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The Importance of Costume Accuracy in Superhero Costumes Design
By Esteban Cepero
A lot of time goes into designing a costume for a superhero, their costume represents what their image is meant to be and how people should look at them. It's clear that a lot of the costumes we see on-screen are inspired by the superhero's original portrayal in the comic books. When producing a superhero film, one element that fans anticipate the most is the superhero's costume. The importance of accuracy in superhero costumes design is can't be understated. It's the first thing that people judge in a superhero film. Most early promotions and concepts of a superhero's costume don't get that much praise, Captain Marvel and Batman are an example.
When Captain Marvel's costume was revealed through the leakage of set photos, as seen above, the amount of hate it received was enormous. People were complaining about the green color and were throwing a tantrum over how it wasn't her classic superhero costume. Now, those who were true fans of Captain Marvel understood that this costume was solely meant for her origin story as it was expected for her to later change the colors to her classic gold, red, and blue. From the newest trailers that were released, that change has already been confirmed.
Ben Affleck's Batman, who made his first appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, received a great amount of critique when the first promos of Batman's costume were released. Many loved it as it was seen as a take on Frank Miller's Batman costume but some fans didn't feel too happy about how bulky it was and even complained about his neck. To this day, fans are still split on whether or not Ben Affleck's portrayal of Batman was on point with the accuracy they were hoping for. Fans were pleased with Batman's costume accuracy in the Justice League film but were angry about the accuracy of the character.
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Yes, fans exceedingly acknowledge costume accuracy, whenever you mention a superhero or a villain's name, the first image that will appear in everyone's head is their costume. But why is costume accuracy so important? Why are fans so harsh when they don't agree with the first look at a superhero's costume? Let's get into it right now!
Telling a Story
Costumes attempt to display a superhero's development through the films in which they make an appearance, whether it'd be in their own solo film or not. Captain America is a perfect example, throughout all of his stories as his world changes, he does as well. This is shown through Captain America's many costumes, first beginning with his origin story in World War II when his costume was designed to look like your classic 40's superhero or in this case, a propaganda hero. Captain America's costume when he went off to battle for the first time definitely complimented the factor that he's a superhero in the World War II era. When Avengers was released, we saw Captain America's costume designed with a bright red, white, and blue coloring to bring glory to the patriotic superhero fighting to save the world. Infinity War gave us a different tone in Captain America's costume as his story led him to become a fugitive. This is why the star on his chest is removed.
Having a superhero's costume follow a dark tone isn't a first in the world of DC and Marvel blockbusters. Christian Bale's Batman took on some of the most intense storylines fans have ever seen on-screen. The Dark Knight left a huge mark on the long list of Batman portrayals with its twisted anarchical themes presented by Heath Ledger's Joker. Christian Bale's Batman costume was nothing but significant as it perfectly embodied the 'Dark Knight' title. This is another great example of why the costume accuracy of a superhero is crucial in telling their story. How a superhero's costume is designed is based on how they are going to be displayed in the film and how their experiences may affect how their costume changes.
Paying Homage
Fans love when a superhero's costume is designed to be a concept of their costume from the comics, and when an iconic part of that superhero's costume makes it to the live-action adaptation. Remember how Spider-Man's costume was first designed when he made his appearance in Amazing Fantasy #151? Steve Ditko's portrayal of Spider-Man in the 1960s featured a nice set of web-wings on his costume. When Tom Holland was cast as the new Spider-Man, his costume was obviously and astonishingly an adaptation of Steve Ditko's vision in Spider-Man's early days. Fans never expected for Marvel to surprise them, in Spider-Man: Homecoming, with the appearance of the famous web-wings!
Now, even though we may not see it in its full glory anymore after only one appearance, Thor's winged helmet was another way that a superhero's live-action costume paid homage to the original costume in the comic books. It isn't exactly with the same design but we eventually see an adaptation of the winged-helmet again in Thors fight against Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok. When this was spotted in the first trailer released, everybody had an instant reaction. The excitement of seeing the reincarnation of a well-known piece of a superhero's costume is what pushes fans to take costume accuracy into consideration and actually have them look forward to it. That's why costume designers all around work diligently to deliver.
Costume accuracy is more important than people may think, as fun as costume designers may have when trying to put their own spin on a superhero's costume, fans love nothing more than when they stay true to the superhero's foundation when comics were ten and twelve cents. This is done by showing how the character's storyline, superhero or villain, has an effect on how they are portrayed in their costume. Another way is by simply paying homage and giving fans a sharp piece of the past by influencing the costume design to have a sense of amazing nostalgia. So many costume adaptations have been witnessed but there's a whole lot more to go in the future!