Based on the Marvel Comics, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come under some scrutiny as of late, for a variety of reasons. Many fans have been unhappy with the quality of the stories, rushed production, and subpar visual effects. One way in which the latter upsets fan is with an over-reliance on CGI when designing the costumes. This criticism has been lobbied at several projects in the MCU, from Tom Holland’s suits in Spider-Man: No Way Home to the new Sam Wilson Captain America design first shown in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That being said, there are some examples of the MCU succeeding at costume design, particularly in the Disney+ series Moon Knight.
In Moon Knight, Jake Lockley, one of the hero’s many alter egos, appears in the season finale and teases more stories to come. In the comics, Lockley has a Moon Night suit that fans have praised from the beginning. The coloring, simplification (without making it too simple), and layering made the Jake Lockley Moon Knight suit visually appealing, which increased audience interest in the character. Jake Lockley’s Moon Knight suit shows that Marvel is capable of good costume design, both in the comics and in the MCU, but it needs to be more consistent in the future to make sure that both heroes and villains look as good as they can be.
What Does Jake Lockley's Moon Knight Suit Look Like?
Jake Lockley has a Moon Knight suit that stands out among other heroes in the comics and the live action cinematic universe. In the comics, Lockley’s Moon Knight suit has a few different iterations, but arguably the most famous one came in 2014 in Moon Knight #2. In that comic issue, Jake Lockley sported a darker color scheme on his Moon Knight suit. This made him look like a more serious version of the character, adding an extra layer of threat, brutality, and violence to this hero.
In many ways, Lockley’s suit in the comics looks like Marc Spector’s Moon Knight suit from the Disney+ TV series. He sports a hooded top, mummy-like wrappings on most of his body, and the iconic symbol in the middle of the chest. The only main difference is that the robes are black in color for everything but the hood, the cape, and some wrappings on the arms and legs.
As mentioned previously, Jake Lockley appeared briefly in the Moon Knight season one finale, but he didn’t yet have a suit to wear. When speaking about his appearance, the costume designer for the show that she thinks "that [Jake Lockley’s Moon Knight suit] would be dark, [like] the black costume that's in the comics." Given the success in the first season of the show when it came to costume design, future stories with Jake Lockley and Moon Knight are almost certain to have a similar quality of suit that is seen in the comics.
What Are The Criticisms of Marvel's Costume Design?
The criticisms of Marvel’s costume designs are primarily aimed at live action film and television products. Some fans have labeled the MCU’s superhero suits as over designed and overly complex. A prime example is John Krasinski’s Mr. Fantastic suit in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This suit had a series of thick black lines on the chest and the sides, which made it visually unappealing for many audiences. That’s the opposite of Jake Lockley’s Moon Knight suit design and the design of the suits in the first season of the show. The Moon Knight suits are refreshingly simple and yet tell a story in and of themselves.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man suits have been criticized as well. Like Krasinksi’s costume, Tom Holland’s iteration of Spider-Man also has some oddly placed black lines on the sides. Presumably the intention was to add texture and layers to the suit, but it ends up coming across as if there are many elements on one hero. The MCU Spider-Man’s suit is also created using CGI. Though these effects can be handy at times, many audiences feel that Marvel could go down the practical route more often than they do. This could create a welcome sense of grounded realism for the audiences and the fans.
What Other Marvel Looks Live Up To Jake Lockley's Moon Knight Suit?
Although Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has had issues with his costume design in the past, the suit he wore at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home is a prime example of a Marvel suit that does actually live up to the design potential of Jake Lockley’s Moon Knight suit. Like Lockley’s Moon Knight, the design of the suit at the end of the third film in the trilogy has a simplicity to it that the others lacked. There’s no unnecessary designs like the black lines, and it’s simple but not too simple.
Overall, the Marvel suits would be better if they took more inspiration from the Jake Lockley Moon Knight suit. It finds the perfect balance in many ways, and ends up being a visually appealing design that adds more dimension and complexity to the hero. Hopefully, when we do see the character in the TV show, the onscreen version will live up to the one in the comics.