5 Controversial Marvel Costumes You Will Never See In The MCU
Looking back at the lengthy reign of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it feels safe to say that the heroes and villains involved in it have had more successful wardrobe choices than bad ones. Putting aside the likes of Captain America's Velcro "Avengers" outfit or Taskmaster's unintimidating debut appearance in "Black Widow," some of the most iconic characters in MCU history have landed with significant impact simply because they looked good. With that in mind and a portion of new heroes and villains on the horizon, there's a collection of costumes you can guarantee will only make their way over to the MCU in the form of a punchline. Well, you'd hope, at least.
With Bob Iger announcing big changes to Marvel that will see the future slate of MCU projects slowing down a little, there's time for Marvel Studios to sit with whatever projects it's working on and ensure there aren't any slip-ups that could disappoint fans. This includes whatever new or returning characters are set to drop into the MCU in inevitably fancy new threads. We can only hope, however, that when it comes to these famous five victims of fashion nightmares in a time gone by, we don't have to relive them again in live action, given some of the big stories on the way.
Sue Storm's Fantastic Four outfit with the 4-hole
To list the absolute crimes against fashion and just flat-out disrespect of female characters throughout comic book history would demand not five entries but something quickly near 50 or more. One that does stand as one of the worst, however, is Sue Storm's revealing refit that sexualized the Invisible Woman only for it to be nothing but a fantastic cringe. Honestly, Sue is so much better than this.
Debuting in 1992, when showing skin took priority over saving the world, Sue rocked an all-new look in Fantastic Four #371 by way of a pair of thigh-high boots, gloves that Emma Frost would probably be a fan of, and a top with a number-four-shaped cutout across her chest.
Now, admittedly, this was the start of Sue's shift into the manifestation of her dark alter ego, Malice, who would eventually take over in an even more revealing leather outfit complete with mask and tattered red cape. The wardrobe choice was when she wasn't in her right mind, right? Right? Either way, we can only hope that whoever gets handed the role opposite Pedro Pascal in the upcoming film will keep this outfit tucked away at the back of the wardrobe.
Spider-Man's Secret War costume
It's been three years since the world got a wonderful look at the homemade, super-shiny outfit Peter Parker (Tom Holland) makes at the end of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and if fans had their way, it's one they'd keep him in forever. Admittedly, this is the MCU, and Spider-Man can stick in a single costume for as long as he can on a wall, and if he appears in "Avengers: Secret Wars," he'll likely have a new get-up to battle the bad guys there, too. We can only keep our web-shooters crossed that whatever it is, it looks nothing like Spidey's black costume in the "Secret War" story arc. No, not that one. The other Secret War and the other black costume barely got any attention when they did appear.
In a story by Brian Michael Bendis, Spidey and a group of Marvel's finest learn they were all sent by Nick Fury on a top-secret mission to Latveria that they don't remember going on. Of course, being so far off the books naturally warrants secret attire for Spidey. His get-up here is a black outfit with blue trim and red webbing on the mask. It's pretty basic and barely noticeable, appearing in only a few frames of the entire story arc, but it somehow has been an outfit option in the Insomniac "Spider-Man" games. Here's hoping it remains absent if and when Spidey joins "Avengers: Secret Wars" over even the Bombastic Bag-Man.
Daredevil's black armor
We still have a ways to go until the return of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in "Daredevil: Born Again," but the one perk besides supporting cast members from the Netflix series returning is the outfit he'll be donning. The Man Without Fear will get straight back into the fan-favorite red ensemble, horns and all, wasting no time going from the basic knitwear get-up. While there's nothing wrong with that original effort, the one outfit we hope Matt Murdock will never wear is the red and black, heavily armored costume that was, like so many other wardrobe slip-ups, a byproduct of the '90s.
Back when heroes had excessive storage pouches and the muscles to match, Matt Murdock got treated like other heroes, courtesy of D.G. Chichester. After getting a hammering from the Wild Pack, Matt returned with a heavily armored outfit in Daredevil #321. A mix of black and red, it abandoned the sleek scarlet look that fans had grown accustomed to and adored.
While it wasn't met with the most fabulous reception, it still has a place in Marvel Comics history, so much so that Chichester revisited that chapter of Murdock's history in "Daredevil: Black Armor," which, in August 2023, filled in gaps from its time in the '90s. Admittedly, there are some other outfits that Murdock went through that didn't hit the mark as well as the all-red look did, but to bring this armored atrocity to live action really would be sinful.
Punisher skull-and-crossbones swimwear
When you're a cold-blooded vigilante fueled by the death of your wife and child, it's understandable that you'd want to kick back a bit and relax when you can. That being said, if Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle (reported to be returning in "Daredevil: Born Again") does have time to calm down, we hope it doesn't involve the Punisher repping his well-known logo in such tight swimwear.
Displaying his skull and crossbones (yes, that's a euphemism) in the Marvel Swimsuit Special #2, Frank finds himself in a revealing position after being whisked away with other heroes to Monster Island by Pip, the mischievous troll. Being this unarmed feels like something that Frank Castle would never agree to, let alone the excessively aggressive version brought to life by Jon Bernthal. Wearing nothing but shades and speedos puts our one-man army Frank Castle at a massive disadvantage, so don't presume the same will happen in the MCU.
Come to think of it, we don't imagine any of the key characters at the center of "Born Again" will have time away from the danger and corruption filling Hell's Kitchen, least of all Frank. Sun, sea, and sand? No, thank you. The Punisher needs a highly elevated position, zero glare, and a place to inflict damage. If we ever find Frank in trunks in the MCU, it'll be taking guns out of some or putting bodies into them.
Magneto's big-M mistake
With the X-shaped door opening wider in the MCU, it's only a matter of time before Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Professor X, and Magneto make their fully fledged arrival. Understandably, for some of the characters that we've already seen in live action, an effort might be made to ensure that these familiar heroes and villains have a different look about them than before. We can only hope, though, that when it comes to bringing new life to the master of magnetism, it doesn't involve him being sleeveless and wearing his favorite letter like a chef's apron.
Just like Logan should have his pointy black cowl that will finally appear in "Deadpool 3," or Spidey should have his massive eye mask, Magneto needs that feared, almost medieval helmet to carry off his look of being an absolute monster. He doesn't need a look similar to Mark Pillow's Nuclear Man from "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" and a giant M across his torso. Another fashion fallout from way back is when Magneto was first seen in this outfit in Uncanny X-Men #200, where he finally decides to give up being the bad guy and atone for his sins.
It's a look he'll be donning in "X-Men '97," and as it's animated, we'll let it slide. When the metal-bending monster arrives in live action, we hope his sleeves accompany him.