8 MCU Heroes Who Look Worse On Screen And 7 That Look Better

Marvel's 2017 lineup is at its final stage with Thor: Ragnarok already playing in theaters. As for 2018 we've got a lot to look forward to with Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp. On the television front, The Punisher and Runaways are expected to be released by the end of 2017. So far, Marvel has introduced a great number of comic book characters including the well-known heroes, such as Captain America and The Hulk as well as the niche ones like Guardians of the Galaxy.

More often than not, Marvel manages to amaze us with their incredible adaptations of our favorite heroes. However, sometimes these transitions from comic book pages to live-action media don't work out the way we want them to. For one reason or another, certain heroes just don't look as good on screen as they do in the source material. On the other hand, there are those whose on-screen look is even better than the original. Recently, we did a list of MCU villains who look worse or better on screen and today we are taking a look at the heroes. So, here are the 8 MCU heroes who look way worse on screen and 7 that look better.

15 WORSE: THE HULK

Bruce Banner hasn’t actually had the best of luck when it comes to live-action adaptations. The first live action Hulk came to the small screen in 1978 and without the help of modern technology looked rather poor. The subsequent live-action versions were obviously a vast improvement, especially the MCU’s Hulk portrayed by Mark Ruffalo.

However, not everything can be adapted for live-action media with the same level of success. Marvel made good with most of its live-action adaptations and the characters usually look just as good as in printed media. The Hulk, unfortunately, not so much. Although Mark Ruffalo is doing a wonderful job with the part, the CGI Hulk can never truly look as good as the one drawn in the comics. There’s just something about comic book art that makes Hulk more imposing.

14 BETTER: CAPTAIN AMERICA

Over the years, Captain America has sported a lot of different outfits in the comics as well as in the MCU. His comic book attire is usually considerably brighter and the texture of the suit is notably different. Cap’s suit is made out of kind of a chainmail material which is depicted as fish scales.

Save from the Cap’s first suit in Captain America: The First Avenger and the one from the first Avengers movie, all of Captain America’s suits have been dark blue. The dark blue becomes the star-spangled hero and makes him look less cartoonish. Just take a look at Steve in the Avengers and you'll see what we mean. Cap's dark blue suit from Captain America: Civil War was perhaps his best look yet.

13 WORSE: HAWKEYE

Hawkeye’s appearance in the movies has been subject of debate ever since Jeremy Renner's character entered the MCU. Hawkeye's costume is a far cray from the comics and he would be unrecognizable if not for the name. We’re not saying bring on the purple and the face mask in all of their glory, but come on, Marvel at least give the guy some kind of a recognizable costume.

As a hero who’s already downplayed in the MCU, the least Marvel can do is give Hawkeye a proper suit. While his comic book attire looks awesome on comic book pages, it may not do well on the big screen. Still, the suit he’s stuck with in the MCU is just plain boring. Hopefully, his look from Civil War is a step in the right direction and we get to see Hawkeye in a better costume sooner rather than later.

12 BETTER: THOR

The God of Thunder has been part of the MCU universe since 2011, when Chris Hemsworth first donned on the iconic costume and picked up his Mjolnir. His outfit has since changed and improved throughout the MCU movies. However, the one we particularly like is his Ragnarok look. While some fans were disapproving of Thor’s short hair, we have to admit the Ragnarok Thor looks impressive.

The new haircut and costume make Thor look far more like a fearless warrior and much less like prince charming. In fact, we prefer this Thor to all of his previous appearances. Sometimes less is more and this simple but memorable costume proves it. Even though Thor's usual decorations are gone, Thor's newest look is spruced up with a teal shoulder pad and a small red cape.

11 WORSE: QUICKSILVER

Quicksilver got two different movie adaptations barely one year apart. His big screen debut in X-Men: Days of Future Past was met with mixed reviews due to lack of an actual costume, and his Avengers: Age of Ultron costume didn’t turn out to be a big success for the character either.

The MCU does many things right, sadly Quicksilver is not one of them. The character got very little development and appeared to have been introduced only to be killed off in the very same movie. On top of that, Quicksilver’s costume wasn’t exactly met with positive reviews, on account of looking too much like something you’d wear to a gym. It is indisputable that the Quicksilver from the comics looks way better than the one from the MCU. But the character may be coming back, so there's still hope.

10 BETTER: ANT-MAN

When Marvel first announced that Ant-Man will be coming to the MCU the fans were overjoyed but also puzzled. The first question on everyone’s mind was which version of Ant-Man we will be getting. While another widely discussed topic was Ant-Man’s suit. The classic And-Man look from the comics featured a rather silly-looking helmet equipped with ant-like antennas.

Fortunately, the MCU decided to forgo comic book accuracy for this adaptation. Instead of making Scott Lang’s suit a copy of his comic book costume, Marvel gave Ant-Man a fresh new look. Ant-Man’s new and improved suit makes Scott look rather dashing and, to be frank, far less silly. As much as we all love the classics, we must admit that Ant-Man’s movie costume is very neat.

9 WORSE: DEATHLOK

To say that Deathlok’s first costume on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t receive the warmest of welcomes would be an understatement. Before the episode even aired and all we had was a set photo, fans were quick to criticize Deathlok’s new look. And we get where they’re coming from. Compared to his comic book counterpart, the small screen Deathlok looks mediocre.

One glance at both versions of the character and you can easily spot the glaring differences. Granted, to entirely replicate the comic book version of the suit for the small screen would probably be very difficult and look kind of ludicrous. But the problem isn’t with the lack of accuracy, rather with a really poor design. Deathlok has literally been stripped of everything that makes him a cyborg and looks more like an extra on a low-budget sci-fi show.

8 BETTER: IRON MAN

A live-action red-yellow suit or armor flying and walking around does not sound like a promising concept. Yet, after almost a decade, Iron Man remains one of MCU’s most loved characters and most successful movies. Iron Man’s suits in the MCU look unbelievably realistic and even better than they do in the comics.

However, another aspect that makes the live-action Iron Man look super cool is Robert Downey Jr., who has basically defined the character. When you see a photo of Robert Downey Jr., odds are your first reaction is going to be "that’s Iron Man", which speaks volumes of how well RDJ portrayed the character. The fans are in almost unanimous agreement that Robert Downey Jr. was born to play Tony Stark and has made the character even better.

7 WORSE: IRON FIST

Marvel’s first Netflix series Daredevil was released two years ago to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Following its success, Marvel continued developing its Netflixverse by adding four other shows. Their two latest installments weren’t met with as much praise as the previous three. The most problematic was Iron Fist.

Iron Fist’s casting sparked a lot of controversy after a group of fans quite vocally advocated for an Asian-American to play the titular hero but Marvel cast a Caucasian actor. However, that aside, the problem we have with Iron Fist’s look is his costume, or rather lack thereof. Compared to Iron Fist’s green T-shirt, his comic book green-yellow spandex costume looks far more interesting. But given that Iron Fist is getting a second season, there is still time for improvement.

6 BETTER: BLACK PANTHER

So far everything about Marvel’s upcoming superhero flick Black Panther has been looking up. Ever since his debut in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther has been met with nothing but positive reviews.

And we have to note that Black Panther was one of the scene-stealers in Captain America: Civil War. When T’Challa popped up dressed in his all-black suit containing one's excitement was a daunting task. Black Panther’s suit couldn’t have been easy to create, yet it looked truly amazing. As far as we're concerned, the movie version of Black Panther looks even more awesome than the comic book character. Due to the sleek design, you can appreciate the little details on the suit. Judging by the latest promo photos and trailers, the suit will be getting a cool new upgrade in the upcoming Black Panther movie.

5 WORSE: BLACK WIDOW

Black Widow is one of those unfortunate characters the MCU has completely wasted. Even though she’s been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2010 she has yet to star in her solo movie, which is a shame considering her pure awesomeness and status in the comics. Actress Scarlett Johansson is doing a great job with the character, as much as the writing allows her.

However, the lack of character development and a solo movie is not Natasha’s only problem. Her outfits in the movies haven’t really been the strongest of the bunch. Traditionally, Black Widow is clad in a tight black leather suit and equipped with all kinds of fun weapons and gadgets. And while her MCU costumes come close, they lack style and look kind of stodgy.

4 BETTER: GROOT

When word first got out that Marvel will be giving the Guardians of the Galaxy their live-action big screen debut, reactions were split. Those less versed in the world of comics wondered who the hell the Guardians of the Galaxy were, while hardcore comic book fans wondered how the hell does Marvel plan to adapt these oddball characters for live-action. Much to everyone’s surprise and delight, Guardians of the Galaxy ended up being one of Marvel’s biggest successes.

Groot in particular has gotten a lot of attention. Everyone’s favorite twig won over its audience with merely three words and became one of MCU’s most loved characters. Which is why we have to admit we like the movie version of the character better than the one from the comics. The movie Groot looks far less like a giant tree monster and much more like an adorable, albeit deadly, teddy bear.

3 WORSE: FALCON

Falcon is one of those characters whose comic book background and look probably wouldn’t work on the big screen. In the truest comic book fashion, Sam Wilson was mentally fused with a falcon by the Red Skull, hence gaining the ability to communicate with birds. He even has his own pet falcon, Redwing. Naturally, this amount of crazy would never work on the big screen.

Therefore, Falcon’s background and costume were changed drastically. Falcon’s costume from the comics is far more colorful and flashy, compared to his rather monotone MCU outfit. Despite the fact that the comic book version of the suit would look ridiculous in live action, Falcon’s militaristic look in the MCU leaves a lot to be desired. The problem is, Falcon doesn’t look like a superhero, but rather like a soldier with wings.

2 BETTER: STAR-LORD

The surprise and skepticism over Chris Pratt’s casting in the role of Star-Lord proved to be greatly exaggerated. However, at the time Pratt was announced to take on the role of Peter Quill he weighed 60 pounds more than he does now. Obviously, he didn’t look the part and fans were quick to point it out. Still, Chris Pratt got ripped for Guardians of the Galaxy and turned Star-Lord into an A-list character.

Star-Lord and his group of misfits easily became fan favorites, erasing any previous misconceptions about Marvel’s bold decision to bring such an odd cast of characters into their Cinematic Universe. Star-Lord looks awesome dressed in his red leather jacket and equipped with his trademark space helmet, jet boots and of course the Walkman. The movie version just looks way cooler than comic book one.

1 WORSE: SCARLET WITCH

Wanda Maximoff and her brother Pietro went through a big change on their way from the source material towards the big screen. Many were wondering as to how the MCU planned to depict Scarlet Witch, given her distinctive comic book look. Naturally, the same kind of costume wouldn’t have worked in the movie for various reasons.

For starters, Scarlet Witch’s comic book costume is way too revealing for Marvel to use in live action. Still, her costume in the MCU looks more like something out of a fashion catalog than an actual superhero costume. Even if Marvel did want to avoid the ridiculous pointy headwear, surely her outfit could have had a bit more of comic book flair. But who knows, perhaps in another movie.

Which Marvel hero do you think looks worse or better on screen? Let us know in the comments!