Top 30 WORST Superhero Movie Costumes

#30: Quicksilver
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)
 

This costume lacks creativity and imagination, to say the least. If it weren’t for the finger wraps, Quicksilver’s top in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” could pass for a long-sleeve pajama shirt. As for the pants—why do they sort of look like jeans? For a character with superhuman speed, you’d think he’d wear something a little more flexible and comfortable. We’re not sure why they didn’t take a page out of the comics for Quicksilver’s costume in this film. Doing so would’ve made his outfit look way less bland and a lot more functional.

#29: Blackheart
“Ghost Rider” (2007)

While this demon’s makeup gets the job done, the costume leaves a lot to be desired. Blackheart’s look in “Ghost Rider” comes off as too generic. His all black outfit includes a scarf—which was not a feature in his comic book design. The one real positive here is that the costume is all black. However, its dullness fails to capture the menace of a villain set on unleashing hell—particularly when compared to the more elaborate, supernatural version in the comics. It feels like a missed opportunity. If Blackheart had red eyes or wild spiky long hair in the film, he would’ve looked much more interesting and much truer to the comics.

#28: Whiplash
“Iron Man 2” (2010)

The main criticism of this antagonist’s costume is that it doesn’t really look like a costume. While we get that Whiplash’s power comes from his reactor-based electric whips, the way the device sits on his body just makes it feel like a strap-on weapon—more than a full-on villain outfit. Part of that comes from how much skin is showing, and part of it’s the lack of a mask. Comic book depictions of Whiplash do both of those things differently—with a more armored look. If the movie had leaned more into that, the character’s appearance could’ve been much stronger.

#27: Malekith
“Thor: The Dark World” (2013)

In the comics, Malekith the Accursed is often portrayed with long hair and a half-blue-half-black face. His costume often has a half-and-half color scheme as well. However, we don’t get any of that in the movie “Thor: The Dark World.” Instead, Malekith has pale, whitish skin and darker armor. He also sports a thin helmet that isn’t very interesting-looking at all. In general, the flair aspect of Malekith that’s present in the comics isn’t quite there in the film. It’s a shame, because the pronounced half-and-half color scheme could’ve translated really well to the screen. 

#26: Everyone
“Eternals” (2021)

The costume designers for this Marvel film went for something different than usual MCU looks. Aiming for something more “organic,” as costume designer Sammy Sheldon put it, sounds like a solid idea—but the execution fell a bit short. The costumes come off as sort of metal-like, but are also very colorful. That combo doesn’t quite nail the organic vibe, since the outfits end up looking a bit too clunky and futuristic. And when you compare all the Eternals’ costumes side-by-side, there’s a clear lack of commitment—like the designs can’t decide whether to feel unified or totally individualized. There’s a lot of untapped potential here. Honestly, it’s the colors that keep them from being a total miss.

#25: The Phantom
“The Phantom” (1996)

This fictional crime-fighter dates back to 1936, marking the beginning of a trend of fictional heroes wearing skintight costumes. In 1996, “The Phantom” hit theaters, with Billy Zane portraying the protagonist. We’ll give credit where it’s due for the parallels between the Phantom’s costume in the film and the comics. The film sticks with the classic purple suit and black mask. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a bit too plain. Where it really misses the mark is the material. Simply put, it looks cheap—and the mask is so thin that, in certain shots, it looks like it could just be facepaint.

#24: The Punisher
“The Punisher” (1989)

In the 2004 film “The Punisher,” the title character sports the iconic white skull logo on his shirt, but the rest of the rather generic costume makes it forgettable. With that said, the depiction of the Punisher in the 1989 film is even worse. It’s missing the big white skull logo across the character’s chest. In fact, it’s hardly a costume at all. It’s just flat out basic. Sure, this antihero didn’t need the most elaborate costume—but something a little more distinctive, like in some of the Punisher comics, would’ve made a big difference. 

#23: Nuclear Man
“Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” (1987)

Let’s just say this was a forgettable Superman movie. One of the downsides is Nuclear Man—no offense, man. But for such a menacing threat to Superman and the world as a whole, he sure doesn’t look like it. Not only does his appearance not scream “villain” by any means, but the costume also just comes off as tacky and cheap. Also, given the fact that Lex Luthor is the one who creates Nuclear Man in “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace,” you’d think the infamous criminal mastermind would have something more villain-like for his evil creation to wear.

#22: Rhino
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014)

Ah—what could’ve been. It’s fair to say they got a bit carried away with the size and mechanics of Rhino’s costume in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” It’s too machine-like, too robotic, too mechanical. With the placement of the human inside, it just looks like massive clunky armor. Why not go with the much more fitting, artificial skin look of Rhino from the comics? That would’ve made the antagonist not only look cooler and naturally muscular, but more like a, well, rhino. Even Sony admitted that the “The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s” Rhino was bad.

#21: The New Goblin
“Spider-Man 3” (2007)

What happened to the greener, more-goblin looking costume from the first movie in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy? Some of the later “Spider-Man” films tried to get too cute and missed the mark. The Green Goblin in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is just one example of that—not green enough and lacking the iconic green goblin mask with the yellow eyes. But it’s the New Goblin in “Spider-Man 3” that’s the worst of the bunch. We can’t tell—is he ready to go skiing or to walk through a sandstorm? Or no, no, we know—he’s ready for a game of paintball. Seriously, this New Goblin lacks the intimidating, goblin-like appearance that made the 2002 film version so iconic.

#20: Black Canary

Birds of Prey (2020)

After the lackluster results of the DCEU, Warner Brothers probably didnt want to invest much in 2020s Birds of Prey. Despite this, the film actually turned out pretty good. However, it had its problems, one of which was the wardrobe of Jurnee Smollett's Black Canary. She plays a songstress-turned-hero with a super-powered sonic blast. As a result, she understandably wears attire appropriate to her role as a lounge singer. Still, none of her looks really resemble her traditional black leather garb, which is often adapted faithfully in the DC animated films. She spends the movie wearing either her nightclub clothes or punky streetwear, even when taking on a squad of Black Masks goons.

#19: General Zod

Superman II (1980)

This movie may be a beloved early entry in the superhero genre, but can we all agree that the costumes are utterly absurd? General Zod and his squad of Kryptonian soldiers sport black jumpsuits that look like they were pulled out of the closet of a disco band. Its a little hard to take an alien fascist seriously when hes wearing a silky black onesie with his bare chest exposed. Is he an evil Kryptonian general bent on dominating the earth or is he the lead singer in a goth Abba cover band? Still, Terence Stamp is a consummate professional, and ate the film up despite his attire.

#18: The Fantastic Four

FANT4STIC (2015)

After the success of his 2012 superpower flick Chronicle, filmmaker Josh Trank was tapped to direct the reboot of The Fantastic Four. It was an unmitigated disaster. The production suffered from both studio pressure and a young filmmaker out over his skis, and stars four heroes and a villain in absolutely horrible costumes. They give up the teams trademark 4 logo for a supposedly grittier and more realistic look. Johnny, Sue, and Reeds costumes are just the black jumpsuits they wear when cosmic rays spark their super transformation. The Thing is 100% mediocre CG, while Doom gets a body of weird metal plates. The suits are utterly unremarkable, and give a lackluster face to a failed film.

#17: Sabretooth

X-Men (2000)

This 2000 film was one of the first successful mainstream comic book blockbusters of the modern era. The filmmakers knew that there could be backlash from comic book fans, and even included an inside joke referencing their comic costumes. For the most part, the black leather worked, and the heroes looked great. The same could not be said of Wolverines nemesis, Sabretooth. He rocks a terrible blonde wig and large, feathered eyebrows. His wardrobe gives off vibes that are less psychotic evil mutant and more bad leather jacket that was torn up by cats. The character received a more realistic upgrade in 2009s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

#16: Steel

Steel (1997)

There’s a lot to say about this movie—or not a lot, depending on how you look at it. One of the various negatives is Steel’s costume. Is his armor really made from steel? Because at times, it doesn’t look like it. With the shape of the bulky armor, there’s sort of a medieval knight vibe going on here. And that mask isn’t cool at all! They seriously couldn’t do any better than that? Overall, the costume is too simplistic and looks cheap and unpolished. We bet Shaq would’ve been more than okay with wearing something that more closely resembles the comics. 

#15: The Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four (1994)

This disastrously bad unreleased film from 1994 makes even 2015s FANT4STIC look good. As far as we can tell, its completely unavailable except for pirated versions online. It was intended to be a low-budget schlockfest, and in that regard it was a wild success. The low-effort costumes are something out of a Hollywood Boulevard nightmare. The blue spandex suits, festooned with white embellishments like gloves, turtlenecks, and belts, might be comic book accurate, but that doesnt mean they look good. From Johnnys horrific early CGI to Things horrible bodysuit, to Dooms clearly plastic armor, the costumes are a miss from start to finish.

#14: Barb Wire

Barb Wire (1996)

Before Wesley Snipes Blade ushered in the dominance of the superhero genre, Baywatch star Pam Anderson brought this Dark Horse Comic character to life. The film was an example of how being faithful to the source material can be a huge mistake. Both in the comics and the movie, Barb Wire is meant to be a sexualized hero. In that respect, the film is a success and a cult classic. Still, it's a little difficult for mainstream audiences to be fully onboard with lingerie gunfights. Barb has a few different styles, often preferring black leather, heels, and halter tops.

#13: Cheetah

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Many looked to the HBO release of Patty Jenkins sequel to Wonder Woman to provide a much-needed escape during this difficult year. With fan favorites Kristin Wiig and Pedro Pascal joining the cast, it seemed like a cant miss film. Unfortunately, it did miss, with Cheetahs look just one of its many issues. Thanks to some magic wishes, Barbara Minerva transforms into the DC baddie over the course of the film, looking sillier with each transformation. Her pleather cheetah print jacket eventually transitions into a CG-heavy Cheetah-human hybrid. Compared to Dianas golden angel, Cheetah is utterly forgettable.

#12: Everyone

Madame Web (2024)

This film was so bad, even its star, Dakota Johnson, got in a bit of trouble with the studio for her negative comments on the promotional tour. Honestly, the costumes are just a minor flaw in a movie full of problems. Both Madame Web and her three Spider-Women disciples spend only a few minutes of screen time in their hero costumes. While the outfits themselves arent awful, the complete lack of masks on any of the heroes seems to defeat the point of having a secret identity. The Spider-Men we do see both those in the Amazon and the films villain feel more like Spider-Man knock offs than fully realized characters.

#11: Catwoman

Catwoman (2004)

Halle Berry is more than willing to take criticism and poke fun at herself. She even showed up to the 2005 Razzie Awards to accept her Worst Actor trophy for Catwoman. Berry, herself, truly deserves none of the blame for the disaster. The cheesy music, bad CGI, and terrible writing made the film virtually unwatchable to most viewers. Worst of all, however, was her costume. Its a little insane to see a super-powered cat burglar leaping across rooftops in a leather bra, leather pants, bare midriff, and open-toed high heels. Superhero costumes dont have to be fully utilitarian, but suspension of disbelief has its limits.

#10: Apocalypse

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

After a decade and a half of X-Men films, Fox chose one of their most terrifying enemies to face the rebooted mutant heroes. They cast Oscar Isaac as En Sabah Nur, the ancient Egyptian mutant known as Apocalypse. When you are bringing one of the scariest villains in Marvel Comics to life for the first time on film, you want to get it right. What you want to avoid, however, are comparisons to the Power Rangers villain Ivan Ooze. Unfortunately, Fox went with the latter. Between the bad makeup, silly headdress, and thick layered leather armor, the entire look is an utter failure. Its difficult for audiences to fear a villain who struggles just to turn his head.

#9: Bullseye

Daredevil (2003)

The costume of this Marvel Comics villain is understandably difficult to translate to the big screen. In the comics, the deadly assassin sports a full bodysuit complete with a white target on his head. Its a little silly, so when he made his film debut in 2003s Daredevil, the filmmakers understandably wanted to go in a different direction. Unfortunately, the direction they chose was bonkers. They swapped the bodysuit for a massive fake gator-skin overcoat. When out in public he wears a simple black beanie, concealing a target-shaped scar on his forehead. Bullseyes look, from head-to-toe, is pure 2000s shlock.

#8: Juggernaut

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

After the much-lauded sequel X2, the third installment of the X-Men films nearly ended the franchise. Among its many faults is the look of Vinnie Jones Juggernaut. The ex-football-star-turned-actor was forced into an absolutely ridiculous bodysuit. While the comic version of Juggernaut obviously takes major liberties with human proportions, this adaptation is just weird. The skin and hair look fake, and his chest straps look like cheap BDSM gear. Worst of all is his helmet. The Helm of Cyttorak is a majorly important object in Marvel Comics. The film version is meant to be carved out of solid stone. Instead, it clearly looks to have been carved from styrofoam.

#7: Selena

Supergirl (1984)

Modern-day audiences can be forgiven for forgetting all about the 1984 Supergirl film until she was referenced in The Flash. It was meant to be a direct sequel to the Dick Donner Superman films, though Christopher Reeve refused to appear in a cameo. While Supergirls costume is a fairly solid replication of her comic book look, the same cannot be said of the movies villain Selena. She has more wardrobe changes than a Beyoncé concert, none of which are especially flattering. Her plethora of looks feature the worst of what 1980s fashion had to offer, making it virtually impossible to take her seriously for even a moment.

#6: The Joker

Suicide Squad (2016)

Director David Ayer had to deal with overbearing studio interference to get this movie made. Unfortunately, the studio cant really take the blame for one of the film's most egregious errors: the Joker. In addition to Jared Letos supposed behind-the-scenes antics alienating his co-stars, his look was something out of a nightmare. Ayer eschewed any number of comic-accurate looks for a more modern wardrobe. In lieu of a purple and green suit, the DCEU Joker wears couture clothes, is covered in tattoos, and sports a metallic grill. While this version was rightfully unhinged, the attempt to be edgy and new was a total flop with viewers.

#5: Dark Flash

The Flash (2023)

After years of development hell, director Andy Muschietti delivered the Scarlet Speedsters first solo outing in theaters. It could not have been more of an unmitigated disaster if theyd tried. The many criticisms of the film extend to the wardrobe, especially the villain Dark Flash. What is even going on with this look? Admittedly, part of the problem is that the most pivotal scene, the infamous Chronobowl, is a CGI-heavy mess where the characters get lost against the overly busy background. In a different movie, with less reliance on computer-generated embellishments, this costume might not have looked that bad.

#4: Green Lantern

Green Lantern (2011)

When DC and Warner Brothers chose to bring Green Lantern to the silver screen, they made a bold choice: his entire costume would be generated with CG. Bold, however, doesnt always mean good. Unfortunately, the CG costume particularly the mask was both poorly rendered and poorly received, and of course the film itself was a flop. Since its release, star Ryan Reynolds has repeatedly made fun of both the movie and the costume. In both Deadpool and the 2018 follow-up, Reynolds included several jokes poking fun at himself and a film hed like to forget.

#3: Captain America

Captain America (1990)

Twenty years before his first appearance in the MCU, the star-spangled hero made his debut in a straight-to-video cheesefest. The low-budget Marvel film leaned hard into its comic book origins, choosing to give Steve Rogers a comic-accurate look. Unfortunately, on camera it reads like a cheap rubber Halloween costume. The wings are extremely silly, and if you look closely, youll notice that those are fake ears attached to the headpiece. The worst, however, is his shield. It seems as though the props department didnt even try to make his trademark weapon look like actual metal. Instead, it looks like a cheap plastic replica.

#2: Deadpool

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Though it had its moments particularly with Liev Schreibers Sabretooth 2009s X-Men Origins: Wolverine was generally not well received. The most despised aspect of the film by far was its handling of Deadpool. At first, hes just Wade Wilson, a wisecracking sword-wielding mutant in a sleeveless combat super suit. Later, however, their experiments on Deadpool absolutely ruin the character. They chose to play with his trademark wit by literally sewing his mouth shut. Instead of a costume, they have him bare-chested, scarred, with retractable swords coming from his arms and Cyclops optic blast. Everything about the character and his look was an insult to the beloved merc with a mouth, and, like Green Lantern, Reynolds would later poke fun at it himself.

#1: Batman & Robin

Batman & Robin (1997)

The Joel Schumacher Batman movies of the 1990s combined the camp of the 1960s TV show with the aesthetic of Tim Burtons 1989 update. The result was a pair of very messy movies. Batman & Robin was by far the worst when it came to wardrobe. The villains, Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze, went in opposite directions. Ivy wore a very plain green spandex suit and sported a nightmarish hairdo inspired by the 1960s. Mr. Freeze, on the other hand, wore a silly, over-the-top suit of icy armor. But the Bat Family costumes really take the cake, from the codpieces and butt-plates to the nipples. This version of Batman was as far from a Dark Knight as you could possibly get.

What superhero costume is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!