From Page to Screen: The 6 Best & Worst Superhero Costumes

George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell & Alicia Silverstone as Batman, Robin & Batgirl

Not every superhero outfit drawn in the pages of a comic book looks great on screen. Some can be replicated exactly from the printed page to movie or TV set and look great with not a hint of cheese to be found - others, not so much. Should costume designers take liberties when replicating a superhero's outfit, as they did with Elektra? She would have looked pretty funny (albeit sexy) running around the city wearing just a red bandanna cap and straps covering her womanly parts. Or should designers stick to replicating a superhero outfit as faithfully as possible to honor the comic book, as they did with Supergirl? Her outfit was almost directly copied from the comic book page - but somehow the end result looked... less than great. While all of us at Screen Rant worked together to compile this list of superhero outfits we felt were the best and worst to make the leap from page to screen, some of us didn't entirely agree with every choice. So we created a “Special Mentions” section at the end with the superhero outfits we felt could go either way. Christian Bale as The Dark Knight

When director Christopher Nolan decided to make a more realistic, dark and gritty version of the Caped Crusader, the look of the crime fighter’s costume was very important. It had to be both aesthetically appealing and at the same time remain faithful to the world his story had created. While not an exact duplicate of the original comic suit, Nolan’s Batman looks close enough to snag our #6 spot. Malin Akerman, Billy Cudrup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earl Haley, Jeffery Dean Morgan & Patrick Wilson as The Watchmen

Malin Akerman, Billy Cudrup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earl Haley, Jeffery Dean Morgan & Patrick Wilson as The Watchmen

Adapting Alan Moore’s graphic novel was a risky move for director Zack Snyder; even if he managed to coherently tell the story of Watchmen (which many believed was impossible onscreen), if he wasn’t able properly replicate the individual superhero outfits, then the whole movie would have been rubbish. Fortunately for fans, the outfits for The Comedian, Nite Owl, Dr. Manhattan, Silk Spectre, Ozymandias and Rorschach all turned out looking great, while managing to avoid the dreaded “Cheese Zone.” Personally, I thought Rorschach’s outfit was done the best, but I could have used a little less of Dr. Manhattan’s “big apple.” Ron Perlman as Hellboy

While not technically a suit, the look of Hellboy was absolutely essential to the film. If he wasn’t the proper shade of red or his trench coat didn’t look right, then the whole character would be garbage. Lucky for us, Guillermo del Toro and his design crew were able to replicate the character's look exactly. His cool, awesome and overall bad-assery lands Hellboy squarely at #4. Chris Evans as Captain America

Director Joss Whedon had to handle the modern version of Captain America's outfit very carefully. Done wrong it would look silly and out of place. Fortunately, he managed to achieve the iconic look from the comic books without crossing over into the realm of cheesy. All the pieces of the classic Cap outfit are present - the emblazoned star on his chest, the stripes on his on his uniform, the "A" and wings on his helmet and of course, the nearly indestructible shield in his hand. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man

Taking its cues from the Adi Granov post-Extremis version of Invincible Iron Man, as opposed to the original Tales of Suspense version, the Iron Man movie armor was made of individual pieces instead of being "micro-mesh" armor that would have looked like a red and gold Oscar statue on the screen. Considering how bad the Iron Man armor could have looked and how well it actually turned out - while at the same time remaining faithful to the original - makes it all that more amazing. For those reasons, the Iron Man armor easily takes our #2 spot on the Best Outfits list. Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire as Spider-man

Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire as Spider-man

Spider-man has had an unfair advantage over the other superheroes on this list. Other than Superman, he has had the most chances at having his superhero costume properly recreated. The first few attempts fell woefully short - and if the attempts had stopped there, then Spider-man would be spinning his web in our top 6 worst outfits. However, both Sam Raimi and Marc Webb managed to take full advantage of their opportunities and did not disappoint fans (as far as the suit goes). They were able to make Spider-man look like he walked straight off the comic book page and onto the screen - and for that reason, Spider-man crawls his way into our #1 spot. Nicolas Cage as Superman and Helen Slater as Supergirl

Nicolas Cage as Superman and Helen Slater as Supergirl

Like spotting Leonid Stadnyk (the world’s tallest man) in a crowd of Oompa Loompas, recognizing bad and often silly recreations of superhero outfits on screen is easy to do. There are, of course, some really bad outfits from characters that never actually existed in comics, such as Hancock, Blankman, Meteor Man and Handi Man; but we aren’t talking about those. Check out our list of the worst superhero outfits replicated from page to screen. Michael Shanks as Hawkman

When the CW network announced last year that Hawkman would be joining Clark Kent on an episode of Smallville, the whole fanboy universe giggled in anticipation. When the first picture of Hawkman finally hit the web, the whole fanboy universe groaned with disappointment - and with good reason. He had the wings, he had the helmet, he even had the mace - but then they gave him a chest piece to wear under the straps and that’s where they lost it (apparantly he didn't even NEED the wings to fly, they were just decorative). Poor Hawkman, he’s supposed to be a bad-ass alien-being feared by evildoers; instead people just laughed at him (and maybe that's why he was always so angry). Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Alex Hyde-White, Jay Underwood, Rebecca Staab, & Michael bailey Smith as the Fantastic Four

Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Alex Hyde-White, Jay Underwood, Rebecca Staab, & Michael bailey Smith as the Fantastic Four

This was a case where following the comic outfit too slavishly turned out goofy and not even close to cool. Sure they opened up Invisible Girl’s neck piece to show off her cleavage and The Thing’s “rock suit” was pretty darned good but honestly, all the characters in their sleek blue accessory-less jumpsuits just looked silly. The outfits could have been so much better but instead suffered from lack of designer imagination. Of course, Roger Corman's version of the outfits wasn’t any better (bottom right pic). Billy Zane as The Phantom

There’s not really much to say about The Phantom’s outfit except that it’s very, very purple which makes it look very, very silly on screen. On page, the costume pops to life as he gallops through the jungle driving off poachers, illegal treasure hunters and all-around bad guys. This is another case where the exact replication of the superhero’s outfit does not play well on screen. The Phantom should have been a seriously cool character to watch, but instead most people just thought it was Barney wearing a mask and wielding some pistols. George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell & Alicia Silverstone as Batman, Robin & Batgirl

There have been many attempts at bringing Batman and Robin’s superhero costumes to life, going back as far as the 1940s. Although the early renditions were very campy, they pale in comparison to the replicas in modern movies. Tim Burton’s first two films had the Caped Crusader dressed in a simple black outfit with a yellow bat symbol on the chest (cool), but when Joel Schumacher got his hands on the outfits, it all went downhill (big time). Not only did he give us the ridiculous-looking “Chrome Knight” but he will forever be known as the guy that gave the world the infamous “bat nipples.” Ryan Reynolds as The Green Lantern

We once pondered the question "Would Green Lantern's all CGI costume ruin the movie?" While a lack of cohesive story telling was this movie's ultimate downfall, the suit certainly didn't help. The green hued digital skin suit made Reynolds' athletic frame look anemic. Then there's the mask - oh the mask! - it could win a "Bad Award" all by itself. Apparently $200 million dollars doesn't buy what it used to. Let's hope the inevitable reboot is better. Shaquille O'Neal as Steel

There are so many things wrong with Steel’s outfit it’s hard to figure out where to start. His armor looked like a cross between Robocop and a medieval knight. It could have been a really cool look if the costume designers didn’t have to make it fit around Shaq’s gargantuan body. To make things worse, they made him wear a ridiculous non-fitting helmet and turned his hammer into a laser rifle with a scope. There are dozens of bad superhero outfits brought to life onscreen, but in our opinion Steel’s is the worst offender of the bunch. Spawn, Ghost Rider, Kick-Ass

The following 7 superhero outfits are ones we just couldn't agree on. Should they be considered good or bad replications? Arguments can be made for either case. Take a look at our choices, then tell us what you think. John Wesley Shipp as The Flash

This is one of my personal favorites and if I had my choice it would top the "Best" list. The Flash TV show itself from the 90s didn't last more than one season, but when you compare the two outfits side-by-side, is there any doubt that the designers nailed the replication from comic book to screen? Since we all know that Michael Cera has NOT been cast as The Flash (heh), it will be interesting to see what direction Greg Berlanti and DC go with the next Flash costume. Patrick Warburton as The Tick

The Tick was one of those superhero outfits that just shouldn’t have worked in real life. Bright blue and skin tight with two big antennas on his head, no one would have thought twice about listing it as one of the worst costume replications of all time. However, when The Tick made his first live-action appearance on TV, most everyone was extremely pleased with how it turned out. The only real complaint was the lack of a mask on the superhero, but that’s a minor gripe. Ben Affleck as Daredevil

The Daredevil movie stirred up a lot of controversy for making the costume out of leather and not the traditional spandex. Although the big screen version of the outfit was a darker shade of red and had the logo in a different place, the actual replication of the suit and weapon were fantastic. Too bad the designers didn’t put as much effort into replicating Bullseye’s costume. Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Thor's outfit should have been really dumb but director Kenneth Branagh succeeded more than failed in his replication of the God of Thunder's costume. While he is in Asgard, nothing about Thor's costume really appears to be silly. The red cape, magical chain mail armor and even the pants, all worked great on screen. The best part about his outfit, though, is his hammer the mighty Mjolnir. Thomas Jane as The Punisher

The Punisher’s costume doesn’t have whole lot going for it to begin with; all you need is some black tights, some guns and the familiar white skull with long teeth on the chest and you’re all set. The problem with the movie’s replication of the outfit was it used a t-shirt to show off the skull and the addition of the trench coat is also a little off-putting. In Punisher 2 both problems were fixed by spray painting the skull onto his body armor and ditching the trench coat. Christopher Reeve & Brandon Routh as Superman

Christopher Reeve & Brandon Routh as Superman

Is there anything more iconic in the superhero movie world than the blue tights, red briefs and cape of the Man of Steel? I don’t think so. Any director wanting to make a movie based on the legendary hero absolutely must keep to the original concept of the suit. Any deviation, like making the cape green and the tights purple, or dropping the cape altogether, would make the character, well, NOT Superman (are you listening, Tim Burton and Zack Snyder?). Just like Schumacher gave us bat nipples, Bryan Singer gave us the Calvin Klein Superman outfit. The blue tights were fine and the darkening of the red in the outfit really wasn’t enough to make the costume bad. What really made this replication bad were the low rise briefs, short boots and small raised “S” on his chest and belt. Take away the blue tights and it would look like Superman was ready to swim the freestyle medley next to Michael Phelps. The combined casts of X-Men and X-Men: First Class

The combined casts of X-Men and X-Men: First Class

In 2000, Bryan Singer had the opportunity to make the superheroes from comic books accessible and popular to the mainstream audience with X-Men. It was a chance for him and the studio to show the general public (other than fanboys) that superheroes could be cool and not cheesy. Putting them in their traditionally recognized yellow, blue, green and black spandex costumes would have not been the proper way to go. While he was able to achieve the goal of reaching a wider audience and set off a trend of superhero films, the look he went for replicating the outfits was way off of the original X-Men costumes, except for Professor X. However, director Matthew Vaughn proved that colorful and somewhat "comic-correct" X-Men outfit were possible in X-Men: First Class. Ozymandias, Silk Spectre II, Rorschach, Nite Owl, Comedian, Dr. Manhattan from The Watchmen

Ozymandias, Silk Spectre II, Rorschach, Nite Owl, Comedian, Dr. Manhattan from The Watchmen

Well there you have our recommendations for the Best and Worst superhero costumes brought to life on screen (big and small), as well as a few where we had both good and bad votes behind the scenes. There are quite a few superhero costumes that we didn’t mention - Ghost Rider, The Green Hornet, The Shadow to name a few - that you might think deserve to be on one list or the other. Feel free to tell us about them below. Remember though, we are talking about SUPERHEROES and not SUPERVILLIANS. That is a whole different argument. :) Follow me on Twitter @MoviePaul