These days, people wear glasses for a variety of reasons, whether vision correction, sun protection, or simply for style points. In the US, the eyewear market includes corrective eyewear such as glasses and contacts as well as sunglasses and other eyewear products. The global market was valued at around $170 billion in 2022, and by 2029, market researchers expect numbers to reach close to $300 billion.
For some of the comic book superheroes we’ve come to love over the years, however, glasses may come in handy for more than the usual reasons. Being a superhero comes with a lot of danger, after all, so a lot of heroes may rely on glasses and other eyewear as a way to disguise themselves when living as their secret identities.
In this post, we’ll take a look at four iconic superheroes who wear glasses:
Clark Kent (Superman)
When you think of superheroes, DC’s iconic superpowered hero Superman is likely one of the first to come to mind. Being one of the strongest superheroes in existence, Supes’ disguise is a necessity in order to protect those close to him and his secret identity — Clark Kent.
Additionally, Clark plays heavily into the weak, stuttering nerd stereotype to hide his identity as Superman. Aside from wearing glasses, Clark also slouches when not out and about as a superhero.
Of course, we’ve seen a lot of screen adaptations of Superman at this point, with a new iteration coming soon under James Gunn’s DC universe. As such, the eyeglasses Clark Kent wears vary depending on the vibe of the adaptation as well as what suits the Superman actor. Ray-Ban’s Erika or Bernard Optics come in a clean tortoiseshell colorway, which is reminiscent of actor Christopher Reeve’s take on Kal-El. Meanwhile, Henry Cavill’s Clark wears a more modernized pair of glasses similar to the Wayfarer silhouette.
Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Another iconic superhero who (debatably) wears glasses is Marvel’s Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. Unlike Clark Kent, however, Tony differs in that he feels no need to disguise himself or maintain a secret identity. While the Tony Stark portrayed in the comics isn’t as identifiable by his eyewear as he is by the very specific facial hair, the Iron Man audiences have come to love from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) doesn’t shy away from wearing stylish eyewear. In fact, Tony’s reason for wearing glasses in the MCU movies is almost always for style or luxury purposes, bar the E.D.I.T.H. smart sunglasses introduced in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Of course, actor Robert Downey Jr. has previously revealed that the reason on-screen Tony wears sunglasses is for practicality more than showing loyalty to the source material. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Downey Jr. revealed that he needed the sunglasses to hide the fact that he was reading cue cards during an important monologue when Tony gave his presentation of his new Jericho bombs.
Blade
Another superhero known for wearing glasses is Marvel’s vampire hunter, Blade. In a previous post, we highlighted the new RED BAND comic book series recently announced from writer Bryan Edward Hill with Stormbreaker artist C.F. Villa. The series is set after the events of Blood Hunt and is labeled with a Parental Advisory to prep readers for the usual vampiric violence fans can expect. Of course, another key element of the series reveal is that Blade wears his iconic shades — glinting in blood red — as he slashes a foe in half.
Blade’s use of the sunglasses may seem like an anomaly, considering he’s a “daywalker” who doesn’t have to fear the sun as much as his vampiric foes do. However, Blade’s shades are more for combat purposes, providing much-needed UV protection from his own UV grenades.
Scott Summers (Cyclops)
Finally, another important superhero who wears glasses is one of the X-Men’s founding members, Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops. Scott’s powers center on his optic blasts, as well as his inability to regulate his powers. As such, Scott is almost always wearing his specially made ruby quarts shades that can safely reflect his beams, allowing him to open his eyes and look at his surroundings without blasting them out of existence.
Over the years, the X-Men movies from 20th Century Fox have taken liberties with the special sunglasses Cyclops wears, sometimes donning the iconic visor and other types taking on more modernized silhouettes that look like sports sunglasses from sports performance brand Oakley.
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