Are they merely fashion statements or do they serve another purpose
There is so much evil in the world of comics and it can become too much for a single hero. Superhero teams can give the heroes an advantage while also giving them a sense of comradery. We have seen different teams over the years with a variety of members. A question that is bound to come up during the formation of a new team is what should their look be? Should a team have matching costumes or not?
Obviously there are pros and cons to both. Matching costumes show a commitment to the team. You could even relate it to having "team spirit." Wearing matching outfits shows you believe in what the team represents. You are part of a bigger picture. There's also an advantage in those big crazy fights where it could get hard to keep track of which villain you need to hit and who's supposed to be watching your back. A team with a uniform is easily recognizable to the public. Even if a new member joins the team, everyone will know they're in safe hands and there's one more hero there to vanquish the evil around them. Having a team uniform most likely means you don't have to worry about making your own repairs if a costume gets ripped. Chances are, there's a closet full of them in different sizes. This could also come in handy after the holidays when we sometimes gain a little weight.
What are some of the cons of having matching uniforms? == TEASER == Wearing the same outfit as everyone else could lead to an individual losing some of their individuality. You could become just another costume crusader doing whatever you're told to do. You have to hope all the members on your team won't screw up in public and make people blame you for their indiscretions. In those big crazy battles, you could become more of a target as the bad guys will know to aim for everyone wearing the uniform. The main reason to not have a team look is you are stuck with someone else's choice. You might have to wear a long cape or big uncomfortable boots if you want to "play" with the team. If you ever had any thoughts to what you'd like to wear while fighting crime, those ideas could be thrown out the window.
The argument could go on. Should a team have a costume. Let me know your thoughts. Does it make the team appear more impressive or does it make them look like mindless soldiers?
(Thanks to bingbangboom for planting this seed in my mind.)
@Gunslinger6: Definitely my take on it. Uniforms are good to tell your side from the other side, which isn't often difficult when it's groups of less than a dozen against each other. I would definitely go the practical route here. The FF are essentially a celebrity team, so uniforms make sense from a style point of view, plus their origin and family nature suggest similar outfits. But any other team of smaller than a dozen probably doesn't need to go the uniform route unless some sense of visual similarity is needed.
I think that when a team has matching outfits they start to loose their individual personality. However outfits with similar themes are all good e.g The bat family.
I think the FF and GL corps and teams like that should have matching uniforms, but most other teams have people that have established their own idnetity beforehand. I'd hate to see Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern all with matching uniforms. I couldn't picture that
Well, it depends on the team "type" if its a world's greatest heroes united kind of deal then they should have individual costumes. If they share an origin and/or power that team defines themselves with then they should...
The real question is was the superhero already a hero in his/her own right or did they become heroes all together. Case in point is Fantastic 4 they became heroes together, where as X-Men, Avengers, Justice League of America, ect... they were already heroes who bonded together to work as a team. It really is the question of individuality of the hero and if they are already known as heroes or not.
Some of this has already been said before but here is my two cents worth. I think that whether or not a team should have matching uniforms or not depends on the type of team. Quasi-military groups such as SHIELD and the Green Lantern Corps should have uniforms. If a character is on multiple teams that have different uniforms that might mean the character would be changing costumes frequently but normal people change their clothes every day. I don't see why heroes couldn't. The alternative to uniforms for teams such as the Avengers and JLA would be badges. Imagine a hero showing up at a crime scene/disaster, flashing a JLA badge, and saying "I'm here to help".
If the characters exist as a team first, then yes, they should have matching outfits. So I think something like the X-Men should never have gone the route into separate costumes. They're a team first. But something like the Avengers should never do matching uniforms. They're individuals first.
There was a fantastic episode of Super Hero Squad during season 1 that tackled this very issue. Captain America called upon Wolverine to help him with an international incident but the kicker was that Wolverine had to were a similar uniform to Cap, follow a code of conduct book and a few other things. So Wolverine followed good 'ol Cap but things got out of hand and the only way for the 'ol canucklehead to solve the problem was to return his Wolverine gear and break the rules- much to Cap's chagrin.
If the team members are synonymous with a certain team, and they started off with that team, then sure. I have no problem with the Fantastic Four's Uniforms. For a team like the X-Men, however, with so many members, you need the different uniforms for distinction.
Only team I know of is FF4. And they suck. Other than that is giant teams like S.H.I.E.L.D and hydra and such. They much like the military use the uniform to instill a point of unity and anonimity(sp) amongst the ranks. But overall, I say.......Be your self man.
I like the idea of matching color scheme more than matching uniforms. For example, the way X-Force uses a unifying color scheme whilst letting each member still wear their own uniforms is the way I believe such things should be handled. Otherwise, it makes teams look goofy. I'm a fan of a few members of the Fantastic Four, but continually can't get over their somewhat silly family jump-suit look.
The FF are a FAMILY more than a team. Not to mention we are talking about 4 members as opposed to 8 or 12. It's much easier to get 4 people to wear the same thing than 12... Anyway, you get my point. The X-men, Justice League, Avengers, etc... are a bunch of individuals who were brought together, from all over and even other times and realities, to form a team for the greater good of mankind... yadda yadda yadda. The New Mutants work well with matching uniforms, but that's mostly due to the fact they were all students at a school. The bottom line is this... Keep the smaller teams like the FF wearing their uniforms and let the bigger teams wear whatever the heck they feel like... Because in the end, they will be doing as they please anyway. Oh and please have Wolverine get rid of that blue and yellow spandex crap. The brown and yellow spandex looks much better and makes him more of an individual... not to mention tougher.
I just wanna say something about the last part, about not getting the 'colors' you want for your costume and it being someone else's decision.
Isn't it the point of a team to have everyone's input on something? And try work it in. Otherwise, it's not a team.
And what you wear as a hero, doesn't take away any of your individuality. Because that's just the other side of you, who doesn't matter as much as the real you - so it wouldn't matter in the end. Unless you're a hero who's not afraid to show his face in Public, like the FF... excluding The Thing. If you want yourself part of the team, perminantly, nothing else but savin' the public should matter to you unless it's personal space time.
I don't thin that matching or unmatching uniforms are better or worst within themselves, however there are certain circumstances when one makes sense over the other. For instance if a team is part of an official government police or military unit of some sort, then the it would make more sense for them to have matching uniforms than a team of heroes from different cultures that become unified to fight for a common cause.
The Fantastic Four are a family, which is why they have complementary costumes. Their costumes, however, are not the same costume, and in fact they never have been; the motifs were similar, but Thing for example has never worn the same costume as the rest.
When the raison d'etre behind a team is that close and that intimate, it fits to have them wear costumes of a complementary motif. However, it didn't work for the X-Men -- the film costumes were butt-ugly and made it look like they had just sprung from a leather bar to come fight the villains, and when they tried to imitate that in the comics, it just looked visually uninteresting.
Costumed heroes should generally always have iconic, colourful costumes, and typically that is accomplished by everyone having an individual look that suits their origin or powers. The reason why the Avengers, for example, wear different outfits is because they are all from different circumstances and all different heroes that also work separately from the team. The same is true for the Justice League. While they do operate as a gestalt entity when addressing issues as a team, there is little need to set their individual identities aside.
Uniforms are generally needless. Only when a common motif suits a team should they be used. It also is less interesting visually and can lead to confusion of characters, especially if characters have similar physical attributes or if, for example, the comic is in black and white and colour can't be used as a crutch to differentiate similar-looking characters.
The Fantastic Four work with Uniforms. The Green Lantern Corp. work with Uniforms. The reason is because they are supposed to be assossiated as a team. You look at Human Torch rushing into a burning building you know the situation in under control because the Fantastic Four's Human Torch is there. If it were just Johhny... then you'd panic. It's the feel of the fact that they are a part of the organization, which over shadows the hero in most cases like this, that grants security or greater security given the members. What I'm trying to say is, the team makes the members in this.
But for teams like The Avengers or the Justice League, it doesn't work because because the heroes themselves the teams are made of heroes who have banded together to save the day from the latest alien invasion because they know no single one can handle this alone. You'd be fine with Iron Man coming to your rescue alone, but if the threat is too big for him, he'll call "Avengers Assemble!" and you have the Captain America, Thor, Scarlett Witch and Ronin there ready to fight to save the day. Here the members make the team.
Then, for me at least, there are teams who can walk the middle ground. For me the X-Men work with team uniforms BUT the uniforms must be stylized for each member. Yes Wolverine, Storm and Gambit are all wearing the same colors, but Wolvie's in his Ultimate uniform, Storm in her modern uniform and Gambit in his classic outfit, trench coat and all. In cases like the X-Men, the team makes the members, but, the members have become so iconic that they can preceed the team. They were born as a team but have grown to where the team does not define them.
That's just my take. The Fantastic Four are a team that defines the members so uniforms are a nessessity. The Avengers are a team that is defined by the members so uniforms are a big Darth Vader 'NO'. But the X-Men are a team that defines the members, but each has grown so far out that the same uniform won't do them all justice so they have uniforms, but each is stylized to fit the members.
That's just my take on the 'Superhero Team Uniforms' debate.
It depends on whether the members were heroes before they became a team. The X-Men and the Fantastic 4, for example, look better with uniforms. The Legion of Superheroes are an exception, since they look better with just matching belt buckles.
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