Christmas is fast approaching, and that means wrapping presents, trimming the tree and decorating. If you’re looking to fly your geek flag over the holidays — or do something special for the superhero fan in your family — there are lots of ways to add a colourful comics touch to your Yuletide. But which superheroes go well with your holiday decor?
The tricky thing about fitting a superhero into your Christmas decorations is that most superhero costumes are red, white and blue or red, white and gold. Captain America, Spider-Man, Superman, Wonder Woman, Thor … the really big names tend to introduce a blue element that’s going to clash with most holiday colour schemes. The warm reds and golds of most Iron Man suits do look nice on a tree; ol’ Shellhead’s basically a Christmas bauble with repulsor blasters.
If you want to feature a superhero reference that only the diehards are going to get, try the original Wonder Man. Introduced in 1964’s Avengers #9, Wonder Man first appeared in a bold red-and-green costume affectionately referred to by fans as “the Christmas Tree” outfit. Despite (or perhaps because of) this eye-aching ensemble, the character Stan Lee claimed was “destined to become one of the most provocative, exciting, talked-about new characters of the year” never really caught on; he didn’t achieve his current status as the Avenger no one really cares about until the late 1970s.
You’ll find more Christmassy costumes among Canadian super-team Alpha Flight. Various team leaders have sported patriotic red-and-white costumes, and as an added bonus there’s kind of a wintry feel to the whole team, from Arctic-animal-shapeshifter Snowbird to big hairy fellow Sasquatch. Weird fish-alien Marrina might not exactly give off Yuletide cheer, but overall they’re a good wintry choice.
Over on the DC side, there’s a similar shortage of good red-and-white characters. Perhaps the standout is former Soviet power-armoured hero Rocket Red. There were many Rocket Reds (Rockets Red?) but the standout for holiday purposes is Justice League member Dmitri Pushkin, if only because he was a cheerful, jolly sort of fellow with a big beard, the perfect character from some kind of atheist … alien … robot … Christmas.
Hey, don’t complain; your only real DC alternative in red and white is Deadman, and that guy is no fun at Christmas; the only way he could even come to Christmas dinner would be by possessing Grandma. He does make a nice ornament, though.
Honestly, though, the best superhero for your Christmas celebrations is the guy who’s taken on Darkseid and Doctor Doom, earned himself a membership in the JLA and helped She-Hulk catch a serial killer. I’m talking about this guy:
It doesn’t get any more super than that.
