If heroes are only as good as their villains than Marvel has the best heroes in comics. Marvel has excelled at creating villains since the beginning, debuting foes who fans love to hate. These villains have it all — great backstories, impressive skills, and mindnumbing powers — but the best of them have something else that’s very important: awesome costumes. A villain can be the most dangerous enemy imaginable, but without a great costume, they’ll never catch on. Costumes can’t really be understated; comics are a visual medium and a costume does a lot of heavy lifting that most readers never even think about.
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Marvel has always employed many of the greatest artists of all time, and this has definitely given their villains a leg up in the sartorial department. Marvel’s best dressed villains have a style and panache all their own, which has helped make them unforgettable. These ten are the best dressed villains in Marvel’s comics, raising the bar for fashion for the villain community.
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is all about the cape and what a cape it is. A pretty common feature of the superpowered world, Sinister easily has one of the most unique capes in comics. The cape is such a different take on a classic piece of superhero fashion that it catches the eye immediately. However, the cape is just the beginning, because then there’s the glorious collar. Sinister has always been a grandiose villain, and his cape and collar are the set piece of that attitude.
From there, the costume makes several cool little design choices, ones that have changed very little since the debut of Sinister. For example, the lines of the uniform that make it look like a mummy’s wrap. It makes no sense for Sinister’s costume to have this feature, but it’s always looked cool. The shoulder pads fit the cape and collar nicely, giving the costume a little more edge, literally. The red diamond caps the whole costume off, a nice contrasting color from the dark blue/black of the costume. Sinister has become much more of a campy, fun character, and the costume fits that personality perfectly. Sinister has rarely ever changed the costume, showing off just how well-designed this costume is.
Baron Zemo
There have been two Baron Zemos and the later, Helmut Zemo, reworked his father’s costume to forge his own iconic look. The costume seems to scream wealth and privilege, the purple and yellow are perfect for a character who is technically nobility, and the fur rimmed shoulders and boots to the mask have become the one part of Zemo’s costume that he never changes.
Baron Zemo’s first costume is a bit more ridiculous than later versions, ones that had more “modern” designs, but that’s the best part about the costume. This is classic supervillain fashion, and that’s why it works to well. It’s ostentatious, garishly colored, and barely functional. However, it’s a costume that just sticks in the head of anyone who sees it. It feels exactly like the kind of costume that someone like Zemo would wear, and tells a story about who Zemo is just by looking at it. It’s a masterful design.
Green Goblin
Green Goblin is an example of a wild costume that was so perfect right away that it became the standard. Several times over the years, Green Goblin has gotten a new look, but they always disappear and the classic comes back. He isn’t the only insane villain who wears green and purple, but Green Goblin’s definitely made it his own. The mask is iconic, the large eyes and massive grin making Green Goblin look truly monstrous. The scaled legs and arms are a nice touch, going a long way to sell that this is a wild monster.
The central onesie was such a strange design choice, but it works wonderfully, showing off the more inhuman aspects of the character. The upturned toe on the boots is yet another nice touch, something that fits a goblin and goes with the long-flowing cap. Not to mention, the purse. It’s such a strange way to carry weapons for a villain, and that’s what makes it stand out to well. It’s become a huge part of who Green Goblin is that seeing the character without is just strange.
Thanos
Thanos has become one of the most popular villains in pop culture because of the MCU, but he has long been an A-list villain. The quintessential villain, Thanos is smarter than nearly anyone, has powers that gods wish they had, and is basically indestructible. Thanos is danger personified, and his costume does a brilliant job of showing off the grandiose personality of the being who calls himself the Mad Titan.
The head piece kicks it all off, covering everything but his face. It’s a throwback to another time in supervillain costumes, and has the feel of a crown. The shoulder pads are yet another old school design that doesn’t go out of the style either. The chest and abdomen section has a cool look, and the skirt and codpiece is so strange that they’re perfect. The gloves and boots on the other hand, are just super cool. The finger armor is exactly the kind of design that someone who likes to kill as much Thanos does would have, giving the impression that he likes to hit things.
Galactus
Galactus’s costume is a nearly perfect design. The original vesion had many of the same design choices that the latter, better costume would, but it wasn’t perfect yet. Well, except for the helmet. Co-creator Jack Kirby was a master of headpieces, and Galactus’s helmet remains the best. It should have been terrible; however, it’s so bizarre that it starts to make sense. Yes, this is exactly what the last survivor of the last universe who became something greater than gods would wear on his head.
The purple and blue is such a nice color pair, and really helps to make the suit standout. The skirt is another little Kirby-ism, and it works wonderfully. The best thing about Galactus’s costume is that he appears the way he does based on the culture that looks at him. So, apparently, in the Marvel Universe, Galactus is what humans picture in their heads when they think of a planet eating menace. That makes his costume even more awesome.
Apocalypse
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Apocalypse is a being who has been trying to create the strongest society he can, so he has to look tough, and his Celestial armor is the perfect example of a costume that looks extremely intimidating. A massive mountain of mutant power, Apocalypse’s armor sets the whole thing off perfectly. Even the big (albeit corny) “A” belt, works for the whole image of unstoppable power. Apocalypse wants everyone to know who he is, so putting the first letter of his chosen name on his belts embodies the character to a tee.
Every single aspect of the design comes together to create one of the best armors in comic history, and one of the coolest parts of the costume are the hoses. They speak to the fact that much of Apocalypse’s power comes from the technology that he wears and not himself, showing that his obsession with strength is an illusion — without the armor, he wouldn’t be as powerful as he thinks he is. It’s a subtle piece of storytelling, which is what makes it so cool.
Bullseye
Bullseye is a savage killer, but he also loves being a supervillain. Though he can wear anything when he’s on a mission, he chooses to wear a costume that makes him instantly recognizable. Bullseye wants everyone to know who and what they are dealing with. His black and white costume is instantly striking — the contrast between the two colors takes everything great about the costume up a notch.
What makes the costume so great, and probably why Bullseye continues to wear it, is how functional it is. Bullseye is a fighter and he needs full range of movement. There’s also all kinds of places for Bullseye to hide weapons, making him even more dangerous. The white concentric rings and bullseye symbol on his head is such a nice touch, setting off a truly fantastic costume.
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter’s movie wasn’t a success, and that’s a shame. As one of Spider-Man’s better villains, Kraven’s costume is perfect for who he is as a character. Made from animals that he hunted, with leather he cured, Kraven’s costume of a certain showiness that a wealthy hunter would certainly have; but it also looks fierce. Kraven is a dangerous man and this costume speaks to that.
Kraven’s costume can best be described as the kind of thing an ’80s glam rock band would wear if their gimmick was hunting. The leopard spots, the lion vest, and the assorted pieces of hide all over his body are all the perfect touches for Kraven. Spider-Man’s foes have some great looks, but few of them can compare to Sergei Kravenoff.
Sabretooth
Sabretooth’s first costume was cool, but it doesn’t have anything on his second. The brown and orange proved to be great colors for Marvel’s clawed mutants, and Sabretooth looks wild in them, much wilder than in his original look. The crest of fur, circling his head and running down both sides of his chest, makes this Sabretooth costume feel like it has a mane, which goes perfectly with his wildcat persona.
The costume has a little bit of everything a costume needs to be considered the best — it looks intimidating, does some visual storytelling, and gives Sabretooth just the right air of menace. Plus, it has the Jim Lee head sock, one of the inexplicably coolest costume design choices ever.
Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom’s costume is the best villain costume in the Marvel Universe, and there’s really no other way to look at it. It not only has the feel of medieval armor, but also is the epitome of high tech. The face plate is one of the most recognizable in comics, with multiple little design flourishes that make it memorable. However, the best part is the eyes, as Doom’s exposed eyes allow him to emote, making his diatribes that much more entertaining.
The hooded cape is perfect, and the green tunic has an old school feel to it. The armor and the clothes blend together to give Doom a royal feel that befits his place in the world. It’s a powerful, striking design, one that screams, “Doctor Doom.” Doom has changed some aspects of the costume of the years, but the original always returns. It’s another Kirby classic, and it’s better than fantastic.
What are your favorite villain costumes? Let us know in the comments below!
