Deadpool & Wolverine Isn’t Bringing The Best Superhero Costume To The Screen

Don’t get me wrong, seeing Logan in his yellow and blue getup is infinitely more satisfying than watching him run around in a white tank top and jeans for the millionth time. The problem is, for Wolverine fans introduced to the character in the ’80s, that’s not our Wolverine. Our Wolvie wouldn’t be caught dead without his downtown browns.

The character might have debuted in a blue and yellow getup like the one Jackman sports in Deadpool & Wolverine, but he only wore those threads for a handful of years before Marvel gave his entire look an overhaul. Okay, so by Marvel, we really mean John Byrne, and by entire look, we mean a different color scheme and some other minor cosmetic changes. The point is the changes suited Wolverine way better than his original suit ever did.

Byrnes’s reasoning behind the costume change was that Wolverines are not blue and yellow. As the comic book legend stated once in an interview, he was constantly asking his editors if he could put the hero in something more “wolverine-ish.” Eventually, the powers-that-be at Marvel relented and let Byrne design Wolverine’s now iconic brown and mustard-colored suit.

The brown suit first appeared in 1980’s Uncanny X-Men #139 and was an instant hit with readers. It proved to be so popular that it remained Logan’s chief costume until 1991 when Jim Lee changed it back to the original blue and yellow in X-Men #4. From there, it was only natural for the character to sport the same costume for the ’90s X-Men cartoon which was many non-comic readers introduction to the character hence all the excitement for the blue and yellow suit’s inclusion in Deadpool & Wolverine.

That’s all well and good, and no hate to the cartoon fans but the brown costume would have been a better choice for live-action.

One of the questions fans had after seeing the trailer broken down and poured through obsessively was why Wolverine’s shoulder pads seem to disappear in shots where the suit is sleeveless. First off, neither the blue and yellow nor the brown suit should ever have sleeves—it looks dumb. Second, it’s speculated that the director of Deadpool & Wolverine ditched the shoulder pads to make Hugh’s arms look bigger, which wouldn’t have been a problem if they had just gone with the shoulder pad-less brown suit.

Basically, Earth tones just suit the down-to-earth Logan better than garish bright yellow and blue. And seeing how Deadpool & Wolverine has been all but confirmed as Hugh Jackman’s seriously, for-real-this-time final appearance as Logan, fans of the superior Wolverine suit will just have to imagine how good Hugh would have looked sporting it.

The brown suit isn’t just a better fit for the character visually but thematically as well. Byrne’s in-universe explanation for why Wolverine would change costumes was that the blue and yellow outfit was likely a government issue, and upon Logan severing all ties with the Canadian Secret Service, he would likely want to sport a uniform of his own choosing.

So, while it’s understandable that everyone is hootin’ and hollerin’ about Wolverine finally getting a comic-accurate suit for Deadpool & Wolverine, just remember some fans are still waiting for Wolverine’s best costume to make it onto the big screen.