She Has No Head! – The Good, The Bad, and the Very Hilarious in Superhero Halloween Costumes
by
Kelly Thompson | October 8, 2012 @ 9:00 AM
| 35 Comments | 
If you've got a cool $4,5000.00 you can have this replica Wonder Woman costume.
I’m exhausted and I love October, let’s do something fun!
What did I find when I started hunting for superhero Halloween costumes? Right out of the gate I’ll tell you I’m going to mostly avoid talking about the bizarre “super sexy superhero” thing because it’s just too easy, and also other’s have already done it before and better. Although this new “sexy Robin” is almost as good as some of those we’ve seen in recent years – like “Sassy Ninja Turtles” and “Sexy Spider-Girl.”
Let’s start with something that’s actually kinda good. You know there are bound to be a few Black Widow’s roaming around this year, and while many of the Black Widow costumes out there are complete shit, this one, which is a bit more pricey, actually looks pretty good:
Although, I’d skip out on that crappy wig and upgrade it for something
like this or
this, they may look less like the “Scarlett Johannson” version, but this also doesn’t look like that version and is unflattering and cheap to boot.
Classic Harley Quinn is always a good costume, and this one from
Costume Craze is pretty nice. Of course you could always be completely irrational and decide to go for
slutty Harley, or
New 52/Arkham Asylum Harley, which looks mostly like “Slutty/Dead Harley”:
And please note when buying these terrible costumes that the two most high-end items (the belt and boots respectively) are not included...'natch.
And moving on to some more very very bad – Marvel has really cornered the market on really ridiculously bad costumes for men this year, with
some truly lame X-Men offerings:
May I present: Douchebag Gambit, Old Geezer Magneto, Frozen Face Beast, and Nobody Would Ever Be Afraid of You Punisher.
I know Gambit’s costume has always been a little douche-y but this generic purple and silver nightmare lends new meaning to the word, and look at that hair…jeezus. But the old-man Magento costume is almost worse. something about those pants and shoes together make me soooo sad. Funnily enough the Beast mask isn’t bad, but it doesn’t seem to have eye-holes, and the entire crotch area is just…really freaking odd. But my favorite bit is probably the horrible little jagged edges on the pants. But what’s more ridiculous than a Punisher with white boots? Most. Impractical. Costume. Ever. Well, except for almost all female superhero costumes. Who do you think would be afraid of this guy?
Similar to the Beast costume, this Mystique costume is not so bad, but man, you better not screw up the blue body paint or you’re going to end up with blue all over that pristine white all night:
But easily the silliest, worst, and most absurd “superhero” costume I came across was this one…called
“Daughter of Wolverine” WTF?!?!:
The best part is on the site it's actually described as a teen Storm costume - love the attention to detail!
To me, if you can’t actually pull off looking like a superhero/model in one of the costumes above (and who of us can?) or you don’t want to look like an utter douchebag, then I feel like it’s best to go funny. And here are some awesomely funny superhero options:
Captain America, super muscles!Between the colors, the false muscles, and the hat with wings, this is hilariously fun.
And if you can’t be the very serious “Christian Bale deep-voice Batman,” then totally go for this Adam West Batman, which is way more fun:
Or, EVEN BETTER, is this
old-fashioned “Second Skin” Batman-look at his head! It’s SO GREAT.
The most excited I got in my search, was when I came across a Lynda Carter Vintage Wonder Woman image:
But of course everything I found for Wonder Woman was the same old crappy cheaply made Wonder Woman variations. But then I did a hard target search on Etsy and man did I find some cool Wonder Woman costumes. Sure, you’ll need to drop a pretty penny if you wanted any of them…but man they look worth it if you’ve got the extra scratch:
It’s a cool $425.00 for this one, but it’s one of a kind and absolutely gorgeous. Of course it helps to look like the lovely lady pictured as well.
$395.00 for this custom version and you can even customize to a shirt, shorts, or briefs, though I think the full authentic briefs look the best!
There’s also a $545.00 version…not sure if the difference is that it includes a cape?
And if you’ve got sewing skills (I don’t) you can
make your own for far cheaper.
While I was shopping I found these, which are TO DIE FOR. All that said, if I had my druthers (and tons of cash) I’d just go as this sandwich, because it’s awesome.
Of course, if you REALLY want to be cutting edge, you should go as Lola LeFever or Bonnie Braverman from THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING. Sure, nobody will know who you are this year, but man will you look smart when it’s a blockbuster film in a few years! 
Lola LeFever and Bonnie Braverman from The GIrl Who Would Be King
35 Comments
Greg Burgas
October 8, 2012 at 9:05 am
You’re such a shameless self-promotion whore. And I love it! Get that damned book out in hardcover, young lady. I’m old and square and I’m scared of these “Kindle” things. Kindle is a verb, damn it!
Kelly Thompson
October 8, 2012 at 9:11 am
Printing takes time, man!
Jason
October 8, 2012 at 9:16 am
One of my exes wore the Arkham Asylum Harley costume…. drool
Samisc
October 8, 2012 at 10:21 am
Damn, Punisher is a hottie. White boot? All I see is a pretty face!
Lysander
October 8, 2012 at 10:26 am
Finally–Heroes Reborn Cap is a Halloween costume.
I also find Magneto in conservative slacks trying to be all Magneto-y excruciatingly hilarious.
sandwich eater
October 8, 2012 at 10:48 am
None of these are as epicly bad as the Superman costume that I wore when I was 5, the only time I ever dressed for Halloween. Instead of an actual Superman outfit, it was a blue plastic poncho with the Superman S logo on the chest, and an incredibly creepy plastic mask of Clark’s face that turned me into a creepy looking white guy.
P. Boz
October 8, 2012 at 11:15 am
Apparently the second skin costume allows you to not only see and breath, but you can also drink through it. Apparently the creators of the costume expect a total commit when you’re wearing it.
buttler
October 8, 2012 at 11:53 am
I know you address this in the text, but “Douchebag Gambit” really is redundant.
Neil Kapit
October 8, 2012 at 1:16 pm
I think the Beast costume was actually really good, since Hank’s cat-form head doesn’t (or, at least, shouldn’t) match human features, so a frozen face mask is the best way to go.
trajan23
October 8, 2012 at 4:48 pm
RE: The Black Widow costume,
Pretty good. Of course, it is the kind of design that is fairly easy to get right. My only complaint is the double belt. It looked stupid in the film, and it looks stupid here. She should have only one belt, dammit!
ZZZ
October 8, 2012 at 7:00 pm
The double belt is a gunslinger thing. The idea is that you hang stuff (i.e., gun holsters) from the lower, looser belt, and the tighter upper belt keeps your pants up and prevents a plumber’s crack situation. Since I’m pretty sure whe was wearing a one-piece jumpsuit, the upper belt wasn’t really necessary for the movie Black Widow aside from giving her a way to keep her logo centered on her torso and keeping her jumpsuit from getting baggy around the waist (which, if you think about it, is more than Thor’s cape does). Also, it keeps her from unzipping her costume below her navel, so there’s that too.
(By the way, the Mystique costume isn’t wearing body paint, just face paint. The rest is a bodysuit. Look at her right forearm between the glove and the elbow; you can see the seam)
Dan
October 8, 2012 at 7:58 pm
For the Mystique costume, only the face is painted. The rest is a bodysuit, so most of the white costume is safe.
Brad Curran
October 8, 2012 at 8:10 pm
I’m pretty sure someone was wearing that Cap costume at my showing of the Avengers in May. He was the only person in costume, so he really stood out.
Captain Comet
October 8, 2012 at 8:21 pm
You know what my problem is with all the men’s costumes? They can be slightly revealing in the crotch area. Does anyone else have this problem?
Dean
October 8, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Yes, it is a real problem that men’s costumes are sometimes slightly revealing. It’s a good thing that women don’t have to deal with this situation!
Pete Woodhouse
October 9, 2012 at 4:21 am
The Black Widow costume looks wrong in that picture, Kelly: the zipper isn’t down by the navel (dodges bullet)
sean
October 9, 2012 at 6:34 am
“You know what my problem is with all the men’s costumes? They can be slightly revealing in the crotch area.”
For a solution (of sorts) to this problem, watch the film “This is Spinal Tap”.
jloder24
October 9, 2012 at 7:41 am
There’s a pretty cool Blackest Night zombie Batman costume out this year. Regardless of how it looks, to make a costume based on an actual comic story and not a movie or TV show is surprising and impressive. I have been searching for a good Superman costume under $200 bucks for years with no luck.
Hysan
October 9, 2012 at 7:58 am
If you were looking at Black Widow’s belt in that movie….I don’t know what to tell you.
Fred
October 9, 2012 at 8:17 am
The “Daughter of Wolverine” costume is based on a legit Marvel character, Wild Thing. She was in the publishing line with Spider-Girl and A-Next. That’s an updated version of an earlier costume.
Shawn Kane
October 9, 2012 at 8:19 am
“But what’s more ridiculous than a Punisher with white boots?”
I think that the white boots are for those of us who grew up with the Punisher as a villain in the Ross Andru issues when he was a villain moreso than today’s Punisher. I was a victim of the Captain America costume. The place that I ordered it from had a better order that I thought I was getting. Nope, I’ve got the crappy one pictured. As bad as the picture is, it’s actually worse when you put it on.
Frank Smith
October 9, 2012 at 9:30 am
The Punisher has such tiny guns.
trajan23
October 9, 2012 at 10:51 am
ZZZ:The double belt is a gunslinger thing. The idea is that you hang stuff (i.e., gun holsters) from the lower, looser belt, and the tighter upper belt keeps your pants up and prevents a plumber’s crack situation. Since I’m pretty sure whe was wearing a one-piece jumpsuit, the upper belt wasn’t really necessary for the movie Black Widow aside from giving her a way to keep her logo centered on her torso and keeping her jumpsuit from getting baggy around the waist (which, if you think about it, is more than Thor’s cape does). Also, it keeps her from unzipping her costume below her navel, so there’s that too.”
Good explanation..except that it still leaves us with an oddly non-functional looking belt; I would have preferred it if they had attached something to it…like maybe the cylindrical explosives/utility items that she carries in the comics.
Hysan:”If you were looking at Black Widow’s belt in that movie….I don’t know what to tell you. ”
Saw it three times; by the third time, I was, shall we say, somewhat less distracted…
Pj
October 9, 2012 at 1:12 pm
This is why I make my own from a combo of pre-fab parts and customized pieces. When I get around to it.
cich
October 9, 2012 at 5:43 pm
The guys wearing the lame Marvel costumes could form a superhero version of Village People.
They even seem to be posing in a sort of Y.M.C.A. way
Donald
October 9, 2012 at 6:33 pm
That’s a rob liefeld Cap costume.
Brian
October 10, 2012 at 3:34 am
I think the Black Widow red wig in the costume pic is better looking, and closer to the ScarJo look than the cheap-looking wigs linked to in the author’s suggestions.
Johan Djeen
October 10, 2012 at 7:19 am
I work at a Halloween store, and by far the funniest superhero costume is the plus size Spiderman. http://www.officialsuperherocostumes.com/classic-plus-size-spiderman-costume.html?gclid=CK_Y3N3R9rICFexFMgodXDYApg
Pj
October 10, 2012 at 7:31 am
Johan – It’s not plus-sized Spider-Man … it’s old Spider-Man from the Spider-Girl series!
Hysan
October 10, 2012 at 7:46 am
I guess I’m a 14 year old boy mentally then, because I saw it three times and was still distracted, even if it was reduced somewhat.
That said, they could probably redesign her costume for the next movie to be a little less like a leather corset.
JosephW
October 10, 2012 at 9:06 pm
I’m with samisc re the Punisher costume or, at least the model. (That pic is a keeper.)
Pat M
October 11, 2012 at 6:21 pm
That Captain America suit picture had been around since the mid 90′s. If you look at it in print, I swear that the guy in the suit is Steve Carell.
Outrageous Hilarious Ideas For Your Halloween Costume: Photos and Video « Hollywood Pop Candy
October 15, 2012 at 8:14 pm
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Adolfo Martinez
February 13, 2013 at 8:57 am
I was just here looking at the peeps in costumes, then I caught a glimpse of the cool art work for a book I had never heard of, and now I own it and can’t put it down.
Thanx for plugging your work here, it might have been much longer before I had the pleasure to read your work.
~Adolfo
T
April 5, 2013 at 7:56 am
Hi! Just wanted to say thanks for featuring my wonder woman costume on your site. I am happy it made it to the awesome category
(It is the first Etsy one you mentioned). I mainly wanted to note in case folks are looking to purchase one, that the 425 price was my right before Halloween price. If you order early, and I have lots of time to customize the costume, they normally run 295-325 with the cape. http://www.miala.net
anyway, thanks again!!
T