The Marvel Cinematic Universe is has made mainstream icons out of its Avengers superheroes; you have no further to look than comic book convention cosplay for proof.

Well, as iconic as MCU heroes like Iron Man, Captain America or Hawkeye have become for their signature looks, there are still some hardcore Marvel fans who appreciate the colorful and flamboyant costumes from the comic books, as opposed to the more practical movie versions.

If you happen to be one of those fans – or are an MCU fan who just wants to see a cool alternative to what we see onscreen, then take a look at this cool gallery from Looper.com of MCU Avengers in Comic Book Costumes. Hopefully, it will give you taste of what the comic book page truly look like onscreen – and, in some cases, reaffirm why some changes were made for the movie screen.

(Photos Credit: Looper.com)

Iron Man

As you can, the Marvel Cinematic Universe started things off by sticking close to Marvel Comics canon, creating a movie version of the Iron Man armor that any comic book fan would approve of. 

Since that first film, Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark has donned armors equally inspired by the comic book look – and has even influenced the comics, in certain instances. 

Captain America

As you can see, Steve Rogers/Captain America’s comic book costume wouldn’t look quite right onscreen, which is why the MCU had to add a padded/armored aesthetic to the costumes we’ve seen in the Captain America and Avengers films. 

In fact, the Cap’s comic book costume looks so goofy onscreen that Captain America: The First Avenger used it as an Easter egg joke, when Steve Rogers was forced to wear the uniform as part of a USO show. 

Thor

“Where’s the helmet?!” has been the collective cry from hardcore Marvel Comics fans, ever since Chris Hemsworth’s Thor first stepped onscreen. 

Hemsworth is enough of a hunk to pull off that goofy-looking helmet; however, the actor will actually get a version of the Thor helmet for some gladiatorial games, as an Easter egg nod to fans in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok. 

As for Thor in a full-on battle helmet? Maybe when the inevitable “Lady Thor” reboot comes around. 

The Hulk

While most fans probably think that MCU Hulk is an accurate translation of the character’s look, the truth is that Hulk originally started in the comics as much more of a gray monstrosity. 

Of course, Hulk has many different looks and iterations – and truth be told, Mark Rufflalo’s motion-capture work on Hulk is better than that Ang Lee Hulk monstrosity, or even the Edward Norton version from The Incredible Hulk. 

Spider-Man

Marvel fans have been happy to see that Spider-Man got rebooted within the MCU with a costume that not only pays proper homage to the comics, but has a light of fun highlights that we’ll get to see in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. 

Of course, Tom Holland’s Starktech Spidey suit isn’t 100% accurate to the comics, adding a few flourishes (like those racing stripes on the upper arms and shins) that aren’t immediately distracting distinctions but are nevertheless unique to the MCU. 

Black Widow

Scarlett Johansson may not have been most fans’ immediate pick to play Black Widow – but she’s since come to own the role – and her costume has been a big help (not that way… get your mind out of the gutter!).

As you can see, Widow’s MCU look is pretty accurate to its comic book roots – whether it’s the version we saw in Iron Man 2, Avengers, or the Phase II films. 

….And yes, Johansson’s real superpower may indeed be filling out all that tight leather in spot-on comic book proportions. 

Black Panther

Marvel’s Black Panther is the new kid on the block (that trailer tho…) but the character has been pretty much fan-approved already, thanks to an awesome debut in Captain America: Civil War. 

The MCU version of Panther honors his comic book counterpart in so many ways; however, there is a clear difference in the aesthetics. Like Captain America, BP can’t sell a dark spandex bodysuit as a convincing costume – and so his look was upgraded into an armored aesthetic that looks pretty awesome onscreen. 

The MCU version of Black Panther is also a bit more logical, as his homeland, Wakanda, definitely has the technological resources to craft something as extraordinary as the vibranium armor T’Challa wears. You can take that spandex suit on back to TJ Max. 

Scarlet Witch

Like so many female comic book superheroes, Scarlet Witch’s look from the page is just too impractical (read: over-sexualized) to work in a movie. 

Elizabeth Olsen’s MCU Scarlet Witch has instead had a lot of thematic nods to the comic book version, with her red color motif. It’s a fair trade, really: it was always hard to understand why the witch needed a costume at all in the comics – certainly one as flamboyant and silly as the one she got.

Quicksilver

Quicksilver is probably one of the toughest nuts to crack, in terms of translating a Marvel character’s costume to the screen. 

As you can see above, the character would look silly AF if his white-haired and powder-blue shirt look from the comics was directly ported over to the films – but his MCU look wasn’t much better, either. 

When you consider how silly Quicksilver from the X-Men movie franchise also looks in his “costume,” it’s clear that this character may just be cursed to look ridiculous on the big screen. 

The Vision

Like Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, The Vision is a character whose comic book costume is so over the top and flamboyant that it would look utterly ridiculous in a movie. 

However, unlike Quicksilver and Witch, Marvel Studios found a clever way to translate Vision’s appearance to the screen in an effective way, creating a body that has a mix of armor and synthetic polymers is its aesthetic.

The selection of former J.A.R.V.I.S. voice Paul Bettany as the actor to play Vision only helped to ground the character, who thankfully retains his colorful comic book look without ever having it feel like camp. 

 

More Avengers News

Avengers: Infinity War is described by Marvel Studios as the culmination of everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Iron Man in 2008. The movie is filming now under directors Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

The expansive confirmed cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bethany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as the villain Thanos. Avengers: Infinity War and its as-yet-untitled sequel are filming back-to-back for a May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019 release, respectively.

More Avengers: Infinity War News:

• Avengers Infinity War: 5 Marvel Infinity Saga Easter Eggs Fans Want
• Benedict Wong Fanboys Out About Delivering Infinity Stone Line & Joining Avengers: Infinity War
• Russo Brothers Confirm Next Two Avengers Movies Still Directly Connected

Excited for Avengers: Infinity War? Rank your anticipation below!