10 Best X-Men Costume Redesigns
As the next step in evolution, the X-Men have also evolved with their fashion sense.
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00:00Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the 60s, the X-Men started out as five superpowered teenagers under the tutelage of Professor Charles Xavier.
00:10Eventually, they blossomed as one of Marvel's most recognizable teams.
00:14While there have been many fashion disasters in the X-Men, there have also been many success stories as well.
00:20Sometimes, these redesigns are so good that it becomes a defining look for the characters.
00:26With this in mind, I'm Dan from WhatCulture, and here are the 10 Best X-Men Costume Redesigns.
00:3210. X-Factor – Havok
00:35As Cyclops' younger brother, Havok often gets overshadowed by the more popular Summers.
00:40Yet, time and time again, he has proven himself to be a great leader in his own right.
00:45Initially, the younger Summers wore an all-black bodysuit, complete with a unique helmet, which allowed him to control his powers.
00:53But during the 90s, Alex Summers received a more contemporary redesign, as he was tasked to lead the revamped government-sanctioned X-Factor.
01:02Sporting a big yellow X on his chest, complete with a leather jacket, this new uniform matched closely with his comrades.
01:10Ultimately, Havok's redesigned costume was modernized during the new decade, while maintaining the aesthetic established by Neil Adams all those years ago.
01:199. 80s Colossus
01:22Designed by Dave Cockrum for the all-new, all-different X-Men during the 1970s, Colossus was the X-Men's first Russian member.
01:31Peter Rasputin would leave his country to join Charles Xavier and his X-Men as the then youngest addition of the team.
01:38His first costume, consisting of red and yellow colors, was way too similar to Nightcrawler's.
01:44Though Colossus retained this costume initially, as the new decade arrived, Colossus would spend most of his time in the 80s sporting a shirtless appearance,
01:53especially during the Outback era of the X-Men, where the team had relocated to Australia.
01:59It was a fitting change for Rasputin, allowing him to showcase his muscular physique and emphasize his status as the big, metallic man of the team.
02:08The shirtless look would remain a defining staple of the character, with it being used as his reintroduction in Astonishing X-Men.
02:158. Professor Kitty Pryde
02:18Kitty Pryde has had a long journey with the X-Men.
02:21From her changing codenames from Shadowcat to Sprite, Kitty was also often a victim of fashion disasters.
02:28But in the mid-2000s, it seemed that the young Kitty Pryde had finally found a look that stuck with her.
02:35During Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run, Kitty returned to the team and served as a major character.
02:41Having started out as one of the youngest characters, the now Professor Pryde had come full circle,
02:47serving as a teacher who would guide the students in Xavier's school for gifted youngsters.
02:52Her character arc would also reflect her appearance.
02:55Sporting an updated version of her first uniform during the 1980s, Pryde had finally found a costume that would define her look for years to come.
03:04The simple colours and the design of her uniform signified Kitty's role as one of the team's more down-to-earth members.
03:117. Feline Beast
03:14Dr. Henry McCoy is no stranger when it comes to cosmetic changes.
03:18He had initially been a mutant that was relatively human-looking, with the exception of his big hands and feet.
03:24But in the 70s, Hank underwent a transformation in which he received blue fur, which was more fitting of the name Beast.
03:32This altered appearance of his would become one of the character's defining traits.
03:37Unfortunately for the good doctor, this was not the end of his physical evolution,
03:41as he underwent another mutation and received a more feline appearance during Grant Morrison's New X-Men run.
03:48Beast's new look would be part of his character arc.
03:50He feared that he was slowly losing his intelligence and was slowly devolving into an animal.
03:56Thankfully though, McCoy learned to live with his new appearance,
03:59and his feline look would become a staple of the character for years to come.
04:036. Archangel
04:06Warren Worthington III was one of the original members of the X-Men.
04:10Extremely wealthy and carefree, he enjoyed his tenure as Angel as he joined his teammates on numerous adventures.
04:16But his role as the winged Avenger would later take a tragic turn
04:20when his wings were mutilated by Harpoon during the mutant massacre of the 80s.
04:25Eventually, his injury led to his wings having to be amputated after forming an infection.
04:30Distraught at the loss of his wings, Angel fell into a depression and was presumed dead in a plane crash.
04:37But Warren actually survived this and would later be found by Apocalypse,
04:41transforming him into the Horseman of Apocalypse, Death.
04:45Now with blue skin and metallic wings that could be used as projectiles,
04:50the fallen Angel became a darker character.
04:53Even after leaving Apocalypse, Warren was forever changed by his experience.
04:58And while he did regain his natural wings years later,
05:01Angel's time as the Horseman of Death and his new look would remain one of the character's most memorable moments.
05:085. Marvel Now! Magneto
05:11Magneto has always been a key player of the X-Men.
05:14Having first appeared as the team's foe during their first issue,
05:17Jack Kirby's original design made Magneto such a memorable villain.
05:22His original appearance would remain fairly consistent throughout the years.
05:26But after the death of Charles Xavier during the Avengers vs. X-Men story arc,
05:31Magneto would ditch the red and purple for something more fitting and somber.
05:36Now, sporting a white costume as well as a sleeveless look,
05:39Eric joined the morally compromised Cyclops and his rogue X-Men during the Marvel Now! era
05:45as they fought harder for mutant rights.
05:484. Dark Phoenix
05:50The Dark Phoenix saga is one of the most iconic X-Men storylines ever
05:55as the Phoenix Force possessed and corrupted Jean Grey.
05:59She became a danger not only to her friends but to the entire universe as well.
06:04Swapping her green and yellow colours for a dark red,
06:07Jean Grey as the Dark Phoenix bared a sinister visage as the Cosmic Force possessed the young woman
06:13with her eyes losing humanity and her face having an otherworldly expression.
06:18The Dark Phoenix became one of the X-Men's biggest foes.
06:21Ultimately, Jean chose to die as a mortal rather than be consumed by the godlike power.
06:27While she has been resurrected numerous times,
06:29Jean's turn as the Dark Phoenix remains a classic in the X-Men's rich and colourful history.
06:353. Punk Storm
06:37Aurora Monroe is one of the X-Men's most powerful members.
06:41Having been treated as a goddess in Africa,
06:43her initial appearance was one benefiting of such a description.
06:47With her long white hair and flowing cape,
06:49Storm would serve as a member of the second generation X-Men.
06:53But after her experience with the brood,
06:55Storm decided to change her serene look for something that was much more contemporary to the 1980s.
07:01The result was her punk phase or better known as Punk Storm.
07:05Losing her flowing locks for a mohawk and ditching her costume for a leather vest,
07:11Storm underwent a major change.
07:13This change would shock her teammates.
07:15But despite this, Punk Storm would become one of the character's most iconic looks.
07:202. Jim Lee's Cyclops
07:23Since the inception of the team, Scott Summers has been the field leader of the X-Men.
07:28Since the 60s, the man known as Cyclops had the most consistent of costume designs.
07:33But in the 1990s, artist Jim Lee took over the series
07:37and gave the characters new costumes that would define the team for a generation.
07:42Among them was Cyclops' new costume.
07:44Despite being filled with 90s style ornaments such as pouches and leg holsters,
07:50Cyclops' new costume has remained one of his most memorable looks.
07:54It was distinct enough to allow Scott to stand out as a leader
07:58while keeping true to his character by keeping the same colour scheme that he's always had.
08:031. Wolverine's Brown Costume
08:06Initially a one-time four for the Incredible Hulk,
08:09James Howlett, better known as Wolverine, joined the X-Men in the 70s.
08:13He eventually became one of the fans' favourite characters in the series,
08:17even gaining solo titles.
08:19Despite this, his earlier outfits had him sport bright yellow and blue colours,
08:24which, despite being well designed, didn't seem to fit with the character all that well.
08:28Then, along came artist John Byrne, who decided to give Logan a brand new look,
08:33giving him a more muted colour scheme as he wore a brown and tan costume.
08:38This redesign gave Wolverine a much darker appearance,
08:41which fit the character a lot more than the bright yellow that came before it.
08:45And, while Wolverine would later return to his blue and yellow colours,
08:49this redesign would remain one of his best looks,
08:52and here's hoping that once the character finally makes his MCU debut,
08:56he finally gets his iconic mask and costume.
08:59And that's our list!
09:00Know of any other good X-Men costume redesigns?
09:03Let us know in the comments section below.
09:05You can follow me on Twitter,
09:07and after that, be sure to swing on over to whatculture.com
09:11for more lists and articles like this every single day.
09:14For now though, I've been Dan, and I'll catch you in the next one.