Your Guide to 2017's Must Have Superhero Costumes!

By Shrey Sankalp

Yeah, so as you may have noticed, superhero movies are kind of a big thing these days. And not just big as in big, big as in GDP of a small nation big.
In 2016, we had six of these costumed extravaganzas, with two of them being hero vs. hero smackdowns (but not really), two of them being origin stories with delightful twists, and two of them being generic portal in the sky world ending destructofests.
As this line differentiating different films from different studios continues to blur, the studios seek to distinguish these films by shaking up the aesthetics, such as adding some funky visuals or snazzing up the costumes.
This year saw plenty of the latter, and with the way superhero costumes ruled this year's Halloween, coupled with the fact that next year has the same amount of superhero movies coming out, I don't see why superhero costumes cannot repeat this year's feat in 2017. Of course, in addition to the usual suspects, 2016 saw a lot of new superhero costumes coming on (and subsequently flying off) the shelves, so we got a very welcome mix of the traditional and the new costumes, and this trend looks to continue in 2017, so we at Wonder Costumes thought, hey, why don't we act fast, and make a list of all of 2017's must have superhero costumes?
And so we did.
This is that list, and here we go:

1. Wolverine Costumes

2017 sees what is Hugh Jackman's last turn as Wolverine in Logan. This is a saddening event for both comic book and casual fans, as his portrayal of the gruff superhero had earned a special place in our hearts, even if he eschewed his comic book costume for a leather (and later armored) outfit.
His height and his costume may not have been in line with the comics, but Jackman certainly captured the spirit of the character, and it speaks volumes that Jackman's leather suit from the movie and his tank top and jeans combo carved another category of Wolverine costumes in the superhero threads market.
It was widely expected that the 2017 Wolverine costume would finally do justice to the original yellow suit, but with Logan's promotions having kicked off, we can take the yellow suit off the table - the film's tone and that costume simply won't gel together.
Still, the film looks like it might add a costume to Wolverine's movie wardrobe in the form of Old Man Logan costume, so if nothing else, at least fans will have one more costume they can wear as an homage to the character.

2. Batman Costumes

There's no way our boy Batsy wasn't going to be on this list. Whether it's a Bat-movie year or not, Batman costumes will be a hit simply because of the superhero's popularity! As popular as the Nolan and the classic costumes were proving to be, with Ben Affleck's portrayal, we finally got a comic accurate costume which proved to be a massive hit, just like Affleck's interpretation.
DC's massive team-up Justice League hits theaters in 2017, so Batman's popularity is only going to go up, and with the superhero getting a new costume in the film, expect a new costume on the streets too.
If you're not on board with Batfleck, or just the general grimness of the character, The LEGO Batman Movie releases in early 2017 that has a brand new self-effacing take on the character that is sure to pique your interests.
LEGO costumes are always popular, but combined with Batman and that too from what arguably looks like the best film starring the superhero since The Dark Knight, I don't see how the LEGO Batman costume doesn't end up as one of 2017's best costumes.
And if that doesn't tickle your fancy either, there's always the sweet, sweet Adam West costume, because at the end of the day, nothing beats the old-fashioned goofiness of that Batsuit.

3. Wonder Woman Costumes

Wonder Woman is widely accepted as one of the best things about Batman v. Superman, and it's not hard to see why - intriguing, strong and brave, the superhero is everything she stands for in the comics.
Wonder Woman's characterization and excellent costume design proved to be a big hit with fans looking for superhero costumes in 2016, and between Wonder Woman, the first female led solo superhero film and Justice League coming out in 2017, coupled with Wonder Woman's appointment as honorary ambassador to the United Nations, the character's popularity is only going to exponentially increase, and more and more fans will be eager to get their hands on the 2017 Wonder Woman costume before it sells out everywhere. In addition to Gal Gadot's iteration, Lynda Carter's version of the superhero remains popular today too, so for anyone looking to celebrate what Wonder Woman stands for, the original costume (or the comic book costume, for that matter) will serve just as well.

4. Rest of the Justice League's Costumes

Apart from Batman and Wonder Woman, Justice League will be starring The Flash, Cyborg, Superman and Aquaman.
While Superman will appear in the film, his costume status remains unclear, as to whether his costume will undergo changes for the sequel and if he will finally wear the black costume, but even that minor niggle aside, Superman's 2017 costume should prove to be popular, as it has in the past.
The Flash's costume already is making waves in how different it is to his TV counterpart's, and almost all of that is positive, so I expect to see a near fifty-fifty split between the TV and movie Flash costumes, although it does remain to be seen if the movie version is as widely beloved as the TV one.
Aquaman and Cyborg remain wild cards, as while they have really cool looking costumes, their hasn't been enough footage of them so far to signify whether the superheroes are actually worthy of those costumes. Still, knowing the actors and the visual department's potential, we can say that these costumes are a safe enough bet.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy Costumes

The first film proved to be one of the most surprising hits of the season, and coupled with its unique world and character design, it helped the film have a lasting impact with the fans. These unique designs in turn produced some really great looking costumes, and people were all too happy to pick up the costume their favorite character wore.
2017's sequel sees the superhero team add some fresh faces, so there shall be plenty of opportunities to pick a new favorite character's new favorite costume come Halloween, but with the team's original costumes getting refreshes anyway, you'd do well to look into the 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Costumes.

6. Spider-Man Costumes

Left Photo: AKM-GSI

Spider-Man is also one of those superheroes with the distinct pleasure of selling a lot of costumes irrespective of whether he has a movie coming out in the said year, or not. After a few relatively lackluster movies in a row, the rights finally reverted back to Marvel in 2015 just in time to reintroduce the character in a very comic book accurate manner with 2016's Captain America: Civil War, and this new version of the superhero proved so popular that he led to sold-out costumes across the country, even before his 2017 solo film Spider-Man: Homecoming was announced!
The signs are all in place for the solo film to be a smash hit as well, with a very innovative director, a fresh take on the superhero and a classic vibe to the whole affair.
The costume remains unchanged for the most part, so expect a similar sold out situation with the 2017 Spider-Man costume too, and you'd do well to book your suit well in advance.

7. Thor Costumes

Thor: Ragnarok closes out Marvel's slate for 2017, and it certainly seems like it will be a cracker. With an auteur in the director's chair, a thrilling premise, and an appearance from the Hulk, the film sure has the audiences already sold, and seeing Loki again will surely prove to be a thrill.
Thor's otherworldliness always spilled out into its universe, and as such it made for some truly mesmerizing costumes, particularly Loki and Thor's outfits. With the direction the 2017 film is taking, and the props that have been displayed so far, we can safely assume our superhero and supervillain will be getting revisions to their costumes, and when you factor in the Hulk and him finally donning his Planet Hulk costume in a way, you know that 2017 Thor costumes are going to break the internet.

8. Doctor Strange Costumes

Marvel

Doctor Strange turned out to be a bigger hit than anyone expected, while it was at it, it set up a very vast universe of its own, complete with its own stylistic flourishes such as the costumes and the props.
There is a very unique quality to the costumes seen in the film and with how popular the actors involved and sympathetic the characters were, everyone already has a costume they will be saving up for in 2017.
Doctor Strange may have entered the superhero costume scene late, but he sure will dominate it in 2017.

Honorable Mention: Deadpool costumes

Just as with Doctor Strange, Deadpool does not have a movie coming out in 2017, but despite not being a traditional superhero, Deadpool won the fans over with his charm and uniqueness, while his comic accurate costume became near ubiquitous on Halloween.
There's no reason the popularity should die down, especially considering Ryan Reynolds' propensity to keep the character in public consciousness every now and then, and as such 2017 should be a good year for Deadpool costumes.

Cheat Mentions: Power Rangers and Transformers costumes

Yes, yes, we know. Transformers and Power Rangers costumes cannot be technically classified as superhero outfits just as say, James Bond can't, but the films exploit both these properties in a manner that they're hardly lesser than superheroes.
Unlike Transformers, Power Rangers have traditional costumes, which are usually color coded per authority, and the upcoming film looks to continue that tradition, even if the film's costumes have a more armored mech-suit look to them than the sparkly fabric the shows have been using since forever. The film's chief antagonist Rita Repulsa has gotten a costume upgrade too, and seems all the better for it.
Power Rangers have the eye candy department sorted, and should see their costumes' popularity boosted once the film hits.
Transformers has been remarkably light on marketing with the new film, so major costume redesigns cannot be confirmed at this moment, but owing to the popularity of the characters and how recognizable they are, they will certainly strike a chord with audiences as they always do, and enjoy a decent run at the box office as always while selling decent amounts of costumes in 2017.

As you can see, 2017 is hardly going to be the year with a dearth of superhero costumes, and as is the case with any popular item, the costumes will be in great demand. With the experience we have accumulated over the years, we know how passionate fans tend to be in these matters, and as a result, we always maintain a vast inventory to make sure every fan who comes to us looking for a superhero costume gets exactly what he needs.
You could even say superhero costumes have become our specialty, whether it is in matters pertaining to Halloween, Comic-Con, or anything in between. Come shop with us, and watch us put the 'super' in a superlative experience!