From the MCU to the DCU to the SSU, theaters have become more and more saturated with superhero films over the past 20 years, and audiences have slowly become numb to seeing colorful spandex uniforms on screen every blockbuster season. While many costumes are simply iconic and will always translate across mediums, others need help to sell the illusion of fantastical heroes with powers and abilities existing in a live-action space. In Hollywood, immense thought and thousands of hours of work go into creating the amazing costumes we see on screen, whether it be historical dramas, high-tech sci-fi, or even the capes and tights seen in superhero movies.
Still, superhero costumes have had their ups and downs over the years. Some films, like 1978’sSuperman, captured their heroes' iconic designs even at the risk of looking dated, while others, like the originalX-Mentrilogy, opted to look more grounded and, ironically, came out looking dated anyway. Sadly, many superhero costumes have come off looking laughable, dated, or downright ugly, and with no signs of the superhero movie machine slowing down, audiences will likely see more of this mixed bag in the future.These are the worst superhero costumes in movies and televisionand will be ranked by how awkward, silly, or downright ugly they look both within the context of the movie and in retrospect.
10Captain America
‘The Avengers’ (2012)
The Avengerswas a cultural milestone when it was released in 2012, a culmination of years of excitement and a lifelong dream for comic fans who wished to see their favorite team of heroes faithfully adapted to the silver screen. Unfortunately, the Captain America suit was a little too accurate to its comic counterpart anddid not at all translate well to live action. Whilemany MCU costumes can be argued to be better than the comics, thiscartoonish, untextured Captain America design was a blemishon the otherwise stellar first Avengers film.
What makes the suit even more painful is how excellent the character’s costumes look in every other MCU film.Captain America: The First Avengerhad a fantastic, layered approach to the design, andCaptain America: The Winter Soldiershowcased that the suit could be modern, and even cool, outside the WWII setting. The first Avengers was a spectacle-filled adventure featuring amazing quotes, sensational characters, and bombastic action, but unfortunately, one of the worst costumes in the entire MCU franchise.
The Avengers
‘Batman and Robin’ (1997)
Much has been said about the so bad its good superhero classicBatman & Robin.Joel Schumacher’s campy take on the superhero gave audiences some scenery-chewing villains, inventive superhero action, and verymemorablecostumes. The infamous codpieces and rubber nipples worn byGeorge ClooneyandChris O’Donnellrightfully earned much mockery and scorn over the years asimpractical, goofy, and oddly sexual. But, as they can be ignored for most of the film outside a few lingering closeups and shots…the bat nipples aren’t that bad.
The true crime against superhero costume design comes in the film’s third act, asArnoldSchwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze blankets Gotham in a wave of frost, and the heroes are forced to dawn theirgaudy matching ice suits. While Robin and the newly christened Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone) have relatively normal thermal garbs, Batman is completely covered in silver accents, with no clear apparent rhyme or reason. Alongside obvious choices like his symbol or codpiece (maybe only obvious for this movie), the color splashes onto his shoulder’s biceps, thighs, and sides, creating an over-designed and downright ugly-looking Batsuit.
Batman and Robin
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‘Steel’ (1995)
Shaquille O’Neil has always lovedSuperman.; it was even one of his NBA nicknames. He has the character’s insignia tattooed on his arm and, at the height of his fame, he produced and starred inSteel, a film about a Superman side character. In the comics, John Henry Irons, inspired by Superman’s recent death, creates an Iron Man-esque suit of armor and embellishes it with a red cape and an iconic S symbol to become the new Man of Steel.
In one of many misguided choices,Steeldecided to lose all of those recognizable symbolsand iconography and just have John Henry parade around in a sold gray onesie. On a story level, Steel becomes a run-of-the-mill superhero flick. On a costume level, Steel’s suit is cheap, visually boring, and does little to invoke the idea of an armored exoskeleton. O’Neil looks as if he is parading around in rubber or styrofoam rather than solid metal, and the hammer, which simultaneously looks too big and too small, does very little to help this illusion of cheapness.
‘Spawn’ (1997)
Created by legendary comics artist Todd McFarlane,Spawnmay be the epitome of the 1990s idea of cool. A former mercenary who has made a deal with the devil to return to life and punish sinners, Spawn is the antihero that other antiheroes wish to emulate. With a striking black and red colorway and living, flowing cape, he also has a fantastic and memorable design.
Unfortunately, Spawn’s 1997 live-action film did not have near the budget or prowess to make this striking design come off as anything other than silly. Featuring makeup reminiscent of aPower Rangersvillain and an entirely CGI cape that is turned off in many scenes, Spawn’s movie appearance makes it clear this idea is better suited to comic books. Hopefully, theupcoming Blumhouse reboot of the characterand franchise can use modern technology and character design to give this famous costume a second chance on the big screen.
‘Catwoman’ (2004)
Hallie Berryfamously accepted a Razziein person forCatwoman, but whoever envisionedthis overly sexualized, unfinished costumeshould likely have accepted one as well. Catwoman has been no stranger to alluring or form-fitting designs throughout her history – indeed, the character is meant to be a seductress. The outfit worn by Berry’s Patience Phillips (not Selina Kyle) in this 2003 bomb, however,exchanges any subtlety of seduction for straight-up cheesy sex appealand suffers for it.
This simplification is consistent with the movie’s problem of dumbing down its characters and plot. What was once a character with varying motivations is now a woman who literally acts like a cat 24/7, and what was once a stylized yet ultimately practical suit for burglary is now leather pants and a barely existent top.Catwomanis filled with baffling decisions that extend far beyond its lackluster character design and plot. The least it could have done is adapt one of the character’s many iconic costumes instead of creating a new, terrible one.
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5Daredevil
‘Daredevil’ (2003)
IfCatwoman’s suit didn’t have enough leather,Daredevilis absolutely drowning in it. The costume worn byBen Affleckinthe 2003 critical and box office disastercomes complete with visual folds, shiny texture, and a leather scraping noise that can be audibly heard every single time he attempts to move. The man without fear isn’t alone, however, as he is joined byJennifer Garner’s Elektra andColin Farrel’s Bullseye sporting leather of their own, with a mid-drift exposed bodysuit and a full lengthy trenchcoat, respectively.
Daredevil’s tacky outfits, grim, exaggerated dramatic tone, and Evanescense-centric soundtrack create one of the most goth-feeling superhero films ever. There’s nothing wrong with that, or even with leather in general, but in a world that requires mobility, Daredevil’s suit is bound to leave him with severe chafing;it’s distracting, impractical, and downright humorousto even the most forgiving viewers. Luckily,Charlie Cox’s future adaptation of the character gave him a much better costume.
4Green Lantern
‘Green Lantern’ (2011)
Many superhero films feature costumes that look silly when created practically, and 2011’sGreen Lanternsought to rectify this problem by creating the emerald hero’s famous suit entirely from CGI. Unfortunately for bothGreen Lanternand viewers, the CGI of the time was not quite up to the task, and wheneverRyan Reynolds' Hal Jordan dons his signature costume,things look very uncanny.
Things only become more uncanny when the mask enters into the equation, and parts of the actors' faces must be digitally reconstructed. Though Reynolds would go on to be an incredibly successful superhero actor in the 2010s,Green Lanternstands as one ofthe biggest superhero flops of the decade, and a key complaint was the film’s lackluster effects, including this infamous digital suit, which has becomethe stuff of superhero nightmares.
Green Lantern
‘The Punisher’ (1989)
The Punisher’s straightforward motivations, aggressive demeanor, and willingness to do what other heroes won’t have made the violent antihero ripe for all sorts of adaptations throughout the years. Whether it be the 2004Thomas Janeadaptation or the gone-too-soon Netflix series, most of Frank Castle’s on-screen appearances get his very simple look right…except for the very first. 1989’sThe Punisher,starring action regularDolph Lundgren, was one of the earliest films base on a Marvel Comics character and seemed ashamed of it.
The iconic white skull insignia is entirely absent, meaning thatThe Punisherfails at adapting what is likely the easiest-to-translate comic book outfit in history. Unlike other more complicated heroes, a comic-accurate Punisher only requires a skull t-shirt, an outfit that is not only easy to create but could feasibly exist in a gritty world without breaking audience immersion. While Lundgren’s performance as Frank Castle is actually very underrated, and the 1989 film isquite possibly the best film adaptation of The Punisher,the costume is unforgivable.
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‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ (2009)
Ryan Reynold’s first appearance asthe now billion-dollar Deadpoolhas become an infamous punchline in both fan circles and within theDeadpoolfilms for its completely nonsensical character design.X-Men: Origins Wolverineis the low point of the FoxX-Menfranchise, and its most mocked and least well-regarded aspect is its terrible adaptations of fan-favorite characters like Gambit, Blob, and especially Deadpool.
First seen in the opening sporting a red suit that pretty accurately foreshadows his superhero suit, Reynold’s Wade Wilson is later seen as a wide-eyed, mouthless abomination complete with random stitching and the weapons of Baraka fromMortal Kombat. Much has been said about howthis design is antithetical to the very idea of Deadpool, but even if it were a new character detached from the Merc With a Mouth, this generic bladed bad guy design would still be terrible.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
1The Phantom
‘The Phantom’ (1996)
While many costumes in superhero movies suffer from being over-designed, lazily changed, or otherwise inaccurate, the costume in1996’s pulp throwbackThe Phantomis a near one-to-one recreation of its source material, much to its detriment. The Phantom is often cited as the first comic book superhero, and it sadly shows in his design.The character’s simplistic purple jumpsuit and black mask look silly, especially on a character like the Phantom, a gun-toting vigilante with origins rooted in poorly dated white savior tropes.
The final product is easilythe worst superhero costumein not only films but likely comics as well. It does not help that, alongside The Phantom’s garrish and bare-bones outfit, he comes packaged withan equally ill-fitting nameand terribly aged origin story. Perhaps with a redesign or a film willing togo all in on his 1940s retro aesthetic,The Phantomcould be a much-needed change of pace for modern superhero fans. Alas, as he currently stands, the original superhero has been topped by all of his successors.
