If there's one thing you can say about Colossus' outfit, it's an iconic costume. While he's had a few different wardrobe changes throughout the years, currently, he's back to wearing the same outfit he appeared in back in 1975 in GIANT-SIZED X-MEN #1. Along with that red and gold outfit comes that crop-top haircut. Colossus has been keeping it "high and tight" for decades, except during the "bald is beautiful" era.
Looking at Colossus right now, he doesn't look too bad, but the problem is that everyone else around him has gotten some sort of overhaul and looks contemporary, while Colossus still looks like a costumed hero from the 70s. I'm no fashion expert, but I have seen a lot of pre-award show red carpet interviews where Joan Rivers let us know who looked fabulous and who looked atrocious. I think that gives me enough credibility to let you know why Colossus needs and update.
4. It Makes No Sense
While what we see here is an updated, sleeker version of his outfit, the original has these giant shoulder pads that make no sense at all. They stick out like a sore thumb. However, that's not what makes no sense about this outfit. First and foremost, he's wearing armor on top of his armor-plated skin. It's like giving Colossus the powers of Juggernaut... oh... wait... In other interpretations, he's wearing cloth, not armor, which, again, doesn't make sense. Why even wear a shirt at all when your skin is organic steel?
On top of that, it's not even a shirt. It's a weird diamond-shaped cloth with a hole in the center for Piotr's head. His sides aren't covered at all. Is this for air conditioning purposes? In addition, he's in briefs, but has knee-high boots, exposing his thighs to the world. He's dressed like something out of the Dungeon of Doom, but slightly less cohesive. It's one of the most bi-polar outfits in comics. It's not sure if it wants to be an evening gown for the Grammys or an oddly shaped swimsuit.
3. The Cold War is Over
Without a doubt, the biggest influence in the color scheme of Colossus' outfit comes from the Cold War and America's decades of tension with the USSR. For it's time, this was a great decision, and it gave young Americans that not everyone in the USSR was Ivan Drago, waiting to break all those not falling under a communist regime. Piotr had a soft side and was a character we could sympathize with.
However, the Iron Curtain fell 25 years ago, and the symbolism just isn't there anymore. While Piotr may have a connection to his homeland, now going by Russia, that part of his homeland isn't with him a part of him. In addition, can we give this guy a new haircut too? The crew cut isn't something very fitting for his personality. I recommend taking him back to bald so people like me (bald people) have a superhero to look up to.
He's a tough character but the look he has now doesn't represent who he is as a person. Let's get some clothes on this chap that's a better representation of who he is now and not who he was.
2. It's Full of Triangles
Question: Did an 8th grade geometry teacher design this outfit? Was said teacher's goal to fit in as many isosceles triangles into the costume as possible? If so, mission accomplished. Obviously, we're looking at an older costume, but the war of the triangles still applies today. It's just not as obvious. I think it's pretty obvious when this character was created that the wanted him to stand out, and what better way that being all pointy?
40 years later, the triangles are a tad more subtle, but the homage to the three-sided shape is still there. Honestly, he looks like an early 90s wrestler for WWE. However, costumes have changed a lot going from "flashy" to "practical" and Colossus' costume is not practical at all. Sleeker is the way to go and even though there's been a few changes to his main costume over the years, it's still pretty silly.
Let's get right to the nitty-gritty of all of this and not hold back. Everything is pointing to his crotch. We get it. Colossus has a crotch. Let's stop drawing attention to it.
1. He's Had Much Better Costumes Than This
Here and again, Colossus gets a pretty sweet costume upgrade. Back when he became the avatar of the Cyttorak and became the "Juggersus," Colossus' costume was pretty sleek. It had elements of the Crimson Bands that we associate with Juggernaut and the color scheme from the classic Colossus that we all know and love, which as mentioned before, I kind of hate. What really worked for this character was the bald head. It gave him this cool, hip look. Also, the sides of his shirt are no longer missing.
There's plenty of other times Colossus had great looking costumes, like in the Ultimate Universe. Sure, the random belts across the black t-shirt were pretty weird, but the 1610 got one thing right. It's not about fashion. It's about wearing something comfortable while punching people in the face. The X-Men are one of those teams where they are not defined by their costumes. They're defined by their powers or awesome white mohawks.
What it really comes down to is that the vast majority of X-Men had costume changes and lots of them stuck. Aside from people like Nightcrawler (at least he doesn't have a perm anymore) and Firestar (she also has an awful costume), most characters have had great costume changes, and since we're living in a time where high-profile characters are getting changes to their outfits, like Batgirl, Spider-Woman, and the ever changing Iron Man, why can't the Russian with the heart of gold get one too?
What do you think about Colossus' outfit? Is it time to change it up or should he continue to stick out like a sore thumb among his peers?
Colossus image at the top by Mattias Fahlberg.
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