2024
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Deadpool & Wolverine
DIRECTOR: Shawn Levy
COSTUME DESIGN: Mayes C Rubeo and Graham Churchyard
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT: Ryan Meinerding and Andy Park
When Wolverine suited up in yellow and blue for 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, the costume had to be just right.
Fans had been waiting decades to see Hugh Jackman in the iconic suit, and FBFX was thrilled to work with the Marvel team bringing it to the big screen.
A successful superhero suit needs to resemble comic book and concept artwork as closely as possible while looking right in three dimensions, being wearable, comfortable and functional with versions that can withstand heavy stunt work.
We started by digitally developing and perfecting the musculature around scans of Hugh Jackman, building the muscle suit and costume in line with the desired silhouette, in partnership with Marvel’s vis dev team.
Collaboration between departments allowed soft costume, digital and the workshop to refine each element to perfection.
Flexibility was vital to allow for a full range of movement, notably the signature claw move. The tac vest was even designed to help maintain the Wolverine stance, and the gloves sewn in a partially curved position.
Fabric was customised, surface designed and dimensionally printed at FBFX, with different fabric weights deployed for breathability, structure, compression and functionality. Vac formed pieces and foam helped strengthen, protect and build shape.
It was particularly important to get the cowl just right, with lots of conversations with Andy Park, Ryan Meinerding, Mayes C Rubeo and Graham Churchyard, and multiple digital and physical iterations made while translating 2D to 3D. To make the cowl wearable, a removable faceplate was created using magnets for easy removal between takes.
All in, FBFX created 22 suits for production, along with a few more for promotion.
We also created the adamantium Wolverine skeleton used to devastating effect by Deadpool in the film’s opening sequence. Our digital, moulding and paint teams built a full skeleton resembling the late Logan, and worked closely with the film’s stunt choreographers and VFX team to produce bones of varying flexibility, just right for brutally dispatching TVA agents to an NSYNC soundtrack.
