Carbon Costume vigilante
Dollar Bill from Watchmen
Dollar Bill, real name William Brady, was a member of the Minutemen, the first team of superheroes in the Watchmen universe. A corporate superhero sponsored by a bank, William was an exceptional athlete, but his life was cut tragically short when his cape got caught in a revolving door when he tried to stop a bank robbery and he was shot at point-blank range. Dollar Bill’s costume consists of red, white, and blue pieces. The blue unitard can be layered underneath red shorts, gloves, and socks, and then paired with a red cape. To get his iconic dollar sign insignia, use a little white fabric paint on the blue suit. Then, you can glue or sew white stars onto the bodysuit and cape.
Mysterion from South Park
Mysterion (voiced by Matt Stone) is the secret vigilante identity of Kenny McCormick on the adult cartoon series South Park. Recreating Mysterion’s look might take a little preparation and effort, but it will make for a kickass costume once complete. First, you’ll need to find a question mark headband. It’s difficult to find one in green, so get the lightest shade possible and paint over it instead. Use the same paint to adorn the front of your light purple jumpsuit with a capital ‘M.’ Cut a hole large enough to fit the question mark through the top of your hood (since these headbands are sold in a two-pack, you can paint one and use the other to measure the hole). Then, once the headband is dry, put on your black eye mask first, then the question mark headband, and carefully slip the hood over top. After that, all that’s left is to layer the white briefs and belt over your jumpsuit, pull on your boots and gloves, and dash off to keep the citizens of South Park safe!
Corvo Attano from Dishonored
Corvo Attano is the main protagonist of the the first Dishonored video game. As the secret lover and protector of Empress Jessamine Kaldwin, Corvo is framed for her murder and imprisoned before escaping and seeking vengeance. Corvo wears a long frock coat with gold details, dark trousers, and brown boots. His unique mask not only conceals his identity, but provides a telescopic eye that allows him a closer view of people and important items in the game.
Knuckleduster from My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
Iwao Oguro, once known by the Pro Hero names O’Clock in Japan and Hyper Quadfist in China, now goes by the moniker Knuckleduster in the My Hero Academia companion manga Vigilantes. Knuckleduster is a Quirkless vigilante. Even since All for One stole Overclock, Iwao continues his fight justice and protects local neighborhoods by challenging gangs and small-time criminals many Pro Heroes won’t take the time to stop. Knuckleduster wears fingerless gloves, a green trench coat, and a half-face mask to conceal his identity.
Crimson Bolt from Super
In the movie Super, Rainn Wilson plays the role of Frank Darbo, a kind but awkward man who creates the vigilante alter-ego Crimson Bolt in the aftermath of his wife’s death. The Crimson Bolt dons a homemade red suit with a hand-printed sigil. If you are feeling particularly crafty, you could make your Crimson Bolt shirt by hand as well with a red long sleeve tee and some yellow fabric paint. Otherwise, grab your ready-made shirt and layer as much padding as you can over your uniform, using red spray paint liberally when necessary to achieve the fully-crimson appearance of Frank’s superhero personality.
Wesley Dodds (Sandman)
Wesley Dodds is the real name of DC superhero Sandman. Originally introduced in 1939, Dodds uses a gun that administers a powerful sleeping gas to subdue criminals. He then sprinkles them with sand and leaves them for the police. In his original (and most iconic) iteration, Dodds wore a green business suit, brown fedora, and purple cape. Sandman’s look has been updated on several occasions, including a version with a more menacing-looking gas mask and a yellow suit from the mid-eighties until the early 2010s. No matter which version of Dodds you choose to recreate, you’ll need a brown fedora and a futuristic-looking gun with a wide, round barrel to help you put crime to sleep.
The Spirit
The Spirit is a fictional masked crimefighter created by cartoonist Will Eisner. He’s a masked vigilante who fights crime with the blessing of the city’s police. I recommend finding a way to make your tie stick out to the side, probably by putting a wire into it.
Dirty Harry
In Dirty Harry, Harold Francis Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is a police detective working the case for a psychopathic serial killer calling himself Scorpio. Dirty Harry doesn’t hesitate to cross professional and ethical boundaries, dispensing his own brand of justice with his trademark .44 Magnum.
Daredevil Black
In the Marvel comics and Netflix television series, Daredevil is the alter ego of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox). He fights crime as a lawyer by day, and as a vigilante by night. As if that weren’t enough, The Man Without Fear — as he’s called — does this all while blind, relying on his other heightened senses.
