The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to interesting villains and incredible costume design. More often than not, the interesting villains do get incredible costumes, too. The costumes are not always the point of the MCU’s villains — some villains don’t need compelling costumes, given their alien or monstrous nature — but when costumes and characters combine to create a portrait of evil (or just mischief), the visual fun of the MCU truly comes out to play.
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These are the top 10 best villain costumes in the MCU: they may not be the best villains in the MCU, but they’re the most stylish ones. Sometimes, standing out from the original comics version of a character, or from the hero of the story can be difficult, but these 10 villains (and sometimes their variants), manage it well.
10) General Dreykov’s tracksuit (Black Widow)
One cannot begin to understand why Black Widow introduced its main villain, General Dreykov (Ray Winstone) in a goofy tracksuit, but somehow, he pulls it off. It’s really his only interesting costume, as he wears basic suits in the present-day sections of the movie, but here, he looks positively retro. He might even pass for a goofy tourist, if you ignore everything else about him. MCU costumes are best when they’re a little absurd and feel like something you could see the character wearing in the comics, and Dreykov’s tracksuit is one of those examples.
9) Verussa Bloodstone (Werewolf by Night)
Given the stylistic choice of black and white in the Halloween special Werewolf by Night, the costume designers definitely had some limitations to work with: it didn’t seem to hold them back too much. Monster hunter Verussa Bloodstone (Harriet Sansom Harris) looks positively menacing; the ‘black’ under her eyes (actually scarlet red) could look goofy, but it’s just enough that’s it gives the impressions she’s bleeding from her eyes. We have to admire the cool white streak in her hair, too.
8) Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Pepper Potts’s classy businesswoman wardrobe’s budget has probably found a new home in Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine — de Fontaine’s looks just have a slightly sinister twist to them. In all of her appearances, her wardrobe has been stylish, and one has to assume Louis-Dreyfus is just fine with not having a comic book-esque costume to wear. Her hair with its streaks of silver and blonde also give her a cool edge. We have to hope she’ll keep serving Miranda Priestly, but make it MCU, for years to come.
7) Kaecilius (Doctor Strange)
It’s giving Jedi, but evil, but not Sith evil, just… not a good guy. The fact that Kaecilius is played by Mads Mikkelsen probably doesn’t hurt how well the Doctor Strange villain’s costume works — he of all actors knows how to wear a costume — but the details here and there elevate this from simply a Star Wars knock-off. He’s differentiated enough from Wong’s costume enough, too, and of all the MCU villain outfits, his actually seems practical in a fight.
6) Baron Zemo’s big coat (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)
Ditching the bright purple face mask for the big, fluffy coat was probably the smartest decision the MCU made as far as Daniel Brรผhl’s portrayal of the complicated Baron Zemo goes. To be fair, he does wear the purple mask in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but not for long; what stays is the dramatic coat with the fur collar. Baron Zemo’s costumes are not always that interesting, but this costume finally seemed to match the ironic energy Brรผhl brings to the role in his various appearances.
5) Mysterio (Spider-Man: Far From Home)
Mysterio’s MCU incarnation gets points for pulling off his comic costume without it looking too goofy. The MCU has often known when to pull back on the stylistic choices of the comics, but somehow, Mysterio in Far From Home looks like he fits both in the comics and in the world of the MCU. It’s especially impressive since Far From Home takes place only eight months after Avengers: Endgame in the chronology. Mysterio’s whole ‘backstory’ in the films is that he’s from another timeline; this is a lie, but we almost believe him, just like Peter, because he does look just other-worldly enough.
4) Agatha Harkness
While the image chosen to represent Agatha Harkness is from WandaVision, the truth is, her costumes in Agatha All Along were great too. How Agatha is costumed from appearance to appearance helps tell us as an audience which Agatha we’re getting, and that’s a great visual journey to go on. Kathryn Hahn wears all her costumes with aplomb, to the point that even when Agatha is almost unrecognizable, we still know it’s Agatha. Her character is a great example of the acting and costuming working hand in hand.
3) Hela (Thor: Ragnarok)
It would feel odd if the Cate Blanchett MCU character wasn’t on this list, right? She stunned us again and again in the Lord of the Rings franchise, and she slayed in Thor: Ragnarok. It seems highly unlikely we’ll ever see Hela again, but while we had her — wow! While her helmet with its many thorny horns is indeed a thing of beauty, one has to admire the simplicity of her look with just her hair down and the thick eye makeup. Her costume feels appropriately Asgardian-adjacent; for another actress, it might have overwhelmed, but for Cate Blanchett, it just adds to her screen presence.
2) Erik Killmonger (Black Panther)
The way Ryan Coogler and his team made the MCU version of Erik Killmonger a contrast to T’Challa in nearly every way, including his costuming, has to be admired. T’Challa’s costuming is subtle enough, and almost always reflects his princely origins in Wakanda. Even his Black Panther suit isn’t flashy. Killmonger, on the other hand, exudes a certain amount of swagger and style, whether he’s stealing artifacts in a much reproduced jean jacket, or stalking around Wakanda in a open black robe, to show off his scars. His own version of the Black Panther suit is accented in a bold gold. He’s here to impress.
1) Every Loki variant ever
The first spot in this list will, possibly, never be topped (but you might disagree that he’s fully a villain); still, Loki, and all his variants, probably have the best costumes in the MCU overall. They’re consistently interesting, and they’re consistently him. He has his own color scheme (various shades of green, with black and yellow accents), and Tom Hiddleston knows how to give each iteration of the Loki costume some measure of gravity. Even his original Asgardian costume, in the original Thor movie, works well: he might look a little bit like a Shakespearean villain, but in many ways, that is how the MCU Loki started out.
What’s your favorite MCU villain’s costume? Are there some villains we missed here? Let us know in the comments below!
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