Every comic book hero's costume has gone through a number of iterations throughout its life. Did you know that Iron Man's armor was once all gold? Did you ever see the series where Wonder Woman's costume included pants? There was a lot to draw from when it came time to dress the superheroes in the DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) Batman v Superman.
While the basics all seem to be there, some details and changes were certainly made by costume designer Michael Wilkinson. Here are just a few that may have gone unnoticed by casual viewers and fans alike.
Wonder Woman Was Inspired By Real Amazonian Warriors
The history of Amazonian warriors extends for centuries, so there was quite a lot to draw from when designing for Gal Gadot's character. Her armor was also inspired by that worn by Greek warriors and the gladiators in Rome. That's where the metal pieces of her costume come from, though the pieces Gadot wore were only chrome painted to look like metal, so they wouldn't be as heavy or expensive as the real thing.
Wonder Woman Was Designed For Function
Wonder Woman's costume was not only designed to be appealing and badass on screen, but it was also designed with function for the hero in mind. The hand wraps and the harness made for Wonder Woman's sword were meant to be battle appropriate. She would actually be able to run, jump, fight, and access the tools she's needed, rather than merely look good while fighting the villains.
Batman's Look Was Inspired By Artist Frank Miller
Frank Miller, comic book author, and artist, is most well known for his work on the Dark Knight Returns graphic novel. It was from this book that costume designer Michael Wilkinson based his look for Ben Affleck in Batman v Superman. The original mini-series sees an older Bruce Wayne don the Bat-suit once again to help save Gotham. While the Batman in the book was supposed to be 55, the 47-year-old Affleck was closer to his age than some of the other iterations of the Dark Knight.
The Batman Suit Highlighted Affleck's Muscles
Batman's real superpower has often been viewed as money. Bruce doesn't actually have superpowers, only the time and cash to equip himself to fight crime. The suit designed for the Batman v Superman film was meant to highlight the muscle Affleck put on for the role.
In the end, all Bruce has was his strength when it came right down to it, so it made sense for that to be the focus of the look on-screen.
Superman's Shiny Cape
On the pages of DC comics Superman usually sports a bright red cape. Wilkinson and director, Zack Snyder, wanted the Kryptonian to match the rest of the film a bit more, so they gave his cape a more subdued color. While still red, the cape Superman wears features a metallic finish that, while not incredibly bright, was still supposed to make the hero's costume pop while on-screen.
Quotes In Kryptonian
Director Zack Snyder had a favorite quote from Heart of Darkness author, Joseph Conrad, that costume designer, Michael Wilkinson, had translated into Kryptonian. This quote was then woven throughout Superman suit (including on the S glyph over Cavill's chest and Superman's belt). It gave the suit more texture and obviously was an excellent detail and bit of trivia for fans to obsess over before and after the movie's release.
Costumes Kept Changing Size
Both Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill spent a lot of time getting in shape for their roles in Batman v Superman. However, the pair kept putting on the muscle throughout filming. While it's hard to tell that they kept changing size on the screen, the costume department kept having to adjust the size of their costumes on the fly. They measured the actors every few weeks and kept having to adjust their civilian clothes for Bruce and Clark.
Clark Kent: The Reporter
Clark Kent, Superman's civilian alter ego, has existed as long as the superhero himself. Kent has always been a reporter and, while today reporters have cellphones and tablets, Michael Wilkinson wanted to throw Kent's look back to his golden age comic book appearance.
That's why Henry Cavill sports a trench coat while wandering about as Clark Kent, reporter, when he's not sporting the cape of Superman.
Lex Luthor: Silicon Valley
Jesse Eisenberg's costumes as Lex Luthor got quite a bit of attention in a film that starred so many super suits. Most fans took notice of the fact that Eisenberg's Luthor had hair. His clothing choices, however, were very deliberate. The costume department wanted him to look just as attention-seeking as he was in life, which is why Luthor is seen wearing strange combinations of expensive clothing along with his worn-out sneakers. He's supposed to seem disheveled and a bit casual like today's tech billionaires.
Computers Built The Super Suits
Costume designer, Michael Wilkinson, used 3-D scanning and modeling to make his costume designs. He scanned all of the actors to produce life-size versions he would work with on the computer to model and print as he went along. He also printed his own fabrics from digital art that he made on the computers as well.