Movies

Jen Bartel’s CAPTAIN MARVEL Adidas Are Made for Stepping on Skrulls

by Todd Gilchrist
Mar 6 2019 • 3:54 PM
Following the December release of Nike’s Air Jordan I Retro “Origin Story” for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, illustrator and comic book artist Jen Bartel revealed a new Adidas colorway Wednesday commemorating Marvel’s latest superhero film, Captain Marvel. The red, blue and gold running shoe, an Adidas AM4, was designed by Bartel especially for the film, and is set for release at nationwide Foot Locker stores on Friday, March 8, the film’s opening day.


Bartel, the co-creator and artist for Image Comics’ Blackbird, conceived the look of the shoes with the graphic qualities both of her art and the comics medium itself in mind. “I wanted to create a design that was extremely wearable but unique and still had some elements of my illustration work,” she said via Twitter on Tuesday. They feature the character’s signature colors along with a white sole, and strong light blue lines and “stars” covering the toe box for a decidedly cosmic look.

Additionally, the AM4 is a unique shoe among Adidas’ expansive styles of footwear designed to be a canvas for artists and designers, as they’re “created through the Speedfactory concept that leverages innovation through local creators of art, sport and music,” as described on the Adidas website. That said, they’re built from various parts of their other hugely-successful styles and engineered to satisfy the wearer’s needs whether they’re rolling to their local theater to watch Captain Marvel again or actually running a marathon. Bartel published an unboxing video late Tuesday for fans to see what they look like in person:

According to Adidas, “they feature responsive Boost cushioning and state-of-the-art glueless, fused bonding that gives you the most direct Boost comfort and energy return ever. They enable a steady and adaptive stride via the SPEEDFACTORY Torsion bar that floats in the outsole for optimal flexibility. The knit upper features tension patches for a digitally-crafted fit, and a connected eyestay gives you all-around stability.”

Even Captain Marvel star Brie Larson wants a pair:

Bartel didn’t give away too many details about the shoes other than the price ($150), but other AM4 sneakers feature an embedded chip in the tongue “offering authentication and a unique digital experience,” so there’s a possibility that the Adidas x Jen Bartel will too. Regardless, these sneakers–available in unisex styles from Foot Locker starting Friday morning, March 8–are sure to make any wearer feel like a superhero.

Featured Image: Foot Locker/Adidas