Superhero Fashion 101

On Halloween night, while waiting for kids to come begging for candy, I sat on the couch and started throwing strange but simple prompts at DALL-E 3, and basically just having fun. In case you haven’t spent much time with DALL-E 3, it’s different in that, on the back end, ChatGPT will take your simple prompt and rewrite it, adding various enhancements. Generally speaking, the output is far more interesting than my wimpy prompt should generate. For instance, I asked for a “Landscape picture of a horse wearing a space helmet. His legs are made from piano keys” which got me this really cool picture, even if my request for a space helmet was ignored.

I asked for “Landscape image of a soldier made from baseballs, riding on a mechanical robotic spider,” and got the following. Note that the spider, not the soldier, is made entirely from baseballs, but still cool.

Then, since it was Halloween, I tried the following; “Young girl in a superhero costume standing triumphant on top of a mountain of Halloween candy.” The AI happily created two images. One was a cartoon, like the one below, and the other was a photorealistic image of a girl in a mishmash superhero costume, with a cape, and a familiar “S” logo on the front.

I posted that image to

The aviator style conveyed both pragmatism – protecting pilots from frigid high-altitude winds – and romance, with silk scarves billowing behind like capes. Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and others encapsulated this brave aesthetic that would help shape the superhero archetype.

Finally, in the 20th century, all these disparate cultural threads – from ancient warrior armor to aristocratic finery to pilot gear – woven over centuries came together in the bold new medium of comic books, creating something novel. With the debut of Superman and other heroes, the quintessential super costume was born – drawing inspiration from the past while taking on a vibrant life all its own.

Prior art, anyone?

Today, this legendary look remains a testament to the combined power of human imagination and mythmaking over the ages. The superhero costume’s tapestry of influences from different eras represents the timeless allure of heroism, adventure, and valor in the collective cultural consciousness.

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below. And please, share this post with your friends, family, pets, enemies, and whoever you think could add to this conversation.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top