For better or worse, superhero movies have taken over Hollywood. There’s plenty to love about the superhero genre, like their all-star casts, explosive action scenes, intriguing villains, and their (usually) family-friendly content. And it’s always a treat to watch our favorite heroes exhibit their superhuman abilities and tear up the big screen. But another low-key, favorite detail of these movies is the hero’s suit. What will it look like? What upgrades will it get from the last film? Fans like to see their favorite heroes change in appearance from film to film. It keeps things exciting and fresh — though these changes aren’t always for the best.
When compiling this list, we focused on suit changes and heroes within the same franchise or universe. For instance, we didn’t count the suit change between Christian Bale’s Batman and Ben Affleck’s Batman, as those are two separate universes and characters. With that said, here are some of the most drastic costume changes, both positive and negative, in superhero movies.
10 Spider-Man – Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) to Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The suit in Spider-Man’s first solo MCU film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, was perfect. It had the classic look from the comics plus a few extra gadgets, courtesy of Tony Stark. At the end of the film, Stark offers Peter Parker (Tom Holland) a spot on the Avengers and an upgraded suit. Parker rejects the offer but is given the suit two years later during Avengers: Infinity War.
The Item 17A suit, also known as the Iron Spider Armor, is an armored version of the Manhattan web-slinger’s suit. It looks a lot shinier, has tints of gold mixed in with the traditional red and blue colors, and has glowing eyes. It also utilizes nanotechnology and comes with four iron legs or Pincers. It’s basically the Iron Man version of Spider-Man.
9 Superman – Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) to Justice League: Snyder Cut (2021)
Red and blue are popular colors in superhero costumes. And one of the most famous superheroes to don these colors is Superman. You know the look: a blue suit (sometimes with red tights, sometimes not) with a red S in the center of his chest and a billowing red cape. Superman has rocked this look for nearly all of his films, including Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.A few years later, fans were treated with the highly anticipated four hour director’s cut of the Justice League.
Zack Snyder’s version had many changes from the original film. One of them was Superman’s (Henry Cavill) suit. To reflect his resurrection and the change in his character, Snyder decided to change his look. Cavill’s Superman swapped his red and blue colors for a badass all-black costume, a shout-out to the iconic recovery suit in the comic books. It was a cool look that fit with the character’s transformation — and another reason why Snyder’s film was better than what we got.
8 Scarlet Witch – Avengers: Endgame (2019) to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) is an Avenger and one of the MCU’s most powerful characters. She’s appeared in numerous films between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. For some reason, the Scarlet Witch was robbed of a costume for most of her appearances. Up until Avengers: Endgame, she was usually dressed in a red leather jacket or trenchcoat and didn’t wear the headpiece that she wore in the comics. This bland look actually took away from the Scarlet Witch and made her character seem less interesting.
She was finally given a costume in Disney+’s WandaVision TV series, which was similar to the suit worn by her comic book counterpart. This look carried over intoMultiverse of Madness, where she donned a headpiece and a red leotard that covered most of her body. Multiverse of Madness did more than change her appearance; it morphed the Scarlet Witch’s character, turning her into one of the most terrifying and compelling villains we’ve seen in the MCU.
7 Batman – Batman Returns (1992) to Batman Forever (1995)
The Batman films of the 80s and 90s don’t make for a cohesive series. You’ve got two different directors steering the franchise, three different actors cast as Batman, and two very different tones and styles (serious and dark versus campy and humorous). Even Gotham City looks and feels different. Yet all four films take place in the same universe and franchise. The only real constants are Michael Gough’s Alfred and Pat Hingle’s Commissioner Gordon.
Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever was a continuation of Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (though we never find out what happened to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman). With this passing of the torch came a number of changes — and one of the most noticeable alterations, aside from a new face as Batman and Harvey Dent’s change in skin color, is the infamous Batsuit nipples. Schumacher’s Batsuit was meant to illustrate the peak male form. But they added too much muscular definition to the Batsuit, and then went overboard with the nipples. Even worse, Schumacher gives us a close-up of the nipples as Batman changes into his costume. To this day, the Batnipples are the most confounding and unpopular suit detail in the superhero genre.
6 Spider-Man – Spider-Man 2 (2004) to Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Fans love to debate and rank Spider-Man’s suits from the films. His costume from the Sam Raimi trilogy usually lands near the top of the list, as it’s a near perfect adaptation from the comics. Because of this, Spidey’s classic red and blue suit doesn’t change between the first two movies. The first real change comes in Spider-Man 3, where we see Spidey don one of his most iconic looks: the symbiote costume.
After interacting with Spider-Man, the symbiote, a parasitic alien life form, covers him from head to toe in black goo, changing not just his appearance but his demeanor and power. There was so much hype around Spider-Man 3, especially when it came to Symbiote Spider-Man. But the film didn’t do a great job with the character (nor with Venom for that matter, a fan-favorite in Spidey’s rogues gallery) and made him weird and emo. Even still, it was cool seeing Spider-Man dressed in all black. Fans are hoping to see Symbiote Spider-Man return in the MCU, especially after that suggestive post-credits scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
5 Iron Man – Iron Man 3 (2013) to Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
No Marvel superhero has more suits than Iron Man (Robert Downery Jr.). Aesthetically, each suit is a slight variation of its predecessor. These alterations can usually be found in the shape of Iron Man’s arc reactor, in the color scheme of his suit, or in the new gadgets and technology. The most drastic and noticeable change happens between Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Iron Man rocks his usual look for most of the latter. But when the Hulk loses control and starts wreaking havoc, Tony Stark is forced to whip out the legendary Hulkbuster.
Created with Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), this suit was designed to combat the Hulk should Bruce ever lose control of his alter ego. It’s a massive, heavily armored suit that packs a serious punch – and can also take one. The thing is a tank, equipped with missiles, repulsor beams, hydraulic rams, and jack-hammering fists. Despite the Hulk’s tremendous power, the Hulkbuster manages to level the fight and keep Iron Man in the ring.
4 Wolverine – Logan (2017) to Deadpool 3 (2024)
Hugh Jackman has been playing the iconic Marvel superhero Wolverine since 2000’s X-Men. And despite his tall height (Wolverine is only 5’3″ in the comics), Jackman has been perfect in the role. There’s only one thing that’s been missing from his portrayal: Wolverine’s iconic yellow and blue suit from the comics. In most of his film appearances, Wolverine is seen wearing a black suit, a costume that’s worn by most of the X-Men. In his last movie, Logan, he doesn’t wear a costume at all, though it works well for the film’s premise.
Previous filmmakers didn’t think Wolverine’s yellow suit would translate well to film. There’s even a joke in the original X-Men movie that pokes fun at his “yellow spandex”. But that’s now about to change. Wolverine will at last don his comic book-accurate suit in 2024’s Deadpool 3, bringing the character to life like never before. Fans can’t wait to see Jackman’s Wolverine back on the big screen — and finally in his true colors.
3 Aquaman – Justice League (2017) to Aquaman (2018)
Let’s be real: comic book Aquaman is sort of lame. To successfully bring Aquaman to the big screen, DC knew they had to go a different route and find a way to make this character more intriguing for general audiences. Enter Jason Mamoa. Mamoa brought a totally different look and feel to Aquaman. He had edginess, he had sex appeal, he had diversity – and he had a very different suit from the comics. Or at least, he did in Justice League.
Here, Aquaman wears a scaly green and gold costume that fits into the DCEU’s aesthetic and makes the character look more badass. He later goes on to star in his own franchise, which was kicked off by 2018’s Aquaman. This film adorned Aquaman in his traditional comic book colors – a scaly, bright orange top with green pants and gauntlets. Some fans loved seeing the Justice League avenger in his classic suit. Others felt that it looked corny and didn’t translate well into live action.
Related: 10 Movies With Incredibly Different Director’s Cuts
2 Captain America – Captain America: Civil War (2016) to Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
As his name suggests, Captain America (Chris Evans) proudly sports the red and blue colors of the American flag. His suit comes with red and white stripes, a large white star in the center of his chest, and a helmet. Cap rocks variations of this look throughout the MCU, all the way to Captain America: Civil War. But in this film, a polarizing rift in the Avengers turns Captain America into a fugitive. While on the run in Avengers: Infinity War, he respectfully strips himself of his stars and stripes. Literally. The Nomad suit, as it’s come to be known, loses the star, the colored stripes, and the helmet. Cap also grows out his hair and beard to complete the Nomad look. It was an appropriate change that only a boy scout like Captain America would do voluntarily.
1 Batman – Batman Begins (2005) to The Dark Knight (2008)
Before 2008, every Hollywood Batsuit had the same problem. Batman could fly through the air and take on five muscled goons at once, but he couldn’t do something as simple as turn his head. If Batman wanted to look a certain way, then he had to turn his entire body in that direction, which is pretty ridiculous and inefficient for a crime-fighting superhero. Christopher Nolan was determined to fix this issue with 2008’s The Dark Knight.
For the first time, Batman was finally given a suit that allowed him to turn his head and a mask that wasn’t attached to his neck. Additionally, the Batsuit wasn’t as bulky as its Batman Begins predecessor and looked more like the plated armor of a solider. This upgrade allowed the Dark Knight to be lighter, more agile, and more mobile. It also came with white sonar lenses that slide over Batman’s eyes and use echolocation to create images, a shout-out to Batman’s iconic white eyes from the comics. All these changes came together to create a new and improved Batman. Altering the Batsuit was just one of The Dark Knight’s accomplishments, including winning a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger’s legendary performance as the Joker.
Fans like to see their favorite heroes change in appearance from film to film. It keeps things exciting and fresh. Read More