Superheroes and capes? Name a more dynamic duo. When we see capes on someone, there is a huge possibility that person is definitely cosplaying a superhero character. These capes are just a fashion statement and an aesthetic that rounds off their “superhero” look for some superheroes. However, some heroes really put these clothing articles to use – capes for some are even companions or a weapon in the battle. Because of this trend that has been popular since the “birth” of superhero comics in the 30s and 40s of the 20th century (especially in Marvel and DC Comics), we decided to show you our list of the top 10 greatest superheroes that wear capes.
1. Vision
Everyone loves Vision, especially after the great performances by Paul Bettany in Marvel Cinematic Universe. Vision is not a living being (we concur especially after Wandavision) but since his appearance in Marvel Comics in 1968, he’s had an iconic look that fans really love. His costume was a bit goofy in earlier versions of the character but in recent years, Vision became a proper and a serious superhero, even with that silly yellow cape he has. All in all, he wears the cape really well which makes him really cool while in the air.
2. Storm
Every girl wanted to be like Storm from the Marvel Universe. One of the most famous members of the X-Men, Storm always stood out from the rest – her abilities are unique and her cool look that inspired a lot of young women today. Her cape is quite unusual since she has a different shape than the one from her colleague, Vision. She had few variations of the looks. For example, in her comic from 2014 name Storm, her cape starts from the lower back and drops all the way to the floor – it starts flowing after her while she’s flying which makes her cape look like stings or tails. Moreover, she has multiple iconic-looking capes that always differ from the rest, and because of that fact, she definitely deserves to be on this list.
3. Martian Manhunter
One of the most loveable aliens from DC Comics is definitely J’onn J’onzz. His first appearance was in DC’s Detective Comics #225 in 1955 and has not changed that much in appearance. We all know that DC relaunched its entire line of then ongoing superhero comics, including Detective Comics where Martian Manhunter appeared. Despite these drastic changes, the new 52 made Martian Manhunter even cooler. His badass look was reinforced by sharper lines and a few redesigns of his costume but the cape stayed the same. Grey-purplish color of J’onn J’onzz’s cape definitely earns him the spot on this list.
4. Scarlet Witch
Like her father Magneto, Wanda always had an iconic cape with her signature look. We saw variations of the Scarlet Witch’s costume in the comics and MCU (Wanda had a coat that resembled her signature look from the comics) but, as we recently saw in Doktor Strange: Multiverse of Madness movie, she got an upgrade after embracing her powers and later reading the Darkhold. Her look consists of a signature crown and body suit with boots and a long cape that rounds off her look magnificently. We saw Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in Wandavision and Doctor Strange 2, in a costume that shows us Wanda’s true form but hopefully, in future Marvel projects we see more diverse Wanda’s looks that made her an icon of Marvel Comics since her first appearance in 1964.
5. Doctor Fate
This superhero is really interesting. DC’s hero that debuted in the comics in 1940, has multiple different individuals who wield his name. Doctor Fate is made of a human host (Kent Nelson, Khalid Nassour) and the god Nabu, who is a fictional version of the Mesopotamian God of the same name. You can compare it to Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. What all of these individuals share with one another besides Doctor Fate’s name, they share their love of capes. He usually fights big villains in DC Comics called Lords of Chaos and does he do it well, especially with his yellow magnificent cape.
6. Doctor Strange
As said previously in the article, some superheroes use their capes as companions and weapons against other enemies. Well, Doctor Strange does it really well. His Cloak of Levitation, besides being very cool and fashionable, can very well be a person. Its behavior is really reminiscent of popular sidekicks and characters in numerous fictional media and makes Doctor Strange a character that must be on this list. Cloaks red color with a yellow edge and dramatic collar that expresses the nature of its origins as a magical artifact make Doctor Strange even cooler.
7. Superman
The most iconic superhero in comic book history, Superman is always an unavoidable superhero for these kinds of lists. His big stature and an iconic red and blue body suit make him really recognizable. We saw many interactions of Superman – from revamped and huge comic book events to evil versions of this famous hero. The thing they have in common is a cape. Without it, Superman just would not be the Superman we know and love.
8. Batman
After every Superman, there is always a Batman. The most famous detective superhero in comic book history makes his cape game one of the kind. As we all know, Batman is most famous for his bat persona – dark, mysterious, and very dangerous during knight. Bruce Wayne chose the name Batman because he was afraid of bats as a child and chose to use his greatest phobia against his enemies. His suit is really modified and designed the same as the bat-face masks with pointy ears and grey and black body suit with an iconic bat-shaped cape that only Batman can wear without being weird.
9. Moonknight
Moon Knight is quite an interesting character. He has an amazing back story that fans really love to read. In the comics, Moonknight is really brutal and the costume he wears really makes him look like the Ghost from the Moon. For that reason, Moonknight, with his multiple identities is really intimidating, especially with his suit being silver and the cloak on his head that transforms into a cape. We recently saw Moonknight in MCU on Disney+, portrayed by Oscar Isaac, who did an amazing job, and finally, let the fans see a live-action of Moonknight in his full glory.
10. Cloak
We are at the end of this list and how can we wrap up this without mentioning an ultimate cape/cloak bearer – a superhero named Cloak. That is right, Cloak is a fictional character from Marvel Comics and he wears a cloak that has been worn by entities from the Darkforce dimension. His powers are intangibility and teleportation. Cloak has a partner, Dagger, that balances him out, and these two make an amazing team. Even though we saw them already in a TV show called Cloak & Dagger from 2018, which has been canceled after two seasons after Marvel announced a major leadership change, we hope there is a future in MCU for these characters. We can’t wait for this marvelous cape/cloak to appear again!
