There are more costume changes in X-Men comics than a three-hour long Beyoncé concert at Madison Square Garden. Sure the same could be said for just about any superhero, but most other characters seem to maintain a close proximity of what they first appeared in. Take Captain America or Vision or Wonder Woman or Superman (now that those iconic red trunks are making a comeback) for example. Sure these heroes have undergone modern touches throughout the decades and have adopted some wardrobe facelifts to some degree, but for all intents and purposes, their original costumes are still pretty much the same.
The X-Men on the other hand seem to have outfits for just about every occasion. They have matching costumes for going out into space. They have training gear. Even in their film adaptations, they have myriad black and yellow designs that seem to change from movie to movie. It might just be because there is such a massive cast of characters, but it can be a little daunting picking out when an event occurs based on the costume a character wears in a random panel. Many X-Men outfits come back full circle, while other grow into something better or worse.
15 WORSE: WOLVERINE
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely run on New X-Men is nothing short of revolutionary. These guys set a new precedence for what an X-Men comic could be and vastly influenced how this team of heroic mutants would be perceived by the general public, especially in the X-Men Film Franchise. That casual Logan look has followed the character up to his current incarnation as "Old Man Logan" as the hip cool dad we all wish we had.
However, this hip, new look swung for the fences and missed completely, as casual Logan doesn't have the same lair as that classic yellow costume. We immediately longed for the days of large ears on a yellow or brown mask the moment we saw Wolverine standing proudly with his chest hair on display for the world to see.
14 BETTER: ROGUE
Look, the ‘80s were a weird time for X-Men comics. During the decade, some of the greatest stories ever told in the graphic medium could be found in the pages of Uncanny X-Men during which some of the most iconic mutant heroes were introduced. Sadly, not all the fashion choices this period stuck the landing. In fact some costumes were downright awful such as the ugly green getup Rogue was sporting when she first appeared in Avengers Annual #10. This hideous outfit would later show up in the X-Men flagship series, but worse.
Rogue went through many costume changes thereafter, pretty much all of which were vast improvements. But Rogue’s wardrobe hit near-perfection when her hooded outfit with the green and white color scheme recently appeared. This outfit gives Rogue somewhat of a menacing look, but also pays tribute to the costume that came before it.
13 WORSE: BEAST
As wonderfully fun as Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s iconic run on Astonishing X-Men was with regards to its storytelling and its refreshingly classic take on the X-Men mythos, there were some questionable wardrobe choices. Many fans were confused by those little black things protruding down from either side of Wolverine’s nose the first time they saw him in the yellow outfit with small ears (which harkened back to his first appearance), but even more befuddling was the outfit Beast was wearing.
When Hank McCoy first appeared in X-Men #1 back in 1963, his outfit was functional, simple, and uniform to the ones worn by his teammates. Beast would undergo several outfit changes throughout the decades, some of which are nothing more than a pair of briefs with an X logo on them. But none are more bizarre than this high waisted wrestling costume. How does it even stay on?
12 BETTER: MAGIK
Sometimes the best costumes simply invoke a particular character trait of the characters inside them. This is often conveyed through a symbol (Batman’s bat emblem emblazed across his chest comes to mind), but sometimes when characters get a wardrobe upgrade, it reflects their development. A prime example of this is the gothic sorceress garb worn these days by Magik.
In her early appearances as a New Mutant, Illyana Rasputina often wore the team outfit. Her conformance to the team certainly created a dichotomy with regards to her abilities compared to the other mutant kids around her. Magik is and always has been more than just a mutant. She’s a sorceress who walks between realms of reality. Her abilities are so vast that even heavy hitters in the mystic arts like Dr. Strange take note. Her black leather costume invokes the feeling of dark mystic power perfectly.
11 WORSE: CYCLOPS
There is a discussion to be had about how X-Men comics have treated Scott Summers over the last decade. Fans have seen the guy get put through the wringer emotionally and physically as well as being forced to watch ol’ Slim commit some heinous acts of betrayal. But one thing that always remained part of Scott was the most recognizable X-Men costume accessory: Cyclops’ visor…that is until it wasn’t.
Shortly after Avengers Vs. X-Men, Scott adopted a new outfit, ditching his iconic visor for a big old X across his face (you know, just in case there was any question about him being an X-Man and whatnot). While some fans seemed to like this new version of Cyclops’ costume, others were left wondering how he sees out of that thing and why in the world does he look like Racer X from Speed Racer?
10 BETTER: STORM
Ororo Munroe is one of those characters who showed up to the party already dressed to the nines. There are very few versions of Storm’s costume that look bad, which is hard to say for most other comic book superheroes. Despite Storm’s keen fashion sense, there is one outfit in particular that stands head and shoulders above the rest…especially because there is a mohawk involved.
The X-Men comic running during the ‘80s did a pretty good job of conveying current fashion and counterculture that was happening in the real world on panel, neon blemishes and all. One cultural artifact from this time period that was adopted into a character’s wardrobe was the punk rock look Storm sported for a while. With a studded leather jacket, choker, and blazing white Mohawk, Storm had never looked cooler, which is why they brought elements of it back to her look.
9 WORSE: HAVOK
We all love a cool jacket on our mutants. Storm had a good one for a bit in the ‘80s. Cannonball’s leather bomber was pretty cool. But for every cool piece outerwear an X-Man puts on, we get another that just doesn’t make sense. Havok during his time with the X-Factor in the early ‘90s fall victim to having a really goofy look.
It’s easy to tear apart a lot of Alex Summers’ outfits. When he first hit the scene, his questionable headgear was as goofy as it was strangely endearing. His blue and yellow outfit, however, is so ‘90s it might as well be flannel. Why is his jacket (at least, we think it’s a jacket) tucked in? The weird Gambit-esque sparring face flaps and fingerless gloves only further Havok’s costume goofiness. It makes us long for the weird white head spirals from his original costume.
8 BETTER: ANGEL
Pretty much everything about Rick Remender, Phil Noto, Greg Tocchini, and Jerome Opeña’s run on Uncanny X-Force was awesome. From the roster of X-Men they banded together for the the mutant hit squad to the sharp dialogue and explosive action, every facet of the book knocked it out of the park. But one of the coolest things the series did it did with Archangel.
Early on, Warren Worthington III’s costume was pretty similar to that of the one he had during the previous X-Force series. But as the Apocalypse Seed took over his body, his costume got way cooler, infusing a techno organic-look to a classic X-Men appearance. The Apocalypse and Archangel Hybrid costume worked so well it’s hard to want to see the character any other way.
7 WORSE: JUBILEE
Before Jubilation Lee put on her iconic boxy pink shades and neon yellow trench coat, she dressed pretty much like an average teenager from the '80s. With her hoop earring and denim skirt, she looked like should might have jumped out of a frame of a John Hughes movie. Once Jubilee adopted the yellow coat, she would rarely leave it (or her boxy pink shades) behind, even when she squeezed into one the many skin-tight X-team jumpsuits, with varying degrees of success.
One of the lamest X-Uniforms that have graced the pages of X-books over the last twenty five years or so would be the red and yellow getups from the original run on Generation X by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo. These kids looked like warriors for Ronald McDonald instead of mutant freedom-fighters. When Jubilee added her signature coat to the outfit, it was somehow even worse.
6 BETTER: CABLE
You know who’s pretty cool despite their overly convoluted origin story and their initial ridiculously alpha male persona from when they first appeared? Cable. You know what is not cool? Copious gunstocks, pouches, and weird tactical vests without shirts underneath. Oh, and random spiked bracelets because, you know…reasons and of course needlessly large shoulder pads and guns that defy the laws of artillery and physics. But despite the ridiculous ‘80s action trope-filled appearance (the dude’s a cyborg of sorts to book), Cable became a fan favorite.
Over the years, a lot of the more garish aspects of Cable’s costume have diminished or have been erased completely. And while the character is still a gun-toting time-traveling tough guy with a metal arm, Cable looks the coolest when his outfit is functional like it is in the “Second Coming” crossover event. Less is indeed more when it comes to Nathan Summers.
5 WORSE: GAMBIT
Gambit hasn't gone through a whole ton of drastic costume changes (if you don't count that X-Factor thing) but his current costume within the pages of Astonishing X-Men (and soon to be in X-Men Red) still keeps that tight body-hugging suit, but takes away the flair of the bright pink colors and replaces it with a dull and boring purple.
Now to be fair, Gambit’s original costume from his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men # 266, doesn’t really hold up today. The gaudy purple tights and strange blue chest piece seem kind of garish today, even if the outfit hits some fans’ nostalgia nerves. However, this costume has some character and personality to it, which is more than we can say with what he's wearing these days.
4 WORSE: JEAN GREY
Jean Grey is one of the original five X-Men from 1963 and has been both the backbone and a source of contention for her fellow teammates for over 50 years. Fairly recently, a teenage Jean Grey (along with her fellow teammates) travelled to the future to put a stop to Cyclops’ crusade and has since decided to stay in the present. Luckily, teenage Jean in the 21st century has a much better fashion sense than she did in 1963.
The costume Jean Grey wears in her ongoing self-titled series is a fantastic mashup of her original team uniform, her the Phoenix costume, and the classic yellow masked Marvel Girl getup. This Jean looks tough and like the leader she should have always been for the Xavier.
3 WORSE: EMMA FROST
Emma Frost first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. She was striking in her ivory cape and teddy, a woman who was a sultry as she was dangerous. Frost would go on to vacillate between the role of hero and villain in X-Men comics for decades, always donning her signature white outfit, which, coupled with her platinum blonde hair, gave her an almost spectral appearance.
In recent years, Emma frost has gone to the dark side, so to speak. Not necessarily in her actions, but definitely in her appearance, slipping into a black, rather-revealing get up, that made her hard to discern from certain characters who were also blonde and in black leather. The stark white outfit of White Queen made her stand out on the page. The black outfit makes her look like an extra from one of The Matrix sequels.
2 BETTER: PSYLOCKE
Betsy Braddock has quite a bit of history in Marvel Comics prior to her ever taking up the moniker of Psylocke, but when she first showed up as The Mandarin’s new assassin in Uncanny X-Men #256, her appearance was laughably silly. Psylocke (or Lady Mandarin, if you like) has strange metal leggings and a Wolverine-esque mask that made us wonder what the functional purpose of it was. For an assassin, she stuck out like a sore thumb.
Luckily, Betsy saw several different costume changes in later years, which vacillated between ridiculously revealing to understandably functional. But even the costumes that made you wonder if she even owned a pair of pants were still better than the goofy armored getup from when she first hit the page.
1 WORSE: MAGNETO
Last we saw, Magneto was flying around wearing some black get-up so you know he's evil. Or is he? Well we can't keep track anymore but what we can tell you is that we miss that classic red and purple look old Mags used to sport. The black suit looks too much like he's some sort of "x-treme version" of the character to us.
Magneto’s original red and purple outfit is iconic. Silhouettes of just the helmet trim from the costume can be found on T-shirts and bumper stickers and tattooed on the flesh of X-Men fans all over the globe. It would seem that no matter what direction comic creators decide to take his look in, it always zeroes back to the first costume we ever saw him in.