It’s been 5 years since Peter Parker first won our hearts within a world of heroes with a simple “Hey everyone!” But have we ever stopped to think how many suits Tom Holland has worn since his 2016 debut? Aight, we got the homemade suit… The Stark suit… The Iron Spider suit… The red and black spandex at the end of Far From Home. Hmmm… what else? Oh, yes, how could we miss out Peter Parker’s memorable turn as the Night Monkey?
Spider-Man has numerous suits in the comics and one thing that’s been great about the MCU’s version is that it embraces that aspect, allowing the character to explore various designs, iterations, and upgrades just like Iron Man. Nevertheless, it is even sweeter that a lot of these suits in the films have drawn inspiration from the pages of the comics with references to several suits from comic lore. For instance, Peter Parker’s homemade suit, which first appeared on-screen in Captain America: Civil War was a simple getup, showcasing Peter’s resourcefulness in constructing his own costume to protect his identity. However, peering closer, we know that it is, in actual fact, a nod to a particular outfit worn by a certain Spider-person. The hood over the costume was unmistakably Ben Reilly’s aka the Scarlet Spider except that the colours had been inverted with a red hood over a blue costume. The same can be said for the ‘Night Monkey’ stealth suit that appeared in Far From Home, with the black kevlar and flip-up optic components evoking the essence of Earth 90214’s Spider-Man Noir.
Seeing that Tom Holland will be sticking around the MCU for the foreseeable future, we compiled a list of suits we eventually want to witness being adapted to live-action.
So, let’s glance over what to expect from this list as we’re only going to be looking at ideas and concepts that have not made it on-screen. While hopes may be high for a Symbiote Suit crossover with Tom Hardy’s Venom, we’ll not be discussing it here as it has already been given a big highlight in the third Raimi film.
We will also veer away from the traditional red-and-blue patriotic colours that have defined so much of the character’s aesthetic over his 58-year career, instead, jumping at opportunities for unique and distinct looks while trying to make sense of them within the limitations of Tom Holland’s live-action iteration.
Future Foundation
First appearance: FF Vol 1 #1 (May 2011)
At first glance, this may look like the love-child of ol’ webhead and another snow-white son of Klyntar but I assure you, it is not. The monochrome shades may scream of Anti-Venom but in actuality, the suit was given to him during his tenure with the Future Foundation.
The Future Foundation was a team of heroes assembled by Nic-… uhh….by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four when he decided that he had enough of Earth’s ideals of science. In order to shape a better future and a better world for all mankind, he considered the youngest and brightest minds on the planet, rounded them up, and used his elastic band of a waist to keep the family tied together.
Spider-Man was one of the more surprising additions to the team as he was not on the initial roster. However, to honour the wishes of the Human Torch who had just been lost and was believed to be deceased, he was inducted into the ranks of an FF member, thus gaining a sleek white and black suit of his own.
Now, members of the Future Foundation each have their own suits and the one thing to note about them is that they are higher evolutions of the uniforms the Fantastic Four have been donning since their inception. Reed Richards had created a synthetic material made out of unstable molecules that could be altered to adapt to their environment. That means that if a certain powered individual were to wear it, he or she need not worry about stretching their abilities to the max. Take for example, Johnny Storm and his hot bod. The unstable molecules would be able to adapt to the heat generated and not flare-up, unlike normal clothing. To quote Edna from The Incredibles, it breathes like Egyptian cotton.
In the case of Spider-Man, it may seem less functional due to his arachnid-powers not altering the density, heat, or opacity of his body. His features essentially stay the same during combat. Nonetheless, Future Foundation suits are made up of third generation unstable molecules, which have the ability to wash, rinse and spin themselves in their teeny quark-y spaces so that the suits would always remain the fresh princes they are. Considering the fact that Spidey gets beaten up a lot, he need not worry about his suit getting soiled and would not have to spend time doing his laundry or repairs as often. With such a feature, Parker might be able to head down to the at pizza piazza in Queens and grab that tasty crust before he heads off to save the rest of New York City.
Besides looking cool, the uniform also doubled up as a stealth suit that had a white on black colour scheme. However, Peter had the option of reverting back to his classic red-and-blue option if he ever wanted to. Indeed, the Future Foundation suit is one of the most versatile super-suits out there, and it might just be one that proves handy for the MCU’s web-slinger.
Secret War
First appearance: Secret War Vol 1 #1 (April 2004)
Marvel’s Secret Wars may have introduced the symbiote, an outfit that would go on to become a fan-favourite within the Marvel Universe and spawn a plethora of gooey creations. But we’re talking about an entirely different circumstance over here. This ain’t a madlad Beyonder induced skirmish. It’s a much simpler one as the entire story delves into the tale of Peter sitting on the edge of a shore with a straw hat atop his head, while he lazes on the setting sun on the horizon and ponders his next meal. (I’m kidding, when does our poor Parker ever get a break?)
Nonetheless, 2004’s Secret War is a lesser-known event in comics history and it’s one that involves Nick Fury and his SHIELD operatives infiltrating Doctor Doom’s domain of Latveria in an attempt to overthrow the government. The bad doctor was not in at that moment in time due to him having a wet hot American summer in the depths of hell. However, due to the government of the day attempting to start a World War of its own, Fury decided to intervene without the knowledge of the US administration as they had essentially tossed aside his findings of Latveria’s secret ploy to attack American soil.
During that period in time, Fury had an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people to fight the battle that the state never could. The likes of Captain America, Daredevil, Black Widow, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and SHIELD agent Daisy Johnson were employed in Latveria with Peter Parker putting on a new dark coloured scheme with highlighted blue emblems on his back and chest. The rest of the story is not as important as we’re mainly here to discuss the Secret War garb.
There’s nothing really special about this suit as it does not augment Peter’s abilities, but let’s solely discuss the visual aspect of the costume. One can’t help but notice the red webbing on the suit is akin to another popular webhead. Indeed, if Miles Morales does get his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future, this suit could be used as a precursor to the familiar black suit with red webbing that has become synonymous with the Ultimate version. Maybe Parker could be storing it in his vault and upon discovering it, Miles becomes inspired with the colour scheme, hence creating his own take on the Ultimate Spider-Man suit.
Ricochet
First appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #434 (May 1998)
Technically, the Ricochet suit isn’t a Spider-Man look but it was one of the personas adopted by Peter Parker in the comics when he was framed for murder by the Trapster and Norman Osborn (sound familiar?). Since Spider-Man’s name had gone up in flames, Peter decided to temporarily fridge his default moniker and take up four distinct costumed identities in order to confuse his enemies and contradict any speculation that these personas were all one and the same. The other three names taken on by Parker include Dusk, Hornet, and Prodigy.
Now, the reason why the other three weren’t considered for this list is that they were derivative of other heroes. Dusk was a rip-off of Cloak, Hornet kinda looked like Wasp, and Ricochet had friggin Asgardian ears on its helmet to evoke the god of thunder himself. While appearances of the latter could play off as a gag within the movie-verse, they certainly do not bring anything unique to the table. On the other hand, the Ricochet suit is outlandishly goofy, yet, maintains the sensibility behind Spider-Man. He has a giant ‘R’ on his chest to signify his affiliations with Team Rocket as he frequently goes to the gym, not to work out, but to capture Pokemon. Aight, that was some jest, but the Ricochet moniker isn’t a particularly heroic one either as Parker disguises himself as a criminal for hire while performing the contrary.
However, when donning this suit, Parker abandons his web-slingers, instead opting to perform heroic tasks with special throwing discs. Combined with his Spider-sense and agility, Ricochet can still pack one heck of a punch with EMP blasts, explosive discs, and a variety of gadgets equipped.
I have to admit that this unusual look might not be everyone’s cup of morning tea. I mean, look at that silvered mane jutting out the top of the mask. Nonetheless, it does shake things up for the hero. Spider-Man: Far From Home ended with a shocker of a mid-credits scene, as Quentin Beck not only framed Spider-Man as a rogue menace who had Mysterio murdered, but delivered one of the most devastating blows to Peter Parker’s life by revealing his identity to the entire planet. As such, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker attempting to lay low in another suit while taking on the guise of a criminal might not sound too bad of an idea.
Oh, and did I mention that the suit was created by MJ? Way to go, tiger!
Scarlet Spider
First Appearance: Scarlet Spider Vol 2 #2 (April 2012)
The character of Kaine Parker first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #119, conceived as one of the first clones of Spider-Man during the infamous 1994 run of the Clone Saga. Having been created by the Jackal, he was perceived as imperfect, yet, was allowed to live in order for his creator to observe his longevity. However, due to him being a discarded test subject, Kaine began developing sentiments of rejection. This particular clone had the same abilities as the original but soon developed precognitive senses that allowed him to glimpse into the near future. He also had a distinct ability to brand his victims with his hand, which soon came to be known as the Mark of Kaine.
Now, the character himself did not exactly start off so well as he was experiencing physical degeneration and was not expected to survive. His initial feelings of dejection soon factored into his villainous turn with him showing up on several occasions to duke it out with Peter Parker and Ben Reilly, his other clone counterpart.
Kaine only became a hero in recent years when he saved a young girl from human traffickers in Houston, Texas where he was applauded as a saviour. After noting his responsibility over the city, and seeing that he could do some good, he decided to take up the mantle that had previously been held by Ben Reilly, and soon became known as the Scarlet Spider.
Now, like the Secret War spandex, this suit does not enhance the wearer’s powers. However, it’s a really great and sleek design that would translate well to film. The black mask interpolated with the red optics would make foes tremble in fear. The seriousness added to the character would change how we perceive the wall-crawler. On a side note, if Kaine’s special ability to endothermically charge his hands was integrated into the suit’s design, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker could surely use it for combat in certain icy situations.
Stealth Suit (Big Time)
First appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #650 (December 2010)
Lumos! It’s big-time that we got a light show!
The stealth suit was Peter Parker’s creation during his job at Horizon Labs after a battle with the Hobgoblin. Formulated with a blend of an ‘omni-harmonic mesh’, a concept developed by Dr. Henry Pym, along with light and sound wave-bending technology, the suit ultimately aided Spider-Man to prevail in his rematch with the Hobgoblin.
Visually speaking, it’s gorgeous. Spider-Man lights up like a disco ball to swing around at parties and to get dissed by DJ Flash Thompson. His optic lenses and spider symbol are lit in a neon-green shade. Neon-red or blue modes also exist but come on, can we just take some time to appreciate how stunning the wall-crawler walks down the runway with a dab of green? It’s a breath of fresh air for a change.
Onto the practical side of things, the suit is primarily meant for stealth and has a couple of modes that can be triggered by the wearer. The first is a camo mode, which renders Spidey invisible to certain visual and audio frequencies. This would prove to be handy when he is sneaking around oblivious guards who might have some sort of conventional tracker to hunt him down. The second mode is an anti-sound mode which would negate all sonic-based attacks on him, something that would be useful if a villain like Klaue were to face off with the wall-crawler (unfortunately, the dude’s gone 6 underground).
Need I say that the costume is literally fireproof and can heal itself with just a thought? Oh, Spidey, you are blessed big-time…
Which of these costumes would you like to see Tom Holland put on in future films? Are there any other suits from the comics that you think would make a good thematic fit for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? If there are, spin up a lil’ web of thoughts and let us know in the comments below!
