Superhero fans have a wealth of new movies and TV shows to choose from. This year alone has seen the successful release of films like Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Deadpool 2. We have also been treated to awesome new TV shows like Black Lightning and Cloak & Dagger. And that was just from the first half of 2018. Before the year is out, we will also get to see Venom, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and so much more. The superhero forecast remains crowded for the foreseeable future. Scores of new projects, both animated and live action, are scheduled for release well into the next decade.
With all of this new material coming out left and right, we've got a whole bunch of new superhero costumes to drool over as well. A lot of them look fantastic and are well worth getting excited about. But of course, there are always a few that inspire groans or even despair from the fans who, in many cases, have waited years for their favorites to hit the screen only to end up disappointed. We're going to look at some of the new costumes, ranked from worst to best, that will appear on the heroes of movies and TV shows slated for release either this year or next. Most of these heroes look great... but a few of them really should have thought a little longer before deciding they looked good enough to go out and fight crime.
15 X-MEN
X-Men: Dark Phoenix was originally going to come out later this year, but it has since been pushed back to a 2019 release date. Along with the new movie, the team is getting some new costumes. According to some recently released action figures, the X-Men's new outfits are predominantly black with large yellow X's across the chest.
In fact, they look suspiciously like the outfits the team wore back in the early '00s, when Frank Quitely took over as the artist of New X-Men. And while the toy versions may not be as bulky or ugly as the comic book originals, they aren't anything to write home about either. At least Jean is likely to burn hers...
14 VENOM
We might be stretching the definition of "costume" a bit with this one. Venom doesn't wear clothes, but he does have a very distinctive and classic look: a black body with white eyes and accents. In the trailer, we only get to see Venom actually be Venom for a few seconds. Most of the time, he's just Tom Hardy.
But from the glimpse we do get, we learn that Venom is a lot glossier here than he is in the comics. His teeth are the only part of him we've had a good look at so far, and he appears to be in dire need of a dental cleaning. It might be best to reserve judgement until we really see Venom in action.
13 AQUAMAN
Aquaman has already appeared in 2017's Justice League. Now he's got his own movie in the works, and it looks like he will be ditching his scaled armor for at least part of it. Movie stills show our trident-bearing hero with tattoos covering his upper body and dark trousers with an occasional vest.
In short, he looks like someone who would rebel against the royal family rather than be a member of it. Given that part of the film revolves around Aquaman's reluctance to rule Atlantis, his less-than-regal appearance is probably to be expected. We'll see how, and if, his look evolves throughout the movie.
12 MERA
Mera has been by Aquaman's side since 1963 and is a formidable opponent in her own right. She will be starring alongside the rightful king of the seas in the upcoming film Aquaman, due out in December of this year. Given what she'll be wearing, it will be impossible to miss her.
In the comics, Mera wears a bodysuit of bright green scales. And judging by the images we have seen so far, Mera's look will be far more faithful to the source material than Aquaman's. But will the combination of Aquaman's bad-boy ensemble and Mera's cartoonishly bright look work on-screen? Or will this underwater dynamic duo just look silly?
11 HELLBOY
David Harbour's Hellboy, who is set to make his big screen debut in early 2019, looks very similar to Ron Perlman's Hellboy, who starred in two movies in 2004 and 2008. The character is still big and red and ready to shoot some supernatural creatures in the face.
One of the primary differences between the two costumes so far is that the new one completely lacks a shirt or coat. In addition, Hellboy seems to have grown his hair out since his last big screen adventure. But those are just minor things, and that's fine by us. After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
10 HAWKEYE
Fans have been scratching their heads over why Hawkeye didn't show up for Avengers: Infinity War. We have since learned that the avenging archer will return in Avengers 4. What's more, we now know exactly where Hawkeye's been all this time: his tailor.
Hawkeye's new black outfit, combined with on-set photos of Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner in gold-trimmed trousers, has led to speculation that Hawkeye might be abandoning that codename in favor of Ronin. In the comics, Hawkeye took up this name and a new black-and-gold outfit after turning down a chance to be Captain America. At least they've decided to skip over his miniskirt phase.
9 YOUNG JUSTICE
Young Justice followed the adventures of a group of teenage superheroes called, well, Young Justice. Fans were horribly disappointed when the show was abruptly cancelled in 2013. But now the show is back for a third season, titled Young Justice: Outsiders and scheduled for release in 2019. The gang is all back together again and ready for action, and every one of them is dressed for success.
Old favorites like Robin, Kid Flash and Blue Beetle have returned and look as good than ever. They are joined by several new members like Spoiler and Traci 13. Now we just need the series to premiere so we can see if it was worth the wait!
8 SPAWN
The last time Spawn appeared on the big screen was over 20 years ago, and fans were not impressed. Now, creator Todd McFarlane is working on a reboot film to give Spawn a second cinematic chance. What will the new Spawn look like? Aside from the fact that Jamie Foxx is playing him, we have no idea. And that's pretty much the point.
According to McFarlane, Spawn is like an avenging shadow. We'll mostly only see him from the perspective of the human characters who rarely, if ever, get a good glimpse of him. That sure has us intrigued! But whatever Spawn's ultimate design will be, he will most certainly bear no resemblance to the '97 version.
7 HAWK AND DOVE
Hawk and Dove made their comic book debut in 1968. Since then, they have often served as allies to the Teen Titans. They will fill a similar role in the upcoming TV show Titans, where they are non-powered vigilantes fighting for a better world.
Hawk and Dove's costumes are scuffed up and dirty, like their owners been in a lot of fights. This fits with what Minka Kelly, who plays Dove, has said about this version of the characters being more "realistic" than their predecessors. But whatever changes have been made to their power sets, there's no mistaking who those nifty costumes belong to.
6 HULK
Hulk has traditionally eschewed a costume. It's a little hard to stay dressed when your superpower involves growing big enough to rip your clothes to shreds. But new images suggest that the Hulk will find a way to circumvent that problem by the time the still-untitled fourth Avengers movie hits theaters next year.
In a recently released piece of concept art, the Hulk is wearing a black bodysuit that is at least as skintight than the Black Widow's. He's looking pretty darn stylish in, too. And even if he wasn't, we'd keep our mouths shut about it. But is the new wardrobe the only thing that has changed about the Hulk since the last film? Rumors are rampant, but answers are few.
5 SPIDER-GWEN
The main character of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is Miles Morales. But plenty of spider-folk from other universes show up too. One of these is Spider-Gwen, who hails from a reality where Peter Parker's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, got bitten by that radioactive spider instead of Peter.
Gwen only appears for a few seconds towards the end of the trailer, but she looks terrific. Her costume's many colors -- white, black, pink and green -- are so bright that they practically leap off the screen. Gwen is all ready to get down to business, and we can't wait to watch her do it.
4 ROBIN
We've seen quite a few iterations of Robin's costume over the years. The latest comes from Titans, where Brendan Thwaites will be portraying the leader of the eponymous team of teen superheroes. Most Robin costumes feature the same basic elements: green base with red vest and yellow accents. We now know that Thwaites' costume will follow in that tradition as well.
Our first look at the Boy Wonder shows him in a suit with longer sleeves, presumably for protection. The color scheme is a little moodier than Dick Grayson's original costume. But he is still instantly recognizable in green sleeves, red vest with a stylized yellow R insignia and yellow cape.
3 MILES MORALES
Miles Morales is the star of the upcoming animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. When he suddenly finds himself with spider powers, he seeks out the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker, for training and guidance. But Miles still wants to carve out his own place in the world. As such, he has a noticeably different look than his mentor.
Miles' costume replaces the classic Spidey blue with black. Red accents, including a spider logo on the chest, complete Miles' Spider-Man-inspired yet distinct outfit. He looks every bit as amazing as a Spider-Man should. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will hit theaters this December.
2 SHAZAM
Shazam, also known as Captain Marvel, has one of the most memorable costumes in all of comics. The giant lightning bolt on the chest of his bright red suit and the little white cape are so singular and well-loved that surely the costume designers knew what a monumental task they had ahead of them.
How could they make this design work on the silver screen without sacrificing the look that fans have loved for decades? Pretty darn well, as it happens. From the pictures we've seen so far, Zachary Levi's interpretation of Shazam will wear an extremely faithful recreation of Shazam's famous longjohns.
1 CAPTAIN MARVEL
Carol Danvers has had many codenames and many costumes since she first became a superhero in 1977. Next year, when she gets her own movie and appears in Avengers 4, she will be called Captain Marvel and will wear a costume that's modeled off the one she currently wears in the comics.
Some early images showed Captain Marvel in a predominantly green costume, causing some fans to panic. But more recently, images of Captain Marvel star Brie Larson show her in the expected red-and-blue bodysuit. And as far as we're concerned, its transition from page to screen could not be more perfect.