10 best Comic Book Movie Costumes

Honorable mention:

Barb Wire (Barb Wire)

JKL: Pamela Anderson in skintight black leather. Admittedly not a tough costume to translate, but no other actress more completely epitomized a 1990s’ comic book heroine come to life than Anderson in this outfit.

GP: No one except Puritans are gonna complain about seeing Pam Anderson as Barb Wire. But Cinema Siren and I agree that actors’ looks are an integral factor in the translation of the costumes from a drawing to real life–and Pamela can’t totally take all the credit for her stunning physique (which is a critical element of her costume)–so we both would have been more impressed had an unmodified woman been cast.

CS: The reason Pam Anderson translates the costume so well is she probably took Barb Wire’s picture with her when she went to the plastic surgeon. I joke, but seriously, there are lots of women in our society who believe we have to fit the mold comics have “built” for us. I’m far more on board with costumes like ‘HIT GIRL,’ which aren’t about objectification. And when it comes to that, I’d say Black Widow’s costume, as translated by (naturally) crazy-bodied ScarJo is far more impressive.

Black Widow 

JKL: It’s the go-to attire for every unoriginal comic book movie costume designer, but in this case the skintight black leather outfit is in keeping with the actual comic design.

CS: Does Hollywood “make the suit to fit the man” or “find the man that fits the suit”? In Scarlett Johansson’s case, we know the answer.

Blade

SA: One of the few times where the movie actually improves on the design, and it influences the comics.

JKL: Hard to argue with the godfather of modern comic book movies. The design allowed audiences to take Blade seriously and Wesley Snipes’ attitude helped make this a slick and sensible costume.