The Invisible Woman is not just one of the founding members ofThe Fantastic Four, but one of the most beloved members of the group. Her fanfare isn’t just based onher god-level power, or her strong-willed persona, but the lavish and storied history of Sue Storm’s superhero costumes.
Superhero aficionados love a good costume, and the Fantastic Four have adorned costumes that establish their place asMarvel’s smartest (looking) heroes. But through color changes, reinventions, and even new teams,the Invisible Woman’s costumes have proved slick, shocking, and always as fashionableas possible.
10The Future Foundation Makes The Invisible Woman Go All-White
FF#1 by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting
Following the death of the Human Torch, the Fantastic Four decided to expand their ranks, particularly to help train the younger generation of heroes before such a worst-case scenario happened again. The Fantastic Four didn’t just rebrand their philosophies, but also their costumes, trading their predominantly blue color scheme for an all-white look.
There’s something extremely cosmetically pleasing about the all-white look of The Fantastic Four. At the time of publication, it felt like a simple, but refreshing aesthetic for a new era of the team. Future Foundation isn’t just agateway to an MCU franchise, but a gateway into Sue’s most breathtaking attire.
9The Future Foundation Goes From White To Black
FF#4 by Jonathan Hickman and Barry Kitson
By the fourth issue ofFF,Spider-Man had joined the Fantastic Fourto replace the late Johnny Storm, helping the Future Foundation to slowly build their ranks. When they receive a distress call from Atlantis the Invisible Woman doesn’t hesitate to answer, but she and the team do so in style.
Upon landing in Old Atlantis, the team does so in an all-black variant of their white costumes. As slick and sleek as the white outfits are, the black version might be even better. Swapping white for black is a small adjustment, but one that pays dividends by giving Sue and co. a look that works for stealth purposes.
8The Invisible Woman Goes Sleeveless
Fantastic Four#387 by Paul Ryan and Tom DeFalco
After living throughthe worst Invisible Woman costume, Sue decides the suit is, in her words, “too flashy.” Accurate, since it was a more revealing bikini suit she had been wearing sinceFantastic Four#371. This was after her mind was merged withthe villainous Malice, so returning to her mindframe, she wanted something more comfortable.
The new addition to this suit, compared to the last one, is that Sue’s signature white gloves (matching her boots and belt) extend to her shoulders, while the collar is removed. In addition, her “4” chest emblem no longer exposes her cleavage. This would become The Invisible Woman’s permanent costume from 1994 to 1996.
7The Fantastic Four’s Costumes Go ‘Negative’
Fantastic Four#256 by John Byrne
This brand of costume is quickly becoming The Fantastic Four’s most recognizable and iconic, as these classic outfits seem to have given inspiration to the costumes seen in theirFirst Stepsfilm. These suits originally had a black neckline, gloves, and belt. That all changed when the team took a trip tothe mysterious Negative Zone.
Upon returning to Earth-616, their costumes inverted to the surprise of The Invisible Woman in particular, considering she was the first to point it out. What was black had suddenly become white. The blue shading remains the same, but the white coating seems to make for a more aesthetic combination that resonates most with audiences.
6The Dark Reign of Black Susan
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four#3 by Jonathan Hickman and Sean Chen
Dark Reignwas an event that reflected how the heroes react to former Green Goblin Norman Osbornbecoming the leader of H.A.M.M.E.R.(a rebranded S.H.I.E.L.D.). For The Fantastic Four, their Baxter Building was attacked in an assault orchestrated by Osborn that sends The Thing, Sue, and Johnny Storm spiraling through realities.
When they land in Earth-39758, they encounter Black Susan, a local outlaw who gets the job done on this old town road. It’s established through narration that in this world, Susan lays down the law and, ultimately,isthe law. Out of all Marvel’s cowboy and cowgirl variants from the western genre, Black Susan might be the toughest.
5The Invisible Triceratops Stands Out Among The F4 Dinosaurs
Fantastic Four#12 by Ryan North and Iban Coello
When The Fantastic Four travel to a universe where all superheroes are dinosaurs, they incidentally swap places with the dinosaur versions of themselves. Just as the main canon Fantastic Four immediately break into a fight withthe Dinosaur Avengersupon entering their world, The Fantastic Four Dinosaurs fight the Earth-616 continuity Avengers.
While the latter’s time on-panel remains brief, the triceratops stand-in for The Invisible Woman might stand out the most among The Fantastic Four Dinosaurs. She maintains the same powers and mastery of force fields as Sue, but the heavy charge of a triceratops' boned frill and horns on its head gives them a lethal edge.
4The ’90s Put A Twist On The Classic Fantastic Suits
Fantastic Four#415 by Tom DeFalco and Carlos Pacheco
When the era of the 90s was keen on reinventing its most iconic superheroes at any chance possible, the team got a unique twist on their suits. This twist added new elements to their suits that also combined elements from past iterations of the team. This Fantastic Four set of costumes allowed the team to honor their past whilst progressing to the future.
While maintaining the dark blue shading as a dominant color and the classic white outlining for their belts and neckline, The Fantastic Four now sport a “4” symbol not in the middle of the chest, but on the left side of their torso that blends into their white neckline design.
3Black And White Signals A New Era For The Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four#1 by Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley
The Fantastic Four would acquire new costumes again to usher in their 2013 time period, but this time, they would use an often underused color scheme: black and white. As seen in Sue Storm’s variation, there is such an intense black outlining that it’s hard to tell if white is the dominant color or if black is in this costume.
If one thing is for certain, it’s that this version of the team’s costume makes for a great combination of colors. It’s almost reminiscent of the team’s Future Foundation attire, but with more of a complex design work at play here. TheInvisible Woman’s full power is revealedunder an ambitious costume design.
2The Invisible Woman Proves Herself As A S.H.I.E.L.D. Member
New Avengers#25 by Brian Michael Bendis and JIm Cheung
Sue Storm is deeply associated as a Fantastic Four member, reasonably so as a founding member. That being said, she has proven throughout her superhero career that she is so much more than that. Outside the team, she has been a solo hero, an Avenger, and at one time,a staple of S.H.I.E.L.D.
One of the best parts of her S.H.I.E.L.D. run (besides her actions as a soldier) was Sue’s wicked costume. In a sharp contrast to anything she’s worn for The Fantastic Four, The Invisible Woman wears a fully black costume, with white gloves and, of course, the massive S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem in the middle of her chest.
1The Fantastic Four Switches To Black and Blue
Fantastic Four#6 by Dan Slott and Aaron Kuder
Following the wedding ofBen Grimm and Alicia Masters, The Fantastic Four continue their operations by landing in Latveria upon the request of Doctor Doom to thwart an attack from Galactus. While the stakes remain high, they nonetheless take the opportunity to debut new costumes, this time with a black and blue color scheme.
Black and blue is rarely used by the team, but in the case of The Invisible Woman especially, it fits tremendously.The dark blue and black color scheme really brings out Sue’s manipulation of light blue force fields, as seen on display when they debut their suits. It’s an underrated set of suits for The Fantastic Four, and especially Invisible Woman.
