Color theory in superhero costumes (part 1)
Did you ever ask yourself why superheros have specific color in their costumes? You’re in the right place to answer this question.
Color theory in superhero costumes
Before starting our explanation of color theory, I want you to know that we’ll talk about the design of American heroes, so the rules applied can be different if we consider other cultures and graphic representation.
Primary color in costumes
Normally, the primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) are used in the representation of the main heroes. The normal representation is based on the use of mostly two colors.
Red and blue
We can take, as example, the Spider-Man suit: blue and red are the two main hues of the costume.
The red means they are bold, passionate, and determined, but grounded with the blue’s depth, wisdom, and confidence.
Clearly, this effect has a different balance depending on how the hero is described during the story. The importance of color has the power to advise the reader about everything except the hero before they know it. The use of this combination of red and blue is particularly effective:
- Spider-man
- Captain America
- Thor
- Wonder-woman
- Superman
In the last two examples, the color yellow helps to inspire joy and energy too, creating a hero that brings peace and joy, a symbol of peace (like Batman).
Red and Yellow
Red and yellow are another common combination usually used in iconic costumes.
They blend vibrant red’s exhilarating burning urge with yellow’s vivacity and flashy character.
They frequently portray cockier, swaggering heroes.
The red and yellow combine to form a dancing fire, while the yellow indicates that safety has arrived.
As before, a lot of heroes used these shades:
- Iron-man
- Flash
- Shazam
- Plastic-man
- Robin
In the case of Robin, the presence of green suggests the playful spirit of a boy and helps to understand the youth of this hero.
Yellow and blue
The last primary color pair, blue and yellow, is used for characters that are a little out of the ordinary.
They lack the scarlet aggressiveness of those who aim for or are predestined for the foreground.
The blue represents wisdom, and the yellow represents joy and energy.
Thanos, then, is a little exception to this rule. The blue and yellow can remind us of wisdom, but the purple of the skin, which is a secondary color (we’ll talk about it in the next article), suggests the role of an antagonist.
A lot of heroes use this color. Here are some examples:
- The old X-men costumes
- Nova (in this case, the costumes imitate a cop’s uniform)
- Doctor Fate
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