8 Superhero Movie Concept Designs Better Than We Actually Got

Actual COLOUR in our X-Men costumes? Get out of town!

by Ewan Paterson
Sony

Though it's not especially true these days, there was a time when fans used to rue over what could've been when it comes to comic book films. On countless occasions, the expectations were constantly let down, particularly when - during the early 2000s - superhero movies lacked any of the colour that made the source material so enjoyable to begin with.

This was particularly apparent when it came to wardrobe, with heroes and villains alike ditching classic comic book fare for dark greys and blacks. It was a contrast best exemplified in Bryan Singer's X-Men movies, which, seemingly not content in wasting many of the comic's characters to begin with, had to make everything just that little bit less colourful too.

We'll ignore the many behind the scenes permutations that birthed the Marvel Cinematic Universe's designs as it's already been covered elsewhere. Either way, the contrast is far greater between the concept art for these older comic book films and what eventually made it on the screen, illustrating that - along the way - something seriously went wrong.

With Batmen, Spider-Men and Daredevils aplenty, here are the designs that should never have been left on the cutting room floor.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.