A lot of our favorite comic book heroes made their first appearance decades ago. And as years went by, our heroes changed. Their costumes kept evolving and adapting in response to new trends -- keeping up with fashion and technology in order to look fresh. But comic book artists are not the only ones who get to re-design superhero costumes. Comic book fans with a knack for drawing and design like to put their own spin on their favorite superheroes. Although these fan designs are not official and probably won't ever hit the pages of comic books or the screen, they can look even better than the official costumes. In fact, some of these amazing designs make us wish these talented fans were working on our favorite comics and movies.
Particularly interesting fan designed costumes are the ones that look insanely cool but aren't necessarily something that would work as an official costume. We're talking, of course, about superhero costume re-designs that are intended to look as if they belong to a different time period. Imagine, if you will, Batman set in the Victorian era. Or, perhaps Matt Murdock operating in the Medieval period. These costumes obviously don't belong in the comics or on the screen, but we wish there was some wild re-imagining of Batman that would open the gates to designs like these. The unusual creations these talented fans produced are eye-catching and unique. We did some research and found the most amazing re-designs of superheroes in different time eras. Enjoy.
26 THE ORDER OF X – HENRICK
Blue and beastly, the mutant Hank McCoy, is one of the most popular X-Men members. The beloved comic book character appeared in the X-Men movies as well as the X-Men animated series. Throughout his incarnations, both on the page and on the screen, Hank’s appearance has changed quite a lot.
The artist, Nate Hallinan, re-imagined a number of X-Men characters in a different time period. Hallinan found the inspiration for Beast’s look in The Hobbit’s Beorn. The goal was to make Henrick McCoy look smart and ready for battle.
25 MEDIEVAL FLASH
On The CW’s The Flash TV show, the Scarlet Speedster is known for his propensity to use time travel to fix problems, although he only ever manages to make everything worse. So far, Barry Allen has traveled to the past and the future. However, he’s never made it as far as the Middle Ages.
If his mischievous behavior ever did land Barry in the Medieval period, Mexican artist Federico Blee has an idea what a Flash costume in that time period might look like. It’s nice that Blee managed to incorporate so much red in Barry’s knight armor.
24 MIDDLE AGES BATMAN
The Middle Ages seem to be a popular period for artist to re-imagine our favorite comic book characters living in. Naturally, Gotham’s Dark Knight got a number of Medieval re-designs from talented artist across the globe. This one stands out from the rest by being a lot brighter than anything else we’ve seen Batman wear.
The heavy armor consists of a multitude of decorated plates, chains, a cool utility belt and a blue cape. Bensehoul Brahim, who designed the outfit, also gave Bruce a sword and a shield, making the Dark Knight a real knight.
23 THE ORDER OF X – COLOSSUS
Colossus was a real scene-stealer in both Deadpool movies. The giant tin man, despite his fearful appearance, is actually a gentle soul with a somewhat cheeky sense of humor and fans love him. The gentle giant is traditionally depicted as a hulking man with a dense metallic layer covering him head to toe.
When Nate Hallinan set down to revamp Colossus for a different era, he did not want the tin man to be perfectly sculpted like a bodybuilder. Hence, Hallinan’s Colossus appears to have gained his muscles through hard labor. He also kind of reminds us of Kratos from God of War.
22 SCARLET WITCH
Scarlet Witch’s costumes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been criticized even by Elizabeth Olsen who plays the character. Fans have taken it upon themselves to re-design the movie costume and give Wanda Maximoff a more comic-book accurate look.
Daniel Kamarudin managed to make the costume look a bit more like the original design. On top of that, it looks like it belongs in the Medieval times. For a character that's an alleged witch, a less modern costume suits Wanda far better. We’d actually like to see this one on the screen.
21 DAREDEVIL ANNO 1700
The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen usually sports a simple, stealthy costume. Clothed in sleek, tight dark red leather, Matt Murdock really captures the devil aesthetic. But what if Daredevil was set in the 1700s? What would the Man without Fear look like in a time when knee-length coats, canes and muted brown shades were all the rage?
Well, Albert Hulm has the answer. His Anno 1700 Daredevil costume embodies the trends of the era perfectly and looks very elegant. His classy cane is gorgeous.
20 THE ORDER OF X – PSYLOCKE
Needless to say, in her usual attire Psylocke would hardly blend with the crowd in the old times. The deep-cut leotard that reveals more than it conceals would most definitely attract way too much attention.
Bringing Psylocke into a different time period while retaining some authenticity to make her recognizable is a challenge. One that Nate Hallinan accepted and delivered. The corset and the high-knee boots lend this Medieval Psylocke just enough of her original panache to make the design work.
19 MEDIEVAL AVENGERS
By all accounts, the Disney-Fox deal is happening. And once it does, the rights to characters like the X-Men and Deadpool will go back to Marvel. The fans are already speculating about the possibility of bringing the X-Men into the MCU. There’s tons of fan art depicting the X-Men alongside the Avengers.
Tovio Rogers, however, shows us what a team-up between Iron Man, the Hulk and Wolverine would look like in the Medieval period. Rogers even named his Medieval Avengers -- Hulk: The Jolly, The Iron Knight and Sir Logan: The Wild.
18 THE ORDER OF X – CYCLOPS
A character like Cyclops is not exactly one that is easy to adapt for a different time period. The visor alone is enough to break the immersion, not to mention his actual powers. But, since we are talking about fictional characters in a world where superheroes exist, at the end of the day, anything is possible.
Still, Nate Hallinan, whose amazing design is featured above, stated that he wanted to make Cyclops' visor and powers as inconspicuous as possible for the sake of realism. So, in Hallinan’s world, Cyclops is blind and uses his powers sparingly. The blind wise leader.
17 VICTORIAN BATMAN
The Victorian era seems to have inspired the superhero costume re-designs of many artists from all around the world. Gotham’s Caped Crusader got a Victorian era revamp, courtesy of Australian comic book artist Craig Bruyn.
The incredible costume Bruyn designed makes the infamous Dark Knight look like an actual knight. That helmet is terrifying in the best possible way, but the Ulster coat is what really sells the look. One can easily imagine this Bruce Wayne sneaking around the streets of London under the cover of the night.
16 THE ORDER OF X – LADY GREY
Love her or hate her, but Jean Grey is one of the best-known members of the X-Men. Jean’s live-action iterations haven’t done her any favors, but let’s see if Nate Hallinan and his Order of the X can endear this polarizing character to the masses.
In Hallinan’s X-Men, Jean Grey comes from a noble family. Jean is an archer but still has her powers, which she uses to shoot arrows with pristine precision. Pretty cool. The costume itself looks gorgeous, better even than some official designs.
15 THE ORDER OF X – STORMBRINGER
Storm is one of those characters that could fit into any time period with ease. It's easy to put her into any time period and make it appear natural. Nate Hallinan wanted his version of Storm to look like a priestess or white robed witch from the Middle Ages.
The idea was to make Stormbringer look very feminine and even unfit for battle, but at the same time more than capable of holding her ground. Looking at his stunning design, we’d say he succeeded.
14 GREEN LANTERN VISITS WESTWORLD
The once immensely popular westerns draw inspiration from the late 19th century American Old West, also known as the Wild West. Westerns have lost their appeal over time, but some movies and TV shows still manage to attract the attention of viewers with their wild west setting. A recent example is HBO’s hit series Westworld.
Italian artist Denis Medri re-designed a bunch of DC Comics heroes in the style of Wild West. Our favorite is this handsome Green Lantern, but you should definitely check out the rest.
13 THE ORDER OF X – KYRT V’WAGNYR
Feared for his devilish appearance, Nightcrawler faces even more hatred than his fellow X-Men and other mutants who look human. When Nate Hallinan re-designed Nightcrawler, he gave the devilish-looking mutant a slightly different origin story.
This Nightcrawler is not human at all -- he’s an elf. The name Kyrt V’wagnyr roughly translates from elven to Kurt Wagner. Hallinan’s Nightcrawler also got a costume upgrade to go with his new identity. And we must say, Kyrt looks very stylish in his new outfit.
12 DAREDEVIL JOINS THE ASSASSINS
Odds are the first thing that popped into your head upon seeing this image is Assassin’s Creed. There’s no denying that this Medieval Daredevil costume is reminiscent of the infamous outfits worn by the Assassins in the popular Ubisoft game series Assassin’s Creed.
Brazilian artist Rodrigo A. Branco created this awesome re-design for a Comic-Con contest back in 2011. Now, all we need is to see Matt Murdock parkouring the streets of a Medieval city. In this outfit, he’d fit right in.
11 THE ORDER OF X – WOLVE’RUNE
Believe it or not, the inspiration for Nate Hallinan’s amazing series of re-designs titled The Order of X, was none other than Wolverine. Apparently, the clawed mutant reminded Hallinan of a dwarf due to his short temper and even shorter stature (at least in the comics).
The name Wolve’rune roughly translates to The Stone Wolf. Since, the crazy hair and costume Wolverine is known for have always been a staple of dwarf design, Hallinan simply cranked up the craziness for his dwarf version of Wolverine.
10 OLD MEDIEVAL KNIGHT
Not many superheroes were allowed to age and grow old both on the page and on the screen. Bruce Wayne is one of the exceptions, as an older Batman was depicted a number of times in the comics and the current DCEU Batman is in his late forties.
However, something we haven’t yet seen in any official capacity is a Medieval Bruce Wayne with gray hair and a goatee. Daniel Abreu’s elderly Batman from the Middle Ages may look battered, but we would not underestimate the Dark Knight even in this condition.
9 MEDIEVAL STEEL
Superman’s red and blue spandex is a timeless classic. Perhaps that’s why seeing Supes in a significantly different outfit feels kind of weird. Even though, there are artists who manage to make their re-designs look very interesting, especially when the makeovers are taken to an extreme.
Pablo Glez, an artist from Spain, re-imagined the Man of Steel in the Medieval period. The shiny armor looks stunning, but the thing that really caught our eye is that peculiar helmet, which makes this version of Superman look a bit spooky.
8 FROM CAPTAIN TO KNIGHT
Steve Rogers usually comes off as very polite, noble and obviously patriotic. Coming from a different, simpler time, Steve feels out of place in the 21st century. It’s entirely possible that the Cap would feel more comfortable in a time before his own than the one we’re living in now.
Daniel Kamarudin thought Captain America would make a good knight, hence he presented to us Steve Rogers, the knight. The intricacy of the armor’s design is impressive. The helmet, in particular, looks fantastic.
7 THE ORDER OF X – LORD XAVIER
Of course, you cannot make the X-Men without Charles Xavier. Nate Hallinan knows how important Professor X is for the X-Men lore, so he made sure to give Xavier a worthy role in his version of the X-Men.
Sir Patrick Stewart fits right into the Medieval period with his fancy new attire and a brand-new wheelchair that also functions as a throne. Feeling it was his noble duty to protect the ‘gifted', Lord Charles Xavier founded the Order of X.