The 20 Coolest Superhero Costumes Ever! (Part 2 of 2)
Posted on April 6, 2007 @ 9:40 am
Last time, I counted down the coolest superhero costumes from number 20 through 11. Now it’s time for the top ten! Once again, all images are from the Microheroes Archive.
10. Spider-WomanKudos to Marvel for not slapping a feminized version of Spider-Man’s costume on Spider-Woman and calling it a day! By taking Jessica Drew’s costume in a different direction, Sal Buscema and Carmine Infantino created one of the most stunning superhero designs of the 1970s. Notice how the yellow on the torso subtly calls to mind the markings of a black widow spider, without beating us over the head with spider iconography. The loose hair and underarm webbing are particularly striking when Spider-Woman is in flight (unlike Spider-Man, Jessica Drew can actually fly). Although she faded into relative obscurity after her initial heyday in the late 1970s, Spider-Woman is currently enjoying a high-profile revival in Marvel’s New Avengers. In turn, I suspect her stylish costume has a lot to do with the character’s lasting appeal. |
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9. SupermanIt’s the original superhero costume, and it’s still a classic today. I’m certain Joe Shuster couldn’t have imagined how influential his Superman design would be on the countless “long underwear characters” who followed after Big Blue. The suit’s timeless appeal begins with its simple color scheme: blue, red, and yellow. These primary colors leap off the page (in a single bound?) and immediately capture the eye. Next, there’s the iconic S-shield on the chest. Although it was much simpler when it debuted in the 1930s, the emblem is so recognizable today that it’s almost synonymous with Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Throw in the red cape and boots, and you have a design that’s endured for nearly seventy years. Yes, Supes’ costume frequently catches flak for the whole “underwear over tights” thing, but taken in the context of its inspiration — the acrobats and circus performers of the early twentieth century — I think we can forgive the costume for its one misstep. |
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8. Green ArrowIt may not be the most original design in the countdown, but the Emerald Archer’s Robin Hood-inspired costume is just plain fun — right down to the jaunty little hat. More importantly, just one look at Green Arrow’s costume tells readers everything they need to know about the character and his abilities. The outfit is practical, too; notice the arm guards to protect Ollie’s inner forearm from the snapping of his bowstring. Combined with the simple domino mask and facial hair by way of Errol Flynn, Green Arrow’s costume creates a “high adventure” vibe that only gets better when he pulls out the infamous boxing glove arrow. |
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7. PhoenixDave Cockrum was among the most prolific costume artist of the ’70s, contributing unforgettable designs to everyone from the Legion of Superheroes at DC to Marvel characters including Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Ms. Marvel. My personal favorite, however, remains the Phoenix costume Cockrum designed for Jean Grey of the X-Men. First, the green and gold (holdovers from Jean’s earlier costumes) play off the character’s red hair to create a striking color palette. Factor in the high boots, long gloves, gold sash at the waist, and understated phoenix emblem near the neckline, and you have a costume that literally looked like nothing else the comic book world had seen at the time. Props also go out to John Byrne for his “Dark Phoenix” variation that swapped out the green for a deep red and increased the sign of the emblem to symbolize Jean’s corruption by the cosmic power of the Phoenix entity. |
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6. Captain MarvelSpeaking of sashes, that brings us to the Big Red Cheese, Captain Marvel. Designed by C.C. Beck in 1939, Captain Marvel’s costume was years ahead of its time with its button-over tunic, forearm wrappings, bold lightning bolt emblem, and gold sash. What truly sets Captain Marvel apart from his peers, however, is the one-of-a-kind cape. Just look at it: white with gold trim and embellishment, collared and shorter than most superhero capes, asymmetrically thrown over the shoulder, and held in place by a gold cord. How cool is that? Cool enough that Elvis Presley, who grew up reading Captain Marvel comics, eventually based elements of his own stage costumes on the capes worn by Captain Marvel and his sidekick, Captain Marvel, Jr. |
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5. Captain AmericaAlthough many heroes have attempted the patriotic look, none of them can hold a candle to the original Star-Spangled Avenger, Captain America. Sure, designing a red, white, and blue uniform with a stars-and-stripes motif sounds easy enough, but artists Jack Kirby and Joe Simon raised the bar and imparted a certain elegance to Captain America’s costume. From the wings on the cap to the red and white stripes on the lower torso to the cuffed boots, Captain America lives up to his name in every sense. If there’s one misstep in the design, it’s the superfluous “A” on the forehead, but that’s not enough to stop Cap from earning the number five spot. |
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4. Green LanternAfter I posted part one of this countdown, someone left the following comment: “If Green Lantern (the Hal Jordan Green Lantern) isn’t in the top ten, you and I are going to have words.” How could anyone omit the classic Silver Age Green Lantern costume from a list of the best superhero designs in history? I have to admit I’m a little biased here; back when most kids were running around in Superman and Batman Underoos, I proudly wore the green and black of the Green Lantern Corps. Gil Kane’s sleek design just works — whether Green Lantern is fighting crime here on Earth or flying through space to combat some interstellar threat. Although the Hal Jordan version remains my favorite, I also have to give Bruce Timm and company credit for the stylish, simplified uniform John Stewart wore in the Justice League animated series. |
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3. FlashThe Flash’s costume, designed by Carmine Infantino in the 1950s, is a thing of simple beauty. Scott Tipton of Comics 101 sums up its lasting appeal as follows: “Streamlined and slick, the lightning bolts on the costume’s wrists, belt, and boots served as the perfect visual cue for Infantino’s illustration of super-speed. As the Flash streaked across the panel, his blurred crimson figure would be highlighted by the yellow streaks indicating his movement.” You know you’re looking at an effective design when you see a guy wearing yellow and red spandex and think to yourself, “Yeah, that seems like a practical outfit for someone with super-speed powers.” Even the little wings on the mask and boots seem to say fast. |
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2. BatmanAlthough Batman’s costume has gone through dozens of variations since his debut in 1939, it has always been among the most stylish designs in comics (unless you count when Joel Schumacher added nipples to the suit in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, but let’s not dwell on that). Drawing upon the basic “tights and cape” design Superman pioneered a year earlier, everything from the darker color scheme of Batman’s costume to the pointed ears on the cowl spell out “creature of the night.” My favorite version of the Batsuit is Bruce Timm’s design used in the Justice League animated series (pictured at right). I like that it maintains the basic blue and gray color palette (rather than the gray and black seen in many renditions), coupling it with a prominent utility belt, long ears, and the “old school” bat symbol with no yellow oval. Of course, the version used in the 1960s Batman series starring Adam West also holds a special place in my heart — right down to the arched lavender eyebrows embossed on the cowl. Any way you slice it, the Batsuit is the epitome of cool and the penultimate example of superhero costume design. |
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1. Spider-ManThe best superhero costumes are usually straightforward in terms of design, but there’s nothing simple about Spider-Man’s classic red-and-blue costume. In fact, there’s quite a bit going in Steve Ditko’s timeless design: the intricate web pattern, the understated spider emblem on the chest, a mask that covers the character’s entire face, opaque eyes that have grown larger and larger through the decades, the webbing under the arms, and a second spider symbol in red on the back. Against all odds, however, these design elements mesh together to create the coolest superhero costume ever. Of course, the black and white redesign of the mid-1980s isn’t too shabby either, but I think I’ll save that for Venom’s entry in case I decide to do a supervillain countdown someday. |
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So, that’s it for the 20 Coolest Superhero Costumes countdown. Of course, these are only my admittedly biased opinions. What are your favorite superhero costumes? Feel free to share in the comments section!
Posted by Jess | Filed Under Pop Culture |
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Spiderman and batman are among my top costumes. I have to admit too that green lantern is definitely up there as well.
*applause* nice list. I love it.
I’m just in awe that so much could be written about superhero costumes. I don’t even think I’m geeky enough to read this entry and believe me … this pains me. How about a late entry for The Green Pea? No? Okay. Couldn’t hurt to ask.
I actually prefer the old Flash costume with the helmet.
I think I agree mostly with your assessments. Wolverine had some cool looks too, and I’m not so sure about Captain Marvel’s cape. Spidey is definitely #1 though. Are you going to do a worst costume post? Tell me Ant-Man is going to be on it.
More importantly, are you going to participate in my caption contest again?
Hey, why does Captain Marvel look like Donny Osmond?
And why does Spider-Woman have areolae? That’s a mammalian trait.
Yoshi: Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it the list!
Patricia: I love the Green Pea’s outfit! It’s like “Phoenix meets Roman centurion” with a Mardi Gras mask.
Chris: I’m not such a fan of the Golden Age Flash with the helmet, but I did like the yellow Kid Flash costume from back in the day.
Diesel: I’m thinking about a worst costumes list. There are some truly awful choices out there.
Metalmom: Yikes! He does! I think it’s the big, creepy grin. The Joker’s got nothing on Donny Osmond.
Geoff: Um…pretend you didn’t see that.
Number 1: I am quite disappointed that Bat-Botanist didn’t receive any love from his architect.
Number 2: I eagerly anticipate the now essential top 20 (or ten) super Villain costumes.
From the Part One Countdown, I thought Wolverine’s costume was too blah. I like the colors in the cartoon. I also feel the same way about Storm’s costume. I liked the all-white look in the cartoon. Despite the way you feel about Halle Berry’s version of Storm, I like the way she looked in the first X-men movie. I didn’t like how they changed her in the other two.
The Green Arrow costume seems too corny to me. Did you watch when the show Smallville introduced the character? It was a more updated look with more green and hints of yellow. He wore a sleeveless hoody and sunglasses. I liked that costume (I’m sure it also helped that the actor who played Oliver Green was serious eye candy).
I liked reading this. Thanks for putting it up.
I can kind of see why he wasn’t included, since he’s not technically a “superhero” but could Spawn get some kind of honorable mention maybe? I mean, his costume is his weapon, too. That’s super cool.
I also agree with whoever said a worst-dressed list and a best villainous costume list would be groovy too.
Jack Kirby designed spiderman’s costume.
Spawn. Spawn is not really a superhero, but neither is he a supervillian. His costume though is the best ever.
Spiderman most definitely has the coolest costume in comic book history!!!
thhis sucks
I am sorry, but I think the coolest costume on your list is Moon Knight’s. You fail to mention any characters outside of mainstream comics. What about Cable (son of Scott Summers and Jean Gray’s clone), Sunspot, the Darkness (or even better…Angelus), all of the characters from Battle Chasers (especially Red Sonya, sp?), and the last one I want to mention is Beta Ray Bill…a much cooler version of Thor who kicked Thor’s butt at least twice and received a hammer from Odin for it. Goodle these characters and click images…you will see what I mean.
Oops! I meant Google, and you should probably do Cable (comics), etc.
what about the siver surfer he doesnt have a costume or does he watever it is that silvery look is awesome!
The Silver Surfer is cool ’cause his skin is silver!!! Go SS. SS 4ever!!!!!!!
I wonder does it ever show the Moon Knight with his hood off????
2 me, even if the Moon Knight is human it looks like he could be a mummy and a moon vampire.
im so bored, it says its 1:45AM or something like, that but its actually like 9:40PM here probably because im in california… WHICH IS AWESOME!!!
im so bored, it says its 1:46AM or something like, that but its actually like 9:41PM here probably because im in california… WHICH IS AWESOME!!!
HOW STRONG IS THOR???
Well apart from Green Arrow I agree with your chose of characters
there are a few others like the 80’s Iron Man, Wolverine’s yellow
outfit and Gladiator that are cool, and Kirby designed Spider-Man’s
costume along with most best heros of that time, that why Stan Lee named him the King.
what about deadpool
ace list (appause) this will really help me disign a costume for the new super hero power women thank you but what sort of desgn would be best suited for a girl
thank you very much
from sophie
I think Captain Marvel is the best and then Captain America but apart from that great list!
Dude! The list is a good starting place for discussion. No contesting the green lantern - black and green! That emblem! Storm!! Amazing, amazing. Props for noting Dave Cockrum’s ability with design - Storm, Phoenix, not sure who else on your list. - which brings us to my question - how the heck can you have a top 20 list and not include Wildfire?!
I really want to change the category from costume design to “character design” so that we can focus on the characters I think look sooo cool - Nightcrawler, Lady Hepzibah of the Starjammers, in fact ALL of the Starjammers (Dave Cockrum strikes again).
And how did I forget Black Adam!
What about Carnage Venom Deadpool and Wolfsbane