When I was younger I never understood why superheroes wore capes. It was something I always regarded as a cheesy costume convention. Is it just an rule that heroes wear capes? TV Tropes seems to think so. Even the trench coats of noir characters, or the Matrix are a type of cape. Edna Mode’s tirade against capes in the Incredibles was spot on in my opinion. Why would fighters want to run around with a giant piece of cloth hanging around their necks? It can caught tangled or trip the hero up. Dollar Bill learned that lesson the hard way in Watchmen. It was more theatrical than actually serving a story purpose.Then something happened that turned me into a hypocrite. So why are capes so common for superheroes?
When I originally designed my own character, Liquid Silver, his costume was all black with a grey vest baring his logo. I was never happy with the design. I wanted to keep his costume simple, elemental, and iconic yet still larger than life. The image didn’t suit his powers or personality. His costume was too plane. I began experimenting with other design elements. I envisioned him having an energy aura around him like how when Jean Grey uses her telepathic powers she’s surrounded by a fire bird. Liquid Silver is a shape shifter who can manipulate matter so I imagined his energy looking like linked atomic bonds . Once I saw it drawn I was disgusted. My heroic fantasy projection looked like he was surrounded by floating tinker toys. Out of spite I drew a cape. Despite my anti cape bias, I liked it. I made the cape larger and more flowing and brilliantly white. My logic was that as a shape shifter Liquid Silver is indestructible. He can look however he wants, and if it encumbers him Liquid Silver can just reform himself so he doesn’t get tripped up. On top of that Liquid Silver is my author avatar, so he’s a colossal nerd. It makes sense that as a nerd he’d want to model himself after Superman. Another hero in the story derisively calls him ‘White Cape’, and his costume is a large point of ridicule. So that’s my excuse. What excuses do other cape clad do gooders have?
The Cape is The Source of their Power.
Lets start with NBC’s short lived series The Cape. I figure its an apropos title. Vince Faraday’s cape is made from preserved woven spider silk. Using comic book logic that makes it strong, bullet proof, and helps him with stealth. At one point he gets nailed in the back with machine gun fire. The flattened bullets bounce off him. He also uses the cape as a form of whip. Dr. Strange as a wizard has more right to wear a cape than most. His cape is magic and allows him to levitate. Spawn’s cape is a part of a living symbiont of supernatural energy. Which further grants him powers. In an episode of the 2003 Ninja Turtles series featured a parody of the Green Lantern named the Green Mantle who instead of a possessing a power ring wore a glowing green power cape. Green Mantle was an obvious stand for a character TMNT couldn’t get rights for it as interesting take on a super hero. The most iconic superheroes wear capes and in a episode which homages standard comic tropes it makes sense that heroic MacGuffin would be a power cape.
The Cape is a Tool
In Batman Begins, before Bruce Wayne solidifies his alterego, the fledgling vigilante jumps off a roof and nearly kills himself. When he talks to Lucius Fox about equipment for ‘face jumping’ he gives him a special memory cloth cape allowing him to glide short distances which is used to full effect over the course of the next two films. In comics Batman also uses his cape to misdirect enemies so they don’t know where to hit him. Storm of X-Men fame can manipulate the weather. She uses her cape as a sail to catch wind and fly. Dagger’s partner Cloak uses his cape to contain his powers access to a dark dimension.
The Cape is a Homage
The year was 1992 and comics greatest superhero, the Last Son of Krypton, The Man of Steel lies dead at the hands of Doomsday. In his place four heroes arise to take his place. John Henry Irons states that he is following in Superman’s heroic foot steps and decides to become the new Man of Steel equipped with an Iron Man style suit. To complete the look Irons adds a red cape.
I’m so strong it doesn’t matter what I wear.
For characters as powerful as Superman, Captain Marvel, Thor, Power Girl, The Scarlet Witch,The Spectre, The Sentry, Neo (with his matrix deacon coat) and many others does it really matter. Unless you have red sunlight or Kryptonite you can’t beat Superman. Captian Marvel and Thor have the powers of gods. Most of these characters are unstoppable when they really get going. If they want to wear a cape… you better damn well let them wear a cape.
Who among us can say that they never ran around as a child with a dish towel tied around his or her neck trying to save the world? Maybe a cape is impractical, silly looking, and juvenile for a crime fighter to wear but the thing about superheroes is that they appeal to the inner child in us. The child who believes that good can always defeat evil, and everyone can make a difference to make the world a better place. Plus it looks really cool!
