Carbon Costume

By day, he’s Bruce Wayne, a wealthy inventor and philanthropist, but by night, he dons the persona of Batman, the vengeful protector of Gotham City. Created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, Batman made his debut in 1939 with this suit. As always, the suit follows a dark color palette, complete with the signature bat ear cowl and cape. It hasn’t changed much throughout the years!

Alfred Pennyworth is as iconic as Batman himself. He’s the man who raised Bruce after the murder the Waynes. He is the man who keeps track of the Bat family when the number of vigilantes grows. And he’s the one that grounds Bruce when the burden of the superhero life gets to be too much.

There are a few ways you can pull off an Alfred cosplay. All of them involve a black suit, black bow tie, and black shoes with a white button down shirt. You can leave the shirt as-is or replace the buttons with black buttons. A fake mustache is a must, of course. When it comes to Alfred’s hair, though, you have more choices. You can use a bald cap or you can opt for white pomade and slick your hair back while getting Alfred’s mature, distinguished look.

In the latest film adaptation for the DC hero Batman, Riddler (played by Paul Dano) is a sinister terrorist intent on exposing the dark secrets of Gotham’s elite.  The Batman‘s 2022 version of Edward Nashton is a far cry from previous iterations, and the grittier tone of the film is reflected in the character’s far more understated costuming.  To recreate this Riddler, you’ll need an army green anorak and balaclava.  Use some white fabric paint to add his custom insignia to the jacket and layer a pair of clear framed glasses over the hood, in the style of the Zodiac Killer, reportedly a strong influence on the updated characterization.

Buddy Standler (voiced by Stuart Pankin) was a simple comedian just trying to make a name for himself. Unfortunately for Buddy, making his mark landed him on Joker’s bad side. A little bit of mind control later and Buddy made his debut as the Condiment King. To no-one’s surprise, condiments couldn’t quite stand up to the Bat and Buddy’s villain run ended almost as soon as it began, leaving Buddy hospitalized.

Like most comic and cartoon characters, the Condiment King’s costume is a bit hard to replicate without making it from scratch. But you can get close with some pre-made pieces and just a little DIY. White briefs, gloves, and boots are ready to go, as is a teal bodysuit and a pair of black lens sunglasses. You can replicate his condiment guns with red and yellow squirt guns while a silver backpack can replaces the tanks on his back until you can make your own. And, as an added bonus, the bag can hold your convention supplies. Another substitution is a green beanie for his pickle hat until, again, one can be made.

The DIY comes into play with the insignia on his chest. A pack of felt offers all the necessary colors while fabric fusion makes it possible to glue the decal to the bodysuit. Just be sure the chest of the suit is stretched to roughly its worn size before you glue the decal on so that it doesn’t affect the fit of the costume.

Initially meant as a way to redefine Batman’s origin, the Zero Year comic run has since become a huge crossover event featuring many of the most well-known faces in Gotham. Parts of it were even used to influence the last season of the hit show Gotham and fans still go back to the comic run almost a decade after its release for Snyder and Tynion’s take on the fearsome vigilante.

In this iteration of Batman he often wears a horned cowl, grey suit with a black Batman symbol on his chest, purple gloves, a yellow utility belt, a black utility strap around his thigh, and black boots.

Because the comic run is not as widely known as the movie versions, finding the specific suit can be difficult. The one pictured here is close and includes the cowl, though you will have to request the gloves be left off if you purchase from the linked seller. For cosplayers who can invest a little more, Etsy sellers offer muscle suits that can then be painted and customized more specifically, but they do not come cheap.

With the linked suit, the utility belt is included. However if you go through an Esty seller – as with the suit – there are many who make the utility belts though they charge a great deal more for their craftmanship.

HBO Max introduced Jason Todd as Red Hood in season three of their Titans show. The look was hyped for months beforehand and not just by Curran Walters, the man under the hood. Fans everywhere were dying to see what HBO would give them and they were not disappointed.

Recreating Red Hood’s look is no easy feat. And it starts with the mask. Unless you’re an experienced crafter and cosplayer, your best bet is to get one from Etsy. They tend to sell out very quickly and you might have to purchase a 3D printer pattern and have an Etsy printer run one off for you. Then, of course, you need a red zip up hoodie and a brown leather jacket. Under that you’ll want the chest piece which is pretty easily replicated with a paintball vest and fabric paint. Because the vest is black, you’ll want to paint the bat symbol first in white and then in red so the red will show up against the background. Finally, to finish off the upper layer you’ll need a pair of motorcycle gloves.

The bottom half of the costume consists of a pair of motorcycle pants, two thigh holsters, two costume pistols, a tactical belt, and a pair of brown leather work boots. Todd also has a pair of leg bracers that go down over his boots. You can purchase the leg portion premade and then fashion the section over his toes with craft foam and silver adhesive vinyl.

It’s a costume with a pretty steep level of investment. For for Red Hood fans it is worth it.

There are more iterations of Batman than most people can count. And each version has a flair all his own. In Batman: The Animated Series, Kevin Conroy voices a Batman steeped in neo-noir style. And it has made this version of the caped crusader a favorite among long-time and new fans alike.

This version of Batman is fairly old-school when it comes to his costume. A grey body suit and soft touch fabric paint will give you the base layer of his costume as well as the perfect insignia, since the style of his insignia is often the most specific change. On top of that you’ll want a pair of black bike shorts and the yellow utility belt. Bike shorts will give a little more coverage than the actual costume but they might also be more comfortable!

Add on some gloves, boots, a cowl, and a cape, and you’ve finished out the costume!

There is one small note on the cape: It is black on the outside and blue on the inside. You can always skip this detail but if you’re determined to get the same look, you have two options. One is to order the same cape in both black and blue, then cut the hems into points and glue them together on all sides using fabric glue until they are one piece. The other option is order a few extra bottles of the blue fabric paint and paint the inside of your cape. Both options will change how the cape moves and how you’ll have to clean it. So keep these factors in mind when choosing how you alter it!

There are so many Batman variations that it can be a little hard to keep up with. But this version (voiced by Diedrich Bader) is unique in both his snark and the way he handles Harley Quinn. He’d have to be. This Harley isn’t your usual Harley. And when the lines between good guy and bad guy get blurred, things are bound to get interesting!

Batman’s costume in the show is pretty straightforward. He has a black cowl and a black cape that he wears over a grey body suit with the bat insignia on the chest. Because the insignia is a little different from most you can buy pre-made, you’re better off painting it on with black fabric paint. A yellow belt, black gloves, and black boots round out the look. You can add some bat-themed weapons and you’ll be ready to scour the streets of Gotham for evildoers!