Thesuperherosuit just might be the most controversial aspect of superhero movies. On the one hand, for some audiences it is difficult to view with any seriousness a grown man or woman jumping around in brightly colored tights, leading to the oft-repeated view that superhero movies are childish and campy.
On the other hand, a really well-made superhero suit can make you believe in the story and the main character like nothing else, like Batman’s all-black costume, or Iron Man’s suit of armor. Television shows often suffer in this regard since they lack the large budget needed to make a really cool-looking superhero suit. But for now let us take a look at some tv superhero suits that actually did manage to nail the look and feel of the characters from the comics.
10The Flash in the Arrowverse
DC Comics feature a lot of popular superheroes that don’t have the brand recognition of Superman or Batman. In 2014 the CW tried to correct this to an extent by launchingThe Flash, a live-action series regarding the adventures of the Scarlet Speedster. Despite a limited budget, the show was praised for incorporating many of the trickiest elements of Flash’s lore from the comics.
The Flashhad a lot of fun showing speedsters with different and interesting designs, from Reverse Flash to Godspeed. The titular character of Barry Allen/ Flash also got a solid costume, looking like something a real-life runner might wear instead of going all in on a heavily padded muscle suit that previous live-action versions of the character had labored under.
9Kingdom Come Superman in Crisis on Infinite Earths
While the DCEU was a messy franchise, DC Comics found much more consistent success on the CW with a number of popular shows. The grand culmination of all those interconnected shows was a crossover event calledCrisis on Infinite Earths. The event series featured superhero characters from multiple Earths referencing characters that have appeared in animation, movies, and live-action tv.
One of the most eagerly anticipated appearances were from Brandon Routhreprising his role as the titular character fromSuperman Returns. This version of Superman wears a costume modeled after the iconicKingdom Comecomic series. Routh fills out the costume very well, and does a great job of portraying an older, world-weary Superman who still believes in fighting for truth and justice.
8Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk
It can be difficult to imagine for younger fans, but there was a time when the Incredible Hulk was not portrayed as an entirely CGI character. Back in the 1970s Marvel made a tv show about the Hulk and his normal human alter ego Doctor David Banner. While David was played by Bill Bixby, his tortured monstrous counterpart was portrayed by bodybuilding champion Lou Ferrigno.
In this case, Hulk’s costume simply consisted of green body paint, ripped pants and a rather strange wig. But the overall effect was still very convincing thanks to Ferrigno’s awe-inspiring physique. There is something that feels much more rooted in the real world in seeing Hulk being played by an actor rather than being a fully CGI creation. Ferrigno’s look became an iconic part of the character for many years, to the point that 2008’sThe Incredible Hulkpaid tribute to the actor with a cameo appearance.
7Supergirl in the Arrowverse
Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes in the world. But his female cousin Kara akaSupergirlhas often struggled to find equal representation in pop culture. After a misfire on the big screen in 1984, Supergirl’s live-action journey was halted for many years before getting a fresh lease on the CW with asucessfulSupergirltv seriesstarring Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers.
The show gives Supergirl a number of iconic outfits from the comics to wear, and Benoist acquits herself well in all of them. While female superhero costumes are often criticized for not being practical, Supergirl gives its lead character outfits that look good while also managing to feel practical for fighting crime.
6Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman
Modern audiences know Wonder Woman as a fierce warrior, decked out in battle armor at all times while sporting a sword and a shield. But this version of the character gained popularity fairly recently. For most of her history in the comics, Wonder Woman was an ambassador of peace, who was much more likely to gently ask a villain to stop doing crime rather than lopping off their arm with her sword.
That original version of Wonder Woman found a perfect live-action model in Lynda Carter, who played the role of the Amazonian super heroine in the short-lived but well-beloved 1970sWonder Womantv series. Much like Christopher Reeve with Superman, Carter embodied the physical strength and beauty of her character to an astonishing degree. The comic-accurate costume Carter wore might look dated today, but the confidence with which she carried herself while wearing it has made the outfit andthe character an iconic part of pop culture.
5Daredevil in the MCU
The movies had a chance to bring the authentic look ofDaredevilfrom the comics to the live-action movie in 2003, and the result was far from satisfactory. The character had much better luck in the Netflix series starring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/ Daredevil. The show goes to great lengths to give Matt a superhero costume that feels gritty and realistic, starting with a simple black clothing ensemble.
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As the series progressed and Daredevil’s reputation grew, his costume also evolved to more closely resemble the iconic red outfit from the comics. This costume feels much more realistic and lived-in than what we got to see in the movie, looking like refashioned police body armor. The character’s latest appearance in theShe-Hulkseries added another iconic look from the comics, giving Daredevil his yellow-and-red costume ensemble for a fresh take on the superhero.
4Batgirl in Birds of Prey
BeforeHarley Quinn starred in a moviethat was meant to be an introduction to the female superhero groupBirds of Prey, the team made an appearance on the small screen all the way back in 2002. Despite a lot of interest in the first few episodes, the series was not able to sustain audience interest and was canceled after one season.
The execution of the show left a lot to be desired, but one thing it did very well was give a comic-accurate costume to Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. Despite appearing as her other superhero alter-ego Oracle in the main timeline of the show, fans often got to see Batgirl in flashbacks, and her costume received a lot of praise for closely resembling the character’s classic look from the comics
3Scarlet Witch in WandaVision
Wanda Maximoff/ Scarlet Witch has one of the most skimpy costumes in comics. So much so that when Joss Whedon offered the live-action role of Wanda to Elizabeth Olsen in the MCU, he had to clarify thatshe would never have to wear that costumein the movies. So for many years, Wanda simply did not wear her superhero costume from the comics.
RELATED:10 MCU Costumes That Are Better Than the Comics
It was when the character got her own solo Disney+ seriesWandaVisionthat Olsen was finally able to don the official MCU costume of the Scarlet Witch. While much more modest than its comic counterpart, the Scarlet Witch costume worn by Olsen proved very popular with fans. It was later revisited on the big screen inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessafter Wanda fully embraces her new identity as the legendary Scarlet Witch.
2Robin and Nightwing in Titans
WhenTitansfirst debuted in 2018, many fan eyebrows were raised at the show’s edgy content. What helped sell the show to audiences was the characterization of the main group of superheroes, and how comic-accurate their costumes were while still managing to look like something that would be practical in the real world.
The biggest beneficiaries of this were the characters of Robin and Nightwing, who many fans agree have never looked better in live-action. In the case of Robin particularly, the series manages to make his bright and campy outfit from the comics into something that actually feels fitting for the mean streets of Gotham. As for the Nightwing suit, it made a delayed entry in the series because ittook more than a year to craft the costumefrom the ground up.
1Moon Knight and Mr. Knight
Befitting its status as a pop culture juggernaut, the MCU has given audiences some of the best superhero costumes of all time. When it was revealed that the franchise would be extending to the small screen on Disney+, some fans were concerned about a dip in quality of the production value. Those fears were proved ill-founded with shows likeWandaVisionand laterMoon Knight.
In the cast of the latter, the MCU produced one of its coolest superhero costumes ever. Moon Knight has not just one but two superhero alter-egos, and both of them are given striking costumes that closely resemble their look from the comics while also looking great onscreen. The Moon Knight and Mr. Knight costumes from the series are great examples of howCGI can be used to enhance superhero outfitswithout looking too fake or unrealistic.
