Do superheroes wear underwear under their costumes?
Depends on whether or not their uniforms are protected by the Comics Code. If they are, then enough of their costume will stay intact to keep all the naughty bits covered. If it’s not protected, then the costume can get ripped off, with the underwear beneath it.
Basically, you don’t want to be wearing underwear under skin-tights unless you have to.
I’ve never noticed any VPL on Wonder Woman, Ms. Victory, Mary Marvel, or Princess Projectra.
I’ll admit I’ve never checked out Batman.
I’m pretty sure that Dr. Manhattan doesn’t. At least not anymore. And I’ll bet the Silver Surfer doesn’t wear Silver Speedos.
Uhhh hello, most of them tend to wear underwear on the outside. WW has no VPL ca’s they are her unmentionables.
…so superhero “Underoos” ™ are ironic?
There’s a story called “Just Be Yourself” by Jonathan Goldstein. I’ve only ever heard it on the radio, but it’s hilarious. It’s about a guy who starts dating Lois Lane after she breaks up with Superman. Over the course of the story, Superman gets jealous and decides to keep tabs on our main character by taking him on as a sidekick.
When the guy puts on his sidekick outfit (a unitard) in a bathroom stall and comes out to show Supes, one of the first things Superman says is, “You’re not supposed to wear underwear with your uniform.”
So at least within the context of that story, the answer is no.
There’s a story called “Just Be Yourself” by Jonathan Goldstein. I’ve only ever heard it on the radio, but it’s hilarious. It’s about a guy who starts dating Lois Lane after she breaks up with Superman. Over the course of the story, Superman gets jealous and decides to keep tabs on our main character by taking him on as a sidekick.
When the guy puts on his sidekick outfit (a unitard) in a bathroom stall and comes out to show Supes, one of the first things Superman says is, “You’re not supposed to wear underwear with your uniform.”
So at least within the context of that story, the answer is no.
But Captain Underpants is just a school principal who turns into a hero once he hears the snap of one’s fingers. Most people, including school principals, wear underpants, so it’s no surprise Captain Underpants does.
I don’t know about the others, but I wear FTL Y-Front briefs when in my guise as “The Pola-roid,” the superhero who’s powers fully develop in 60 seconds after running my body through the Hyper-activator.
I wear them because I can use the FTL speed powers.
:rolleyes: Everyone knows that surfers don’t wear Speedos! Since he wasn’t wearing board shorts, he was obviously goin’ commando! :eek:
Most people, including Mr. Krupp, wear clothes; Captain Underpants does not. This is a critical distinction.
“Just” a school principal–bah.
Let me think
Fantastic Four- I doubt it. Their costumes are made from Unstable Molecule Fabric.(Reed Richards makes the stuff for other heroes as well. This is why Marvel Comics heroes’ costumes shrink, grow, turn invisible, and otherwise work with the hero’s powers). Considering how tough and expensive the stuff is to make and the fact that it’s almost indestructible, I’d say Reed would not have bothered with underwear.
The Various X groups- There a references to Proffesor Xavier providing his students with UMF costumes. So the same principle applies. In an early New Mutants issue (can’t remember which one) Cannonball walks in on Mirage changing into her costume. She’s sliding on the shirt, and though she’s partially obscured, it’s clear that she does not wear a bra beneath her uniform.
Spider Man-
I know that Spidey sometimes wears thermal underwear beneath his tights. IIRC he usually wears standard y-fronts while fighting crime. I seem to recall several issues in which his costume is badly torn, revealing tighty-whiteys, or showing an exhausted Peter slipping off the suit at home. also revealing tighty-whiteys.
Iron Man-Definitely
The undergarment worn with specific armor models are often described. Eg with the first suit Tony wore a woolen body pad to wick away moisture and provide ventilation. Later models may include medical sensors etc.
Captain America-Depends
Some versions of Cap’s suit are made of chain mail. As any SCAdian or other Medieval enthusiast can tell you, ALWAYS wear something under chain mail. Otherwise it will pinch skin when you move. It will also catch and rip out hair. Since a chain mail shirt puts most of its weight on the shoulders, shoulder pads must be worn to avoid chafing, bruising etc.
You know, at first read I thought you’d said that Captain America wears Depends, and I had a hearty laugh. But then I saw that you hadn’t, and I feel bad for having laughed.
But the best jokes are those that are never told, so I’m laughing again.
Fenrish can you confirm that doccathode just said
Yup, except for the “almost indestructible” part about the unstable molecule costumes. That was a dumb idea put forth in the late '80s in one of Claremont’s X-Books. He gave an X-Uniform to a cop who started running around with it on over her cop-outfit 'cause it was allegedly “nearly indestructible” (hence bulletproof).
However, before and since that timeframe, cloth “treated with” (not made out of) passively mimics powers but doesn’t work as armor. It’ll rip, tear, puncture, etc, just like normal cloth outside of it’s mimicing ability.
(Keep in mind the “unstable molecules” = “body armor” silliness was during the same rough time-frame where there was drastic power inflation of everyone and everything. During that same period, everyone and their kid brother could bend/break/shatter adamantium, prompting Kurt Busiek to invent (I think I have the name right) “secondary adamantium”. How do you know if the stuff in the story is “secondary adamantium”? If it bends/breaks/shatters.
Fenris
I seem to recall an old issue of DC comics with a panel showing Black Canary removing her top. You couldn’t see anything R-rated, but it also made it pretty clear that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
Somewhere on this board a poster left a link to a site discussing the fallacies of how super heroines are drawn. I think one of her points was that they all the women are drawn braless (i.e., the position of their superjugs show no bra support), which is a pretty silly thing to do for women with such active lifestyles.
No, they just wear really invisible support. Like Wonder Woman, they wear Wonder Bras.
Nerdish nitpick–Reed puts the team’s entire wardrobe – costumes and “civvies” – through the unstable molecule process. Presumably, this would include underwear. And I really don’t think he’s the type to go without underwear, in costume or out.