Your favored villainous wardrobe

[Hermit]

Since we asked about hero costumes, but many (most?) of us on these boards are at least part time GMs; I figure it's time to ask about your villains.

Any particular recurring styles?

For your amusement, a poll accompanies, multiple choices ARE Allowed (for those that like to mix and match).

[loraxxx]

my favorite villan costumes to date are those of "the magnificent ten" from "giant robo--the animation"

why--because they all wear stylishly tailored suits, but it's obvious--one look, and you know these guys are up to no good....!

see:

hanzui--the evil messiah;
http://members.tripod.com/~giantrobo/images/hanzscan.jpg

genya;
http://members.tripod.com/~giantrobo/images/ep4scan.jpg

yuuki--master of insects;
http://members.tripod.com/~giantrobo/images/yukiscan.jpg

ivan--the terrible
http://members.tripod.com/~giantrobo/images/Ivan2.JPG

the late, great cervantes
http://members.tripod.com/~giantrobo/images/cervant2.gif

or go to their homepage;
http://www.hexawizards.com/bf/index.html

[Lord Liaden]

For me, the truly impressive major-league villains absolutely must wear a cape. Something full and flowing that they can gather about their arms, or send billowing in the breeze like great wings. It gives them such an imposing and menacing yet classy air. Doctor Doom, Magneto... look at the Batman and how much oomph his cape adds to his appearance. Or, anyone remember the classic anime series Captain Harlock? Tall skinny guy with an eyepatch and bad hair, but put that pirate cape on him and he becomes a figure to make men tremble.

This is actually something I missed in the CKC illustration of the new Dr. Destroyer - beautifully rendered, but the cape just hangs there. Now the illo of Destroyer from Classic Enemies (which my current avatar is taken from), well, that cape was doing stuff! :D

[Kevin Scrivner]

Male villain garb varies but a female's costuming has to show off what she's got. Let's face it, ugly females are in the minority in a superhero universe. Even the janitor at the player-characters' high school could work part-time as a model. Costumes should let these gals take advantage of their good looks. That doesn't mean they should dress tacky (Halle Berry as Catwoman) but they shouldn't run around in sack dresses and frumpy yardwork duds either. Suggestion and slinkiness is more important than skin. For instance, the Animated Series' Catwoman costume covers everything but Selina Kyle's chin but oh those curves! Or reveal a little but cover it with a flowing cape, the better to tease male superheroes with. Part of a villainess' effectiveness is her ability to distract the good guys by stimulating their imaginations.

[zornwil]

Hmmm, I couldn't really choose. It varies quite a bit. There probably are a fair number of colorful costumes, maybe. My avatar is one of the villains in my game (the Lizard King). A lot of them do have extremely unusual often-mutant appearances:

- Living Tongue is a giant tongue
- Office Despot was covered with binders (armor) and a giant paper-clip helmet
- Lizard King you see
- Bogeyman and Mocker as per the V&V characters
- Spaz is a giant mass of messy hair and muscles underneath
- Stigmata, though covered with a osrt of traditional armor, bleeds profusely from his face and often other parts
- Grossout Kid (or some-such, he was a one-shot) had a New Wave sort of look (outdated) but his face was covered with massive pimples and all his orifices had stuff leaking)

[OddHat]

A few years ago there was a parody comic called something like "How to be a Super Hero." Vampira was interviewed.

"Why do I dress like this? Because most criminals are men, and a man can't aim with all of his blood rushing to his..."

:D

[CrosshairCollie]

I voted for skintights and bright colors ... it just seems to be my thing (for both heroes and villains, actually). It's tradition, I guess.

[Mutant for Hire]

Depends on the look and the impression. Frankly I find that a villain in a three-piece business suit whose only accessory is a briefcase, properly managed, can send up a far more chilling apperance than the most overdone armor. The "I don't need to wear a fancy suit" school of decor.

Of course if one needs to dress up, I've always favored the powered armor with cape. Few people if any have suggested that Doctor Doom's look needs to be revised for more modern times. The problem is this look tends to lose its impact if you have every villain out there doing it.

And yes, for the female supervillainess who has the looks to carry it off, then yes, something more along the lines of the Hellfire Club costumes are perfectly acceptable. Something to distract superheroes of suitable orientation.

Of course if you're a horrible monsterous looking type, the costume you wear can be pretty minimal since your appearance is enough to strike terror into other types.

[Mark Rand]

I chose black with a touch of red because it's closest to Catwoman's The current mainstream DC Catwoman and her animated counterpart have wonderful costumes. However, Halle's Catwoman costume is the pits.

[lemming]

Originally posted by Mutant for Hire
Depends on the look and the impression. Frankly I find that a villain in a three-piece business suit whose only accessory is a briefcase, properly managed, can send up a far more chilling apperance than the most overdone armor. The "I don't need to wear a fancy suit" school of decor.
Oh oh. That's the usual dress of one my heroes. :D

The most feared villian I've used was The Mad Bomber
<img src="http://www.herogames.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=146380">

The subtitle: Artful Dodger attempts sneaking up on The Mad Bomber

Though I will admit, most great villians need a cape.

<!-- The clone of the original is alive and well in my campaign. But so far, no powered suit to threaten the players with -->

[Hermit]

As of this moment, it would seem Capes have pulled ahead. :)

Darth and Doom must know what they're doing.

[Bazza]

Originally posted by Hermit
As of this moment, it would seem Capes have pulled ahead. :)

Darth and Doom must know what they're doing. "Hi tech Armor encasing me like a mantle of ultra-modern majesty" is neck-and-neck with 12 each.

To me: villians who use purple in their costume have that added oomp of villianness / villianhood.

[ch0wyunf47]

Darth had three of those elements going. He had the high tech armour, black, black and more black, AND the cape.

He wins. He just wins.

:D

Edited b/c I'm smart.