The writer of some of the bestX-Menmovieshas given a definitive answer on why the titular team wears matching black suits in the originalMarvelfranchise. The reasoning has been a long time coming, with theX-Men making their on-screen debutin said suits 25 years ago.
Since then, the X-Men have experienced a rollercoaster of a cinematic career. Following the critically acclaimedX2, one ofthe best superhero sequelsever made,X-Men: The Last StandandX-Men Origins: Wolverinepainted a dismal picture for the future of the franchise.X-Men: First Classthen corrected the X-Men’s course, and with it came a new, more comics-accurate wardrobe.
Apurely comics-accurate wardrobewould comprise a particularly colorful set of threads that helps each member to stand out. Wolverine is perhaps the most prominent with his yellow suit and winged helmet - something whichDeadpool & Wolverinefinally adapted in 2024. The pure-black leather outfits in early X-Men movies, meanwhile, fly in the face of this convention completely.
X-MenandX2writer, David Hayter, recently addressed the reasoning for the X-Men uniforms in response to a fan question viaX, clarifying thatit was requested by director Bryan Singer. Hayter states that Singer struggled to justify why the X-Men would wear different clothes, and that unless there was a practical reason, they should wear “street clothes” instead.
Consequently, the writers opted to give the X-Men a uniform that not only helped to homogenize them and convey their cohesion as a team but also provided them with some protection. Hayter’s comments can be viewed below:
Because our director said, “Why is Wolverine the only one who wears a mask? Why would Storm wear a bikini into battle? Unless there’s some practical reason for them to wear uniforms, they’re going to be in street clothes.” So the uniforms were designed to be protective.
What David Hayter’s Comments Mean For The X-Men Movie
It Was Too Eaerly For The X-Men To Dress Ostentatiously
In 2000,superhero movies were more beholden to realism than they are today. It therefore makes sense that Singer would have been keen to flout comic book precedent to ground the inherently outlandish team as much as possible. In that sense, the costumes offer a small amount of recourse for creative license.
Taken together, Hayter and Feige’s comments paint a detailed picture of why the traditionally colorful team of X-Men were ultimately kitted out in thick black leather outfits.
This reasoning was even baked intoX-Menitself, withCyclops' now-infamous line “What would you prefer, yellow spandex?“At the time, Wolverine was expressing his incredulity at wearing such outlandish outfits - a sentiment that now feels particularly ironic given the modern appetite for colorful, comics-accurate costumes.
The comments also add another layer of context to what Kevin Feige, who worked onX-Menas an associate producer, has previously revealed. When talking toComicbook’s Brandon Davis (viaCBR), Feige said about the outfit choice:
“There were studio execs in charge who knew that The Matrix had been a big hit and they wore black leather so, ‘Put them in black leather!”
The Matrixwas released one year prior toX-Menin 1999, and earned $466 million at the global box office.
Taken together,Hayter and Feige’s comments paint a detailed pictureof why the traditionally colorful team of X-Men were ultimately kitted out in thick black leather outfits. Now that comic accuracy is more amenable to superhero movie fans, Feige’s oversight ofthe MCU and the X-Menmeans that the likes of Wolverine and Professor X look more comics-accurate than ever.
Our Take On David Hayter’s X-Men Comments
If It Set The Team Up For Success, I’m Happy
While I am certainly more of a fan of the comics-accurate costumes sported in modern X-Men adaptations, Hayter’s comments have improved my opinion on the outfits the team initially wore. Ultimately,the decision made a lot of sense, withX-Menearning nearly $300 million worldwidein the earliest days of the superhero movie genre.
HadX-Menopted for a more flashy and comics-accurate wardrobe, this might have ostracized casual moviegoers. Instead,it could be argued that the gargantuan superhero sphere was predicated on such a move, and considering this put theX-Menon a trajectory to sporting their comics-accurate guises in modern adaptations, I think it was a brilliant move.
