Superhero costume ettiquette question

[darkwing_duck1]

I was rereading a comic the other day and a weird question came up.

What is considered proper ettiquette for a superhero going to a formal occasion (wedding, meeting with a head of state, etc) vis a vis what they wear?

I've seen it done several different ways: formal dress with a mask, regular "street costume", and even once a "dress version" of a hero's normal costume.

Do any of my fellow comic geeks out there know if there's a set standard for this, and if so what?

 

[O'Dib]

Maybe whenever superheros are invited to a formal function, the organizers purposefully make it a masked ball?

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

hmm maybe a spandex version of a suit or gown, similar to the tuxedo t-shirts.

 

[Mistral]

I'm trying to picture Batman w/a bowtie and its just not working for me...besides, any hero worht his/her salt knows some super-baddy will atack such functions-so they'd better have their working duds on hand...

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

A standard? God knows superhero comics are bogged down enough by their byzantine continuity as it is, without having to set formal standards for nonsensical minutiae.

 

[Nick Ryder]

I don't really recall ever seeing any hero wear a 'formal' version of their costume, unless they either A) Had a known ID, B)Was named Janet VanDyne, C)They got horribly made fun of. D) A hot chick of a super-gal who could pull off wearing an evening gown

Most times if they met with anyone important, they did it in the long undies. I think the only time I ever saw any hero get 'dressed up' was Spidey that one time where he just wore a tux and put his mask and gloves and boots on - of course I think he was also there as Peter and it was just easier for him to flip back and forth. May have just been like a Silver Sable function dunno..

 

[stonester1]

I've seen Wonder Woman in a more "formal" version of her costume. And I think I've seen "dress" Green Lantern uniforms.

But other than that...

 

[Mike Farley]

I'm pretty sure there's no standard. The Super-heroes Union (Local # 616) is pretty loose on such matters as long as you pay your dues.

 

[Christopher]

I think I've seen stories, probably on TV, where Superman was allowed to wear his normal costume at a formal event because, hey, he's Superman!

In the Silver Age or the '60s TV series (or Batman:The Brave and the Bold), I'm sure Batman could show up at a formal event in his batsuit and it would be fine. But in a more realistic version, I don't see anyone inviting Batman to a dress affair.

A hero without a secret identity could just go with standard formal dress. In Justice League, Wonder Woman attended formal events in a dress or in business attire, depending on the context ("Maid of Honor" and "To Another Shore" respectively), while in the comics she has a formal-dress version of her costume, which is more concealing and elegant.

Here's a column about the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, with excerpts from the story. It looks like most of the attendees came in formal dress, then suited up when the villains attacked, so that most of them were in costume by the time of the actual ceremony, which wasn't treated as a major faux pas. But then, the hosts of the event were superheroes themselves and three of them were still in spandex for the actual ceremony, so the etiquette might've been looser.

I recently read the Justice League International Vol. 1 trade paperback, where the "funny" Giffen-era JL is given international status by the UN, and they appear in their normal costumes and masks at the press conference and when meeting with UN officials. So it would seem that superhero costumes tend to be accepted as their own type of formal dress, or at least that an exemption is made for heroes with secret identities.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

When Rick Jones married Marlo in Hulk 418, the heroes were all dressed up. It seems the masked ones basically did the tux with a mask (see the link for Captain America doing this for example), Spider-Woman wore her mask and a matching dress, and the heroes that don't generally wear masks were just in tuxes.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/1/11352/848942-479738_hulk2_418_super_super.jpg

 

[Forbin]

I seem to recall at the wedding of the afformentioned Janet Van Dyne and Yellowjacket, that the Avengers and their guests all wore their standard costumes (excpet for Jan, being the bride). Then again in that era, they all wore their costumes all the freakin time - on duty, off duty, in the shower...

 

[Silvercrest]

A standard? God knows superhero comics are bogged down enough by their byzantine continuity as it is, without having to set formal standards for nonsensical minutiae.

Yeah, it's a little hard to set standards when some of these guys are wanted by the law, and others are formally deputized.

I've seen Wonder Woman in a more "formal" version of her costume. And I think I've seen "dress" Green Lantern uniforms.

I know Kilowog had one, at least.

And "Hawkworld"-era Hawkman had a formal dress uniform, complete with formal wings. It was pretty snazzy.

 

[Klaus]

Power Girl's costume, of course, is appropriate for any occasion!

 

[stonester1]

Power Girl's costume, of course, is appropriate for any occasion!

 

[darkwing_duck1]

So the consensus seems to be that there's no consensus then...right.