The writer of some of the best X-Men movies has given a definitive answer on why the тιтular team wears matching black suits in the original Marvel franchise. The reasoning has been a long time coming, with the X-Men making their on-screen debut in said suits 25 years ago.

Since then, the X-Men have experienced a rollercoaster of a cinematic career. Following the critically acclaimed X2, one of the best superhero sequels ever made, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine painted a dismal picture for the future of the franchise. X-Men: First Class then corrected the X-Men’s course, and with it came a new, more comics-accurate wardrobe.

A purely comics-accurate wardrobe would comprise a particularly colorful set of threads that helps each member to stand out. Wolverine is perhaps the most prominent with his yellow suit and winged helmet – something which ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine finally adapted in 2024. The pure-black leather outfits in early X-Men movies, meanwhile, fly in the face of this convention completely.

X-Men and X2 writer, David Hayter, recently addressed the reasoning for the X-Men uniforms in response to a fan question via X, clarifying that it was requested by director Bryan Singer. Hayter states that Singer struggled to justify why the X-Men would wear different clothes, and that unless there was a practical reason, they should wear “street clothes” instead.

Consequently, the writers opted to give the X-Men a uniform that not only helped to homogenize them and convey their cohesion as a team but also provided them with some protection. Hayter’s comments can be viewed below:

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Because our director said, “Why is Wolverine the only one who wears a mask? Why would Storm wear a ʙικιɴι into battle? Unless there’s some practical reason for them to wear uniforms, they’re going to be in street clothes.” So the uniforms were designed to be protective.

What David Hayter’s Comments Mean For The X-Men Movie

It Was Too Eaerly For The X-Men To Dress Ostentatiously

In 2000, superhero movies were more beholden to realism than they are today. It therefore makes sense that Singer would have been keen to flout comic book precedent to ground the inherently outlandish team as much as possible. In that sense, the costumes offer a small amount of recourse for creative license.

This reasoning was even baked into X-Men itself, with Cyclops’ now-infamous line “What would you prefer, yellow spandex?“ At the time, Wolverine was expressing his incredulity at wearing such outlandish outfits – a sentiment that now feels particularly ironic given the modern appeтιтe for colorful, comics-accurate costumes.

The comments also add another layer of context to what Kevin Feige, who worked on X-Men as an ᴀssociate producer, has previously revealed. When talking to Comicbook‘s Brandon Davis (via CBR), Feige said about the outfit choice:

“There were studio execs in charge who knew that The Matrix had been a big hit and they wore black leather so, ‘Put them in black leather!”

Taken together, Hayter and Feige’s comments paint a detailed picture of why the traditionally colorful team of X-Men were ultimately kitted out in thick black leather outfits. Now that comic accuracy is more amenable to superhero movie fans, Feige’s oversight of the MCU and the X-Men means that the likes of Wolverine and Professor X look more comics-accurate than ever.

Our Take On David Hayter’s X-Men Comments

If It Set The Team Up For Success, I’m Happy

While I am certainly more of a fan of the comics-accurate costumes sported in modern X-Men adaptations, Hayter’s comments have improved my opinion on the outfits the team initially wore. Ultimately, the decision made a lot of sense, with X-Men earning nearly $300 million worldwide in the earliest days of the superhero movie genre.

Had X-Men opted for a more flashy and comics-accurate wardrobe, this might have ostracized casual moviegoers. Instead, it could be argued that the gargantuan superhero sphere was predicated on such a move, and considering this put the X-Men on a trajectory to sporting their comics-accurate guises in modern adaptations, I think it was a brilliant move.

Sources: David Hayter/X, CBR