Captain America is an iconic character. The argument can be made that Captain America is the entire reason that Marvel survived the Golden Age as a superhero comics publisher. Sure, Namor and Human Torch were first, but Cap was Marvel’s — or in this case, Timely’s — killer app and the one Marvel character that is remembered by pop culture as a whole from that time period. Captain America struck a chord, one that resonates through the ages, and a big reason for that is his costume. A character can have the greatest backstory and personality in the world, but without a great costume, they aren’t going to catch on. Steve Rogers did have an excellent costume, though, setting the stage for the Captain America comics to come.
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Captain America comics, over the decades, have introduced readers to amazing looks. Be they heroes, villains, or even just other versions of Captain America, Cap comics have been greatly aggrandized by the fact that their characters have such wonderful costumes. These ten are the best in the Captain America comics, stunning works of superhero sartorial brilliance.
Batroc the Leaper
Batroc the Leaper is something of a cheesy villain. The French master of Savate, Batroc’s appearances mostly revolve around him being entirely too arrogant, having an awesome fight with Cap, and then losing. However, Batroc is always entertaining and deserves way more credit for being a formidable villain than he gets credit. A big part of what makes Batroc a great character is his costume. It’s purple and gold coloration is striking, and the whole thing is rather simple. It has the sleek feel that a fighter like Batroc would want for his costume, and its design elements really make it pop. However, the best part are the eyes. It looks like he’s wearing a domino mask over his other mask and it’s become a key part of the design of Batroc’s later costumes.
Bucky’s Classic Costume
DC’s Robin changed comics forever, as he gave kids someone to pretend to be. As a result, superhero publishers decided to give as many heroes as possible a sidekick. Bucky is Marvel’s best-known sidekick, first appearing alongside Captain America in Captain America Comics #1. Bucky’s costume was a wonderful design, one that complimented Cap’s costume without copying it. Honestly, it’s one of the best sidekick costumes of all time, a red and blue classic that needs no improvement. Bucky Barnes was thought dead for years, but Cap had several people take up this exact costume, showing that it was perfect from the start. It feels like something from its era, but it’s also timeless.
Arnim Zola
Arnim Zola is one of the many Cap characters that Jack Kirby created during this ’70s run on Cap and it’s the perfect example of the amazing insanity of Kirby. Everyone notices the face screen on his torso first, a design element that no one would have ever seen coming. There are a lot of Kirby-isms to this costume, the design elements giving the costume an out of this world vibe. It’s such a strange design, and that’s what makes it work so well. Arnim Zola is a wild character — a Nazi who created a robot body to carry his consciousness — and he needs a costume that gets that across. Zola’s costume does that brilliantly, and is yet another example of why Kirby is one of the greatest costume designers in the history of the comic industry.
Red Skull’s Golden Armor
Red Skull is easily the most evil villain in Marvel, and he’s almost always had amazing looks an the costume from 1998’s Captain America (Vol. 3) is easily the best. During this time period, Red Skull was trying for the umpteenth time to get his hands on the Cosmic Cube and godhood, and at one point donned this awesome golden armor. It has the type of ostentatious vibe that many of Red Skull’s costumes have shared, with the upturned shoulder pads giving it the right evil vibe. It’s hard to outpace Red Skull’s other costumes, but this one does it with panache and style.
Crossbone’s Modern Costume
Crossbones’ first costume was a work of art. The lucha mask, the tank top with the crossed bones, the black pants, and the boots were awesome, but it’s been modified several times over the years. The second version, which added a combat vest and a popped collar, was an improvement and his current costume is a step above that one. It takes every good design element from Crossbones’s costumes and brings them together in one perfect amalgam. Crossbones’ modern costume finally gives him a look like what a supervillain would wear; it’s the perfect evolution from what came before.
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Baron Helmut Zemo’s Original Costume
Captain America has battled two generations of Barons Zemo. The first was Heinrich Zemo and his costume was pretty great, a purple and gold number with white fur trim and a hood. It definitely felt like something evil royalty would wear, but it doesn’t have anything on his son Helmut’s costume. The mask is much better than the hood, with the headpiece giving the costume a more regal feel. The fur trim is around the shoulders, and gives the costume an expensive feel, something that is accentuated by the crush velvet looking mask. The gold belt has an armor feel to it, but it also plays into the regal feel of the costume. Helmut Zemo has changed a lot over the years, and has worn some great costumes, but this one is the best.
The Winter Soldier
The return as Bucky as the Winter Soldier led to some of the best Captain America stories of all time. Fans used to joke about Bucky being one of several Marvel comic characters that it was impossible to resurrect in any satisfactory fashion, but “The Winter Soldier” proved otherwise. Bucky’s return as the Winter Soldier also brought an amazing new costume with it. It’s a great design because other than the very shiny, very conspicuous cybernetic arm, it feels exactly like something that an assassin would wear. It’s simple and form-fitting, with nothing that an enemy could grab while Winter Soldier is fighting. The domino mask is a callback to his time as Bucky and gives the costume a certain je ne sais quoi that it wouldn’t have without it. It’s a great minimalist design that perfectly fit who the Winter Soldier, and it’s the basis for every costume that he’s worn since then.
Sam Wilson’s Captain America Costume
Sam Wilson’s journey to becoming Captain America began when he joined the Star-Spangled Avenger as his sidekick. For many fans, Sam is Cap’s best sidekick, and he’s certainly the one who spent the most time as Cap’s partner, giving him a leg up when it comes to taking up the mantle of Captain America. The first time Sam almost became Cap was after the death of Captain America in Captain America (Vol. 5) #25, but it wouldn’t be until years later, during the Marvel NOW/All-New All-Different Marvel era where he’d finally put on the costume. Sam’s Captain America costume is perfect for him as a hero. It’s a perfect mix of Falcon and Captain America costumes, and made Sam look like a trillion bucks.
Captain America’s Classic Costume
Captain America’s costume was a work in progress for a long time. Kirby’s original Captain America costume is basically the same one he would wear for decades, with the biggest cosmetic change being the mask connecting to the neck of the costume. The chain mail top is super cool, a smart element for a soldier that gives the top texture that the costume wouldn’t otherwise have. The gloves and pirate boots are a showy element that definitely look phenomenal. Over the decades, artists have tried to give the costume a more military feel, something that came from the original Ultimate Universe and the MCU, but there’s something about the original that makes it the greatest Captain America costume that Steve Rogers wore. It’s honestly pretty insulting to the memory of Marvel’s greatest creator — Jack Kirby — that the MCU made the costume look so terrible in Captain America: The First Avenger, throwing shade on an iconic costume design in order to show Hollywood’s contempt for comics. There’s nothing wrong with this costume, and that’s why it always returns, sort of like Cap’s shield when he throws it.
Bucky’s Captain America Costume
There are definitely some who would say that putting the Bucky Cap costume over the classic Captain America costume is blasphemy. However, that doesn’t change just how awesome this costume was. It took the best elements of the classic Cap costume, but this version of the costume went shiny with that part, which gave it a nice armored look. The black on the rest of the costume is a throwback to Bucky’s days as the Winter Soldier and also lets readers know that this version of Captain America isn’t the bright shiny hero of yesterday, but a darker version of the Sentinel of Liberty. Because Bucky likes to be ready for anything, the belt was made to carry more stuff, with pouches and holsters to hold any weapon Bucky needs. It’s hard to say it’s an improvement on the classic costume, but it’s definitely an amazing look.
What’s your favorite Captain America costume? Come to @crustyoldfan.bsky.social to tell me about it.
