Top 10 Superhero Movie Costumes

Kicking off our list is the cinematic costume change that had comic fans up in arms, but made comic book films cool again for the rest of us. Ditching the kaleidoscope of colors from the source material, this film trilogy instead opted for the black leather look that paid a tiny bit of homage to the very original costumes. It’s a good thing too, since yellow is probably best left in the past, especially since Wolverine isn’t a fan of anything that’s too in-your-face…

This translation passed the test with flying colors, thanks to it being a lot less open to interpretation or update than most other adaptations. Unlike X-Men, we’re glad they faithfully pulled off the comic look, complete with trench coat, fedora and scarf. Of course, what really made it come together was his ever-changing inkblot for a face that shifted with his mood, which was done through a touch of CGI. Of course, unlike in the comics, Rorschach’s high-soled shoes couldn’t mask the small frame of the wearer, but real-life does have its limitations…

Okay, so this film was a missed opportunity that didn’t impress fans or newcomers. However its saving grace was the depiction of the character’s living suit, which took its gothic, organic and grim design directly from the bizarre stylizations of Todd McFarlane. It even included his glowing green eyes, while prosthetics properly captured his facial burns without the mask.

Taking a page from the X-Men trilogy is the secret agent outfit who also prefers to wear a black bodysuit. While it doesn’t look all that practical, she seems to get along just fine in it. Not convinced? Well it’s stylish and comic accurate, down to the emblem belt, her blasters and arm cannons. We won’t kid you though; it helps that it’s Miss Johansson filling the costume out nicely.

No one thought this godly portrayal could be done right. Somehow, the cape, chest plate and enchanted scaled armor didn’t look laughable, as we had feared. In fact, it gave him the spot on appearance of a beefy Norse warrior from another realm. Technically they cheated by dropping the winged hat and adding a beard, but it’s all in the details.

Sure, it takes an actor with a face like Ron Pearlman to sell it, but this is one of the most accurate comic book costume translations ever. Yes, we are counting the makeup job, as this character is a big honking’ devil. Thankfully, everything is as it should be, down to the filed horns, red skin, trench coat, utility belt and of course, the oversized right hand of doom.

This costume has the distinction of being both the most iconic and the most dated, due primarily to the whole undies on the outside and bright blue spandex look. Fortunately for the man of steel, it still works, and Christopher Reeve pulled it off without resorting to padding. Besides, Superman’s outfit doesn’t need any added thickness- the guy’s nearly invincible anyways…

While all logic is thrown out the window when it comes to how a kid from Queens handcrafting this outfit, it still pitch-perfectly captures the look from the comics. It even added adding reflective goggles and fine detail, all while proving that modern superheroes can get away with bright colors. Of course, the white lenses could never convey the expressiveness that Spidey’s eyes exude in the comics, but how the heck were they supposed to do that?

Tim Burton’s batman films deserve much of the credit for taking this iconic superhero and his costume far away from the skin tight and drawn on eyebrow nonsense of the Adam West era. However, we ultimately had to give the shutout to Nolan’s suit, which traded in rubber for painted military armor. The new suit ditched all the yellow, and gave batman the added luxury of being able to turn his head. Imagine that.

Taking the top spot on our list is probably the most difficult costume to create for the big screen, which could not have been pulled off until recently due to a convincing mix of CGI and practical effects. It’s sleek, stylish and gives us a sense of awe as its being assembled. It’s impossible to not see this suit in action and not wish that you had one of your own…

Agree with our list, or think we just committed comic book heresy? For more entertaining top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.