# Do Superheroes Wear Underwear? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300 "2002-11-11T18:24:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/21 "2002-11-12T21:03:26Z")
Blast! My source for UMF being nigh-indestructible was Spiderman 2099. This may have represented an advance in technology, a difference between the two universes, or a writer’s error. Re-Bras. Yep, most heroines and villianesses are braless. This makes about as much sense as their frequent wearing of high heels. Re-Wonder Woman I’d say her outfit _is_ underwear. Without my Victoria’s Secret catalogue handy I can’t be sure, but I’d guess bustier (though it might qualify as a corset or bodice). Tigra-For a long time, her outfit was a bikini. Obviously, she wears nothing beneath. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/22 "2002-11-12T21:04:36Z")
Reminds me of a cartoon I saw in my Dad’s _Playboy_, 30-some years ago. Over one bedroom chair there’s tossed a dress; over another is a Superman outfit. Nekkid guy lying on his back in bed, looking up at a hole in the ceiling and saying, " . . . Lois . . . ?" ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/23 "2002-11-12T21:38:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kaspar Hauser \* > \*\*Nerdish nitpick–Reed puts the team’s entire wardrobe – costumes _and_ “civvies” – through the unstable molecule process. Presumably, this would include underwear. \*\* I sit corrected and admit my error. > [@](#): > > \*\* And I really don’t think he’s the type to go without underwear, in costume or out. \*\* I dunno, considering how focused on his science Reed can be. IMHO he’s the type to forget to put it on ( [Dustin Hoffman]I am not wearing my underwear. Definitely, definitely not wearing my underwear.[/Dustin Hoffman]). In one of the Byrne issues(number escapes me) Sue and the rest throw Reed a surprise birthday party. He’s surprised because he’d genuinely forgotten that today was his birthday. Reed (non-spoiler) later realises that his birthday was part of the knowledge sucked out by an alien machine. But nobody else finds it strange that Reed would forget his own birthday. Galactus and Heralds- Silver Surfer, Nova, AirWalker Automaton, Destroyer- The first two were permanently covered in metal skin. The second two were constructs animated by energy. None of the four needed underwear. Firelord, Terrax, Morg, AirWalker 1- Terrax, Morg and Airwalker 1 (When he died, AirWalker 2 was built as a substitute) all wore clothing. What they wore under it is anybody’s guess. I’m not certain whether Firelord is wearing a unitard or if that’s his skin. Galactus- I have an issue of Hercules in which Galactus removes his helmet. He’s got black hair and Kirbyesque beard-prongs growing from the corners of his chin. The white U against black background is not some kind of eyepiece set in his mask. Unless the big G wears contacts, those are his natural eyes. Sadly, Galactus does not remove the rest of the armor. The reader is left to wonder if the world devourer wears boxers or briefs. The Tick- When Paul the Samurai prepares to depart, the Tick discovers that his blue suit has pockets("Pockets?! I have pockets?!). In earlier issues Arthur had wondered if the Tick was even wearing a costume. The antenna and blue covering could have been his skin. Arthur- In an episode of the cartoon, the pants to his moth suit are stolen. We can definitely put Arthur in the underwear category. Various women- The White Queen/Emma Frost, The Black Queen/Selene, Shanna, Marina etc Emma and Selene wore lingerie as their fighting clothes while holding their positions as members of the Inner Circle of The Hellfire Club. Shanna wore a fur bikini. Marina wore a green, one-piece swimsuit. Wearing just underwear, or a swimsuit, makes the answer obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/24 "2002-11-12T22:35:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > \*\*\*\* I dunno, considering how focused on his science Reed can be. IMHO he’s the type to forget to put it on \*\* This is definitely true. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/25 "2002-11-12T22:38:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Reminds me of a cartoon I saw in my Dad’s Playboy, 30-some years ago. Over one bedroom chair there’s tossed a dress; over another is a Superman outfit. Nekkid guy lying on his back in bed, looking up at a hole in the ceiling and saying, " . . . Lois . . . ?" You really ought to read Larry Niven’s short piece “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex”. And what, by the way, does “VPL” stand for? ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/26 "2002-11-12T23:18:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*You really ought to read Larry Niven’s short piece “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex”. > > \*\* ## Which I just happen to have a link to. [http://www.rawbw.com/~svw/superman.html](http://www.rawbw.com/~svw/superman.html) BTW, VPL = Visible Panty Lines, a very interesting phenomenon to observe, almost as fascinating as nipplebumps in t-shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/27 "2002-11-13T02:36:14Z")
Which, as far as I know, is copyrighted: Mods! Cleanup on Aisle Cafe Society! Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/28 "2002-11-13T03:00:58Z")
In the second series of She-Hulk, she was shown fighting crime in a chemise that was made indestructible by the Comics Code Authority. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/29 "2002-11-13T04:09:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Which, as far as I know, is copyrighted: Mods! Cleanup on Aisle Cafe Society! > > Fenris \*\* Sorry about that. Mods, if it’s a violation, by all means, please delete. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/30 "2002-11-13T12:35:20Z")
If it’s a violation of forum rules to post a _link_ to copyrighted material, there’s a **lot** of cleaning up to do… ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/31 "2002-11-13T14:21:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hastur \* > \*\*In the second series of She-Hulk, she was shown fighting crime in a chemise that was made indestructible by the Comics Code Authority. \*\* That’s what I was talking about. Also, I remember an issue of JLI where they went to Siberia for a fight, and afterwards they’re all standing around in their skintights, freezing their pert little buns off… ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/32 "2002-11-13T14:32:56Z")
[Thermoman](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0233084) wears underwear. ---
**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2002, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/33 "2002-11-16T19:25:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hastur \* > \*\*In the second series of She-Hulk, she was shown fighting crime in a chemise that was made indestructible by the Comics Code Authority. \*\* Which explains the time she was shot with a machine gun, shredding her sweater but leaving her underwire intact. A few months earlier, however, she was in a Christmas preview in which a Dr. Doom robot started to tear her shirt, and she warned him to stop because “this is a Code-approved book.” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/34 "2002-11-17T04:48:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Which, as far as I know, is copyrighted: Mods! Cleanup on Aisle Cafe Society! \*\* I checked, and it turns out that Niven has given blanket permission to post “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex” on the net. However, the owner of this particular site will be asked to post that it is an authorized reprint so that more misunderstandings of this nature don’t occur. ---
**Author:** ![Netbrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71e660/32.png) [@Netbrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Netbrian)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/35 "2002-11-17T06:04:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guy Propski \* > \*\*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. \*\* Does someone have this link anymore? I’d love to try to read it! ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/36 "2002-11-17T06:10:45Z")
But…if all these guys are running around in tights with nothing on underneath wouldn’t that be sort of…apparent? Or are you telling me Superman is not that well-hung?:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/37 "2002-11-17T07:17:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by betenoir \* > \*\*But…if all these guys are running around in tights with nothing on underneath wouldn’t that be sort of…apparent? > > Or are you telling me Superman is not that well-hung?:eek: \*\* I read in a making of book that in the Superman movie they had a continuity person whos job was to make sure that Christopher Reeve wasn’t hanging on different sides in different takes. Eventually they gave up and had him wear a swimmers cup. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/38 "2002-11-17T18:57:57Z")
I seem to remember one old Marvel Team-Up, involving Spider-Man, Paladin, and the Wasp, in which Janet Dyne ended up wearing only a chemise and tap pants. I remember old X-men comics that showed the Mimic and the Angel in boxer shorts. I remember one old Avengers, around the time of Shooter’s “Cosmic Saga,” which shoed Ms. Marvel in bra and panties just before she flew off for a fight with Ultron. One panel in a Nexus comic showed him lying in bed with bikini shorts on. And, according to Blackjacmac, Grimjack wore a Kelvar jockstrap. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/39 "2002-11-18T04:50:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Peyote Coyote \* > **One panel in a Nexus comic showed him lying in bed with bikini shorts on.** And, God help us, there was a similar scene with Judah the Hammer, also in mini, teeny-tiny bikini shorts with a couple o’ bimbos on his arms. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300/40 "2002-11-18T05:52:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\* > > And, God help us, there was a similar scene with Judah the Hammer, also in mini, teeny-tiny bikini shorts with a couple o’ bimbos on his arms. > > Fenris \*\* Please, in Elvon’s name, tell me that they never did this with Anvil. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-superheroes-wear-underwear/136300.md?page=1)