There's a reason legions of comic book fans come out to the movies to see their beloved heroes on the big screen, as opposed to staying in and reading more comics. There's something uniquely fascinating about seeing beloved literary characters transposed to a new medium. No longer are the worlds of our heroes constrained to the limited scope and palette of the page. Now their adventures can be writ large in live action through the miracle of production design.

Of course, this phenomenon is not exclusive to superheroes. Literary adaptations are as old as cinema itself. But the superhero comic book lends itself to film as the rendering of a superhero's world presents unique and appealing challenges to production designers. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in the superhero movie costume. Whenever a new superhero movie begins production, nothing gets fans salivating like waiting to see how their favorite character's costume will look in live action. In a visual medium, a production designer's job is to make a costume from the comic books workable and believable in live action. While this invariably makes for visually striking costumes, it can lead to unwelcome pain, discomfort and embarrassment for the poor actors who spend hours a day inside them...

15 CHRISTIAN BALE

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When rumors began circulating of a new Batman film that would abandon the continuity of the Burton/Schumacher movies and pursue a grittier and more grounded approach, there was a palpable sense of excitement among fans. This excitement reached fever pitch when Christian Bale was cast as the eponymous caped crusader in Batman Begins.

Not only did the tall and muscular Welsh actor look the part, he had already established himself as an acting powerhouse.

But while Batman Begins differs from its forebears in nearly every way, many of the same production methods were used in the creation of the suit. In the Blu-ray's special features Bale laments that while the suit looked great it was tight, uncomfortable, poorly ventilated and gave him terrible headaches. Being the consummate professional he was, bale simply let the headaches inform his gruff and animalistic portrayal of Batman.

14 BRANDON ROUTH

Native Iowan Brandon Routh is a darned good actor whose appearance and demeanor make him a perfect Superman. With his Midwestern accent and modest nature, he's basically Clark Kent. Unfortunately, Superman Returns may not have been the best vehicle to showcase his talents. Watching the movie now you can see that Routh's performance seems constrained in more ways than one.

Firstly, it's clear he's not only trying to play Superman, he's trying to play Christopher Reeve's Superman. Moreover, Routh had to maintain an incredibly strict diet and exercise regimen to fit into the unforgivingly tight Superman costume. In an interview with Zap2it he recounts having to eat massive amounts of chicken and egg white omelettes as well as undergoing a punishing fitness regimen that started with running through the streets of Sydney at 4am.

13 JAMES MARSDEN

In the comics, Cyclops is the leader of the X-Men, a master strategist and a multi layered, complex and conflicted character. Unfortunately, we didn't get much of that from the X-Men movies which began with X-Men in 2000. While James Marsden did a fine job in the role of Cyclops the scripts never seemed to want to give him much to do.

Or was it really the fault of the awesome looking but famously inflexible costumes?

In the "Making of" documentary that accompanies the X-Men 1.5 edition of the movie, you can see a fully costumed troupe of X-Men...struggling to climb a short step. As the rest of the cast laugh it off, Marsden's frustration is evident. In a video by YouTuber Kaptain Kristian, Marsden states that you couldn't feel less like a superhero in the costume.

12 VAL KILMER

Oft regarded as the Batman that time forgot, Val Kilmer gave a capable performance as Batman and Bruce Wayne even if the film wasn't the best showcase for his undeniable acting chops. Indeed, in the disc's special features, Kilmer smilingly recounts how no less a personage than Bob Kane himself told him what a fine job he was doing on set.

Unfortunately, in those same special features, Kilmer is less than flattering in his recollection of just how it felt to wear a Batsuit to work every day. The actor likened the experience to being really old. He recalled not being able to hear, see or move properly. It's not all bad, though. Kilmer expressed a positive comparison too in that when you're wearing a Batman suit "nobody talks back to you!"

11 ANDREW GARFIELD

andrew garfield amazing spiderman

Say what you will about Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man movies, the problem with them was never Andrew Garfield's lack of passion, professionalism or love for the Spider-Man mythology. From the moment he announced his adoption of the role at San Diego Comicon in 2011 the actor exuded his passion and respect for the role.

The prospect of climbing into Spidey's suit, however, was less appealing for the actor.

While Garfield had the slender and gangly physique that made for a great MacFarlaneesque rendering of Spidey, he was all too aware that the suit could be far from flattering even on his toned frame. In an interview on The Ellen Degeneres Show he admitted to feeling intensely uncomfortable being photographed by paparazzi as they filmed in downtown Los Angeles knowing that they were taking "terrible, unflattering shots".

10 BURT WARD

Burt Ward Bamtan Robin Costume

To a penniless young actor like Burt Ward, the opportunity to play DC's iconic Boy Wonder in the live action Batman TV show must have been a dream come true. But while Ward has spent years on the convention circuit fondly recounting his memories on the set of the camp cultural phenomenon, not all of his recollections are happy memories.

While the Robin costume may look fairly comfortable, Ward recalls in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that it was the most uncomfortable thing that he had ever worn in his life. It certainly didn't help that he had to wear several layers of tight fabric under the trunks to ensure a...family friendly appearance below the waist. No wonder Ward's voice still sounds so high and youthful in those animated Batman '66 movies!

9 RYAN REYNOLDS

Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern
GL-0231 RYAN REYNOLDS as Green Lantern in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “GREEN LANTERN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

There's a common saying among actors; "I'll find my character when I find my wardrobe". This is true of virtually any role. The cut and fabric of a costume provide freedoms and limitations that inform the performance and help the actor to build a physical vocabulary.

In superhero costumes this is particularly important as it often lends them an integral sense of power and gravitas.

Poor Ryan Reynolds, however, spent his time on Green Lantern in an extremely unflattering (even on Reynolds' impeccable physique) mocap suit and didn't get to see the finished product until the trailers started to drop. In an interview with Screen Rant he admitted that his time spent in the mocap suit was "brutal" and that he much preferred the practical suit that he wore in Deadpool.

8 MICHELLE PFEIFFER

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While the characterization differed wildly from the comic book, even those who disagreed with the tone of Tim Burton's idiosyncratic Batman Returns appreciate Michelle Pfeiffer's performance as Catwoman in the movie. But while the performance was a landmark in Pfeiffer's illustrious career, the actress has been quick to point out that the costume was always working against her.

Not only was it so tight that she had to be sewn into it, Pfeiffer told The Hollywood Reporter that it was the most uncomfortable thing she has ever worn. In the behind the scenes featureless that accompany the Blu-ray she recalls her reaction the first time she wore the suit. She recalls feeling a sense of panic upon realizing that she couldn't hear, move, or breathe and therefore couldn't act. Fortunately, Pfeiffer's sheer talent and dedication sculpted an iconic performance despite the suit's limitations.

7 MICHAEL KEATON

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There's a cute scene in Neighbors 2 in which Seth Rogen and Zac Efron's characters bond over who "their" Batman is. The college age Efron cites Christian Bale while the thirty something Rogen's confesses that Michael Keaton is his guy. It's not hard to see why many fans of a certain age view Keaton's performance as definitive as his performance helped define what we now know a cinematic Batman to be.

Among the biggest challenges in bringing Batman to the screen for modern audiences was working with a suit that was way more robust than the traditional blue and gray tights.

When promoting the 2014 Robocop remake, Keaton recalled how the suit's stiffness and limitation led him to create a completely different physical vocabulary for the character. The special features on the Batman disc reveal that a crew even assigned Day Murch exclusively to help Keaton to wrangle the Batsuit.

6 GEORGE REEVES

George Reeves as Superman

Like every actor who has ever worn the S shield, George Reeves was very aware of the importance and status of the Superman character. As such, his complaints about the Superman costume were few and far between even though the combination of a wool jersey over a muslin muscle suit must have been stiflingly hot under studio lights.

In the documentary Look Up In The Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman former Jimmy Olsen Jack Larson recalls that the only time he spoke ill of the role was when he lamented to his co-star that if director Mark Sandrich (who directed Reeves in 1942's So Proudly We Hail) hadn't died in World War II he wouldn't still be wearing the "monkey suit". In the same documentary Lois Lane actress Noel Neill recalls that Reeves confided in her that he was getting too old for running around in his "underwear".

5 BEN AFFLECK (TWICE)

As a lifelong comic book fan, Ben Affleck has been very grateful to play not one but two of his favorite superheroes in Daredevil and Batman. While neither 2003's Daredevil movie nor the DCEU films in which Affleck played Batman have been met with universal acclaim, his performances in those films have been generally well regarded by audiences.

Unfortunately, while his muscular physique and lantern jaw make him perfect superhero material, Ben did not have a great time with either costume.

He told the press at the premiere of 2006's Hollywoodland that the he found the Daredevil costume humiliating and in a 2002 interview with Total Film he recounted the arduous testing and R&D phases. His time in the Batsuit fared little better. Portions of Batman v. Superman  required him to wear a mocap suit for some shots which he described in an interview with Moviepilot as ridiculous and humiliating.

4 JENNIFER LAWRENCE AND REBECCA ROMIJN

There have to be easier ways to make a living than getting up in the small hours of the morning and spending the next seven to eight hours in your birthday suit being painted blue by a handful of comparative strangers. At least that's how both actresses who've played Marvel's Mystique in the X-Men franchise. Despite the advancements in film making, astonishingly little has changed in the process of creating Mystique.

In an interview with EW prior to the release of X2: X-Men United, original Mystique Rebecca Romijn lamented the grueling process and hoped that the process would be entirely digital by the time X-Men: The Last Stand rolled around. But her successor Jennifer Lawrence would have no such luck. For X-Men: First Class the Blu-ray special features reveal an equally intensive process. Fortunately, the process would be simplified in later installments.

3 CHADWICK BOSEMAN

From the moment we set eyes on Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa/Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War we knew that the MCU was going to give us something very special. He commanded the screen in both this and his own movie this year with the quiet grace you'd expect from a jungle cat themed warrior king.

But while Boseman won the respect and love of audiences with his performance, the Black Panther costume wasn't exactly conducive to a regal performance.

In an interview with ComicBookMovie, the actor recalls how certain sequences were made particularly punishing because of the restrictive suit. Indeed at one point he mentions that the suit constricted his air supply and mentions having to get into a "Zen state" to keep his cool during the shoot.

2 PAUL BETTANY

Vision Paul Bettany Infinity War trailer 2

For years Paul Bettany thought he had a pretty sweet gig. In voicing Tony Stark's wonderfully dry AI butler Jarvis in the Iron Man and Avengers movies, all he had to do was show up, record his lines and take his pay check. But when it was decreed that Jarvis would one day evolve into the fan-favorite synthezoid Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Bettany knew that he'd have to work a little harder for his money.

Not only did the Vision costume, makeup and prosthetics take around three and a half hours to apply, Bettany would proceed to wear the restrictive and uncomfortable ensemble for 10 hours a day. His skin couldn't breathe, his hearing was seriously impaired and the actor confessed to USA Today that shooting days were painful and uncomfortable and it was hard to appreciate how lucky he was to be playing the illustrious role.

1 GAL GADOT

Sure, the DC Extended Universe has its detractors but few people have anything bad to say about Gal Gadot's quintessential performance as Wonder Woman, nor her costume designed by DCEU mainstay Michael Wilkinson. But while the ancestral costume appears not to have differed between Batman v. Superman, Wonder Woman and Justice League there has been much behind the scenes wrangling to make the costume more comfortable for the actress.

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Gadot confessed that when she first tried the costume on in preparation for Batman v. Superman, the corset was so tight that she could not breathe.

Fortunately the combination of Gadot's professionalism and the costume department's knowhow have created the synergy between actor and costume to create one of the most beloved aspects of DC's cinematic universe.