Are there any DC characters that truly feel "outdated"

[hareluyafan1]

Wrestlers and bodybuilders today aren't held with the same fascination as the circus days.

They don't need to be, as long as the public knows what they represent. Wrestlers and and bodybuilders are associated with great physical strength. They wear trunks. Superman wearing trunks shares the same artistic symbolism. It's about creating impressions in the readers minds, not about looking exactly like something that's trendy.

Also trunks are only part of the imagery. Other features are also needed, such as the cape to give a hint of majesty and to create the impression of dynamic movement in flight, or the chest logo to create the image of sturdiness. Again no-one is saying Superman should dress exactly like a modern wrestler, just that his look should borrow elements of the attire that suit him, in this case the trunks.

[Restingvoice]

Wrestlers wear leotards or trunks but nothing else. They don't wear full body suit and a cape then put a trunk over it... unless I miss a few... haven't watched them in a long time...

[hareluyafan1]

Wrestlers wear leotards or trunks but nothing else. They don't wear full body suit and a cape then put a trunk over it... unless I miss a few... haven't watched them in a long time...

What part of this:

Again no-one is saying Superman should dress exactly like a modern wrestler, just that his look should borrow elements of the attire that suit him, in this case the trunks.

Did you not understand?

Again, the point is that trunks are associated with people known for physical strength and power. Superman wearing them creates the same impression of physical strength and power in the readers mind.

[Frontier]

including Superman himself


I can't tell you why these things change because not all choices are based on realism or logic. Superhero comics have a group design sense that changes from time to time and stuff from the past just seem old.

I mean:

[Killerbee911]

Wrestlers wear leotards or trunks but nothing else. They don't wear full body suit and a cape then put a trunk over it... unless I miss a few... haven't watched them in a long time...

This guy was the face WWE for awhile


I honestly don't know who they are pushing now. What a wrestler look like varies quite a bit today. Our ideal of "strong" looks different today

I mean:

Individually on its own fine in a way, but when you surround him with other heroes it would look dated because this era has a design theme. Look at Shazam



When other heroes around looking like this someone is going to look out of place, some people might call superman's look "a classic" I don't disagree but with everyone running with a certain design theme he will look out of place. 78 Camaro or Ford Mustang Shelby are classics but it looks out of place compared to cars today. People today general prefer the newer designs for cars. Does that make sense?

[Restingvoice]

Again, the point is that trunks are associated with people known for physical strength and power. Superman wearing them creates the same impression of physical strength and power in the readers mind.

I associate the trunks, specifically in Batman and Superman costume, as a superhero costume.

Then, as the common joke began, as underwear

The first time I heard it's associated with wrestlers or circus strongman is in the 2000s when I started reading the origin of the costume. Even after I watched WWE, MMA, and have been to a Circus and everyone's wearing trunks and leotards, before I knew about the history of Superman costume, I still didn't associate them with the costume of Superman or Batman.

Basically they're already having separate meaning, I think, because they're separate pop culture.

Also, since Batman is known as Dark Knight Detective and more about stealth and martial arts, a flexible suit, maybe armored maybe not fits him better. He has nothing to do with strongman or trunks.

[hareluyafan1]

I associate the trunks, specifically in Batman and Superman costume, as a superhero costume.

Great!

Then, as the common joke began, as underwear.

You know that's false now though, don't you? Honestly, Superman's costume without the trunks looks like underwear, since it's basically just long-johns.

The first time I heard it's associated with wrestlers or circus strongman is in the 2000s when I started reading the origin of the costume. Even after I watched WWE, MMA, and have been to a Circus and everyone's wearing trunks and leotards, before I knew about the history of Superman costume, I still didn't associate them with the costume of Superman or Batman.

Basically they're already having separate meaning, I think, because they're separate pop culture.

But the symbolism is the same.

Also, since Batman is known as Dark Knight Detective and more about stealth and martial arts, a flexible suit, maybe armored maybe not fits him better. He has nothing to do with strongman or trunks.

Definitely not armoured. Armour goes completely against what Batman is. The whole point of the Batman persona is to create the image of a terrifying nocturnal predator, something not human. It's the whole "you must become more than just a man in the eyes of your opponent" (something the Nolan films did get right). Wearing armour diminishes Batman's mystique. It's like saying, "see I'm just a flesh and blood mortal. I can be hurt same as anyone else." At that point he may as well drop the Batman trappings completely.

[hareluyafan1]

Individually on its own fine in a way, but when you surround him with other heroes it would look dated because this era has a design theme. Look at Shazam



When other heroes around looking like this someone is going to look out of place, some people might call superman's look "a classic" I don't disagree but with everyone running with a certain design theme he will look out of place. 78 Camaro or Ford Mustang Shelby are classics but it looks out of place compared to cars today. People today general prefer the newer designs for cars. Does that make sense?

A fair point but at the same time superheroes should have some distinction in their attire to give them more individuality. They don't all need to wear the same basic costume. Doing so just takes away their uniqueness. Plus there's the simple fact that that's a movie picture. What can work in comics does not always work as well on-screen and vice versa. That also needs to be taken into account.

Also Superman is a cultural icon. Cars are not, even really classic ones. They do not occupy the same place in our mythology.

[I'm a Fish]

Egg Fu has never been updated. He is every bit the racist stereotype he is now that he was back then.

Are you talking about the version in the Harley Quinn comic? The one were his real name is now Edgar Fullerton Yeung.

I don't know why they brought him back, there are much, much better obscure characters to bring back.

[Restingvoice]

Great!



You know that's false now though, don't you? Honestly, Superman's costume without the trunks looks like underwear, since it's basically just long-johns.



But the symbolism is the same.



Definitely not armoured. Armour goes completely against what Batman is. The whole point of the Batman persona is to create the image of a terrifying nocturnal predator, something not human. It's the whole "you must become more than just a man in the eyes of your opponent" (something the Nolan films did get right). Wearing armour diminishes Batman's mystique. It's like saying, "see I'm just a flesh and blood mortal. I can be hurt same as anyone else." At that point he may as well drop the Batman trappings completely.

No, yeah, the underwear association is just that, a joke.

I associate the trunkless suit more with catsuit, workout tights, dancing tights, yoga pants, that sort of stuff, which is both physical and sexy, so my association to the trunkless tights is that. Sexy.

The joke was wearing underwear on the outside, therefore it's dumb... but wearing just the long-john underwear or rather, workout tights that show off your body... is sexy, that's the difference.

Not to be horny in the middle of discussion, but just as an example, the first time I saw Henry Cavill in the trunkless suit, I noticed a few things that I didn't notice from the previous Supermen...

[Ropeburn]

Signal's outfit looks like a spare 90's Mighty Morphin Power Ranger outfit. If Trini had been a man.

Signaltooth Tiger!

[BatmanJones]

I don't really care about the reasoning for Superman's red trunks or Batman's blue/black ones. I only know that they look right with them and they look wrong without them.

I suppose that's at least partly because they've become as iconic as capes, which are also essentially silly. A cape serves no purpose for Superman and only serves as another layer of protection for Batman, who could easily just strengthen his suit.

They've gone trunkless a few times now and it never works as well as the other way, especially for Superman but also for Batman. Taking them away makes intellectual sense but, again, taking them away just doesn't look or feel right. It unbalances their entire look.

[Robanker]

I don't really care about the reasoning for Superman's red trunks or Batman's blue/black ones. I only know that they look right with them and they look wrong without them.

I suppose that's at least partly because they've become as iconic as capes, which are also essentially silly. A cape serves no purpose for Superman and only serves as another layer of protection for Batman, who could easily just strengthen his suit.

They've gone trunkless a few times now and it never works as well as the other way, especially for Superman but also for Batman. Taking them away makes intellectual sense but, again, taking them away just doesn't look or feel right. It unbalances their entire look.

Batman's Rebirth look and Clark's Reborn looks were the first times I was sold on trunkless Batman and Superman.

I'll die on the cape hill, though.

[The Darknight Detective]

Batman's Rebirth look and Clark's Reborn looks were the first times I was sold on trunkless Batman and Superman.

I'll die on the cape hill, though.

I agree on both counts. Unlike the trunks, the capes are too iconic to get rid of at this point, Robanker.

[Robanker]

I agree on both counts. Unlike the trunks, the capes are too iconic to get rid of at this point, Robanker.

They're also invaluable for conveying motion in still images, especially on men who either conceal their hair or keep it short and styled to the point where it can't flow.