Jupiter’s Legacy: 9 Most Impressive Superhero Costumes

Based on the drawings of Frank Quitely in the comic of the same name,  Jupiter’s Legacy featured many breathtaking costumes. Created under costume designer Lizz Wolf and assistant costume designer Stacia Lang, most of the initial concepts were drawn up by Jason Castagna and Phil Boutte, with the details refined and 3D translations to guide the costumers by Raphael Phillips and Luca Nemolato.

While perhaps a little over-designed in a few places, the stand-out features of these costumes are the unique muscle suits underneath classic superhero tights making the statuesque heroes look like angular human sculptures come to life, plus the layers of unique textures to further distinguish each hero.

Skyfox (George Hutchence)

Matt Lanter’s Skyfox delivers a distinctly Batman-esque look, with a dark purple cape and cowl over a mostly gray suit. The angular fox head logo on the chest completes the inspiration. The downside is perhaps how bulky the suit is, making it look far from aerodynamic as the flying superhero’s name suggests.

Jason Castagna created the initial concept. Lizz Wolf revealed some photos and the inspirations for its various subtle details and textures, including aerial freeway photography, reliefs by architectural artist David Umemoto, and even an industrial ceiling. Even in a simple camera test the suit looks stunning and cinematic.

Blue Bolt (Richard Conrad)

This costume worn by David Julian Hirsh for the ill-fated superhero consists primarily of a shiny blue broken up by silver panels. A pointed blue cape with silver on the inside complements the outfit and the blue cowl is reminiscent of classic superhero costumes.

RELATED: The Most Powerful Jupiter’s Legacy Characters, Ranked

Phil Boutte began work on the powerful costume that Jason Castagna finalized in the concept stage, along with many different ideas for the cape design. Raphael Phillips, the costume illustrator and 3D modeler whose work guides the physical costumers worked on finalizing the cowl design with a multitude of concepts.

The Flare (Fitz Small)

Played by Mike Wade, Flare is this world’s “Flash” with his powers of super speed and eye-catching costume composed primarily of shades of yellow, orange, and red to make the superhero look like a sports car. The texture throughout is leathery and rough, implying a durable quality. In a way, it resembles a racer’s tracksuit.

Jason Castagna produced dramatic concept artwork for the character, which was then handed off to Luca Nemolato to create a 3D design based on the art. He also designed multiple explorations of Flare’s helmet. Part of the process had Wade in a test suit, with design elements drawn on with a sharpie to plan out the look.

Ectoplex (Sierra)

Aiza Ntibarikure’s costume stands out for its uniquely crystalline style throughout her elegant bodice, resembling marble or coral reef. It is an almost ghostly look that services her ectoplasmic power set. To say nothing of the golden trims and African culture layered throughout the suit’s material in stylistic ingredients.

Crafted from a concept by Phil Boutte which he compared to ornate jewelry, Lizz Wolf showed off up-close photos of the costume showing light refracting off the material resembling Mother of Pearl or abalone shell. Assistant costume designer Stacia Lang worked on the jacket and provided some behind-the-scenes insight.

Brainwave (Walter Sampson)

In dark grey spandex with a texture resembling veins/neurons befitting Brainwave’s psychic powers and intelligence, Ben Daniels’ costume as the mustached superhero has red and silver highlights built around the central chest logo of a crest and trough on a horizontal line representing an actual brainwave. With a red cape and domino mask, the look is complete.

Jason Castagna drew up the look after many iterations, and Luca Nemolato then made it into a 3D model while refining the gloves and boots. Daniels himself clearly enjoyed his outfit, even during the early costuming stages. Wolf showed off the costume up close, plus revealed some details about the designing process.

Paragon (Brandon Sampson)

Andrew Horton plays this son of superheroes, but interestingly, and among the major differences from the Jupiter’s Legacy comic, the character had no costume in the comics to serve as a guide for the designers. Keeping with the spandex design, Paragon’s suit is two shades of blue broken up by techy silver accents under a grand red cape that connects his outfit to the regal attire of his parents.

Drawn up with Jason Castagna, this more utilitarian design foregoes the alien elements of the original Union of Justice costumes for a more “earthbound” look while retaining subtle aesthetic similarities. Luca Nemolato fixed up the details of the suit and the gloves were so intricate they required their own team to craft them.

Flare II (Petra Small)

Tenika Davis plays the daughter of the original Flare, and her suit looks like a fancy pair of sneakers has grown into a single giant outfit which is key to the design. An ombre effect transforms the fiery colors into the black areas throughout, creating a sense of heat and energy burning out from within her.

Phil Boutte designed the initial concept with the encouragement of Lizz Wolf, who revealed this costume was a task that required cutting-edge innovations inspired by sneaker technology, needing a massive team to it bring to life. Raphael Phillips refined the design with a full digital model for the costumers. Assistant costume designer Stacia Lang has shared lots of up-close photos via Instagram.

Lady Liberty (Grace Kennedy-Sampson)

Uniquely old school, the costume Leslie Bibb wore as Lady Liberty consists of a teal bodysuit resembling the patina of the Statue of Liberty with an art nouveau texture, deep blue biceps and thighs resembling a leaf’s skin. There are also white elements for the long gloves, boots, and shoulders to add a regal quality playing off beautifully against her vivid red cape.

The finishing touch is the gold accents, which include winged crests on the chest and waist. The vibrant look is part of what makes Lady Liberty so likeable. Wolf, who tweeted up-close details of the suit, defined the style using a collage of photos and artwork emphasizing nature and Lalique-like architecture. Phil Boutte realized the overall concept before Raphael Phillips refined the details.

Utopian (Sheldon Sampson)

Josh Duhamel’s Utopian, Jupiter Legacy‘s answer to Superman, required something truly impressive. White tights layered in an alien celestial mapping texture hint at the suit’s unearthly origins, balanced with elegant golden details and a prestigious crimson cape. Not to mention the chest logo with its heroic shield shape and bird-like iconography.

According to Wolf, Utopian was the first superhero costume of the project, setting the groundwork for the gargantuan task to follow. Together with Phil Boutte, they created the main concept taken straight from the comic. Jason Castagna created the back and the cape and Raphael Phillips polished the details.