What are the best costumes the MCU has ever crafted in its long history?
Superhero suits are an integral part of what Marvel Studios puts out into the world. Needless to say, the result is a ton of fun outfits—some truly awe-inspiring, while others simply make one scratch their head in bewilderment.
Some are loved, like most of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man suits, while others, such as Hulk’s Avengers: Endgame suit, are often talked down about.
The Best Costumes in the MCU
Honorable Mention: Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool sports a near-perfect interpretation of the comic book costume. The problem is, it can't be considered part of the MCU–yet.
The Merc With a Mouth will almost certainly be included among the best of the best once he’s officially part of Marvel Studios’ world when Deadpool 3 lands in theaters next summer (May 3, 2024).
14.) Black Widow - Avengers: Endgame
Following Infinity War, where she sported one of the worst-looking MCU outfits to date, Natasha Romanoff really made up for it by perfecting her Black Widow outfit in Endgame.
The sleek, high-tech suit is mostly black but with some intriguing design work on its surface that keeps any part of it from becoming boring. The choice of red detailings (mainly for the logo on her belt and red wrist pieces) is incredibly well done and tastefully implemented throughout.
Sadly, she hardly gets to spend any time showing off her new look before she ends up at the base of Vormir’s magical cliff.
13.) Kang the Conqueror - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
When Jonathan Majors’ villain premiered in Loki’s season finale, fans knew it was only the start for the character, especially since he didn’t have his comic-accurate suit just yet.
While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania might not be the most well-received movie in the MCU’s recent history, its take on Kang the Conqueror’s outfit was nothing short of impressive. It’s another one of those suits that feels difficult to make credible on screen, yet Marvel pulled it off.
The choice in fabric and pattern design also helps give the villain a futuristic feel while still retaining believability. To make it even better, the costume team didn’t shy away from embracing his vibrant color scheme, as they found the perfect balance for the final product.
The only place where Kang gets points docked is his CGI tech face shield—it simply looks bad a majority of the time and takes away from the rest of the extremely well-crafted suit.
12.) Guardians of the Galaxy Team Uniforms - Vol. 3
Team uniforms aren’t too common in the MCU, but the Guardians of the Galaxy’s recent matching set absolutely nailed it.
For the group’s final outing, Gunn decided to rip their new team uniforms right off the pages of one of the group’s most critically acclaimed run of comics. The dark blue also makes for a startlingly refreshing look to the group while still retaining that red, burgundy flair.
The one downside is that for Vol. 3, Star-Lord never wears his helmet. Hopefully, he gets a new one by the time his next appearance rolls around.
11.) Ms. Marvel - Ms. Marvel (Disney+)
Ms. Marvel’s costume is immaculate and a perfect translation of her look from the comics to the screen—ironic given how drastically different other elements of Kamala Khan’s character is.
But when it comes to her outfit, it’s truly one of the MCU’s best. Not only is it faithful, but the designers were able to incorporate relevant cultural elements into the texture and weaving of the suit.
Another part of what makes her costume so neat is how personal it is. Pieces of it are given to Kamala throughout the show, with her mom personally making the bulk of her final super suit.
That gives practicality and solid reasoning for the outfit to exist as it does, which isn’t something that can be said for every Marvel suit out there.
Sadly, while her debut uniform is fantastic, it seems she’ll be ditching it fairly quickly for the events of The Marvels.
10.) The Scarlet Witch - WandaVision
What makes Wanda Maximoff’s big makeover so significant in WandaVision? Not only did she finally get her Scarlet Witch moniker, but Wanda finally got to wear her iconic tiara.
For the longest time, that particular aspect of the hero's outfit was completely ignored. Throughout the years, Marvel shared how they thought it was simply an impractical and inorganic choice for their version of the character on screen.
Thankfully, times changed, and fans were given what they deserved.
Her new intricate outfit is really also her first proper superhero wardrobe. While she got close in the movies, like for Captain America: Civil War, nothing reached the heights of what she dons in her first Disney+ series.
While Wanda sported a very similar look in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the first version of her suit from WandaVision is the one that wins out.
9.) Ant-Man - Ant-Man and the Wasp
At this point, Ant-Man has had many different looks. If one were to get second place prize, it would be Hank’s old suit that Scott Lang originally stole.
But, given a few updates, it gets even better—and far sleeker.
One particularly fun quirk of the outfit is how the negative space on the front design displays an ant head. The same can be said for Hope’s outfit, but in the shape of a wasp.
The identical suit went on to be what Scott Lang wears for the entirety of Avengers: Endgame as well. He doesn’t get a proper update until Quantumania.
8.) Mysterio - Spider-Man: Far From Home
Far From Home’s Mysterio is one of those characters whose outfits from the comics many would be quick to claim could never work onscreen. Yet, Marvel Studios not only pulled it off but did so spectacularly.
Even better is that his iconic fishbowl head remains intact. The pattern on the green fabric even perfectly imitates the design on the classic suit—which seems simple on paper but really adds depth to the actual real-life suit when implemented how it was.
While Marvel went the whole nine yards when it came to accuracy, the studio was still able to add its own unique embellishments. This includes the snazzy golden chest piece, thigh bands, and knee-high boots.
7.) Doctor Strange - Doctor Strange (2016)
Part of what makes Doctor Strange’s original outfit so great is all of the character it holds. It feels like an ancient magical relic with hundreds and hundreds of years of history, like everything else in the Sanctum Santorum.
Strange’s attire also looks like it could easily be a legitimate traditional sorcerer's uniform, while still retaining plenty of unique personality to it.
Much like Spider-Man’s upgraded suit and Moon Knight’s costume, there is an impressive amount of detailing work throughout every inch of fabric. It’s easy to discover new things to appreciate about it every time it has screen time.
6.) Black Panther - Captain America: Civil War
Black Panther had what is easily one of the best superhero introductions ever in the MCU outside of one’s own solo film. The moment he’s seen in Civil War, audiences know he’s the real deal.
A lot of that can be attributed to how intimidating his original suit is.
As is the case with many of the outfits in this feature, the detailing here is immaculate. The silver details truly pop and help break apart his otherwise single-colored armor.
The chosen fabric and extra weaves on the surface really go the extra mile to give it a tactile feel as well.
None of T’Challa’s other suits retain the same presence and physicality that this one did. In fact, many might argue Black Panther’s suits looked cheaper after each appearance.
While nano suit technology might seem cool on paper, in practice, it often doesn’t look nearly as good as something weightier.
5.) Captain America - Avengers: Endgame
Most of Steve Rogers’ uniforms have been home runs (well, except for The Avengers, which many actively hate), but it’s his final outfit that really hit the mark.
Somehow it took eight years for Marvel Studios to implement Cap’s iconic scale mail look (which can actually be seen peaking out of his damaged suit in Infinity War). The result is a nearly perfect suit that is quintessential Captain America.
While it would’ve been nice for its colors to be a tad more vibrant, the darker tones were the better fit for the dark events going down in Avengers: Endgame.
Many will be sad not to see Captain America’s Stealth Suit on this list. Sadly, it’s hard to include a suit as the character’s best look when it’s designed to specifically not utilize Cap’s signature look—which is fine, given its purpose.
4.) The Upgraded Suit - Spider-Man: Far From Home
Some might consider this choice blasphemous. After all, this suit doesn’t sport the character’s iconic color scheme.
While all of his other suits were great (with those emotive eyes being a huge win for Marvel), what really elevates this particular outfit is its intricate fabric detailing—particularly on the black spandex parts of the costume.
It’s a similar strong point that Moon Knight’s attire also excels at.
It also helps that this specific costume also plays a key role in Tom Holland’s Peter Parker’s journey as Spider-Man—who, at the time, was figuring out how to keep moving forward after the death of Iron Man.
3 & 2.) Moon Knight & Mr. Knight - Moon Knight (Disney+)
These two can easily stand on their own, but for the sake of this article, let’s count them as one.
While Moon Knight might be a really recent addition to the MCU, its costume design was among some of the best Marvel Studios has ever done.
When either incarnation of Moon Knight takes the screen, they’re nothing short of jaw-dropping. The amount of detail (and extensive weathering) present in every thread of fabric makes Oscar Isaac’s hero look simply astounding.
What makes it all the more impressive is the incredible depth that both costumes contain while still being completely white—which is classically a difficult color to work with on screen.
When the MCU gets around to exploring Jake Lockley, the studio has some lofty expectations to meet.
1.) Iron Man Mark VII - The Avengers
When anyone thinks of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, this is likely the costume that immediately comes to mind. It’s iconic—truly one of the most-known looks of the MCU.
It’s a great evolution of his suit as well. It retains that more bulky, mechanical look while still feeling like a sleek upgrade.
One of the key elements of the suit that really make it pop is the silver detailings found on the armor’s thighs and shoulders. It adds more depth and sophistication to his look while never losing the character’s classic color scheme.
Sadly, the last time it showed up onscreen was for Iron Man 3. Tony Stark uses it briefly at the start of the film, and it self-destructs alongside several other suits when his mansion is attacked.
