The 36 greatest superhero costumes in movies and TV
Aug. 1, 2024With great power comes great cosplay inspiration
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When we watch superheroes save the world, we’re not only swept away by their impossible powers and inspiring bravery - we’re also envious of their drip. Superhero costumes are often half the reason why we see them in the first place, so it stands to ask: What are the greatest superhero costumes of all time?
Across decades of superhero stories on screens both bigandsmall, some superhero costumes just look better than others. Whether they faithfully recreate the original comic book source material or remix over previous iterations, some costumes inspire fans to cosplay at conventions or rock out at Halloween. They come in kevlar, spandex, leather, armor – and in one case, the pure muscle of a legit bodybuilder.
As superhero movies continue to dominate the box office and superhero TV shows fill up our queue, we rank the greatest 36 superhero costumes found on the screen.
36. The Hulk (Lou Ferrigno in The Incredible Hulk)
It doesn’t get much simpler than painting two-time Mr. Universe champion Lou Ferrigno green. For the iconic television series The Incredible Hulk, Ferrigno - who grew up reading comic books like Spider-Man and the Hulk to cope with bullying - was painted nuclear green with practical make-up effects, along with contact lenses that changed his eye color. Ferrigno was actually the second actor cast in the role after Richard Kiel, who filmed the pilot but was later fired after his physique was considered underdeveloped.
Blade may have been the most obscure Marvel character to ever get a standalone feature film adaptation, let alone a whole trilogy. But Wesley Snipes helped ignite the modern superhero movie boom with his Blade, a black-clad vampire hunter who looks totally sick in tactical gear and leather trench coats. The original Blade in the comics was a lot flashier - imagine a cross between Shaft and Van Helsing - but the ’90s introduced grudge and goth to Blade’s wardrobe. By the time Blade hit theaters in 1998, it was riding the same wave shared by movies like The Crow, The Matrix, and later on, X-Men.
The Boys' aggressive satire of corporate superhero franchises is found even in the threads of its costumes. While most of The Seven can sometimes look like Temu versions of the Justice League, Anthony Starr’s Homelander is a sterling avatar of American exceptionalism crossed with the absolute corruption of anointed godhood. The show’s costume department takes radical left turns from how the characters look in the comics - and for the better, honestly - but Homelander is a standout case of a show’s thematic storytelling married into its visual designs. Homelander sports a silhouette that’s as iconic as villains Darth Vader, and that alone does more than instill fear - it makes itself unforgettable.
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Chris Hemsworth has worn numerous versions of the Thor costume throughout his prolific run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. But any time he’s on screen, he’s hard to take your eyes off of. No matter what version of his costume he’s wearing, the touchstones are always the best part: the colossal red cape, the V-shaped chainmail armor with circular patterns, and of course, his hammer Mjolnir. There’s just something about the way the whole thing looks together, and on Hemsworth especially, that makes Thor worthy of his title “God of Thunder.”
Skintight leather for a character who takes the phrase “cat burglar” too literally seems like a gimme. And the likes of Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, and Michelle Pfeiffer arguably perfected the look of Catwoman in different Batman adaptations of the past. But then came Anne Hathaway in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, and once more the wheel was reinvented. With a cleaner look influenced by military uniforms and athletic wear, plus an utterly ingenious headpiece design that mimics cat ears, the Catwoman who inhabits Nolan’s grounded universe stands out even as she blends in.
One may argue that the White Canary in The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow is derivative of A-list Avenger, Black Widow. And look, that’s notwrong. But while the Marvel Cinematic Universe enjoys the benefits of big budgets, the manyDC Comicsshows that once populated The CW made do with a lot less. The madcap time travel series Legends of Tomorrow put the spotlight on the many tertiary characters of Arrow and The Flash, with the ensemble anchored by Arrow’s Sara Lance (played by Caity Lotz). In stepping up as leader in Legends of Tomorrow, the former Black Canary found a new phase as White Canary (yes, like Gandalf), with a pale gray get-up that looks just as good as the bigger theatrical tentpoles put out. The White Canary costume may call to mind Black Widow a little too much, but the suit compliments Lotz’s unique features while emphasizing Sara Lance’s story as a hero reborn.
All due respect to the original Ultraman, but his 1996 successor might be the best looking Ultraman in history. Unlike the original Ultraman who is entirely red and silver, Ultraman Tiga adds tasteful touches of navy blue, along with a generally cleaner and leaner faceplate design compared to the original fuller-faced Ultraman. Ultraman Tiga was the first Ultra series after the franchise took a long hiatus, and next to the original saga, remains one of the most popular Ultra series ever. One look at Tiga’s costume and it’s not hard to see why.
Black Adam might not have changed the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe, but there’s no denying that Dwayne Johnson looked incredible. As the titular anti-hero, Johnson’s muscular physique is complemented by a form-fitting costume with unique rocky textures. It’s not intended as a pun on “The Rock,” but rather the ancient and magical origins of Black Adam, a slave who is gifted the powers of gods only to use them to morally ambiguous ends. The costume stands in direct contrast to Shazam, whose cleaner, bright red outfit is free from the burdens of power that Black Adam is cursed by.
Elizabeth Olsen has donned several versions of her Scarlet Witch costume throughout her Avengers movie appearances. And she looks quite magnificent in more evil form in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But in herDisney+ series WandaVision, the episode “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!” - which reimagines the ever-changing Westview into a ’90s-inspired TV comedy - sees Olsen dress up in a classic comics outfit that is hilariously waived off as a Halloween store purchase. For all the elaborate designs of modern superhero productions, you can’t beat timeless simplicity, and Elizabeth Olsen simply hasn’t looked better.
Leaping from the pages of Geoff Johns' JSA to streaming television, Brec Bassigner shines as the star-spangled Stargirl in a most faithful recreation of her costume from comics. While comparisons to Marvel’s Captain America are unavoidable, Bassigner’s Stargirl stands apart with youthful energy, commanding an overall vibe of a high school cheerleader dumped in a vat of radioactive American flags. While everything about Stargirl screams throwback to the Golden Age of comics, her streaming series plants her Converse All-Star adorned feet in the 21st century.
In the vast annals of superhero costumes, Nightwing is undefeated. His mixture of neon blue with tactical black is simply untouchable. The streaming TV series Titans finally gave hardcore DC fans the live-action Nightwing they dreamed of with Brenton Thwaites donning the suit. Taking heavy inspiration from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, Nightwing has tons of padding and layers of armor - all necessary when you’re fighting crime on the mean streets of Gotham City. While in some angles Nightwing looks like Dick Grayson went on a spending spree for paintball gear, there’s no arguing that Nightwing’s costume is too sleek to mess up.
The Punisher doesn’t seem like a difficult character to pull off on camera. Some movies just dress a buff dude in a black T-shirt with a white skull and call it a day. But Jon Bernthal’s version of The Punisher in the MCU takes things up a notch with an especially inspired approach. It’s in the unique shape of his tactical vest: By itself, it’s an ordinary military vest. But after Frank Castle takes a spray can to it, the white skull manifests with the eyes appearing on the breast flaps and the “teeth” dripping over the detailing. After seeing this Punisher in action, suddenly a simple T-shirt just doesn’t cut it anymore.
While the live-action Titans largely abandoned the subtle political commentary of the original Hawk and Dove in the comics, the series still lived up to the characters' combined spirit of a dynamic duo of profound opposites: aggressive Hawk and peaceful Dove. For the series, actors Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly don the wings of Hawk and Dove respectively, fitting into outfits that impressively interpret their original comic book designs for the modern era. Although Hawk’s costume includes useless padded abdomen muscles, he looks incredible standing next to Dove, who has gorgeous winged detailing and a pale blue color palette that complements the white and blood red of Hawk.
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, sourcing from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, are a masterclass in tokusatsu costume design. The white diamond patterns on sharp colorful spandex and beautifully sculpted dinosaur helmets look as great today as they did when they first surfaced in 1993 (1992 in Japan). The sixth addition, the Green Ranger - played by the late, great Jason David Frank - turns up the dial with a gold chest plate and Arabian-style arm bands that make him a true standout worthy of singular attention. This isn’t just nostalgia talking, the Green Ranger is truly one of the most lethal superhero costumes in TV history.
Just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s not made of steel. When Superman’s cousin Supergirl got her own network TV series on CBS (before importing to The CW for its second season onward), actress Melissa Benoist donned an outfit that was timeless as it was contemporary. For the first few seasons, Benoist’s costumed lived up comics tradition with a mostly faithful interpretation with the exception of added red leggings layered under her skirt (a truly millennial costuming choice). Other than that, she’s still Supergirl, red “S” and gold belt and all. As the series progressed Benoist wore a new costume that ditched the skirt entirely, sporting a silhouette that resembled Henry Cavill’s big screen Superman.
Fans waitedyearsto see Hugh Jackman don Wolverine’s yellow and blue duds from the comics - and the wait was so worth it. After over a decade of X-Men movie appearances where Jackman wore only leather jackets, tactical armor, and sweat-stained undershirts, Jackman’s return to his iconic superhero role in Deadpool & Wolverine came complete with a proper costume that instantly nods to Wolverine’s comic book origins. More than just outfitting Jackman in yellow spandex, Wolverine’s costume features all the tactical textures and rugged material that lets this Wolverine properly stand alongside Deadpool and the rest of the MCU.
Taking serious inspiration from the seminal graphic novel series The Dark Knight Returns, Ben Affleck’s costume as Batman for the DC Extended Universe is maybe just as iconic. With an oversized “fat” bat symbol on the chest, diminished “ears” on the cowl, and a color palette of black and gunmetal gray, Affleck’s Batman screams “vengeance” without sacrificing an ounce of style. If there’s any onscreen Batman that should be feared, it’s without a doubt Affleck, whose silhouette makes him out to be a living gargoyle more than a superhero. The armored “Battle Armor” for his fight with Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is just as impressive.
They say the eyes are the window into the soul. For Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight, his eyes are a window into blinding white madness. Taking inspiration from classic horror movie mummies and Egyptian mythology, Moon Knight of the MCU is a terrifying but striking avatar of the moon deity Khonshu who comes wrapped in white bandages with a hood and cape. The sharp-dressed “Mister Knight” is also a sight to behold, but Marc Spector’s primary Moon Knight form puts him on equal footing with the Avengers.
In 2006, Brandon Routh wore an especially gorgeous Superman suit for the film Superman Returns. When Routh reprised the role for the Arrowverse crossover special “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” he donned a new costume that was somehow, impossibly, even better. Embodying a Superman who hasn’t lost hope even when he’s lost everything, Routh dons the cape of a Superman with black trimmings instead of yellow, a nod to Alex Ross' designs seen in the acclaimed graphic novel Kingdom Come. There have been precious few times when superhero TV and movies fully replicate the comic book source material, but “Crisis on Infinite Earths” made sure that Routh’s Superman didn’t forget his origins.
When superhero movies were still averse to outfitting heroes in any color besides black, director Sam Raimi committed to Spider-Man’s iconic look by envisioning a Spider-Man that audiences could believe exists in the “real” world without sacrificing any of his distinct characteristics. The result is Tobey Maguire’s big-screen Spidey appearing in the classic red and blue, with 3D webbing textures woven throughout the bodysuit and silver eye slits instead of pure white. While later cinematic Spider-Man would continue riffing on Steve Ditko’s original (and deceptively complex) comic book design, it’s jaw-dropping how much Raimi and his team got things right from the beginning.
You can’t top a classic. When Richard Donner brought Superman to the silver screen - with Christopher Reeve in the title role - he wisely chose to lean into the character’s classic sense of heroism instead of reinterpreting it into something Superman is not. Christopher Reeve’s muscular physique really comes through in a form-fitting, form-flattering costume that feels like the pages of Action Comics have actually come to life. For all the fanciful dressings that modern superhero movies apply over colorful comic book costumes, Superman shows the virtue in staying true while keeping it real.
Eric Francisco is a freelance entertainment journalist and graduate of Rutgers University. If a movie or TV show has superheroes, spaceships, kung fu, or John Cena, he’s your guy to make sense of it. A former senior writer at Inverse, his byline has also appeared at Vulture, The Daily Beast, Observer, and The Mary Sue. You can find him screaming at Devils hockey games or dodging enemy fire in Call of Duty: Warzone.
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