Why Do Superheroes Wear CAPES? || Comic Misconceptions || NerdSync

Comic book superheroes have a habit of wearing long, flowing capes. BUT WHY?! Why do superheroes wear capes? And SHOULD superheroes wear capes?! As Edna Mode from The Incredibles points out, capes are dangerous! When and why did comic book artists first decide to draw superheroes with capes? We're tackling all this and more in the third installment of our 4-part series about the design of comic book superheroes!

Every Wednesday, Comic Misconceptions explores the incredible stories, fascinating ideas, and mind-blowing theories regarding comic books and the rich history and culture that surrounds them!

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SUPERHERO DESIGN SERIES:

Why Do Superheroes Wear TIGHTS?

Why Do Superheroes Wear UNDERWEAR on the Outside?

Why Do Superheroes Have WHITE EYES?

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SOURCES:
Why Do Heroes Wear Capes?
From Zorro to Batman: Tracing the transition of the archetypal superhero
No Capes! - Medium
A Jewish Strongman from Poland Who Some Say Inspired the Creation of Superman

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[peterquill]

It all depends on the character and it's usage. It makes sense for Batman to have a cape because he uses it to not only glide across the city, but also to intimidate enemies. It also makes sense for someone like Dr. Doom to have a cape, seeing he's the ruler of Latveria. It shows his royalty. However, it doesn't make sense for Aquaman to have one. Even though he's he king of Atlantis, a cape would only slow him down in the water.

[EveryDayALittleDeath]

I like the idea of capes, and I would totally wear one were I a superhero. but I also get why you wouldn't want one, and the capes seem less cool if everyone is wearing them, so I like things the way they are, with a mix of caped and non-caped heroes

[cartooningfanart]

I think the first principle around Heroe capes, comes from the legend of Heracles / Hercules from Greek mythology.
He kills Nemian The Lion, rips it with the monster's own claws and carries the skin of his back like an armor.
Herakles was also a great inspirration for later military and generals who Spata, Alexander the Great and Caesar, who all wore a jacket or animal skin.
Herakles was also a major inspiration for Superman, so it makes sense for me to call Superman, the first superhero with a classic jacket and Herakles the first mythological hero with a cape.

[Slayerthecrow]

If I remember correctly, Spawn can control his cape at will, the reason why sometimes is like three times bigger than him

[RelativelyBest]

For me it depends on the type of superhero. For paragon powerhouses like Superman, shadowy stalkers like Batman, and mystical magicians like Doctor Strange, capes are appropriately dramatic. On the other hand, heroes like Spiderman or Iron Man would look wierd with capes, it wouldn't make sense for an aquatic character like Aquaman, and so on.

As for the Edna Mode objection, my solution would be to simply have the cape come off when tugged with sufficient force. You'll have to get a new one but they frequently get damaged and torn up anyway.

One thing I would love to see is superheroes actually making capes fashionable again. Like, people in DC starting to wear capes as a fashion choice simply because Superman does it. It's sorta weird stuff like that doesn't really happen much in comics.

[albertmas]

In characters like mages/warlocks or with some royal background it was used to show some sort of majesty. See that their capes tend to have some baroque style with much more detail and that can usually be applied to their speech style as well. Superman's cape was intended to give a sense of motion without the need to use so many motion lines that used to turn the image blurry and with less room for ambient details. And let's be true. Batman's cape was just there to mimic Superman's because dc editor asked Bob Kane to create another caped character. The rest just came by tradition.

[michellemolitov]

In the voice of Cleavland, "They look fancy".

[emilioluisacosta]

if I become a superhero, trunks, capes and tights are a number one need for me!

[slandersir]

Weren't capes also used to make it easier for the artist to show the reader what direction a character was flying in?

[raggarharry]

I love this series, The Phantom and the Shadow, love both of them. There is something special about the old comic book heros.

[FiggityJones]

I can't vote because I like both <.> damn my indecisiveness

[SupernerdScrawl]

I really don't care if they wear capes. If it goes with their costume and looks good give them a cape. People like Power Girl and Captain Marvel (I refuse to call him by the wizard's name) have capes that are fancy and just look good. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the one shoulder thing. Though I couldn't picture Wolverine or Green Arrow with a cape. It just wouldn't look right.

[Catlord]

Wait...all these choices regarding costumes....
Are we designing your plaid lantern super hero costume?

[sebkim]

You mentioned it slightly in the video but I think some heroes use their capes to make themselves bigger and scare their enemies (like Batman) you can also see this behavior in some wild animals too.

[kdisley]

Did a quick scan of the comments to see if anyone else had mentioned this, but I couldn't see it... apologies if I missed it somewhere.

What about trenchcoats? I know they're kind of a cheezy compromise, but characters - particularly from the popularity of J. O'Barr's "The Crow" onwards into the Nineties and a little beyond - took to wearing trenchcoats because they gave the classic superhero silhouette while at the same time looking more contemporary and realistic. Nowadays it would be more like an ironic nod to those leather-clad anti-hero WWE Attitude-era fashions, but it has the advantage of showing motion like a cape yet looking like actual street-clothing (rather than a circus outfit).

Trenchcoats - like capes with sleeves! ;D

[honeyham]

I LOVED the Cape. it had so much potential as an awesome comic book story.

[sirXroam]

got to say, I've really enjoyed this series you guys have been doing. great job!

[smcornthwaite]

It's also been mentioned in Supergirl, Smallville, Arrow etc that capes help with drag when moving through the air... So someone who flies can actually move faster with a cape because of air flow much in the same manner as a sports car with a slick design.

[l.n.]

Capes look cool, on both heroes and villains. Design wise it's a cool aesthetic. However, I always thought it would be a hazard. Like having a long ponytail on a sports field, it could be grabbed by an opponent or get caught, leading to whiplash (similar to the Edna Mode warning).

[GermanBacon]

Superman also has his cape, to protect people by covering them during an explosion.