The Marvel Cinematic Universe takes its inspiration from the comics and, as such, has attempted to adapt many of the costumes from the comics to the screen. However, this has definitely been to mixed results.
While some costumes are incredibly accurate or perhaps even changed to be improved, others have left a little to be desired. Here are five costumes that should have stuck to the comics and five that look a lot better on screen.
10 Stuck To The Comics: Hawkeye
Hawkeye looks absolutely nothing like the original version of the character. The MCU designs clearly take a lot of inspiration from the Ultimate run of the comics, and that's a real shame.
The source material has a great costume, with archer themes and a pretty cool mask. It could have been adapted to look really interesting, but instead, it was dulled down, with his best look really being with the long coat or Ronin suit.
9 Better On Screen: Batroc
Batroc the Leaper is an incredibly over the top character and one that doesn't really fit into this live-action universe. However, somehow the production team managed to create a costume that worked.
With tactical features, the same colors of the comics and yet something very practical, this costume manages to capture the spirit of the source material without looking completely ridiculous.
8 Stuck To The Comics: Daredevil
The original costume in the series, featuring the black layers, was certainly very cool. However, the second iteration of the Daredevil suit came across as quite weird. It was perhaps the helmet that was the strangest aspect.
In many shots, the costume just didn't look quite right, and although modifications throughout the series started to make it look better, the showrunners had the character return to his original look. It really only works in the comics.
7 Better On Screen: Spider-Man
The bonus of having a live-action Spider-Man is that the mechanics of the suit can be properly worked out. The web-shooters look amazing, and the addition of the mechanical eyes was genius.
In many ways, the suit really comes to life and has allowed designers to play with all different iterations of the costume. Each type of Spider-Man suit has looked just as well made as the last.
6 Stuck To The Comics: Captain America
Captain America has had some hits and misses in terms of his wardrobe. There's been a number of changes to the costume, including removing the chain mail elements and wings from the helmet.
Over the films, he's adopted so many different looks. His stealth suit is a particularly popular one, but his initial team up with the Avengers resulted in a suit that everyone wants to forget!
5 Better On Screen: Iron Man
A suit like Iron Man's really needs to feel physical and like it is a real mechanical object. As technology develops, there have to be other ways to understand how that suit is changing.
That's why the live-action versions of the Iron Man armors are much better than that of the comics. The upgrades feel organic, and each one looks very different and unique. It's clear to see what the costume is doing, and it looks fantastic.
4 Stuck To The Comics: Diamondback
The final showdown between Luke Cage and Diamondback should have been epic but instead resulted in a really terrible costuming. Supposedly giving him an edge in battle, the suit looked nothing like a snake.
It took some very loose elements from the comics, but the result was the villain looking completely ridiculous. It's a shame that it lowered the status of the big bad.
3 Better On Screen: Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel's costume on screen is actually very similar to the comics; however, the story behind the costume, the armor elements, and the way the colors are chosen all add to this.
On screen, the costume really pops and is perhaps one of the best designed out of all of the MCU. Often, a suit needs to be seen in live-action to really feel it come to life.
2 Stuck To The Comics: The Wasp
The Wasp's look in the comics is iconic, so it's a bit of a shame that in many ways, the version in the films is actually a lot more boring. The helmet isn't quite the right shape and the stingers aren't as exaggerated.
Even the color scheme is a little off, with the suit not being quite as bright. Even Hank Pym's version of the Wasp in the comics has a more interesting design.
1 Better On Screen: Star-Lord
From the shape of the helmet, the choice of jacket, the blasters, jetpack, and the walkman, everything about Star Lord's costume in the movies feels so much better than it could have ever been on the page.
It has a story to tell and works with many more graphic elements than artists had created for the comics. In fact, it appears in many ways that the comics have now taken inspiration from the movie design.