[Intro Music]
There are few things in this world more badass,
than this intro to the 1992 X-Men animated series.
It's vibrant, and bold, and exciting,
and it says everything there is to say about the X-Men.
But, it wouldn't hold that same visual energy,
if it looked like this.
With comics, and superhero comics, in particular,
colour is a key component
in making the characters iconic
and recognisable.
In a universe of thousands of characters,
you need every available design element to differentiate between them.
But, colour is the most important.
If you distill these characters into just their specific colour palettes,
you'd still have a pretty good idea of who's who.
But, in this era of bland, muted and lifeless costume design in film,
you strip that layer of identity away.
See if you can guess who this costume belongs to.
We've had sixteen years of X-Men films,
some great, and some not so much,
and Apocalypse isn't out yet, so I can only speculate.
but why does it seem like the X-Men franchise is almost embarassed by the X-Men?
Wolverine: "You actually go outside in these things?"
Cyclops: "What would you prefer?
"Yellow spandex?"
That line isn't directed towards Wolverine,
it's directed at the audience,
Bryan Singer: "That was my response to a lot of the internet complaining about the -
"the lack of spandex, multi-coloured costumes,
"which we tried."
In 2012, we even got confirmation from Singer himself
that there would be no more black, leather costumes,
in future X-Men films.
Finally.
We've upgraded to
black
paintball gear.
It's not an issue with the limitations of costume design
that's been proven in Deadpool and, partially, in X-Men: First Class,
except for whatever the hell this was about.
It's an issue with the film-makers
and their faith in the material,
because how is full-body black leather any more practical than spandex?
Brian Peck: "Now, this right here.
Bryan Singer: "Oh!"
Brian Peck: "This is the first time the actors wore the suits on camera."
Bryan Singer: "That is true, and they could not climb over that concrete divider.
"They just couldn't do it.
"They kept -
"Hugh ripped his pants,
they fell over."
Brian Peck: "And the first time they wore them, everyone felt like they were sort of in a body cast,
Bryan Singer: "Yeah."
Brian Peck: "and could not hop over that wall
"without, practically, falling over."
James Marsden as Cyclops: "This is insane!
"Nobody could move in this."
James Marsden: "They have the footage of it.
"We, like, tripped and, like, we fell flat on our faces
"because we couldn't get our legs high enough in these suits.
"So, you couldn't feel less like a superhero in these costumes."
The X-Men have a very complicated role in the Marvel universe.
They aren't celebrated like other heroes,
they're misfits, and outcasts, and kids on the run,
and a lot of them don't have families.
Jubilee: "I used to be a normal kid...
"It's not my fault!"
And that costume that the students wear,
is sometimes the only thing that gives them any sense of belonging.
It's not just a uniform,
it's a symbol of the unification of the group,
while also being a representation of individuality,
because that's what being an X-Man is about.
It's a celebration of self-identity.
Take Nightcrawler, for example,
he's a circus performer,
and his costume should reflect that.
It should be vaudevillian, and acrobatic, and full of colour.
There's nothing acrobatic about khakis,
or a leather trench coat.
A costume can say a lot about a character.
If you look at Cyclops' and Wolverine's classic costumes,
they have inverted colour schemes to visually represent their opposing roles on the team,
and their relationship as foils.
It's a subtle and clever way to show their conflicting ideologies.
And you get all that from just two colours.
In some ways,
wearing a flashy costume is a tool
to battle segregation,
and the discrimination mutants are facing about the public.
Raven: "Mutant, and proud."
And what does proud stand for,
if not self-expression.
Xavier's goal when designing the original uniforms,
was to promote co-operation and project a positive public image.
He wanted his students to inspire people,
like superheroes did.
It's the same concept behind police uniforms,
or firefighters.
Black isn't the only serious colour.
and the X-Men should do more than represent a dated interpretation of "cool".
Logan: "Is this going to be about tights?"
Scott Summers: "Sorry, Logan, superheroes wear costumes."
and, quite frankly, all the black leather is making people nervous.
Here's a quote from James Mangold, the director of The Wolverine,
on why the character doesn't wear his costume,
he says that the flesh and blood of the character is loyal to that iconoclastic rebel,
who doesn't seem to be the first to don spandex,
and that, by removing the costume,
they're trying to stay true to the character.
Staying true to a character doesn't mean stripping away the one design element
that he's always had, since his first appearance 40 years ago.
Wolverine wearing his costume is a sign of his loyalty to Xavier's vision,
and his respect for Cyclops' leadership.
The two may butt heads and be at constant odds,
but, at the end of the day,
Logan knows who's in charge.
Logan: "Every now and then, Summers,
"I remember why you're still in charge."
Because, throughout history,
Wolverine is a soldier,
and a soldier knows the importance of a uniform.
So, if you think that blue and yellow spandex,
or capes and tall boots are too silly for your film,
then you don't take the property seriously.
And, a true fan
takes their interests seriously.
If you want to do a darker, real world spin on these characters, that's fine,
by all means, fulfill your vision.
But don't say it's because it wouldn't work on film,
because it does,
and it has,
and it will continue to.
These characters should stay authentic,
because they mean a lot to a lot of people,
and I think that there should be a certain level of responsibility when adapting these properties,
because these characters are a result of decades of work
from creators who've shaped and moulded them into the icons that we know today.
When people have been doing things like this in cosplay for years,
there's no excuse not to do it in film.
But, overall, I'm excited for the future of the X-Men franchise.
because, if they've learned anything from Deadpool,
it's that costumes can be comic-accurate
without looking like they came from a Halloween store.
Wolverine: "No!"
"Noo!"
"Noooo!"
[Outro Music]