The 5 Best MCU Superhero Glow-Ups (& The 5 Worst)

In the 18 years since the MCU started, tons of Marvel characters have gone through major changes. Their personalities and stories have been significantly developed, especially for characters who have been appearing for years. Alongside these factors, many characters have gone through major costume changes. Some of these have been glow-ups, and some of these have been glow-downs, and here are the five most significant cases of each.

Avengers: Doomsday is on its way, and with it, some new characters will be getting glow-ups. Several Avengers: Doomsday costumes have already been revealed, but it is expected that even more MCU characters will be getting redesigns by the time the film comes out later this year. Before this happens, we’re going to look back on some of the most significant visual alterations in some of the MCU’s biggest characters.

10) Ms. Marvel – WORST

Kamala Khan’s introduction to the MCU was surrounded by much controversy, as the cinematic universe decided to majorly change her powers from the comics. Outside of this major exception, the MCU’s Kamala was a surprisingly accurate adaptation. The costume she gets at the end of the Ms. Marvel show is fantastic. It is constructed by her mother, giving it more meaning than many of the MCU’s costumes. Plus, this gives it a more handmade look, juxtaposing her street-level nature with many of the MCU’s other heroes.

When Kamala next appeared in The Marvels, her costume was entirely different. This time, her suit is much sleeker and looks more professionally made. Not only does this get rid of the personal touches of the old costume, but it also just looks worse in general. The colors and design are a lot less distinct, and it is definitely a major downgrade from the first costume.

9) Abomination – BEST

Abomination is one of the MCU’s earliest villains, with him acting as the antagonist of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. When Mark Ruffalo was recast as Bruce Banner, The Incredible Hulk became mostly ignored, with many fans wondering if it was even canon anymore. However, it slowly became more relevant in the MCU in the early 2020s. Abomination finally reappeared in 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, this time sporting a new look.

In The Incredible Hulk, Abomination was much smoother and slimier than he typically is. However, he finally got a comic-accurate look in She-Hulk. When he returned, he had his iconic head fins, as well as the various spikes on his face, collarbone, and shoulders. Although his personality was less comic-accurate, his look was much more faithful to the source material.

8) Daredevil – Worst

Daredevil has gone through a lot of different costumes in the MCU, as the three Netflix seasons, She-Hulk, and Daredevil: Born Again have seen him in a variety of different costumes. However, his least comic-accurate was arguably his best. In season 1 of Daredevil, rather than wearing his iconic red costume, he wore a black facemask, a black shirt, and black pants, and had rope around his arms. This costume was incredible, perfectly suiting the more grounded nature of the Netflix show.

At the end of Daredevil season 1, Matt got his more traditional red suit. While it was cool to see it in live-action, it was a downgrade from his first look. The red suit always looked a little off in seasons 1 and 2. It looked better in season 3, but Matt spent a lot of the season back in his original black outfit. His yellow suit in She-Hulk was a bit too goofy, and while Born Again‘s suits are an improvement on the Netflix show, his original look is still his best.

7) Black Bolt – BEST

Although it is often forgotten, Black Bolt is a character in the MCU. Anson Mount made his debut as the king of the Inhumans in the Inhumans television series, but his costume was a bit more grounded than it was in the comics. In the show, he wore a black zip-up coat that featured some of the patterns from his costume in the comics.

When Black Bolt reappeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, however, his costume was a massive improvement. He had the full comic book suit, including the mask and tuning fork on his forehead. For a character as goofy as Black Bolt, this costume is necessary, and it’s nice to see that the MCU finally adapted him properly with this multiversal counterpart.

6) Iron Man – WORST

The CGI in 2008’s Iron Man is still fantastic, and many fans of the MCU point to his suit in that movie as one of the best-looking costumes in the MCU. Tony’s armor at this point was heavier, more mechanical, and far more grounded. While he has had all kinds of different suits, comparing the older suits to his nanotech suit in Infinity War and Endgame highlights a major downgrade. The less bulky nano armor isn’t only less interesting, but it also looks a lot more fake, with it being a major glow-down.

5) U.S. Agent – BEST

Unlike some of the characters on this list, U.S. Agent’s glow-up had an in-universe purpose, with it not just being a suit change between movies. When John Walker first appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he was wearing a rip-off of Steve Roger’s costume. The costume looked so bad that it was heavily memed, with the helmet being an especially bad addition.

When John Walker got his black suit at the end of the series, however, it looked much better. His Thunderbolts suit and the suit from the film’s post-credits scene look even better, acting as major improvements over his debut costume.

4) Hulk – WORST

The Incredible Hulk looked fantastic in his debut movie, in The Avengers, and in Avengers: Age of Ultron. He was consistently one of the most impressive-looking things in the MCU. However, when he made his debut as Professor Hulk in Avengers: Endgame, it was a major downgrade. The Mark Ruffalo face looked very uncanny, and his design was just a lot less interesting than it was in previous films.

3) Falcon – BEST

When Falcon first appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, his suit was nothing like his comic-book counterpart. It was much more grey and very overdesigned, with it looking like nothing more than a piece of military technology. Falcon got a few redesigns throughout the years, but none of them were especially fantastic.

Near the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, however, Sam got his Captain America costume. This looked absolutely fantastic, with the white facemask and star-spangled costume being a direct translation from the comics. Sadly, this suit was abandoned in Captain America: Brave New World, but for a brief moment, Sam looked incredible.

2) Thor – WORST

Thor has had tons of different looks throughout the years, and they were all pretty great. Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Infinity War had some especially great Thor costumes, adapting different versions from the comics. However, then Avengers: Endgame happened.

After Endgame‘s time jump, Thor had a completely different look. Officially referred to as Bro Thor, but called Fat Thor by many fans, this Thor had let himself go. Rather than having incredible hair and armor, Bro Thor looked more like The Dude from The Big Lebowski. Luckily, his Avengers: Doomsday costume looks a lot better.

1) Spider-Man – BEST

Like many characters in the MCU, Spider-Man has had tons of different costumes. From his Civil War costume to his homemade suit to his Iron Spider suit and beyond, Peter’s wardrobe has some of the MCU’s most varied. The character has had lots of ups and downs, and while some of his costumes in the early years worked, they weren’t as great as the ones worn by Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield.

However, Marvel finally struck gold at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Peter’s final costume was a near-perfect Spider-Man suit. Fans praised the outfit, and we can’t wait to see it return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

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