The Fantastic Four’s Most Unforgettable Costumes, Ranked

Let's take a deep dive into the Fantastic Four's most memorable costumes. 65 years after the debut of "Marvel's First Family," the Fantastic Four have cycled through a number of different looks over the years. Some of the costumes discussed here are iconic, while some are more maligned, but they're all unforgettable.

To be clear, we're not getting into every Fantastic Four costume here. There are plenty of one-off redesigns and short-term changes that might stick in fans' minds, but these are the biggest changes.

These are the alterations that can't be ignored when talking about the history of the Fantastic Four and Marvel Comics.

7 The "Edgy" '90s Era

Circa 1993-1996

For Marvel Comics, the 1990s are known for two things: excess and radical reinvention. Marvel's storytelling and artistic choices both "jumped the shark" and went really over-the-top. No major Marvel franchise went entirely unscathed during this time, including the Fantastic Four, who got a "badass" redesign that is still divisive among the fandom today.

Notoriously, Sue Storm's costume was reduced by about 75%, leaving her with the kind of skimpy, male-gazey costumes characteristic of the era. This design lasted for over a dozen issues before Marvel gave Sue another makeover, returning her to a more traditional, if still sleek and sexy, Fantastic Four jumpsuit.

The Thing's throwback helmet from this period was a vibe, but other than that, the mid-90s isn't considered a Golden Age for the Fantastic Four, at least not in terms of their costumes. Of all the Four's longest-tenured looks and most radical redesigns, this one is widely regarded as the franchise's biggest failure. Yet 30 years later, it's impossible to deny the change isn't a memorable part of the team's legacy.

6 The Red-And-Black Era

Appeared In Fantastic Four Volume 5 (2014-2015)

The Fantastic Four are synonymous with their soothing blue colors, and there have only been a few major deviations from that over the years. One of those was the team's brief switch to red-and-black. This color swap lasted just one short but memorable run: the fifth volume of Marvel's Fantastic Four, by writer James Robinson and artist Leonard Kirk.

Marvel wanted to do something bold with the Four's aesthetic to go with the series' darker "Fall of the Fantastic Four" storyline. It's not a bad uniform, looking back on it now, but the fan consensus at the time was that it was too jarring a shift away from the team's iconography. A costume redesign is one thing; a full-on color change proved to be a riskier proposition.

Some things are sacred when it comes to major Marvel characters. A major change has to make sense. Think Spider-Man trading in red-and-blue for black. In the end, the Four returned to their traditional colors before Robinson and Kirk's run was done, and Marvel marketed it as the team being "Back in Blue."

5 The Modern Fantastic Four Return To Form

"Back In Blue" From 2014 Onward

The two Fantastic Four costumes we've looked at so far represent the beginning and end of a period of turbulence for the franchise, at least when it came to their costumes. During this time, Marvel tried to keep Fantastic Four current, redefining them for the '90s, and then the 2000s, and the 2010s.

Following the red-and-black experiment, once the team was "Back in Blue," it has pretty much stayed that way ever since. In this era, costume tweaks and short-term redesigns are more common, but Marvel is now quick to revert the heroes to their familiar stylistic status quo. And in the case of the Four, that's the right choice.

The modern blue-and-black is a distinct costume from the Four's classic outfits; it's the OG Four costume's successor, rather than a revival. That's an important distinction to make. Marvel now recognizes that the Fantastic Four's signature look is essential to their appeal, and that the most successful costume changes in the team's history have been reinterpretations, not radical departures.

4 The Ultimate Fantastic Four

Debuted In 2004

The mainstream Fantastic Four are Marvel's First Family, but the team was part of the second wave of Ultimate Universe titles released in the early 2000s. Ultimate Fantastic Four built on the success of Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Spider-Man. The Four's origin story was updated, and they were made younger and more contemporary to fit the overall tone of the Ultimate line. One thing artist Adam Kubert didn't mess with too much? The team's costumes.

The Ultimate version of the Four sport a look that riffs on their classic blue-and-black design. It honors the historic appeal of the team's first and most famous look, while distinguishing itself enough to be suitable for this alternate continuity reboot of the franchise. That's the tightrope act of changing iconic heroes' costumes, and Ultimate Fantastic Four walked that line as successfully as any modern take on the characters.

3 The Future Foundation Era

Circa 2010-2014

Author Jonathan Hickman is known for his audacious reinventions of Marvel lore. Reimagining Fantastic Four as FF, and introducing the Future Foundation, were a formative part of developing that reputation. That included a major costume redesign, the all-white Future Foundation look, which is the most well-received departure from blue-and-black in franchise history.

The FF's white costumes actually preceded the red-and-black, but unlike that later costume change, the white outfits were part of a larger evolution of the franchise. It might not have lasted, but it was a big swing that is still influential on the franchise to this day. Notably, the Future Foundation is already MCU canon.

The white Future Foundation look in itself feels tethered to the team's past in a way that the red-and-black, or the team's "edgy" '90s costumes, never fully did. It's also a more unique redesign, one that plenty Fantastic Four fans have a soft spot for. In the totality of Four franchise history, it's one of the team's top looks, but it can't hold a candle to the #2 and #1 ranked looks.

2 The Fantastic Four's Inverted '80s Colors

Lasted From 1983-1993

If we're talking "best" Fantastic Four costume, the blue-and-white has a case for the top spot. In terms of iconic status, it ranks just behind the blue-and-black colors it supplanted. (We'll get to that costume in a moment.) 1983 marked the Four's first big long-term costume change, a redesign that was simultaneously a minor tweak and a major departure.

After a trip to the Negative Zone, the Fantastic Four came back with the black trim on their costumes inverted to white. Pretty much immediately, everyone in the Marvel Universe agreed this new look was sick, and it wound up staying that way for roughly a decade. Behind-the-scenes, it was author/artist John Byrne's bid to revitalize the team 20+ years after their debut.

In purely aesthetic terms, the Four's white-and-blue design has the simplicity of their first, most famous look, while offering a twist that made this era stand out in contrast to what came before, and after. The blue-and-white is also notable today for its influence on the Four's MCU look, which adds to its memorability factor.

1 The Fantastic Four's Original Team Uniform

Spanned 1961-1983

The Fantastic Four's original costumes are their most recognizable look, by far. This is the magic that Marvel is constantly trying to recapture these days, after so many years of straying from what works best. Simple and effective: a blue jumpsuit, with black trim, and a "4" logo on the chest. For Thing, hold the jumpsuit, and just give him blue trunks.

The Four went 20+ years without a substantial costume change for a reason. It's an instantly recognizable and utterly unforgettable design, courtesy of legendary artist Jack Kirby. The design highlights something critical to the Fantastic Four's success, which sets them apart from other Marvel superhero teams like the Avengers and the X-Men.

That is, their cohesive look is essential. The Avengers are a collection of individual heroes, and the clash of styles and lack of a single uniform is a feature for the team, not a bug. Likewise, the X-Men franchise had to learn the hard way that its distinctive mutant heroes needed solo looks to flourish. But the Fantastic Four are at their best when they are a united front.

We want to hear from you Fantastic Four fans. Which costume is your favorite? What deep cut FF costumes should we cover next?