8 Divisive Marvel And DC Superhero Movie Costume Reveals That Continue To Divide Fan Opinions

8 Divisive Marvel And DC Superhero Movie Costume Reveals That Continue To Divide Fan Opinions

A recent first look at Avengers: Doomsday's Doctor Doom was met with widespread approval from fans, but that hasn't always been the case. In this feature, we look back at 8 particularly divisive reveals!

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - Sep 23, 2025 01:09 PM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Studios

When Superman director James Gunn shared a first look at David Corenswet's Man of Steel last year, it proved surprisingly divisive. Even now, the hero's DCU costume splits opinions, and Superman isn't the first character to feature in a splashy sneak peek meant to get fans excited.

While those usually managed to build hype, there are occasions when fans hate what they see. Others, meanwhile, are quick to defend what often amounts to a complete overhaul, an inevitability for some characters as they transition from page to screen. 

This isn't a list of the worst superhero movie costumes...just those that divided opinions when they were first revealed to the world (and, as mentioned above with Supes, sometimes continue to do so to this very day).

To take a closer look at these divisive efforts, simply click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below. 
 

8. Spider-Man (The Amazing Spider-Man)

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The Amazing Spider-Man failed to tell the "Untold Story" promised in the trailers, and this Peter Parker's origin story ultimately ended up playing out very similarly to his predecessor. 

Sony did shake things up with Spidey's suit, though, and fans weren't happy. The missing "belt" ruined the look for many, as did the basketball-like texture and fairly busy design around the wrists (as for the logo, it was always going to receive a love/hate response). 

Later, the gold eyes and trainers also split opinions, but The Amazing Spider-Man 2's suit reveal fared considerably better a couple of years later by sticking as close to the comics as possible.
 

7. Captain America (Captain America: The First Avenger)

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Our first look at Marvel Studios' Star Spangled Avenger came in the form of set photos, and boy, a lot of people really didn't like Captain America: The First Avenger's take on Steve Rogers' World War II-era costume. 

The suit was compared to a quilt and proved perfect fodder for those who'd argued Chris Evans was too skinny to play a Super Soldier. 

He'd later prove them wrong, of course, while Cap's uniform ended up looking much better in motion. However, Evans found himself decked out in yet another divisive suit when The Avengers was released (even he wasn't a fan of that one). 
 

6. The X-Men (X-Men)

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The superhero movie genre was in its infancy when X-Men was released, so Bryan Singer mostly managed to get away with making sweeping changes to the mutant team. 

We ended up with a pretty good movie when all was said and done, but the team's black leather costumes still split opinions. It's easy enough to understand why colourful spandex didn't make the cut in 2000; the X-Men deserved better than suits with zero personality, though. 

The one time the heroes donned anything close to comic-accurate costumes was during X-Men: Apocalypse's closing moments (it didn't last). Thankfully, Marvel Studios is making moves to change that with Avengers: Doomsday.
 

5. The Joker (Suicide Squad)

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This was messy. Initially, the buzz surrounding David Ayer's Suicide Squad was positive. He was fresh off the success of Fury, and a dark, gritty take on Task Force X seemed like exactly what the DCEU needed to differentiate itself from the MCU.

Then, we saw Jared Leto's Joker. News of the Oscar-winner playing the Clown Prince of Crime led to the belief we'd get a take on the villain that topped even The Dark Knight's Heath Ledger. 

The tattoos...the teeth...the fact "Damaged" was right there on his forehead...this wasn't what DC fans wanted. The finished product looked no better (and Zack Snyder's Justice League was by no means an improvement).
 

4. Green Lantern (Green Lantern)

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You really had to be there to understand what the build to Green Lantern's release was like. Leaked concept art showcasing the Green Lantern Corps quickly built excitement, leading to a deep-rooted belief that this movie would be DC's Star Wars or Avatar

Ryan Reynolds being cast as Hal Jordan was divisive from the start, of course, and when the first trailer dropped, the sh*t really hit the fan. 

Unfinished VFX made the actor look like a complete joke. As for the Corps members, unflattering comparisons were made to the sort of rudimentary CG characters you'd see in the '90s. The visuals in the final cut were slightly better, but a fully CG suit was a major blunder.
 

3. Green Goblin (Spider-Man)

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We're keeping it green and hopping over to the Marvel Universe for this entry. Sam Raimi attempted to faithfully adapt the Green Goblin in 2002's Spider-Man (test footage has proved that), only to decide it wouldn't work.

The technology just wasn't there at the time for a realistic animatronic Goblin, so the villain was overhauled and looked like what many would later describe as a green Power Ranger. 

From a storytelling perspective, the change made sense. It was bland, though, and lacked much of what made the character leap off the page. Marvel Studios tried to make up for this in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and we'd say they mostly succeeded. 
 

2. Venom (Venom)

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When the news broke that Tom Hardy would play Venom, fans were initially excited. Sure, the movie wouldn't be set in the MCU, but a story about the Lethal Protector doing his thing in San Francisco? It had plenty of potential. 

The 2018 blockbuster was a critical flop, but it still sold plenty of tickets. Love or hate this one, when we got our first look at Venom, fans had the same question: "Where was his chest logo?"

Weird white veins on his chest seemed to pay homage to it, but with no Spider-Man in the frame, Sony decided against even coming up with a new design for the anti-hero "logo." The result was a visual that let down an otherwise solid take on Eddie Brock's alien other. 
 

1. Superman (Superman)

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We talked a lot about this suit reveal at the time, and since Superman swooped into theaters, it's fair to say the tide has turned somewhat. Even now, not everyone loves this design, of course, but the presentation might be what caused the problem.  

By having the Man of Steel sit down in an attempt to portray him as an everyman, the suit is bunched up and appears ill-fitting. And why was he slowly suiting up while ignoring the destruction raining down outside his window? No wonder people were divided on this one. 

Superman provided an explanation, of course, as that interdimensional imp was being dealt with by the Justice Gang. This might be a lesson to choose better for the next first look photo, though. 

Have we missed any other particularly divisive superhero movie suits? As always, head to the comments section below to let us know your thoughts. 
 

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TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/23/2025, 1:19 PM
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Anyway , I think I now fall under the opinion of “the suit has grown on me but I still don’t love certain elements of it so it’s not my favorite” for the Superman suit.

Also didn’t mind Garfield’s TASM suit and liked Steve’s more “utilitarian” outfit for TFA!!.
MrDandy
MrDandy - 9/23/2025, 1:21 PM
Why is First Avenger costume on here. Most people like that one and it even returns in the climax of Winter Soldier. The one everyone hated was the Captain America costume from The Avengers.
Forthas
Forthas - 9/23/2025, 1:24 PM
The Superman 2025 suit was, is and always will be ridiculous! It probably contributed to the film flopping.

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99OPTIMISTPRIME
99OPTIMISTPRIME - 9/23/2025, 1:26 PM
I don't think anybody likes that second Batsuit, in The Dark Knight Trilogy.🤣
Matchesz
Matchesz - 9/23/2025, 1:50 PM
@99OPTIMISTPRIME - what I loved his tactical batsuit, just thought they’d improve on it more with something covering the smaller pieces, it does look like a prototype
SuperCat
SuperCat - 9/23/2025, 1:29 PM
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mountainman
mountainman - 9/23/2025, 1:36 PM
Cap’s suit was divisive in The Avengers not First Avenger, unless you count the USO suit he worse for a few minutes of the film.
FrankenDad
FrankenDad - 9/23/2025, 1:55 PM
Goddamn that Green Goblin suit. Too bad they couldn’t make that amazing animatronic work.
Timerider
Timerider - 9/23/2025, 1:58 PM
@FrankenDad - it should be full CGI next time, but I loved that animatronic head they were working on, wish it would have worked.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/23/2025, 1:56 PM
Off topic:
@ RorMachine
@JoshWilding

Marvin Jones III cast as Tombstone in Spider Man:Brand New Day

https://deadline.com/2025/09/spider-man-brand-new-day-casts-marvin-jones-iii-tombstone-1236553455/
Spike101
Spike101 - 9/23/2025, 2:29 PM
From your list it’s only the original goblin suit I really didn’t like, I’d have preferred a more comic accurate one.
DannyBrandy20
DannyBrandy20 - 9/23/2025, 2:47 PM
I liked Green Lantern suit design but not cgi

Suit should've been practical

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