Creating An Under-Suit

There are 3 rules of thought when approaching the creation of a superhero uniform: 1) 1 layer is fine, 2) Use outer armor for defense, and 3) Use an under-suit for defense.

The goal with an under-suit is to create a defensive layer that sits under your flashy superhero uniform. This can allow you to have a snazzy look that isn't hindered by outside armor. It can also hide the type of defensive armor you have on you. If you need it, you can always place outer armor over everything.

This is more typical of what we see with superhero films. They will often have some sort of under-suit to help create that heroic look; we're just doing the same thing but for practical reasons. If you want to see what I mean, check out Christopher Reeves and/or Dean Cain as Superman (no under-suit), then check out Henry Cavill and David Corenswet as Superman (with some under-suiting).

A lot of under-suits consist of impact armor, bulletproof armor, and stab resistant armor. They are usually built upon base layers that will be covered by the overall suit. Avoid building this onto a single-piece catsuit; mostly for bathroom issues.

Common items:

• Impact shoulder armor (check out motorcycle gear)

• Impact back/spine armor (check out motorcycle gear)

• Strategically placed kevlar

• Impact knee and elbow pads

• Impact sports tights (like for football)

• Plastic plating (purchased or 3D printed)

What you want to aim for are materials that have some flexibility. This includes plastic plating. Brittle plastic is going to break under duress, but a flexible plastic or fiber-filled plastic is going to allow absorption of energy from an impact. Place that on top of impact foam/other material and you have something totally solid to protect you.

Left to right: McDavid thudd shorts, Axial shoulder protection (motorcycle), Icon back protector (motorcycle). All flexible impact protection.

If you opt for a bulletproof vest or panels to include in your under-suit, make sure you can move and operate normally with it. I would suggest look for a III or IIIA rated item, since this will stop almost everything. The issue here is simply the cost. A bulletproof backpack panel ranges from $75-$400, depending on size. A full bulletproof 360 t-shirt from Premier Body Armor is $379.99.

Left to right: Bulletproof t-shirt, concealed bulletproof vest, bulletproof panel.

An under-suit can look a little messy since you're typically building on top of base layers and you know you're going to be covering it up with a top layer. Below is my (Raven) under-suit top. Right now it's minimal, but you can see how it's being created. It's still in the works.

Top left: Front - you can see the shoulder protection. Top right: Back - this is a motorcycle impact back protector.

Bottom left: Everything is built in with velcro pockets so I can remove armor and toss the shirt into the wash. Bottom right: This is the back protector again. I wanted to show how flexible it is.