Over the years, Marvel Studios has made it clear that comic book costumes do work on screen. Those were something most studios shied away from in the early 2000s, and when they tried - 2005's Fantastic Four, for example - the results were typically hit-and-miss.
Since Iron Man was released in 2008, we've seen heaps of incredible hero and villain costumes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, there's always bad with the good, and a small handful of them over the years have simply failed to live up to fan expectations.
In this feature, we're looking back at 10 disappointing efforts which range from "meh" to unforgivably awful. We know a lot of work goes into these (and appreciate that) but the fact of the matter is, these just didn't do the comic books justice.
Take a look through these poorly-received efforts by clicking on the "Next" button below.
10. Ant-Man (Ant-Man)
We appreciate that the suit Scott Lang wore in 2015's Ant-Man was the same one Hank Pym donned during the Cold War, but a story reason for it looking so crummy didn't do much to help matters.
The leathery look of the material did it no favours, while that helmet design is undeniably ugly. Now, we're willing to admit that this costume looks 100% Ant-Man, but when you turn to the comics, we're sure you'll agree that there are better versions Marvel Studios could have adapated.
If it was always the plan to use a retro costume, why not embrace that original helmet and a more colourful design? The sequel improved upon this design, though an argument could be made that Marvel still hasn't quite cracked this hero after seeing the latest movie's nano-helmets.
9. Iron Man (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
A new Marvel movie means that Iron Man needs to get a different suit of armour. We're sure the Disney-owned outfit would never admit this, but the reason for that is cold, hard cash and the high merchandise sales associated with the Armored Avenger.
So, when Spider-Man: Homecoming rolled around in 2017, no one was surprised to see Iron Man decked out in another new suit.
Despite taking inspiration from The Ultimates, it didn't really do the Bryan Hitch-designed armour justice. In fact, it was just unpleasant to look at, with no real reason for a silver torso beyond a desire to shake things up and create yet another pricey Hot Toys action figure that could be sold in stores. It's boring and uninspired.
8. Gorr The God Butcher (Thor: Love and Thunder)
We appreciate that Christian Bale didn't necessarily want to don a motion-capture suit to play Gorr the God Butcher, but it would have been infinitely better than this half-hearted effort in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Weird makeup and a few markings on his skin did little to make Bale look any less ridiculous, and the fact he donned little more than a grey cloak...well, it pales in comparison to the living black substance that surrounded his comic book counterpart (which also formed the Necrosword and made Gorr a living weapon).
This didn't work and was another disappointment in a movie full of them.
7. Deathlok (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
It's still unclear whether Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is canon (at least on Earth-616), but it would be wrong not to mention this abomination of a costume.
While there’s no denying that this is a character that needed to be changed in the transition from page to screen, the costume he ended up with just looked like cheap rubbish. The rubbery material and unnecessary lights mean it would have been a better fit for an old Power Rangers episode from the 1990s.
It's not difficult to appreciate that superhero costumes on a TV budget are no easy feat, but whoever came up with this...well, have they ever even seen a picture of Deathlok? The ABC series improved as time went on, but this was an unforgettable low point.
6. Ghost (Ant-Man And The Wasp)
Making Ghost a female villain in Ant-Man and The Wasp wasn't a bad idea, and choosing Hannah John-Kamen to play the character was a genius move on Marvel's part. It's just a shame both the movie itself and the costume the villain wore were so underwhelming.
There's a creepy quality to Ghost in the comics that was completely lacking here with this sterile, plasticky effort that looked beyond generic on screen. The mask was a real miss, while the addition to the hood ensured that pretty much nothing we saw here actually worked.
We're excited to see Ghost return in Thunderbolts, but if that concept art is any indication, nowhere near enough has been done to fix the character's appearance.
5. Captain America (The Avengers)
Captain America has worn a lot of different costumes in the MCU since being introduced in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, but when he was brought into the present day, things went horribly, horribly wrong. Created in storyline by Agent Coulson, this goofy suit made Chris Evans look like a weed, and was far too busy.
Covered in zips, pockets, and lines (so many lines), this poor excuse of a modern-day look for Captain America was a total disappointment, and the fact it was so heavily redesigned for Avengers: Age of Ultron at least suggests Marvel Studios was aware that mistakes had been made.
Chris Evans hated the suit, too, though it was oddly nostalgic to see it revisited in Avengers: Endgame a few years back.
4. Green Goblin (Spider-Man: No Way Home)
We hate to be negative about this incredible movie, but c'mon, Spider-Man: No Way Home really didn't do the Green Goblin justice from a costuming perspective.
His classic (and admittedly divisive) green suit barely received any screentime, and the mask was destroyed far too soon. When the Goblin made his presence felt later in the movie, it was in a cobbled-together costume which is saved only by the fact the purple poncho and hood at least pay homage to the comic books.
We appreciated seeing Willem Dafoe's manic face during these scenes, but that mask should have been given another chance. It might have also helped if the scenes showing Norman building his new suit hadn't been scrapped.
3. Whiplash (Iron Man 2)
Whiplash – who was a weird mashup of both that villain and Crimson Dynamo – had a couple of different looks in Iron Man 2, but both of them underwhelmed.
The first might have been the worst, though, and while his use of Tony Stark’s arc reactor technology played a key role in the sequel’s plot, it just looks like a lazy Iron Man knock-off and comes across as uninspired as a result.
His final appearance (which received a laughably short amount of screentime) is so generic that it’s hard to remember what Whiplash even looked like when he finally donned his own suit of armour. Trust us when we say it was bad, though, because there was nothing in this movie that redeemed Mickey Rourke's big bad.
2. Shocker (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Before we conclude this feature, we have to mention another forgettable villain who deserved so much better.
An action figure confirmed that Marvel Studios once considered a comic-accurate design for Shocker, but that was abandoned, and he ended up looking like a generic thug with generic sci-fi gauntlets rather than a memorable supervillain. Honestly, it's one of Spider-Man: Homecoming's biggest failings.
The Vulture looked great, so we don't really know what went wrong here. There's been no sign of Shocker (or Scorpion) since, so perhaps Marvel Studios hopes to redeem them down the line. For now, though, we'll continue to struggle to accept that this is how Shocker looked during his live-action debut.
1. Taskmaster (Black Widow)
This...this was bad.
Black Widow's Taskmaster not wearing a literal skull on his head is an easy decision to understand on Marvel's part, and the attempt to include the blue, white, and orange colour scheme we're used to seeing in the comics is appreciated. However, the way it's combined for the MCU does not work and looks pretty silly.
Like Ghost, no significant changes have been made to the character's appearance in Thunderbolts, a baffling decision on Marvel Studios' part. The MCU typically nails costume design, but something here simply didn't translate properly. As a result, Taskmaster looks like a generic action movie baddie.