Spider-Man's Amazing (and Forgotten!) Costumes: A Look at Underrated Designs!
Spider-Man's S.H.I.E.L.D. Suit: A One-Hit Wonder We Need Back!
Spider-Man has had a TON of awesome costumes over the years; everyone loves a good redesign, right? But seriously, some designs deserve way more love than they got. Take this totally rad S.H.I.E.L.D. suit, that appears in Marvel Two-in-One #5 (written by Chip Zdarsky, art by Valerio Schiti). This happened during this crazy storyline, a Doctor Doom takeover causing the government to give many superheroes mandatory makeovers – resulting in Spider-Man looking ridiculously awesome in that black, red, and crimson number, complete with a big S.H.I.E.L.D. logo!
The classic Spider-Man suit is legendary— but seriously, this S.H.I.E.L.D. suit might just be the best Spidey ever got! It's incredibly sleek, bringing that powerful sense of authority and professionalism, that’s made very clear through those unique color and pattern changes. It totally rocks; almost feels like a heroic Superior Spider-Man design. This unique variant that looks incredibly awesome deserves so much more love and deserved far more use than its twelve issue run provided! This is seriously important and should be returned later on.
Why Marvel Keeps Sticking with Spidey's Classic Suit
Let’s be honest. Spider-Man's original suit rocks. We're not saying it isn’t brilliant—but this incredible level of recognition doesn't necessarily provide advantages, especially to more innovative designers! Marvel has tried. There have been many stunning suits! But that initial version is unbeatable. Every amazing suit just seems to get forgotten; and that has resulted in the general public not knowing exactly which alternate designs actually exists.
That legendary initial design made that suit instantly recognizable and just insanely awesome; however its continued use really makes it extremely difficult for alternate versions to actually make an impact. It’s a blessing and a curse. While Peter can fall back on a suit that works perfectly and doesn’t fail ever; this limits potential. It means so many incredibly cool and impressive alternate looks exist, but are lost because of it; the sheer brilliance of its initial design means later alternate and updated versions struggle to catch on, despite some seriously awesome versions. It's unfortunate! This has resulted in serious limitations which are often overlooked!
More Than Just the S.H.I.E.L.D. Suit: Other Underrated Spidey Costumes
That S.H.I.E.L.D. suit isn't the only example of forgotten awesome outfits. Seriously. The one that is shown in Spider-Man/Deadpool #8 is that killer Black Widow inspired suit and this thing completely dominates through all angles; this shows Peter's serious side; that super intense dark look and completely black except for that big red Black Widow symbol! A fantastic look totally wasted in a single issue.
Everyone else gets to update things regularly. Batman's suit changed colors. Iron Man gets brand new looks every appearance! But Spider-Man? Nah! Sure, some small improvements occurred. But he sticks to his original suit. Seriously! It’s crazy; It's completely limited, highlighting exactly just why Marvel should’ve tried far, far harder in highlighting and incorporating various alternate designs into future plots! This creative constraint severely impacts their later efforts and makes some more amazing storylines potentially not accessible, merely due to simple costuming decisions! So why this oversight?!
Marvel’s Smart Move: The Iron Spider Lives On
There is good news, folks. It's shown how Marvel smartly took those lost designs into various other characters. Think of the Iron Spider suit, arguably Peter's best visual aspect that's incredibly distinct compared to his normal appearances! That super awesome suit made it to Avengers: The Initiative #3, creating a totally awesome storyline involving cloned humans who rock that killer Iron Spider look! It became a completely new plot point.
Conclusion: It’s Time for Marvel to Embrace Spider-Man’s Underrated Style
Let's be honest! That original red and blue Spider-Man suit will forever be iconic. And nothing compares to it! It’s totally understandable why Marvel holds onto this original suit. That’s no longer the only valid costume, because seriously awesome stuff got wasted. Marvel could easily create some entirely amazing alternate stories by taking these lost and undervalued suits; incorporating them into storylines for these much underutilized costume concepts! Marvel needs to showcase what makes Spider-Man so impressive: His vast and incredibly varied wardrobe, emphasizing the enormous versatility and range of his unique fashion sense!
