WHY Do Superheroes Wear Capes (And When Did They Stop)? 

They stopped because Edna Mode decided to stop designing costumes with them.

Back in the 70s, Captain America became Nomad and his first costume had a cape because “he always wanted to try it out.” He immediately tripped over it during his first fight and promptly ditched it.

I always looked at capes as being a symbol that THAT particular superhero can fly/glide, like Mario in Super Mario World, he picks up a feather but then it turns into a cape that allows him to fly/glide.

Moon Knight's cape forming a crescent and literally enveloping the panel, fusing it with the gutter, has always been one of my favorite visual tropes.

Dick Grayson is an interesting example of a character who began with a cape as Barman's sidekick Robin, and then drops the cape as Nightwing.

"Not all super heroes wear capes" takes on a WHOLE NEW meaning now.

11:56 As Batman once said "Any good superhero cape should have a quick release collar." I'm paraphrasing but my point is there. Many of those deaths could have been prevented with a quick release.

Neo in The Matrix's trench coat certainly evokes a cape, especially when he flies.

I think Supergirl‘s fake science that says capes help you steering while airborne is my favorite explanation.

Edna Mode: NO CAPES!

Capes are interesting because in comic form (and other 2D visual novels etc.), they help portray motion and a feeling of energy in a drawing. So, despite capes not being any more common in anime/manga than in comics, what you do see often is lots of long pieces of clothing that replicate this feeling. One recent example, Deku in the latest arcs of My Hero Academia has a yellow scarf from one of his mentor, and almost acts like a cape in the way and illustrates his momentum and movement.

One thing Superman used his cape quite often is shielding people with it. As it is from Kryptonian material it is as strong as he is, so when flying fast it prevents the friction, or shields from an explosion etc.

The word 'escape' is derived from the Latin 'excappa' which literally means to get out of your cloak (or cape). If someone is holding you by your cloak, you 'escape' by undoing it.

It always feels good wearing a cape, I wish they'd come into fashion

To quote Miss Edna Mode from The Incredibles “NO CAPES!”

Capes were used while fighting during the middle ages and renaissance. They didn't get tangled, the secret is they have to be quite short detachable at a moment's notice. They could even be wrapped around one's arm to form a different level of protection

Meta Man, express elevator! Dynaguy, snag on takeoff! Splashdown, sucked into a vortex! NO CAPES!

Rule of thumb: flying = cape. Not flying = no cape.

People that are critical over a cape's problems/disadvantages in worlds where radiation gives powers, magic is real, gods are real, and teenagers sometimes mutate......are weird. I don't think it would be hard to design a cape that would detach if a certain amount of pull was exerted on it.

If you limit the pool to only new superheroes that are: prominent enough to have their own stand-alone series, not affiliated with existing heroes, not homages to existing heroes, and/or not deconstruction of existing heroes, then you're left with a vanishingly small pool of characters.

The other reason why capes are so associated with superheroes is that contemporary people don't wear them. As a result, for generations, the most common place people would encounter capes was in superhero media. So it's not that the majority of superheroes wear capes (clearly they don't); it's that capes are accepted fashion for superheroes but not (generally) for people in the real world. Combine that with the ubiquity of Superman and Batman, and capes are seen as superhero attire.

Magneto, great cape! I can't imagine the character without it.

In a way, a cape is very useful tool because it provides both a way to better convey movement (as Siegel and Shuster noted), but also a portable backdrop for a character.

There's a more obvious and direct origin. Scaramouche, from the Rafael Sabatini novel. He's a direct influence on Zorro and Batman. He disguised his identity by wearing the costume of the commedia dell'arte character. The traditional Scaramouche character wore a cape. Also, a lot of military uniforms retained capes after they were no longer in vogue in the civilian world. They were a practical accessory, but they also conveyed a dashing appearance that was good for morale and recruitment. A lot of the early superheroes tried to capture that WW1 martial vibe. The Italian Carabinieri *still* wear them.

Japan's oldest superhero and folk icon is Golden Bat, an invincible hero who has a golden skull for a face and cackles incessantly in the face of evil while thwarting it

The circus connection makes sense to me.

I have a large "necker" that I wear when hiking. It's a 36" square of cloth that functions as part of my scouting uniform and it's great for many uses. I can: Clean myself off Sit on it to stay clean Use it as a sling/bandage Make a bag Make a hood or skullcap And many other uses. The kids like to turn them into capes as well and I have to admit it's fun to wear and useful if it cools down quickly, it starts to rain or the sun is really strong. Wearing it as a cape can help a lot in those situations.

The circus origin is so spot on. You look at the early Superman and he clearly looks to be a caped circus strongman with belted boxers rather than "hugging" spandex briefs on the outside. ( :-D ) Marvel's original Ghost Rider, the cowboy vigilant schoolteacher, utilized a cloak coated on the outside with the same phosphorous as the rest his pure white attire but the inside of that cloak was velvet black so when he flipped the cape in wrapping it about, it would seem - in open darkness with NO artificial light - there was merely his glowing spectral head floating. So, points for that detail. But mostly, capes simply are a hassle.

Before watching the video, my take is that drapery add a lot of dynamics to art. Take a stationary pose of a character looking over the edge of a rooftop without a cape. Now add a cape blowing in the wind. Instant life breathed onto the page.

I love that you differentiated, and singled out Bob Kane with - "Siegel and Schuster created Superman" vs "Bob Kane credited with creating Batman". Small, but appreciated distinction.

I think you nailed it at the end with cultural osmosis. It's like the Dracula effect (also a cape wearer). If you say "vampire" to someone, they picture Bela Lugosi's Dracula and all the associated tropes--the accent, the cape, the eyes, turning into a bat, and so on. If you say "superhero" to someone, it also invokes a very specific set of tropes.

"No capes!"--Edna Mode.

I remember when Dollar Bill died because of his cape got stuck during robbery. No capes after that incident.

About time we bring capes back to style

I like the explanation given in My Hero Academia: it's so they can use it as a blanket if somebody needs comforting / keeping warm.

I like to think of superhero capes in the same way that old magazines or commercials for things like fans or air conditioners had those ribbons attached to them. It shows movement and speed in a static image. Because, yeah, every hero that has a cape either flies or is known to make giant leaps from tall places. But best cape is definitely Spawn's overly 90's "so long it never fits in one panel no matter how small he's drawn" cape.

Capes being denoted to just an impractical hazard is pretty reductive, if you ask me. Alan Moore is a great writer but starting that trend of questioning the realism of specifically stylized things like capes feels like giving ammunition to those who are missing the point. There's a healthy amount of "rule of cool" in capes or trench coats, and once we start nitpicking little things like that we move beyond reading comics and start just complaining about things that don't matter.

Spawns cape was a deliberate riff on Dr. Strange's cape -- according to MacFarlane.

A couple more historical points. When travelers, who wore capes, entered an area that usually didn't have visitors, they fostered the archetype of the mysterious stranger, an unknown quality. Superman had the introductory blurb, "...strange visitor from another planet...". While Batman’s cape, evocative of bat wings that were often used in paintings of demons and devils, was meant to strike fear in the hearts of evi doers. Rather like the Shadow. Also, thank you for the Edna reference, hearing it was Incredible...🙂

I think that the pervasive ideas of heroes wearing capes boil down to something very simple: Is easier to remember a someone who has something versus someone who doesn't. A dude with green hair, a girl with steampunk goggles or a dog wearing a jacket are much easier to remember than the guy with regular hair, a girl with no glasses or a regular dog. Capes are iconic, graphic, gestural, large, are canvases for massive splashes of color and/or symbols while being an unorthodox outfit option, making them a great pairing with a super-being. Loved the vid!

Interesting topic. My favorite part of a superhero costume is not the cape. Its the chest emblem.

Did the Scarlet witch and vision get married because they both had an affinity for capes?

Great episode as always! My friend did a paper in college about how Superman's cape was unusual because it didn't go over his shoulders like typical capes before that.

Fantastic video. I like when contemporary writers create fun additions to the in universe reason characters wear capes. One that comes to mind is in 'Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate' deadshot fires his rifle at batman while he is walking shrouded in his cape and it hits his cape but not batman. Dead shot comments that he admires batmans idea to wear a cape to disguise where his body truly is. It's fun and adds another layer of utility to the cape besides the typical gliding and shielding eyes from explosions

What im getting from this video is that the new response to "not all heroes wear capes" should be "correct, most don't"

Many iconic character silhouettes outside of traditional superheroes include draped materials. Some examples include Clint Eastwood's "Man with no name" in his poncho, Piccolo's weighted cape, and Neo's trench coat.

Storm's cape is theoretically functional as it catches the wind she summons and is how she flies.

5:33 ...I just have to note how adorable this scene is; a little girl sitting down in a magazine shop, reading a comic book with a doggy on her lap. These moments in time are a treasure.

I actually enjoy capes and wish more artists would use them, especially since capes in the real world eventually ended up coming in a dizzying array of styles, fashions, and functions. You can even find rennaisance sword dueling manuals that teach you how to dual wield your rapier in one hand and your cape in the other!

This reminds me a bit of something interesting about the Pyramids. You see, Sudan actually has more historical pyramids than Egypt. They were built extensively by the Ancient Nubians, it was as important to their culture as it was to Egypt. Mexico and Central America also have really important Pyramids, some of the biggest in the world. But Egypt has Giza, the most famous set of Pyramids out there, made iconic by the Egyptian craze of the European 19th and early 20th centuries. Therefore, Egypt became synonymous with the idea of Pyramids. The same thing happens with superheroes and capes: Most superheroes don't wear them, but a lot of the most famous ones do (Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, their respective derivatives, Thor, etc), so the idea of capes became synonymous with superheroes.

Thank you for referring to Bob Kane as "credited as creating Batman" and not actually as his creator. Your old video on him is still one of my favorite videos about comics on RU-vid.

3:17 this reminds me of Superman Smashes the Klan book, where we see a circus performer, a strongman in fact, tell Clark that a colorful costume is what helped him attract people, who were previously scared of his incredible strength.

Doctor Occult wore a cape in one of his stories. Created Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and came before Superman.

The Phantom of the Opera movie comes to mind as well. Dramatic shadows in European cinema are likely one point of reference, if only an unconscious one. What about the Golden Bat?

Good episode. Don't forget monastic cloaks with cowls.

Having a cape is a liability for most, using one is a flex, showing that you are more capable than most

Damn I never stopped to realise your fact about Spawn being the last modern popular superhero who wears a cape.

I actually find it interesting how All Might is shown wearing a cape in his younger years, but by the time of the main events of My Hero Academia he has long since abandoned it, making him a sort of bridge between the old-fashioned and modern superhero designs. Though also interesting to note that his mentors Nana Shimura and Gran Torino both wear capes, and it's likely he modeled his initial costume after their example. MHA has such an interesting variety of costumes and character designs pulling inspiration from so many sources, it really is a fantastic tribute to the history of superheroes both eastern and western.

Because Superman was inspired by wrestlers who wore a cape, who did it so people in the back could still easily follow what was going on, the practical benefit in early comics being able to easily convey movement.

For an artist, capes have two practical uses, one mainly covered here: To convey movement, and another is an artist's trick: So you don't have to draw as much background. A nice, flowing (most of the time comically, no pun intended, large) cape takes little time to draw. A city block however? So ... capes. ;)

Excellent Bob Kane shade, throughout, and also a really interesting history!

How do you even find a story where daredevil says "this stupid cape".

16:30 That book "Blankets" made me think of Diaper Man.

Storm was the first character to my knowledge it was a reason connected to her cape as her reason she defies gravity is because she uses her cape to catch the wind and glide on wind currents.

The cape is iconic. No, most super heroes don't wear capes. But the BEST and COOLEST ones do. Also villains.

My mom had a cape from her nursing school days she let me wear a lot when I was a kid.

In the online superhero game City of Heroes, for a long time you had to earn your cape. You had to reach level 20, and then play through a story arc to be allowed to wear a cape. The actual reason for this was that they didn't have capes ready by release date, because of animation issues. But they made up an in-game reason, and it stayed this way for years.

This was absolutely fascinating. Who knew a video about capes could be so good.

Just before I start the video, I'm betting that Edna mode is going to be referenced in this. Edit: called it at 11:52.

I'm surprised we don't see bit more of capes being included on super strong characters where "grabbing hazard" isn't a concern, for the same reason Invincible wears those googles because they look cool getting smashed. Get a few more dynamic shots or torn up suits in fights, but maybe it gets old fast. Having the outfits and characters get visually damaged as fights go on seems a bit more common now than 20 years ago.

With Storm she couldn't actually fly and it helped with riding the winds. Similar thing with Banshee.

The surcoat, also known as a super tunica, was a cloak worn by knights over their armor when riding into battle. Medieval knights were protected by their steel armor (hence "man of steel") and the "caped crusaders" was a popular nick name for Batman and Robin.

"you wouldn't create an action character with a cape nowadays" The mandalorian. And more comedy/satire, but helldivers has a huge thing capes lol

Fun topic! I like the excuse Batman has, that he is misdirecting and intimidating his enemies. Which is why I really like capes on villains like Magneto, whose entire psychology is that he WANTS humanity to see him as the threat he is

"Capes have no practical purpose and are going to get caught on something and get the hero killed" INCORRECT :) Capes could be incredibly useful. They can be used for so many things. An emergency shock blanket for a victim. To cover a scene of violence so a child doesn't have to see it. To cover glass to let someone climb through a broken window. To wrap up and easily carry objects. Extra layer of warmth in case of cold, but easy enough to let sit open if its warm. If it's waterproof it can be used like a tarp, to make an emergency shelter or to keep people off the wet ground and prevent hypothermia. Literally so many uses! I'm sure there are others I'm not thinking of. As for the "it will get caught on something and trap you" part of the argument; I raise you... Breakaway clasps!! Those connectors used on cat collars that are designed to unclasp if enough pressure is applied. Their purpose is to ensure that, if a cat ever gets their collar caught on something, they aren't trapped! Just latch your hero cape with one of those, then when it gets caught or if someone grabs it, you can quickly yank against it, and then BAM you're free! Could be a purposeful and strategic move as well, if the hero is more of a trickster type. They let the enemy grab them by the cloak, escape, and then while the enemy is distracted thinking they have the hero in their hand, and subsequently confused by the empty cloak, the hero sneak attacks them from the shadows, or drops on their head from above. :) To be fair I am a tad biased because I absolutely LOVE flowy layers in fashion and art, but I stand by the idea that capes and cloaks can be and are useful. :) I am prepared to die on this hill. (Fashionably, in my epic cape. :D) (Thank you for coming to my ted talk wow I did not realize I had that much of an opinion on this-)

I think it was Chuck Dixon who gave a really good explanation for why the Batman Family of characters tend towards capes. The Capes are a heavy Kevlar/Nomex mix. Being similar to a Firefighters jacket. They offer good protection from fire and some from bullets.

bring back the opening gags!!! they were so funny

Manga designs like Saitama show that capes have lasting aesthetic even beyond their era. I am in favour of more caped heroes. Great video and analysis.

I fully agree that the circus costume influenced Superman, and all superheroes, cape or not, by way of the trunks outside the pants or leggings. But you're leaving out the tremendous influence of Raymond's Flash Gordon, which featured both the capes and the trunks. In Flash G it seems the basis is all royal military style costume; tunics, capes epaulets, and pants tucked into ornate boots. Raymond likely added the outside trunks to the European military Napoleonic or especially 'Prisoner of Zenda" uniforms to add some imagined otherworldliness to the otherwise historically based earthly costuming. Notice how Flash Gordonian everyone on Krypton is dressed, and tell me that wasn't based on Raymond's Flash costume design.

I’m hanging out for when capes come back into fashion.

I mean as comics progress there are functions to the capes Batmans cape helps him glide, In the Supergirl TV series in the pilot episode when they were making Kara suit Wynn ditched the cape. But when kara was chasing thugs who are in a car chase she couldn't handle the hard turns and crashed into a ditch meaning some form of aerodynamics was involved into the capes.

What about the villains who wear capes, like Doctor Doom or Magneto?

One reason Blossom was my favorite PPG as a kid is cause her long hair looked like a cape (I genuinely couldn't tell if it waa hair or a cape at times back then) and Batman and Superman were like the ONLY other heroes I knew so I had the "Heroes wear capes" mentality, but figured ONLY Blossom got it since she was the leader. Also, on the topic of Superheroes in Manga, gotta shout out Gohan's (from Dragon Ball) superhero persona, "The Great Saiyaman": The awkward fusion between Superman, Spider-Man, and the Power Rangers

I remember back in Marvel Civil War when they had the Cape Killers team. Even then I thought to myself: Strange name. Especially in the Marvel Universe, hardly anyone wears a cape.

Huh so early that idk what to say, except keep up the good work Chris!

You wouldn't have a new action star wearing a cape, but Neo wore a very cape-like trenchcoat in the Matrix! That was 1999 so not long ago, only... oh god. I'm old.

The Gatchaman Wing-Capes were my favorite. Stylish, functional, and necessary.

I totally agree with your conclusion. If you asked someone that was complete unfamiliar with superheroes to name one or more, it would Superman Batman and maybe Spider-Man. Those three characters have transended their origins and have become just a general part of pop culture. Superman in particular has become THE archetype of a superhero and thus the concept of superheroes being associated with capes. I even see "capeshit" being the derogatory term of choice for people disliking the current pop culture facination with superheroes.

Another fun video, hope your doing OK given the last weeks events.

Superheroes stopped wearing capes after the Dollar Bill incident.

Thought Edna told us all we needed to know……..no capes!

I guess not many use cape, but 2 who does wear it are simply the greatest names in superheroes ever

Well, somebody has to say it... "NO CAPES !!!!"

Does anyone remember that superhero show The Cape? He was a circus performer with a weighted and armored cape he fought with like a whip almost. You might have seen Abed on Community reference it. It was a cool idea, well done, and never had a chance. Finished as a webcomic.

"And When Did They Stop" when edna mode graduated

ever see Akira? Remember Tetsuo wore a blanket, it was red, a cape? He was a god, for a while.

I *love* this one. It really feels like your early content in the best way. Just really digging into a solid comic trope and it's influences.

Another great video again, Chris!

The cape is the Towel of Ford Perfect.

Great video as always Chris