10 Best Costume Makeovers In The MCU Ranked Worst To Best

Among the many staples of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is how often its various superheroes upgrade or otherwise tweak their crime-fighting costumes. Nobody stays stagnant forever, especially in their fashion choices, and that's just as true for the Avengers as it would be for anyone else. As the various characters in this franchise are overseen by different directors, transition to unique tones, or even shift to different time periods, their costumes can reflect the larger changes in a character's life. Plus, these upgrades can also be used to correct significant shortcomings in the costume design of earlier MCU projects. The possibilities behind changing the costume of a Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero are truly endless.

The very best costume makeovers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe reflect the most thoughtful ways superhero outfits can reflect the internal lives of the people wearing them, as well as the creative instincts of the assorted people in charge of the various MCU movies. Best of all, the way some of these costumes so drastically altered the norms for what certain characters were expected to wear reflects how well the Marvel Cinematic Universe allows its characters to grow and evolve. Put on your own finest superhero outfit, or whatever clothes are closest to you, and let's explore the 10 best costume upgrades in this sprawling franchise, ranking them from okay to great.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." So goes the old motto, which the designers behind Black Panther's costume in his second Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance seemed to take to heart. This character, played by Chadwick Boseman, already got to show off his superhero outfit in "Captain America: Civil War," and it looked great. The textures popped, and it looked recognizably like the beloved Black Panther costume from the comics. There weren't drastic shortcomings in dire need of fixing so the overall outfit looked pretty much the same in "Black Panther." However, the costume designers did make a few key adjustments.

For his solo title, King T'Challa's attire gained the ability to take on purple streaks. A flourish from his inventor sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), this is meant to indicate when the Black Panther is absorbing the energy of his combatants, with the wearer of the suit eventually being powerful enough to unleash that energy on nearby foes. The purple accents, then, are justified as a way of signaling a new superpower for this character rather than just being a way to ensure different Black Panther toys can be sold. Though not a drastic change from the "Civil War" outfit, this new Black Panther attire still looked nifty, particularly in how the bright purple popped against the black fabric of the costume. Plus, the justification for the purple flourishes showed how malleable this suit can be, and it was also a nice nod to T'Challa's royalty.

"I don't wear a suit ... I'm exposed like a nerve." So says Bruce Banner in "The Avengers" about his big green alter ego, the Hulk. Audiences get to see this for themselves in the film's finale where the Hulk fights off hordes of alien invaders wearing only spandex shorts. It's a simple design harkening back to the look of this beast that everyone recognizes from the comics and the Bill Bixby TV show. But nothing stays static for long in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and eventually, the Hulk would need to get more complicated outfits to reflect his growing nuances as a person.

While "Thor: Ragnarok" featured the Hulk donning sparse bursts of gladiator armor to serve as a visual extension of how he now spoke in slightly longer sentences, the big costume upgrade for the character came in "Avengers: Endgame." In this title, Bruce Banner has merged his human form with his alter ego, creating a radically different version of the Hulk. This is reflected by how he's now wearing normal human clothes in everyday settings and eventually puts on a special suit to join his fellow Avengers in traveling through time. All these outfits are a massive departure from the stripped-down look the Hulk donned for most of his other Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances. Hulk's costume now reflects his relationship to Banner rather than being "exposed like a nerve."

While many Marvel Cinematic Universe superheroes had to wait between movies for a significant costume overhaul, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) got to undergo a massive change in his crime-fighting attire throughout his first solo movie, "Iron Man." This evolution in wardrobe began with Tony being held captive by members of the Ten Rings organization. Needing drastic action to get himself out of his situation, the chunky but highly effective ramshackle Iron Man outfit was born. It could barely fly and looked homemade, but it could take out foes with ease and did the trick when it came time for Tony to escape his captors.

Once Tonay got back home to San Diego, California, he began working on a sleek new version of the Iron Man armor. No longer restricted by what tools he had at his disposal, Tony was able to make something incredibly powerful and top-of-the-line. The result was an instantly iconic outfit, one that benefited tremendously in real life from contributions via the Stan Winston Studio. It certainly didn't hurt that the Iron Man suit popped off the screen with a sleek and vibrant hue of red. Best of all, Tony's suit never stopped changing across the series, and the varying forms of the Iron Man costume represented how he was growing as a human being. In other words, this outfit was as effective on a deeply human level as it was in aiding superhero antics.

At the end of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," Peter Parker (Tom Holland) has been forgotten by everyone on the planet. But just because he's a stranger to former allies and friends like Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and MJ (Zendaya), that doesn't mean he's abandoning his Spider-Man duties. As the final scene of "No Way Home" begins, Peter moves into a dusty old apartment all by himself. He places a police radio scanner nearby so that he can keep his ears open for criminal activity. Most importantly, though, he's spent some time putting together a new super suit, one that reflects the character's earliest days in the comics.

Audiences only get to see this outfit briefly in "No Way Home's" final seconds thanks to its appearance occurring at night. However, it's immediately apparent that Peter is wearing a Spider-Man outfit designed to channel what he wore in his first comic book appearances. The black rings around his eyes are more apparent than ever while the prominent placement of blue, especially on his hips, immediately recalls illustrations by Steve Ditko. The suit looks great on-screen, but it's especially wonderful to see since it suggests that Peter is now becoming a classical version of Spider-Man. His costume may be a downgrade in terms of technological capacity, but it's a massive upgrade in reflecting this superhero's personality and roots.

When Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) finally comes out of the ice and is reintegrating into modern society, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) informs this man that his agency has created a new Captain America outfit for Rogers. Though Steve wonders if the stars and stripes might be hokey in the modern world, Coulson reassures him that, given all the chaos that's on the horizon, people need that "hokiness" now more than ever. It's not a bad sentiment, but unfortunately, the Captain America outfit in "The Avengers" doesn't look great. The fabric looks a little too soft, the white star just seems out of place on an entirely blue chest — it just doesn't click together.

Thankfully, once "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" rolled around, the character got a massive upgrade in his costume. Wearing an outfit evoking his attire in the "Steve Rogers: Super Soldier" comic book run, Captain America's costume here is a great mix of practicality and appropriate bombast. Though the muted color palette and textures on the suit make it look like something would wear on a stealth mission, this superhero still has that star on his chest, though now with silvery stripes on both sides to make it stick out less. He still looks recognizably like Captain America, even while sticking to the grounded tone of "The Winter Soldier." It's a great outfit on its own merits, but it's especially great when considering what he was wearing in his previous on-screen appearance.