Sups' Portraits

A hundred and thirty-two superheroes, sat for the same portrait session.

Since childhood I've been obsessed with superheroes: the universes of Marvel, X-Men and DC. This is that obsession put in front of a camera it never had. Every character sits for the same session — one black seamless backdrop, one hard key light, one frame each, no variations. What changes between them is only the face and what it is wearing.

The costume is treated as real material rather than as drawing: fabric that creases, lacquer that smears, metal that dents, skin that has pores and scars. A cast is photographed this way; a comic panel is not. Lining a hundred and thirty-two of them up under identical light turns the roster into something closer to a yearbook than a poster wall — the differences that survive are the ones that were always doing the work.

An earlier version of this set ran 26 characters against hazy outdoor backdrops. It has been reshot in full: 132 characters, one studio, DC, Marvel and X-Men lit the same way.

DC (44): Aquaman, Atrocitus, Bane, Batgirl, Batman, Black Adam, Black Manta, Brainiac, Catwoman, Clayface, Cyborg, Darkseid, Deathstroke, Doomsday, Flash, General Zod, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, Hawkgirl, John Constantine, Joker, Killer Croc, Lex Luthor, Lobo, Martian Manhunter, Metamorpho, Mister Terrific, Mr. Freeze, Ocean Master, Peacemaker, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Ra's al Ghul, Red Hood, Riddler, Scarecrow, Shazam, Sinestro, Steppenwolf, Supergirl, Superman, Two-Face, Wonder Woman, Zatanna.

Marvel (56): Abomination, Black Panther, Black Widow, Blade, Bullseye, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Carnage, Corvus Glaive, Cull Obsidian, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Doctor Strange, Ebony Maw, Electro, Elektra, Galactus, Ghost Rider, Green Goblin, Groot, Hawkeye, Hela, Hulk, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Iron Man, Kang the Conqueror, Killmonger, Kingpin, Kraven, Loki, Moon Knight, Morbius, Mr Fantastic, Mysterio, Namor, Nick Fury, Proxima Midnight, Punisher, Red Hulk, Rocket Raccoon, Sandman, Scarlet Witch, Shang Chi, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Star Lord, Thanos, The Mandarin, The Thing, Thor, Ultron, Venom, Vision, Vulture, Winter Soldier.

X-Men (32): Apocalypse, Archangel, Beast, Bishop, Blob, Cable, Colossus, Cyclops, Deadpool, Emma Frost, Gambit, Havok, Iceman, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Juggernaut, Lady Deathstrike, Magneto, Mister Sinister, Mystique, Nightcrawler, Omega Red, Professor X, Psylocke, Pyro, Quicksilver, Rogue, Sabretooth, Shadowcat, Storm, Wolverine, X-23.

Direction

"[Character] as a believable live-action portrait. Head and shoulders, vertical crop, plain black seamless studio background. The costume reads as real material — fabric, lacquer, metal, prosthetic — never as illustration. Real skin with pores, sweat and scars. Hard sculpting key light, restrained signature-colour rim, deep shadows with detail retained. Direct gaze into the lens. One frame per character, no variations. No environment, no text, no logos, no watermark."

BATMAN

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