The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for mixing elements from its comic book source material with brand-new ideas to form what has become the most successful film and television franchises of recent years. Because of this tendency, the universe often shies away from fully comics-accurate costumes, changing them up to make them more realistic, or to suit the tone of the film they are in.

  • The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to fire on all cylinders, introducing new characters constantly in titles like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Though there was once a time when superhero cinema loathed resembling its comic book counterparts, a new age has begun wherein the cinematic heroes’ signature suits perfectly represent their original source material.

While the MCU has often avoided one-to-one adaptations of comic book costumes, its latest phases have come to embrace the campy design of the original super suits, adding to the franchise’s small but growing catalog of surprisingly spot-on adaptations of comic book costumes.

U.S. Agent

Wyatt Russell ruffled fans’ feathers with his portrayal of John Walker, the United States government’s replacement for Captain America, in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. By the miniseries’ end, however, Walker had grown on fans, especially thanks to his adopting a different moniker and outfit, becoming the U.S. Agent.

The U.S. Agent’s MCU costume follows the comic books almost exactly, with a similar red and white striped pattern evoking the American flag while surrounded by a black hue that signifies the character’s moral ambiguity. Even the mask itself closely resembles that of Walker in the comics, completing a superb translation from comic to screen.

Ms. Marvel

Iman Vellani portrays the character of Kamala Khan, who will become a major hero within the MCU, allying herself with Captain Marvel and Photon in the upcoming 2023 film The Marvels.

Kamala Khan’s full MCU costume is quite similar to that of the comic books. The color scheme remains the same, including the golden lightning bolt running down the front of her getup and the long red scarf that is distinctive of the character’s comic book suit.

Black Bolt

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced the Inhuman king Black Bolt to the big screen for the first time, portrayed by Anson Mount. Though the character suffers a brutal death at the hands of the Scarlet Witch, alongside the other members of the Illuminati of Earth-838, his appearance in the film could signify big things for the Inhumans’ future in the MCU.

This version of Black Bolt stacks up to the comics much better than the previous live-action incarnation, also portrayed by Mount in The Inhumans, a short-lived live-action series on ABC. One key way in which this becomes true is with the character’s costume, which is strikingly similar to that of his comic book counterpart, right down to the signature tuning fork atop his masked head. Black Bolt’s Multiverse of Madness costume is quite nearly a perfect copy of the character’s signature comic look.

Captain Marvel

Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, is one relatively new Avenger that is sure to become an integral part of the MCU moving forward. A human infused with the blood of Kree warriors and enhanced by radiation from the Tesseract, Captain Marvel is one of the most powerful superheroes in the entire franchise.

The MCU Captain Marvel suit is an eerily similar portrayal of Carol Danver’s costume after taking on the mantle of Captain Marvel in the comics. The suit’s coloring, design, and insignia are all exactly the same, with no major noticeable difference between the comic and the film.

Sam Wilson Captain America

After serving alongside Steve Rogers for years, Sam Wilson, once known as the Falcon, finally inherited the title of Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Wilson took his time to settle into the new position, eventually accepting a new suit from the Wakandans to solidify his ascension to the rank of his predecessor.

Sam Wilson’s winged Captain America suit perfectly matches that of the comics, with the exact same coloration and layout. While the design of the comic book character’s suit is sleeker and includes a utility belt, MCU Wilson’s costume has more edged features and a mini-gauntlet for tech on his left hand.

Kate Bishop

Hailee Steinfeld blew fans away with her performance in the first season of Disney+’s Hawkeye, leaving many viewers to anxiously wonder where Kate Bishop might show up next in the MCU. Steinfeld’s purple-clad archer serves as the friend and apprentice to Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, training to take on the mantle from the Avenger.

Kate Bishop’s comic costume has always been one of the simpler superhero getups, which translates perfectly to the character’s MCU adaptation. Kate wears her signature purple in both versions, though the film rendition of her costume serves as better body armor, with fewer areas left exposed. Steinfeld’s version also lacks the purple glasses that the comics’ character often sports.

Classic Loki

In the fourth and fifth episodes of Loki, Richard E. Grant portrays a variant of the god of mischief who survived Thanos’s assault at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War. Grant’s variant, known as Classic Loki behind the scenes of the series, sports a very different costume than the one seen in other installments of the MCU.

Classic Loki has the distinction of being a multiversal character with which the costume designers were given free rein. In what is more or less a direct allusion to the original look of Loki in the comics, Grant’s character exactly mirrors his counterpart, right down to the over-pronounced golden horn helmet.

Scarlet Witch

Formerly a respected member of the Avengers, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff has recently risen to become one of the most powerful villains in the entire MCU, giving even Doctor Strange pause before facing her in battle. Having finally adopted the persona of the Scarlet Witch, Wanda has also inherited a strikingly familiar costume to that of her comic book counterpart.

While her Halloween costume in WandaVision may have been a more direct parallel to her comics outfit, Scarlet Witch’s Multiverse of Madness look is an updated–and far cooler–version of the character’s classic look through Marvel Comics history. MCU Wanda retains the coloration of the Scarlet Witch costume and her scarlet tiara, but still lacks the flowing cape that the character so often wears.

Doctor Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of the one-time Sorcerer Supreme carries over certain unmistakable character traits of Doctor Strange from the comics into the films, most recently with his excursion into alternate realities in Multiverse of Madness. Named an “anchor of the MCU” by Kevin Feige himself, Doctor Strange is one of the most important characters in the franchise today.

Despite the absurd nature of Doctor Strange’s adventures, the comic book character’s classic getup is quite simple compared to other heroes. Cumberbatch’s take on the Master of the Mystic Arts doesn’t differ much in looks, retaining the color scheme, cape, and signature goatee of his comic book counterpart. The MCU also adds the Eye of Agamotto pendant as an accessory to tie the entire look together.

Spidey’s New Suit

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has already graced the big screen six times since joining the MCU, most recently in the universally-adored Spider-Man: No Way Home. While the high-tech suits of this version of the character have often been criticized by fans, Holland gets a brand-new suit in the closing scene of his latest excursion that is quite different from anything he’s worn onscreen before.

Despite many fan complaints about the MCU’s Spider-Man suits, its latest take on the Wallcrawler’s look is a spot-on adaptation of the character’s early look in the comics, specifically that of the late ’60s and early ’70s. While little has yet been seen of this costume, fans are already looking forward to seeing what might be the most comics-accurate live-action Spidey suit ever crafted in action whenever the superhero next returns to the big screen.

Black Panther

The next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has audiences abuzz as they wonder who the next Black Panther will be. However, amidst all this hype, Marvel fans shouldn’t forget Chadwick Boseman’s original Black Panther, or his iconic, sleek look as the superhero.

With only a few minor details changed, the suit T’Challa wears in Infinity War and Endgame is quite similar to the character’s look in the comics. Simple but undeniably badass, both versions of the character truly embrace their namesake, even adding the elegant touch of an exposed necklace of vibranium panther claws to complete the look.

Mister Fantastic

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness gave the MCU its first version of Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic in the form of John Krasinski’s Earth-838 variant. While it is yet unclear whether or not this version of Mister Fantastic will ever appear again in the MCU following his horrific death scene, fans can still appreciate the character’s surprisingly comics-accurate suit in his brief scenes.

While the suit in Multiverse of Madness is certainly an updated version of Reed’s classic comics look, the designs thereof are almost identical. There have been several live-action renditions of Mister Fantastic in the past, but Krasinski’s certainly beats his predecessors when it comes to the style.

The Mighty Thor

Thor: Love and Thunder introduced Jane Foster’s superhero alter-ego, the Mighty Thor after she is granted the ability to wield Mjolnir. Taking on the form of a female Thor, she fights alongside her ex-boyfriend against the murderous Gorr the God Butcher in an emotional tale about love and vengeance.

Jane’s costume in Love and Thunder appears to be a mix between Thor’s original MCU look and the Mighty Thor’s design from the comics. Jane even adopts her comic book counterpart’s blonde hair when in “Thor form,” which is a nice touch compared to her brunette hair when in regular form. The Mighty Thor is also unafraid of donning her classic helmet, something which cannot be said of Thor himself in most of his MCU appearances.

Hercules

The mid-credit sequence at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder introduces a brand-new superhero to the MCU in the form of Hercules, the son of Zeus. Brett Goldstein portrays the Greek demigod in his first live-action appearance which, despite its briefness, promises that Hercules will appear in the MCU again soon.

In a very short space of time, it appears as though Hercules will closely resemble his comic book counterpart. From the green straps supporting his sheath to the golden headgear, Goldstein’s Hercules is ripped straight from the comics, promising a faithful adaptation of the classic character.

Iron Man Mark I

In many ways, the Iron Man Mark I is the suit that started it all for the MCU. This is the suit of armor that Tony Stark fashions in a cave during the first act of Iron Man, which goes on to inform his many future suits of armor.

While the other versions of Iron Man’s suits vary in terms of comic book accuracy, the Mark I perfectly resembles its counterpart in Marvel Comics. The designs are identical, signaling to fans as the MCU’s first adaptation of a superhero suit, that the franchise would faithfully adapt its comic book source material.