Ted Grant’s outfit relies on a stripped-down, athletic silhouette that reflects his background as a veteran prizefighter. Instead of heavy armored plating or flowing capes, his appearance centers on a dark feline bodysuit, a fitted cowl with cat ears, and practical hand protection built for close-quarters fighting.
Pulling this costume together for a DIY build comes down to matching the matte black tones across different pieces and getting the transition around your eyes and jawline right so the cowl blends cleanly with your face.
The Bodysuit Base
A full-length black bodysuit provides the foundation for the entire build. Select spandex, lycra, or athletic stretch fabric with four-way flexibility so you can move naturally, sit, and hold boxing stances without pulling at the seams. A matte or low-sheen finish photographs far better than high-gloss materials, which catch glare and look more like vinyl than athletic gear.
If your suit has a back zipper, attach a thin black ribbon or pull cord to the slider tab so you can zip and unzip unassisted. Wearing smooth, seamless compression undergarments underneath keeps the exterior lines clean and prevents visible seams from interrupting the dark silhouette.
Mask and Facial Details
Wildcat’s cowl defines his feline profile, featuring upright triangular ears with cutouts for the eyes and lower face. A fitted black cat mask covers the upper skull and bridge of the nose while leaving the mouth and jaw exposed for a classic comic brawler appearance. If the mask ears arrive slightly flattened from packaging, inserting small cuts of dense craft foam or polyfill into the hollow tips helps them stay upright and pointed.
The transition between your skin and the mask edges determines how unified the headpiece appears. Applying black face paint around your eye sockets eliminates any pale skin visible through the eye openings. Shading lightly around the inner borders of the mask softens any harsh lines where rubber or faux leather meets your face.
Hand Protection and Wraps
Hand protection reinforces Wildcat’s pugilist aesthetic. Black fingerless gloves provide the visual weight of brawler gear while preserving fingertip dexterity for handling your phone, badges, or water bottles throughout an event. Sturdy tactical or leatherette fingerless gloves with reinforced knuckles or wrist straps mirror the rugged appearance of boxing equipment.
To push the design closer to Ted Grant’s training gym appearances, wrap black or dark grey athletic tape around your wrists and over the base of the gloves. Leaving the fingers uncovered keeps everything practical without sacrificing the fighter look.
Footwear Selection
Bulky boots clash with the lean, agile lines of Wildcat’s uniform. Flat martial arts slippers or thin-soled indoor training shoes match the streamlined profile of comic illustrations much more closely. Their flexible canvas uppers and low-profile black soles tuck smoothly beneath the ankles of the bodysuit to create a continuous leg line.
Because thin martial arts slippers offer minimal built-in arch support, inserting a pair of cushioned athletic insoles makes standing and walking across convention halls far easier on your feet over extended periods.
