic suit is shredded and no longer covers him like it usually does. As a result, he gets a new spacesuit that foregoes his dual color scheme.
Superman vs. Aliens, also known as Superman/Aliens, has the creative team of Dan Jurgens, Kevin Nowlan, Gregory Wright, Android Images, and Bill Oakley. The issue pits Clark Kent against one of his toughest foes, made even tougher by Superman's terrible decision to be merciful on the xenomorphs. With his suit being in shreds and him being bare-chested for much of the miniseries, the final issue provides him with a red spacesuit. However, it is nothing like his usual costume. Needing to be able to breath for the next leg of his adventure, Superman is given a suit by his new ally, Kara (modeled after Supergirl though not actually her). She also hands him the torn centerpiece scrap of his former costume, stating, "Oh, I found this in the rocks back when I was looking for you. Seems like you and this symbol go together pretty well." This allows Superman to have his classic symbol for hope, albeit in a new spot. He ties it onto his arm, which is a very good move visually considering this suit is standard issue and does nothing to signify that this is, in fact, Superman. He has a very rugged 90s look to him, but this has not been a look given exclusively to him in comics. His symbol is one of the most important aspects of his identity, particularly when it comes to recognition. His mullet from the era isn't as long or distinct in this crossover as it is in other comics from around this time.
Another good reason to have Superman's logo remain a part of this uniform is how completely hopeless this situation seems. His powers are at lower levels than usual, he refuses to kill xenomorphs to end their threat and is infected by a face-hugger while most of the people he came to save have already died by this point. He also doesn't have very many options to get home as a xenomorph runs loose back on Earth where Lois is with LexCorp personnel.
This situation is exactly the kind where hope is most needed. Terrible decision after terrible decision has made Superman incredibly vulnerable and having him at least keep his symbol keeps him from being too far away from what he represents as a hero. Superman may not be making a lot of good strategic decisions in his fight against Aliens' xenomorphs, but the decision to incorporate his logo into his standard-issue space suit is certainly not a bad one.