New X-Men Fan Art Gives Marvel’s Mutants A Stylish New Look

The X-Men from Marvel Comics have been reimagined countless times in iconic costumes, with a new piece of fan art from artist Kevin Wada taking this a step further. On Twitter, artist Kevin Wada (@kevinwada) posted a series of redesigned costumes for mutants such as Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Gambit, Iceman, Storm, Daken, and Jubilee, bridging the gap between superhero outfits and stylish everyday wear. Even though the X-Men have had multitudes of costumes over the years, Wada’s designs are fresh in both their playfulness and practicality.

Costumes are a special area of interest for X-Men fans, considering how many uniforms the X-Men have cycled through over the years. In addition, the diversity of Marvel’s mutants have provided endless inspiration for artists and fans alike for reimagining their favorite hero’s look. What’s also special about the X-Men is their relatability to fans, making them easy to imagine existing in the real world. Wada’s ready-to-wear designs thus tap into this bond between hero and fan.

Though Wada largely strayed away from a traditional cape and tights look for each mutant, they are all recognizable for the subtle details that unites them to their comics counterpart. Cyclops sports his signature visor, but his shaved head and short-sleeved bodysuit gives him an edginess not typically seen with Scott Summers’s character. For Nightcrawler, Wada takes the red vertical lines of Kurt Wagner’s Giant-Size X-Men costume and puts them on the side of his costume, underneath a grey, sleeveless cropped hoodie with a pair of yellow rapier swords on it, referencing his favorite weapon. For Rogue, Wada styles her white streak of hair into bangs, giving her a ’70s shag hairstyle. Paired with a long black coat over an athleisure-inspired olive green ensemble, Wada’s design is one of Rogue’s best looks. Gambit is recognizable but fresh, keeping his gloves and trading his long brown coat for a cropped one that shows off the corset-inspired red detailing on his bodysuit.

The cropped silhouette continues with Iceman and Storm’s costumes, with Bobby wearing a grey collared bomber jacket over a red and black bodysuit. Storm’s look is an updated take on her iconic mohawk and black vest from the 1980s, featuring a crop top with “VAN DYNE” on the elastic band and the sides of her head shaved. This spin on a classic Storm look looks even better with the frayed edges of Ororo’s vest and her locs pulled back into a bun. For Daken, Wada uses neutral tones for a suit that gives him more of an armored look without looking bulky. Lastly, Jubilee’s costume combines toughness and femininity with a leather motorcycle jacket worn over a yellow hoodie and black and pink bodysuit. Paired with choker necklaces, black lipstick and nail polish, tiny pink sunglasses, and a pink shaved head, Jubilee has never looked edgier.

Together, Wada’s redesigns of some of Marvel’s most beloved mutants offers a fun and fashion-forward vision of a traditional superhero costume. The X-Men have always a responsive group to current cultural conversations, and their costumes in Wada’s art is reflective of this tradition. With Wada’s art having been featured in X-Men titles before, fans can only hope to see more of it in the future.

Source: Twitter/Kevin Wada (@kevinwada)

About The Author

Jules Chin Greene
(250 Articles Published)

Jules Chin Greene is an editor, filmmaker, and animator based in Los Angeles. She has a B.A. in English and Cinema Studies from Oberlin College, where she was awarded Excellence in Critical Writing for her thesis on Indigeneity and Anti-Imperialism in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In her free time, she enjoys roller-skating and horror movies. You can find her on Twitter at @JulesChinGreene.

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