Marvel Studios Countdown: The Top 10 MCU Costumes, from Comics to Screen

It’s increasingly difficult to tell when actors in our favorite superhero movies are wearing clothes. Wait, let us rephrase. Thanks to technology, it’s impossible to tell when the costumes are physical or digital. News broke earlier this week that, most of the time, when you see Black Panther on screen in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman is not actually wearing the Panther suit. This is coming on the heels of Deadpool’s wisecrack, included in the trailer for the film, that superhero suits shouldn’t be “animated,” which itself is funny because Deadpool’s suit is so obviously animated (no, Ryan Reynolds does not have enough facial muscle control to move the mask’s eyes).

This got us thinking about the effort it takes to make comic book costumes look good on screen, so with that in mind, here are the Top 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe designs, from page to screen.

Honorable Mention: The Hulk

The Hulk doesn’t wear a costume, but he’s arguably the most screen accurate of the Marvel superheroes. Is he big and green? Check. Are his pants ripped? Check. While the pants are not always bright purple, there’s no way you’d ever mistake the Green Goliath for any other character.

10. Thanos

Thanos might’ve ranked higher if the guy would get off his throne and move around. As such, it’s hard to judge what he looks like in motion, though we’ll get our chance soon enough in Avengers: Infinity War. Thanos is a good example of Marvel being confident in the designs of their own comic book artists and not drastically re-inventing out of fear something will look dumb. If it ain’t broke…

9. Black Widow (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

It’s hard to mess up Black Widow’s simple black jumpsuit (though they keep tinkering with her hair). If we had to give the design to one film, it would be the suit from The Winter Soldier. Though the costume added elements of tactical armor for future releases (and the version she wears in Civil War almost made the cut here), we leaned with the comic book “classic.” Simple, form-fitting, black, and sporting her classic stinging gauntlets and red emblem.

8. Doctor Strange

The Sorcerer Supreme has already inspired more movie cosplayers than comic book cosplayers, and the movie isn’t even out yet! We feared that, like Thor’s helmet, Strange’s cape would be ditched in favor of practicality, but nope! Cumberbatch wears it well, and the character is immediately identifiable despite not sporting the gloves and tights Strange wears in the comics.

7. Ronan the Accuser

We love the visual translation of Jack Kirby’s Kree villain from page to screen. He’s got a unique silhouette and the costumer designers managed to bring it over wholesale into the MCU. Ronan could’ve easily been goofy-looking, but with Lee Pace’s performance and some smart design tinkering, we got one of Marvel’s coolest bad guys.

6. Loki (Thor)

Loki went full-on Jack Kirby as well, and it works! Though a more subdued version of the costume, sans-helmet, would go on to influence how the character looks in the comics, the first Thor movie lets Hiddleston spend a good amount of time with the helmet on, bringing a cool but impractical design to life.

5. Spider-Man (Captain America: Civil War)

Likely our most controversial pick, but they managed to create yet another cinematic Spidey who has a look distinct from the films that came before. The designers leaned heavily on the eye-size and shape from classic John Romita Jr. comics and allowed the eyes to change expressions, matching the work of former Spider-Man artists Erik Larsen and Humberto Ramos.

4. Vision (Avengers: Age of Ultron/Captain America: Civil War)

We had a hard time ranking Vision so low, because translating his gaudy red, yellow, and green duds to the big screen had to be a Herculean effort on the part of costume designer . The muted grey actually reads as green in certain light, and the design is executed so perfectly that whenever the android is onscreen, you can’t take your eyes off of him.

3. Black Panther (Captain America: Civil War)

We imagine this suit will change slightly when his solo film is released, but it’s an attention-getter in Civil War. If you don’t know who the character is, he’s immediately iconic and cool, and that’s thanks to, again, only minor deviation from what artistic genius Jack Kirby had in mind when he created T’Challa.

2. Captain America (Captain America: Civil War)

It’s funny to look back at Avengers and see how funky Captain America’s costume was in that film, compared to the ones that came after. The peak of his design is in Captain America: Civil War. Trust us, this was a close one. His temporary, early costume in Captain America: The First Avenger is excellent (the one he wears to rescue POWs from HYDRA), but not as easily identifiable as something from the pages of the comics. In Civil War, the Star Spangled Avenger looks classic and functional. Nobody is embarrassed to dress a man in a flag, and the designers have evolved the costume to the point where it’s as iconic as any costume outside the realm of superhero films.

1. Iron Man (Tie: All versions)

How could we choose a favorite? When we’re talking suits, both CG and practical, Iron Man is untouchable. The studio has completely embraced the armor, in all of its forms, and paved the way for Marvel Cinematic Universe characters to look like their comic book counterparts.

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