Intro
Batman & Robin
Worst
Batman & Robin (1997)
Why one of the worst? Who goes to design a suit for badass crime-fighters and decides to put fake nipples on the chest plate? Better yet, who the hell even stops to consider this? It’s so insignificant which means it had to be paid special attention to during the design stages. This movie is rife with uncomfortable ass, chest, and frontal close-ups that had us questioning Joel Schumacher's directorial eye. Never has a superhero movie been so overtly pause-worthy.
Thor
Best
Thor (2011)
Any time the setting of a movie is “mythical fantasy realm,” over-the-top medieval wear is a near-guarantee. Surprisingly, the costumes in Thor are all top-notch, particularly the Fresh Prince’s gunmetal armor suit.
Captain America
Worst
Captain America TV Movie (1979)
Yeah, yeah, we get it. It was the ‘70s. But that still only barely excuses this stupidity. Is that a biker helmet? And what’s good with the puffy, Evil Knievel jumpsuit? This is when putting on for your country goes horribly wrong.
Daredevil
Worst
Daredevil (2003)
We don’t want to be to harsh on the blind man's wardrobe choices but damn homie, are you fighting crime or hitting up a S&M party? We don’t for a second buy that he’s leaping all those skyscrapers and doling out roundhouse kicks in a skin-tight leather suit.
Catwoman
Worst
Catwoman (2004)
The Catwoman DIY costume design: let your pitbull get at a pair of leather pants, inexplicably wrap yourself in random belts that aren’t actually holding anything up, watch the “Caddy” episode of Seinfeld (the one where Sue Ellen walks around wearing a bra for a top), and for the piece de resistance, rob your local Disneyworld store of a Mickey Mouse hat. We know how it sounds but this is not for a Halloween costume, it's actually for fighting bad guys. SMH.
Captain America
Best
Captain America: the First Avenger (2011)
When putting on for your country goes right. Thankfully, the mistakes of past Captain America costumes informed the design team of what not to do this time around. They came up with a sick, patriotic combat suit for the Cap’n to rock that doesn’t look like he just wrapped himself in an American flag. Since this takes place in the ‘40s, look for him to get a wardrobe update for next year’s present-day Avengers.
Two-Face & The Riddler
Worst
Batman Forever (1995)
That Joel Shumacher really uses the costumes to bring his characters' themes to life. Before using rubber nipples to portray Batman’s fearlessness, Joel brought us the ingenious Two-Face design. Per usual, everything about Two-Face simply must be a corny play on doubles. Which explains this suit: one-half fresh, one-half garish as hell, looking like a leopard threw up on Hugh Hefner’s smoking jacket. As for the Riddler, we have no words. Just very sore eyes.
Fantastic 4
Worst
Fantastic 4 (1990; Unreleased)
The Richards' and co. stepped out in their Sunday best for this unreleased take on the Fantastic 4...their best lazy Sunday onesie gear. What, no snuggie for a cape? Dear costume designers, just because they look like pajamas in the comics doesn’t mean we want to see that on the big screen. Which is why this never made it there.
Catwoman
Best
Batman Returns (1992)
This is how you do Catwoman. Her skin tight suit with the all-over stitching is reflective of her personality disorder, stays true to the cat theme, and looks damn sexy.
The Phantom
Worst
The Phantom (1996)
The sick skull belt, combined with the twin glocks on each hip would make any evil-doer have second thoughts about messing with dude...until they register that he’s dressed head-to-toe in bright purple. Fear-inducing costume fail.
Steel
Worst
Steel (1997)
This looks like Tony Stark’s first suit—you know, the one he made under capture and duress in Afghanistan. The designers of Shaq’s superhero vehicle took the title and ran with it to make the ugliest, overly-literal costume.
Green Lantern
Worst
Green Lantern (2011)
When keeping it CGI goes wrong. Lights turned off, it actually looks pretty good. But when it’s go-time, it looks oh-so-fake. If you’re not gonna blow the budget on the effects, then what else?
Fantastic 4
Best
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
These movies may have sucked but as the ‘90s showed us, it’s very easy to mess up a simple, personalized team suit. So, points for that at least.
Dark Phoenix
Worst
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
We're supposed to be able to tell Jean is now an eeeeeeevil Phoenix because she’s wearing all red? Lame and uninspired, just like the rest of the movie.
The Punisher
Best
The Punisher (2004)
Trench coat and grim skull tee. We can think of nothing more appropriate for a man out to avenge the murder of his entire family.
The Joker
Best
Batman (1989)
Nolan and Heath’s intentionally swaggerless Joker look was cool for that take on the character and all, but back in ‘89, Jack Nicholson took the purple suit and green hair prerequisites to unprecedented style heights that still resonate in cinema history today. And he did it all while diddy-bopping to Prince, no less.
Harvey Dent
Best
The Dark Knight (2008)
That’s more like it. The half-burned suit subtly plays up the doubles metaphor, while also speaking volumes about the broken shell of a man that Harvey as Two-Face now is. Real talk, we’d be kind of shook if a dude with a suit that’s 50% ash rolled up on us, burned face or not.
Ghost Rider
Best
Ghost Rider (2007)
Normally the biker jacket alone is swag, but a biker jacket with spikes and a flaming skull head attached?! Simply badass.
Dr. Strange
Worst
Dr. Strange (1978 TV Movie)
We can’t even be too mad at this. Those chains look real heavy. But he looks more like pimp royalty, less like a master magician.
X-Men
Best
X-Men Trilogy (2000-2006)
Purists be damned. The best thing Bryan Singer did when helming the first movie, despite all the pressure, was ignore the nerds and forego the mutli-colored individual costumes for a simple, elite all-black-everything steez. It was cool in the comics but on-screen, they would’ve looked like the freaking Power Rangers.
Superman
Best
Superman Returns (2006)
You have to be a special kind of stupid to mess up the traditional Superman threads, and for the Man of Steel’s last big-screen outing, they faithfully stuck to the script. We wouldn't be mad if they tweak it a little for Zack Snyder's reboot next year though.
Iron Man
Best
Iron Man, Iron Man 2 (2008-2010)
Tony’s first suit was acceptably rough around the edges (he made it in a cave), but once he got home, he hammered out a wearable machine so shiny and chromed out that we coveted it more than his endless supply of sports cars.
Mystique
Best
X-Men Trilogy (2000-2006)
Mystique? Or, lack thereof.
Spider-Man
Best
Spider-Man Trilogy (2002-2007)
It would have been so easy for this to be just red-and-blue footie pajamas like the Fantastic 4 fail. Instead, the designers came through with the sickest comic-to-movie costume interpretation seen yet.
Batman
Best
The Dark Knight (2008)
This is without a doubt the most practical crime-fighting outfit ever. Engineered in-movie to keep the Dark Knight’s mobility up and his damage protection high, this is the best costume money can buy. Plus, it’s sleek as hell! Outside of the movie, it’s the best costume money can design. Christopher Nolan continues to style on ‘em. No rubber nipples were harmed in the redesigning of this suit.