Capes: Cool or Deadly?

What is one of the most recognizable things for the average superhero?  THE CAPE. Most any superhero you see has a cape that billows in the wind while he or she is fighting or while they are just standing around. The coolest superhero by far is Batman and one of the most effective weapons he has is his cape. Anyone who sees a little piece of the cape that disappears is afraid and BAM! They are down and out. The cape is an important tool in the arsenal of the Dark Knight. Personally, the cape is awesome. It’s something that an average person can mimic about the hero that they worship. It looks cool and can be very practical when fighting against bad guys. The main reason that capes are so linked with superheroes is because some of the coolest ones sport the cape when fighting crime. Batman and Superman are the most notable superheroes and their capes are basically a distinguishing feature. Although capes are cool, a good majority of superheroes that come out in comics don’t have a cape and still do well. Some of these superheroes are The Fantastic Four, Wolverine, The Incredible Hulk, and Ironman are just a few. Let’s face it, another big reason why we have an infatuation with the cape is because so many cool bad guys all wear capes. Magneto, Dr. Doom, Bison (St. Fighter) are just a few of the most badass villains of all time. They all have a cape that gives their persona a certain effect. Imagine Magneto without his cape and he’ll look like some weird hero. Darth Vader would look like a fully armored soldier that’s wearing a weird gas mask. To be completely honest, Vader wouldn’t look half as cool if he didn’t have his cape. If you disagree, then you’re just lying to yourself.

There are some downsides to the cape. One must take care not to get too durable of a cape. Sure it might be able to protect a person from bullets and shooting flames, but what if it gets caught in something. The cape could pull a superhero that is flying around into a plane’s turbine engine and turn him or her into mincemeat. The cape could get stuck onto a missile and pull the hero to the detonation site and end his or her life. Or, most notably for me, there was a certain Darkwing Duck episode in which Darkwing almost lost to his nemesis, Negaduck, because his cape wouldn’t rip and the bad guy almost won. Capes are cool, but they can also kill the hero.

All in all, the cape makes a super hero and an awesome super villain.
Stay tuned for the next Sudhoo Circle installment of my post.