Illustrator and animator Joel Furtado has steadily been releasing some impressive fanart costume redesigns of iconic X-Men characters, recasting the classic heroes in high-fashion Hellfire Gala looks with a Medieval twist.
The X-Men are known for not only being one of the hottest group of heroes at Marvel Comics, but also for having some of the most diverse and constantly evolving costumes of any consistent heroic group. X-Men costumes throughout the '90s and early 2000s seemed as though they were changing every few issues, with Marvel's Merry Mutants moving swiftly through different phases of mutant resistance, from being a military group, to a mutant school, to a whole society during the Utopia era, each with their own distinct costumes.
Joel Furtado is an extremely talented illustrator who has previously released stunning recreations of the critically acclaimed 2019 X-Men reboot House of X/Powers of X as though they were an animated TV show, so it is no surprise that the artist's reworked X-Men costumes are so gorgeous. So far Furtado has unveiled eight X-Men redesigns, showcasing new looks for the beloved mutants Rogue, Nightcrawler, Magik, Colossus, Bishop, Storm, Jean Grey, and Gambit, all with revamped looks in a similar style. It is hard to find the exact words to describe the fashion style of Furtado's new X-Looks, but the closest approximation might be "high-fashion Medieval with a splash of punk rock," and the gorgeous styles all work perfectly with the X-Men that Furtado has chosen. In particular, Rogue, Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler's incredible costume updates, all seen below, seem to not only be new "looks" for the heroes, but also emphasis each character's individuality, attitude, and power.
If Doctor Doom Had A Fashion Show In Latveria...
Piotr Rasputin, the organic-steel skinned hero Colossus, is somehow even more attractive in Furtado's redesign that highlights the hero's new look when he is both flesh and steel. Colossus' new look is reminiscent of his gorgeous thirst-trap redesign for the recent Dark Ages alternate universe story, emphasizing the fact that Piotr is one of the older X-Men around and is a strong, athletic, Russian man. Rogue's new look is a brilliant "punk medieval" take on her classic brown coat costume, keeping the powerful mutant's classic green and brown color scheme but giving her an epic knee-high knight's boot, creating a high-fashion old world vibe that would honestly fit perfectly into a fashion show hosted by Dr. Doom in his country of Latveria. Storm's new look is the perfect update to her original Regent of Arakko costume, highlighting the regal nature of Ororo Munroe while keeping her style flowing and airy, as her powers require, and keeping her iconic punk-rock hairdo. Lastly, Nightcrawler's costume update is honestly the ideal look for the devilish Kurt Wagner, spotlighting the intense juxtaposition between the character's strong religious faith and Nightcrawler's undeniable status as a swashbuckling sex symbol.
With how often the X-Men change and evolve their epic heroic looks, Marvel Comics should truly not ignore Joel Furtado's brilliant fanart, which manages to capture the intimate essence of each of his redesigned X-Men, but also give the beloved heroes an impressive and unique update.