There was a time when it seemed movie studios were terrified to bring comic book costumes to the big screen (look no further than the X-Men franchise for proof of that). Fortunately, Marvel Studios has changed things.
The studio has adapted countless superhero and supervillain costumes since 2008, so it's perhaps inevitable that not all of them would be perfect. In fact, there are a handful which were downright disappointing and failed to do the comic books justice.
In this feature, we're singling out the costume designs which, ultimately, didn't work. Some did a poor job adapting what we've seen on the page and others simply made missteps which has ensured they're unlikely to be fondly remembered by anyone.
Marvel Studios' incredible team of concept artists and costume designers do truly amazing work so this isn't a swipe at them. With hundreds of costumes to adapt, some were always going to be better than others and these are just our least favourites.
To check out the costumes we've singled out, simply click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
8. Mister Fantastic
Much has been said about the "MCU-ification" of certain costumes and, if there's one trope we've had enough of, it's how "busy" certain designs are. For Mister Fantastic, that was definitely a problem in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The blue and black design looks cool in live-action but there's way too much of the latter colour on the arms and down Reed Richards' sides.
Simply put, there's too much going on and, as a result, the design becomes a little generic. Heck, take the "4" logo away and this could belong to pretty much any superhero. The Fantastic Four: First Steps looks to be a big improvement.
7. Thor
Talking of colour, here's an example of too much. We get what Marvel Studios and Taika Waititi were going for here; this design does originate in the comics, of course, but translated to live-action, it looked too goofy.
"But that was the point," we hear many of you cry. Indeed, but in a movie where Waititi gave in to all his silliest impulses, Thor's costume was a step too far.
The helmet looked pretty good during its few seconds of screentime, at least, but let's face it...this was Thor's worst MCU costume and a real comedown after his badass look in Avengers: Endgame.
6. Captain Marvel
Was this design mostly faithful to the comics? Absolutely, but something got lost in translation. Carol Danvers' comic book uniform became just another rubber suit, losing some iconic elements in the process like her red sash.
Avengers: Endgame was a bit of an improvement but The Marvels went a little too casual with the design and she no longer felt like the MCU's most powerful superhero, as a result.
It feels like we've yet to see the definitive Captain Marvel suit on screen and that will hopefully be the case when Avengers: Doomsday rolls around. For now, though, we'd lump all her MCU costumes into this slide.
5. Taskmaster
Look, this is admittedly one of those comic book designs that's hugely challenging to adapt to live-action. Ultimately, what works on the page isn't necessarily going to translate well to screen.
Marvel Studios tried to come up with something they believed fit Black Widow's grounded tone and...let's face it, though, this wasn't a win in any way, shape, or form.
The Spider-Man video game has shown how Taskmaster can be faithfully adapted and Black Widow's take just looked goofy as hell. Thunderbolts* has made some minor improvements, and we can only hope Tony Masters shows up down the line in something better.
4. Spider-Man (S.H.I.E.L.D. Suit)
If Marvel Studios wanted to give Spider-Man his black suit without heading down the Symbiote route, they could surely do better than this. Not only did it fail to hide the fact this was Spidey, it just didn't feel necessary.
Perhaps we'd have been more forgiving if that blank circle had boasted the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia; at least that way, it would have carried a bit more weight. As things stand, it's Peter Parker's worst MCU look...with his black suit in Spider-Man: No Way Home a close second.
Disney owns the merchandising rights to Spidey, explaining why he's worn so many different costumes over the years. This was one action figure nobody wanted.
3. Captain America
Captain America: Brave New World has been and gone as we write this. The movie, while by no means the disaster some would have you believe, wasn't a win for Marvel Studios. However, it's Sam Wilson's costume we have the biggest issue with.
Okay, so Anthony Mackie no longer wanted to wear the cowl that's a distinctive part of this Captain America's comic book costume. The goggles on their own made him look like The Falcon in red, white, and blue, but what was the deal with the suit itself?
Putting Sam in what was essentially the same costume as Steve Rogers did nothing to help him stand out. The white version was so much better, but in a movie meant to establish him at Cap, it looked like The Falcon was wearing his dad's clothes.
2. Hulk
Smart Hulk has been nothing if not divisive and, if Captain America: Brave New World taught us anything, it's that an angry Hulk is always going to be so much more fun to watch on screen.
Bruce Banner's super suit in Avengers: Endgame just didn't click with us. Once again, it's waaaaay too busy, and while we appreciate the splashes of purple, why the heck does a Hulk need to head into battle wearing a full bodysuit? Perhaps it saved on VFX costs.
Whatever the case may be, this gets a thumbs down and we're hoping for a major upgrade when Smart Hulk returns in Avengers: Doomsday (and that he's going to lose his temper again).
1. Daredevil
This isn't a ranking, so Daredevil's place here by no means suggests his costume design is the worst of all those listed above. It may, however, be the most disappointing of the lot.
The season 1 finale suit wasn't the best and, when the Man Without Fear returned, subtle improvements had been made. Overall, the patches of black, presumably meant to avoid it looking like Matt Murdock is wearing a red onesie, have the same negative impact as those on Mister Fantastic's suit.
That's not the main reason it's earned a place here, though. You can thank the lack of Daredevil's iconic "DD" logo for that. Call us petty, but it should be on the suit and, as Daredevil: Born Again approaches, we hope Marvel Studios intends to make this right.