Bringing superhero costumes to the screen has been a struggle that every franchise has faced. This is due to the fact that what works in comic books may not look as appealing once it sees a literal interpretation on screen. Wolverine, for example, has never once worn his yellow suit on screen. It would not have the same impact or be taken seriously. These four superheroes, on the other hand, have been lucky to give accurate depictions to the on-screen counterparts.
1) Dick Tracey
Warren Beatty was very particular of bringing an accurate depiction of the comic character Dick Tracey by Chester Gould. He insisted that the film should only have seven primary colors. As a result, the film looked exactly like the comic book coming to life. The costume- The yellow trench and hat, the white shirt and black vest and the red-and-black striped tie along with Warren Beatty’s square jawline brought an extra authenticity to the character.
2) Rorshach
Director Zack Snyder made the impossible happen when he brought the much loved Watchmen comics to screen. The director may have been criticized for many of the movie’s mistakes but he brought a rather faithful depiction of the comics. Many scenes and camera shots replicated the exact panels from the comics. Rorschach’s costume was an exact replica including the face mask that morphed and changed when Haley moved.
3) Superman
Christopher Reeve’s costume has been thought by many to look exactly like the one in the comics. The famous blue/yellow/red suit with boots and belt, down to the strand of a lock falling from Superman’s forehead was accurately replicated. Although, paper to screen has a different interpretation. The newer version of the Superman suit worn by Henry Cavill is darker in tone than the comic books.
4) Spider-Man
Spider-Man’s costume from Sam Raimi’s first film has been said to be an accurate imitation of Spider-Man’s suit from the comics. The hero’s suit did raise some criticism from comic purists for the raised webbing, but it could be argued that it was necessary for the 3-D effects. Maguire had to wear a muscle suit to give his body more tone in the suit and he had to wear a hardened face mask that had an egg shape like in the comics.
