Wonder Costumes' Guide to the Trendiest Halloween Costumes of 2017

By Shrey Sankalp

We all love ourselves a sweet, sweet costume, don’t we?
And we’d love sweet, sweet new costumes for Halloween 2017 wouldn’t we?
Costuming is a joy unlike other because when it comes to costuming, you’re awarded the opportunity of being whoever you choose to be – from the trendiest superhero on the block to the most niche and unique of abstract concepts – and being it the way you see fit.
An opportunity such as this is bound to have you salivating at the possibilities it presents, and it’s really no wonder Halloween – the one day of the year when everyone is free to choose who they want to be with just a costume change – is as big as it is, year after year.

Of course, costuming is in itself an extension of fashion, and just as the world of fashion has certain trends year after year, so does the world of costumes. While there are certain categories of costumes that are popular in a specific context for a specific year, there are also a good many categories of costumes that remain popular year after year (superhero costumes, horror costumes and medieval costumes refine examples of the same), and both sets are populated by enough elements that choosing the perfect Halloween costume from this earth can prove to be a daunting task.
At Wonder Costumes, this is a conundrum we’re all too familiar with, and to try and make the costume buying process easier for our patrons, we present a detailed guide to the trends of the costume world each year highlighting the all important players.
And with that, we welcome you to the 2017 edition of the Guide to Trendiest Halloween Costumes!

Popular Characters: TV, Film, Animations, and Comics

We live in an age where we have access to all sorts of entertainment, and that too at arm’s length. As mediums like television, film, animation, and comics push the very boundaries of the idea of entertainment, they result in grand stories told by way of instantly iconic characters and breathtaking visual designs when it comes to the costumes, the setting and whatnot.

Under this popular costumes section, we present to you a comprehensive list of all properties which have been garnering buzz thanks to one of the characteristics mentioned above, and we reveal the costumes you can expect to dominate Halloween, property by property.

Assassin’s Creed

Assassin’s Creed always felt like a franchise destined to have its day on the big screen thanks to its operatic scale, cinematic action and jaw-dropping visual and costume design. Of course, having a setting that immediately hooks the player and a plethora of likable (and well-dressed!) protagonists helped too. So when the franchise finally made it to the big screen with the late-December release of Assassin’s Creed starring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons, it was something of an event.
And it found much favor among the faithful too, thanks to its accuracy to the lore, the cast, and of course, the commitment to creating a visually unique world whose character and costume designs were worthy enough of being in the same league as the character and costume designs of the film.
The film seems to have resoundingly succeeded, for there is a renewed interest in Assassin’s Creed costumes, both from the video game and the movie.
And the frenzy isn’t about to die down anytime soon either, with a new Assassin’s Creed game being shown very recently.
Assassin’s Creed Costumes are going to be big this year, and you’d do well to get an early start on your costume!

Doctor Strange

The second half of Marvel Studio’s 2016 one-two punch was Doctor Strange, a film that received much, much praise for its path-breaking visual effects, mellifluous score, strong lead performance, and of course, as always, industry-leading production and costume design.
Doctor Strange opened up a very interesting corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the film’s production design team used the opportunity to their advantage by creating some of the most unique and eye-catching Marvel costumes ever.
In fact, Doctor Strange costumes were imbibed with so much personality that certain accessories like the Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation (both of which are a key component of the titular character’s costume) proved so popular, they became celebrities unto themselves.
Between the film’s release last year, Doctor Strange’s upcoming appearance in Thor: Ragnarok and the rumored role the character plays in Avengers: Infinity War, there is much buzz around the character, and fans can expect to see Benedict Cumberbatch in the Doctor Strange costume a fair bit in the next few years. An investment in a Doctor Strange costume now would be a wise one – for all we know, Doctor Strange just might be the next Iron Man of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, cool goatee and all.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the riskiest things Marvel Studios had done when it came out, but when the film proved to be a critical and commercial smash (thanks to a likable cast, a heartfelt story, killer soundtrack and some never seen before visual and costume designs) it was obvious Marvel would give the titular team another outing.
And in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, they got all of that.
The film dialed up everything cool about the original to 11, and the best thing to come out of that was even cooler visuals and more colorful costume designs.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 costumes are innately highly stylized, and vastly more colorful than your average Marvel costume, both of which are right at home in the context of what the film is, and makes the costumes highly endearing to superhero enthusiasts.
Although Star-Lord seems to be the most popular Guardians of the Galaxy costume, Rocket and Groot costumes aren’t far behind either thanks to their unique designs, and this Halloween, they might even be overtaken by the Yondu costume, both thanks to the addition of a super-cool fin to the costume from the precious film, as well as the expanded role of the character in the sequel.

Justice League

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is easily the most hotly anticipated superhero movie of 2017, and it’s not hard to see why – mythic characters coming together for the first time on screen, stunning visuals and cool costumes to support all of that?
All of the characters making an appearance in the film have had a history of magnificent costumes, and the movie’s costumes are stunning enough to do their legacy – for the lack of a better word – justice. With designs that are respectful to the original costumes that have appeared in comics through the years, and yet changed just enough to be believable in a real world context, Justice League costumes are easily some of the best superhero costumes around, and you can expect them to get the love they deserve come Halloween.
Expect an abundance of little Batmen, Supermen and Wonder Women among others on your doorstep this year.

Wonder Woman

Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman proved to be a landmark superhero event unlike another, and with the popularity that the character is enjoying in light of the film’s thumping success, there’s going to be a barrage of Wonder Woman costumes this Halloween.
Just as with every other DC costume, the Wonder Woman costume is both respectful to the legacy of its comic book counterpart, as well as functionally stunning to befit a warrior.
And speaking of befitting, the film also gave us one of the most befitting portrayals of a superhero in recent memory thanks to Gal Gadot’s charming portrayal of the character, and between this film and Wonder Woman’s appearance in the upcoming Justice League, there will be enough fans clamoring for a costume of their new favorite superhero.
And this doesn’t just apply to Wonder Woman and the traditional Wonder Woman costume,  the film built a unique universe where every character had a hook to make themselves appeal to you, and because of the film’s stunning production design, an impressive costume as well, thus allowing you to become said character in just a quick costume change.

Lego Batman

Both Legos and Batman are awesome enough in their own right, so could a marriage of the two have been anything but awesome squared? No, it couldn’t, and The Lego Batman Movie is a resounding proof of that – all the Lego Batman costumes you’re going to see this Halloween are only going to drive home that point further.
Lego costumes have always had a kooky charm to them that has made them incredibly popular among costumers, but this year that popularity is going to be off the charts thanks to The Lego Batman Movie which introduced countless Batman costumes in charming Lego form.
The Lego Batman costume is a home run in itself, and does a good job capturing the nuance of the film’s animation, and the same extends to the costumes available for the supporting characters, which is great news for fans of other characters as they get to be all the Lego Batman characters they love with a costume that’ll do them justice.

Adam West Batman

Everyone has a favorite Batman and consequently, a favorite Batman costume, but in spite of that, one thing that the entire Batman fandom agrees on is how Adam West’s portrayal of the character (including is Batman costume) is untouchably iconic and will remain so perpetually.
The Adam West Batman costume has always enjoyed a degree of popularity, and that popularity has only increased in the latter half of the 2010s in conjunction to the once again rising popularity of the 1960s TV series, but this year, it’s all but guaranteed to reach a fever pitch.
In light of Adam West’s tragic passing, more and more fans are seeking ways to pay tribute to the most iconic Batman of all time, and what better way to do it than by putting on the most iconic Batman costume ever and breaking out the Batsuit?
There has been a tremendous outpouring of tributes to Adam West, and that’s only continued to rise. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if the Adam West Batman costume ends up beating all other Batman costumes when it comes to frequency of appearance this Halloween.

Wolverine

Wolverine has been one of the most iconic characters of our times thanks to Hugh Jackman’s visceral portrayal of him in the movies, and as the saga of Wolverine came to a magnificent close in Logan this year, a film widely regarded as a classic of modern superhero cinema, it is but natural fans will want to pay their respects to the character, and what better way to do it than with costumes? There’s always the option of going with Hugh Jackman’s tank top, jeans and claws Wolverine costume, but for the comic book faithful, there’s a plethora of classic yellow and blue Wolverine costumes for them to employ for paying their respects.
And while Hugh Jackman never donned the yellow and blue costume on screen, Logan offered a touching fan service Easter egg in the form of every Wolverine appearance in in-film X-Men comics and action figures being in the instantly recognizable yellow and blue costume.

Power Rangers

Power Rangers is the very definition of a known commodity, and its costumes are extremely popular year after year as is, and this year won’t be too different, except this year, a different kind of Power Rangers costume is going to enjoy that popularity.
2017 saw the release of Saban’s Power Rangers, a contemporary reimagining of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers which embraced gritty storytelling and The Breakfast Club­-esque character work, both of which made the film be warmly embraced by fans, in turn.
of course, that doesn’t mean the film didn’t retain the classically flashy Power Rangers costume – in fact, it one-upped the classic Power Rangers costumes by presenting an organic and contemporary armored design that looked stunning in action.
Power Rangers fans have always embraced new Power Rangers costumes, and there’s no question of embracing the Power Rangers costumes introduced by the movie, not when it is the most daring and pleasingly bold costume design the franchise has given us in years.

Star Wars: Rogue One

Star Wars’ aesthetic inclinations as a franchise have always resulted in some truly memorable visual and costume designs, and that doesn’t seem to be changing with the modern Star Wars movies.
Just as with Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story continues the Star Wars tradition of presenting a thrilling story brought to you by way of memorable characters in even more memorable costumes.
Jyn Erso was a strong protagonist already, and the inclusion of an attractive costume just made sure that more and more fans would pick up a Jyn Erso costume, whereas K2SO continued the Star Wars tradition of having a lovable droid feature in every movie (and he was lovable enough to give C3PO and R2D2 a run for their money) and is certain to beat every other Star Wars droid costume in the popularity department this Halloween, while the tradition of introducing a cool new Stormtrooper design with every new Star Wars movie remains intact thanks to Death Trooper costumes, which have proven to be the most popular Stormtrooper costume already.

Princess Leia

As 2016 drew to a close, a great disturbance was felt in the Force when Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia herself passed away too soon.
Carrie Fisher enjoyed tremendous popularity both as herself, and as Princess Leia (as the countless Princess Leia costumes will tell you), and while Princess Leia costumes were always popular, this year their popularity is expected to be at an all-time high as fans come out in droves to pay their respects to one of the most influential, motivational and inspirational characters of all times the only way they know how – with the help of costumes.
There is going to be an army of Princess Leias this Halloween, and when it comes to paying tribute to a character who oversaw two rebellions over the course of her lifetime, could there be a more poignant tribute?

Spider-Man Homecoming

Spider-Man continues to enjoy the distinction of being one-third of the troika of the world’s most popular superheroes, and one secret to his glory might be the consistency of appearance when it comes to films depicting his costumed adventures.
2017 sees the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, another reboot of the character, but featuring an all-new Spider-Man that is younger, more in line with his comic book portrayal, and most importantly, a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
One merit of that last fact is how Spider-Man gets to interact with Tony Stark who has made the Spider-Man costume this time around and made it appropriately tech heavy to stand out from the costumes of yore.
Spider-Man’s new costume should provide an excellent new option to Spider-Man costume enthusiasts who have desired a costume different to the ubiquitous Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield costumes for a while now.
And it’s not just the Spider-Man costume, we will also be seeing Michael Keaton’s terrifying Vulture in action for the first time on the silver screen, and he’s been given an approp