In their 55-year history, the X-Men have gone through a LOT of costume changes. Some have worked, and some… haven’t (see the Revolution era for plenty of examples… or better yet, don’t). But there are a few that stand above the rest, designs that are so perfect that they have withstood the test of time, that are what we all picture when we think of the X-Men.
With the FOX-Disney deal moving forward (and the people rejoice!), we asked you, the voters, which characters you most want to see, and in which costumes, when they fiiiinally make their long awaited debut in the MCU. And here’s how YOU voted…
10. Jean Grey (Gold Team)-
And we start off with a… questionable choice. I don’t get this one. Yes, I know that we’re all very excited about Jean’s return to comics, and yes, she is the epitome of A-list X-Man and clearly deserves a spot in the MCU. But in this outfit? With the almost flesh-colored leg pockets that looked like a skin disease? Imma chalk this one up to the current wave of 90s nostalgia we’ve been riding, and the fact that Jim Lee can make damn near anything look good. Personally, I prefer that green miniskirt thing which I know is completely unsuitable for combat, but looks suuuuper cute. Oh, well.
9. Dazzler (Outback era)-
Look, if I’ve learned anything from my time in the Age of Groups, it is that you do not underestimate a Dazzler fan. They are in it to win it. And they got their girl to #9, and in her best outfit, to boot (and yes, this version requires the deep Australian tan and sunglasses, obvi). Marc Silvestri made subtle changes to Ali’s costume by giving her capri length leggings, an exposed midriff, and True Blue-era Madonna hair. At the risk of getting clocked by a roller skate by a rabid Dazz fan, I’m going to say she isn’t quite a necessary component of an X-Men movie, but she’d be a helluva good time, and her powers would translate really well to the screen.
8. Emma Frost (White Queen/Hellfire Club era)-
For the record, Emma Frost is one of my favorite heroes. I love her snarky interactions with the rest of the team, how she balances ruthlessness with compassion, her refusal to apologize for her point of view (which is often right), and her faaaaabulous taste in clothing (even that ridiculous Quitely diaper was hella fashion forward and I respect her for going for it). But, if we’re going for classic, iconic lewks, you can’t beat her original appearance. John Byrne was giving us full Victorian era dominatrix fantasy, complete with Magica-DeSpell-from-Duck-Tales hair, and I was HERE FOR IT. I love her as a hero, anti-hero, or full on villain. I don’t really care which incarnation we get, just put Emma Frost in that freaking movie.
7. Storm (Giant-Size debut)-
THIS. ICONIC. QUEEN. Not that I need to explain this to you, but Ororo Munroe is the Meryl Streep of comic books- she is perfection. And that’s pretty much true of her sense of fashion, too. Both her Gold Team era uniform (work those shoulder pads, girl) and her 80s punk look juuuust missed the top 10. But there’s a reason she keeps returning to some version of her original costume designed by Dave Cockrum (who, spoiler alert, performs really well in this list)- it is effing amazing. It’s regal, yet sexy, not to mention practical (clock the lockpicks in her headdress, and the business card she has sewn into the fabric, oh AND the unstable molecules that she can transform into regular clothes using her lightning, because comics). I particularly love that her leotard with the stomach ring is like the exact same thing Julia Roberts wears when she’s running the streets in Pretty Woman, but Ororo takes “ho… but make it fashion” to another level because she is, quite simply, everything.
6. Banshee (classic look)-
Where the hell did Banshee come from?! This is quite the upset. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Banshee- his buddy cop thing in the late 80s with Forge is very underrated, I still ship Emma and Sean as a couple, and he got a raw deal in Deadly Genesis. Not to mention this design from artist Werner Roth in 1969 (arguably the only noteworthy thing to come out of the X-Men during this era) still works today, with some tweaks. The striped wings have been incorporated not only into most of Sean’s subsequent uniforms, but into his daughter Siryn’s as well. They are unique, make sense from a practical standpoint, assisting him in flying, and they just look cool. All that being said, Banshee is… not the first character I think of when I think “core X-Men.” He gets a deserving nod as a member of the Giant Size team, but he’s pretty much been a satellite character throughout x-history. I doubt we’d actually see Sean Cassidy in the initial MCU film, but I certainly wouldn’t be upset if it happened.
5. Wolverine (brown/yellow costume)-
OK, so I need to be clear about something- I am not a Wolverine fan. But, like any good X-fan, I learned early on that you need to either fully embrace his existence or tolerate it as a necessary evil, like Chris Elliott on Schitt’s Creek or Mariah Carey post-1997. So, considering there’s no way there’d be an X-Men movie without Logan, at least you, the voters, selected his best costume, the yellow and reddish-brown ensemble artist John Byrne debuted right after the Dark Phoenix Saga and which Logan wore through the majority of the 80s. It’s a fan favorite, and I’m surprised it’s never really made a reappearance considering how much comics love to recycle old ideas. The earth tones make much more sense for an animalistic hero (I don’t know about you, but when I think “ferocious woodland creature,” royal blue doesn’t come to mind), plus it sets him apart from the standard X-Men school colors. Considering Wolverine is a loner (theoretically, anyway), this uniform seems character appropriate.
4. Rogue (Blue Team)-
This is Jim Lee’s second, but not final, costume design on this list, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. The man created new designs for the team at the height of its popularity, and for many, myself included, his lewks are still what I picture when I think “X-Men.” Rogue’s had several great outfits in her day (I’m quite partial to her black bodysuit with the green croptop and multiple belts circa Mutant Massacre), but when she appears in the MCU, this is what I want to see- the signature green offset with yellow, the bomber jacket, the white stripe down the entire length of her “higher the hair, closer to God” hair. And, I’m just gonna say it- this was Rogue at her most sassy and conventionally attractive. I am soooooooo over angsty, goth-y Anna Marie. Yes, she clearly has issues, but she’s also a ton of fun, and that’s the character I want in the MCU.
3. Jean Grey (green/gold Phoenix costume)-
Really, voters? Y’all ain’t tired of the Phoenix story yet? It’s already been butchered once (and I’m sure twice, come February), and it’s been rehashed countless times in the comics. Buuuut, if we’re talking iconic costumes (which we are), this really is classic X-Men. It’s another Cockrum design- I don’t love his artwork, frankly, but the man undoubtedly has an eye for fashion. As far as the likelihood of this costume making it to the big screen though, I have my doubts. Jean is always going to be a necessary component to any x-movie, but I honestly doubt if the MCU is going to go with this look/storyline in their initial outing. The first movie is gonna be doing a lot of heavy lifting with introducing the team, seeing how they fit into the larger MCU, and of course giving Wolverine his contractually obligated 75% of screen time, so I’d assume anything fiery cosmic bird- related is going to have to wait for a later film.
2. Nightcrawler (Giant Size debut)-
So, the weird thing about X-Men is that they’re fighting for a world that hates and fears them, but generally they’re all conventionally attractive people with power sets similar to other super teams that are well regarded by the public. For it to really work, it needs a character like Kurt Wagner, who really can’t blend in with normal society, who is hated just for his appearance despite having a heart of gold. To me, he is what makes the X-Men special and unique to their counterparts. And this design (again, Cockrum killing the game) truly is iconic, one of the best not just in X-Men history, but all of comics. Would it be kind of ridiculous in real life? Yeah, I do find it a little hard to see how those insane triangular shoulder pads, and the low v-neck that essentially points straight to his crotch will translate onscreen, but you can’t really do Nightcrawler justice without this uniform. Like, what other options are there, his priest robes?
1. Cyclops (Blue Team)-
Scott Summers is often a very frustrating character, whether it’s his long history of having a wandering eye, or his bipolar characterization of boy scout or mutant terrorist. Whatever his issues, however, the man knows how to wear a uniform. Even his most recent one, with the highly improbable X mask, looked fantastic on him. He can rock a head condom like nobody else. But really, this is THE look. The blue and gold school colors, the asymmetrical harness pouch thing, it manages to make him look like the perfect example of what the team should look like, but also sets him apart as someone special. The X-Men simply cannot exist without him- he is to the X-Men what Beyonce is to Destiny’s Child. Without him, they just don’t work. Cyke is due for a return in the comics, and who knows what lewk he’ll be sporting. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised if his debut in the MCU resembles something like this. Much credit, once again, to Jim Lee- this design truly is everything.