Superheroes have been a staple in our society for nearly a century. A significant reason for the MCU's success as the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time has to do with how well Marvel Studios have incorporated certain iconic elements from the comic books to the silver screen. This is particularly true with how each character looks in live-action, with a specific focus on the costume.
Nothing is more pleasing for a long-time fan than seeing a comic book character come to life on screen while maintaining his or her original look. The abundance of heroes in the MCU has brought along countless different suits, costumes, and uniforms. This inevitably means there is just not enough time to focus fully on what each costume has to offer. With that said, here are 10 hidden details about the MCU costumes you didn't notice.
Advanced Iron Spider
Fans were clamoring to witness the Iron Spider suit in action ever since its sneak peek in Homecoming. Infinity War delivered on that promise, showcasing an upgraded ultra-intuitive suit with four cybernetic limbs attached to the back. In truth, we didn't really get to see all the suit has to offer besides the aesthetically pleasing look and the two extra pairs of arms.
The Art of Spider-Man: Far From Home, a book that revealed exclusive concept art for the movie, explains that the suit has some more tricks up its sleeve. Most of the hidden abilities are connected to the four arms (or waldoes, as they are officially called). The artwork shows that they contain lights to help Spider-Man navigate in the dark, that they can act as shields to block bullets, and that they are able to project sonic blasts towards enemies.
Rocket's scarf
After the tragic events of Infinity War, Rocket Racoon was the only surviving Guardian of the Galaxy, (along with semi-team mate Nebula). The "trash panda" has had one of the best character arcs in the MCU as of lately, with a particular focus on his "tough on the outside, but emotional and longing for a family on the inside" relationship with his fellow Guardians.
GoTG Vol. 2, especially, showcased his love-hate relationship with Peter Quill, as the two continuous bickered throughout the movie. This makes a specific feature of Rocket's Endgame attire both extremely saddening and incredibly heartwarming. When he joins the Avengers again in 2023 for the time-travel mission, he can be seen wearing a red scarf for the first time. This is the same scarf that Quill wore before he was turned to dust.
The Incredible Pants
There is an age-old question surrounding Bruce Banner's transformations into the Hulk. What happens to his clothes, and why is he never naked? Surprisingly, the MCU actually made an effort to explain what could have been just a very minor plot-hole. In The Avengers, after Hulk goes berserk on the helicarrier and ends up crashing out of the sky, he wakes up in a barn, completely nude.
If a friendly janitor hadn't been around to give him some clothes, Banner would have arrived a little later to the Battle of New York. Age of Ultron then revealed a very interesting, and useful fact for Bruce. With Tony Stark taking over as the Avenger's unofficial costume designer, he created a special pair of pants made out of an unspecified microfiber fabric that is able to stretch to unimaginable sizes without ripping.
Hidden insects
After the emotional beating that fans took after Infinity War, Marvel gave audiences a comedic pallet cleanser with Ant-Man and the Wasp. The sequel finally introduced us to the two original missing comic book Avengers, as a fully costumed Hope Van Dyne joined Scott Lang. Months before the movie was even released, an eagle-eyed Reddit user (u/fachin_hell), noticed a very interesting detail regarding both character's get-ups.
Both costumes clearly have their similarities, but the design on the front of each one is, not only different but surprisingly relevant to each hero. Simply put, Ant-Man wears the head of an ant on his suit, while Wasp sports a face resembling that of a wasp on hers. Both insects were both hidden in plain sight. Clearly, Hank Pym never had any doubt regarding superhero names.
Spider-Man is safe
One of Marvel's strongest father-son relationships comes from two characters who actually don't share the same bloodline. From Tony Stark's visit to a bedroom in Queens, to a grieving Peter Parker, these two have shared a truly heartwarming bond. One hidden detail about Spidey's Stark suit shows just how much Tony cares for his protégé. Spider-Man: Homecoming reveals that the suit has a series of useful little features like a heater, a tracker, and a parachute.
However, these are more than just throwaway gadgets. Tony's last solo adventure saw him stranded in the cold snow of Tenessee, without a suit, and no hope of being found by anyone. Homecoming also takes place right after he was forced to watch helplessly as his best friend suffered a fall that paralyzed his lower body. Suddenly, a heater, a tracker, and a parachute become something more significant...
Bulletproof Captain
When Steve Rogers was injected with the Super-Soldier Serum, the kid from Brooklyn gained super-strength, speed, agility, durability, stamina, amongst other traits. However, the fact he has a shield is a clear indication that he did not become bulletproof. Bullets and blades can still rip easily rip through him. That is, until the Russo brothers came along. Back in 2014, the directors revealed that Cap's costume had changed significantly from his first Avengers team-up.
Aesthetically speaking, that is plainly obvious when you compare the brightly colored pajamas from the Battle of New York to Winter Soldier's dark, serious-looking uniform. What was interesting about the Russo's reveal is that they stated that the new suit was made of kevlar, thus rendering it completely bulletproof. For the remainder of the Infinity Saga, this became a permanent feature.
A Wakandan message
In T'Challa's solo movie, the Black Panther left the Civil War suit for an upgraded version, courtesy of his genius sister. The biggest addition to the costume was its ability to absorb and subsequently release kinetic energy. The glowing purple tracings along the black outfit are the visual indicator of this power. What many probably did not notice was a very well hidden detail presented by the glowing designs.
When the King of Wakanda first observes the kinetic energy flowing through the suit, a purple-coloured sentence seems to appear. Reddit user u/thecruiser_ took the time to translate the Wakandan text, arriving at the sentence: "I love you mom". It's a little bit strange that Shuri would include such an obscure and random detail on a battle suit for the Black Panther, leaving us to theorize that it was probably a heartfelt message from the director, Ryan Coogler, to his own mother.
Bucky's beginnings
We first saw Bucky Barnes as a pure-hearted, brave World War II soldier, always looking out for his scrawny best friend Steve Rogers. After he was kidnapped by Hydra, the newly created Captain America rescued his friend, and immediately formed the Howling Commandos. Bucky's bright blue costume is something that was only around during his stint as a Commando. Ever since his presumed death, and subsequent return as the Winter Soldier, we never saw that outfit again.
However, some may have been observant enough to notice its sudo-reappearance during Infinity War. Even though he still possesses his metal arm, and the costume isn't exactly the same, there is a striking resemblance to his First Avenger attire in both shape and color. It's nice to see that, after all he's suffered, he is still able to reconnect to his earlier, more innocent past.
Marvel-ous details
Carol Danvers first appears in the blue Starforce uniform. Here, there are already a few hidden details. Firstly, it might seem as if every member sports a star on their chest. However, each soldier is actually attributed with his or her own unique logo. Carol is the only one with an eight-pointed star. Then there's her mohawk helmet, which is taken directly from the character's popular 2012 comic books. What many may not know is that the technology behind the helmet has been confirmed to be the exact same as Star-Lord's. Later in the movie, Captain Marvel scrolls through a variety of suit choices. Before she settles on her present look, she skips past a green and grey costume, and a black and yellow design. The former references one of Mar-Vell's original comic book suits, while the latter points towards Danvers' Ms. Marvel days.
Bleeding Edge
There are two distinct moments in the MCU where Tony Stark's suits suffered a major upgrade. The first was the red and gold replacement for his clunky, built "in a cave, with a box of scraps" armor. The second moment was Infinity War's introduction of the Mark L armor, powered by nanotechnology. As amazing as it was against Thanos (he made the Mad Titan bleed, after all) we didn't really understand its full capabilities.
Something that might have gone unnoticed by many is that this is the only Iron Man suit that has no need of a JARVIS, FRIDAY, or any AI for that matter. Everything is mind-controlled. Then there's the fact that the armor is unbelievably light, weighing a mere 25 pounds. What really sets this suit apart from the others, though, is its ability to literally change any part of it into any shape imaginable.