Every Comics-Accurate Costume We've Seen In The MCU So Far
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken some exciting risks over the course of the five films and six television series that have thus far made up Phase 4. Disney Plus has proven to be a gamechanger, the multiverse is officially a thing, and Marvel has dug deeper than ever before into its roster of comic book characters, introducing audiences to unique and relatively unknown superheroes like Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, and the Eternals (hey, it worked for the Guardians of the Galaxy).
For many, however, what's been most exciting about Phase 4 is its introduction of comics-accurate costumes for a variety of heroes and villains. And with the trailer release of "Thor: Love and Thunder" showcasing another such costume for Thor, now is the perfect time to look at the other times the MCU has brought their characters' four-color outfits to the big screen. Here are 12 MCU costumes that might as well have stepped directly off the page.
Thor in Love and Thunder
"Thor: Love and Thunder" will see the beloved God of Thunder return to the MCU for his fourth solo flick. Directed by "Thor: Ragnarok" director and star Taika Waititi, this film seems to be taking Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey of self-discovery after the events that led to his emotional breakdown in "Avengers: Endgame." While the trailer reveals some pretty jaw-dropping moments, including Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) wielding the power of Mjolnir and the introduction of the Greek god Zeus (Russell Crowe), it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment that needs to be addressed.
The trailer starts with Thor running through the forest at various stages of his life. Audiences see him as a young boy, then a teenager, before he becomes the adult Thor played by Hemsworth. The only difference is that the teen version of Thor is dressed in his comic-accurate costume rather than the typical look audiences have seen in the MCU. Specifically, Thor is wearing a classic Jack Kirby costume that initially debuted in 1962 in "Journey Into Mystery" #83, complete with a red cape, yellow boots with a matching belt, and of course, a winged helmet.
Spider-Man in No Way Home
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" brought back previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield into Tom Holland's story as the multiverse began to splinter, forcing all three Spider-Men to fight villains from previous incarnations of the franchise. The box office juggernaut contained countless call-back moments and cameos, but it's the final scene that stole the show, as audiences finally see Holland's Spider-Man getting back to his roots.
The MCU's version of Peter Parker has been an extension of Iron Man for essentially his entire existence. "No Way Home" is the first time Holland's Spider-Man fights villains that aren't connected to Tony Stark, and it's the first time he deals with the death of a loved one and learns the true weight of being a hero — that great power comes with great responsibility. Spider-Man is finally his own character, not just the guy who showed up in "Civil War," and this is perfectly outlined in his new (old) costume. For the first time in the MCU, Spider-Man is truly alone. As he can no longer depend on Stark technology, he creates his own suit at the end of "No Way Home," one that's clearly designed after the classic Spidey suit from the comics. For the first time in the MCU, Holland really is playing your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Classic Loki and President Loki in Loki
Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of Loki, the God of Mischief, has made the character iconic. As one of the greatest Marvel villains in the MCU, Loki is a character that both fans and the studio would understandably have a difficult time saying goodbye to, which his probably why he was brought back to life after dying at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin) in "Avengers: Infinity War."
In the Disney Plus series "Loki," audiences see what happens to the character after he steals the Space Stone during the Avengers' time heist in "Avengers: Endgame." This alternate version of Loki is arrested by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an organization that monitors the timeline and stops variants like Loki from messing things up. Eventually, Loki begins to work with the TVA and comes across various versions of himself from different timelines, two of which are decked out in comics-accurate costumes. First, there's Richard E. Grant's portrayal of Classic Loki, an older Loki in his original 1960s costume, resplendent in green tights and big yellow horns. The show also gives us President Loki, brought to life from the 2016 "Vote Loki" limited series by Christopher Hastings and featuring that character's suit, green vest and tie (with a gold tie clip), and signature headpiece.
The Scarlet Witch in WandaVision
Phase 4 of the MCU began on Disney Plus with 2021's "WandaVision," which stars Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) dealing with her grief over the death of Vision (Paul Bettany), who's brought back after his death in "Avengers: Infinity War" thanks to Wanda's reality-warping magic. Within the self-contained, illusory world of Westview, Wanda and Vision are living a picture-perfect life in their small town with their two sons, a life that plays out in the form of sitcoms from varying eras, with neither Wanda nor Vision seeming to have any recollection of their past.
In one episode, the family is dressed up for Halloween, and the costumes they wear are straight out of the pages of Marvel Comics. Even Wanda's sons are dressed it outfits that reflect their comic book counterparts, as both grow up to be superheroes. However, it's Wanda's Scarlet Witch costume that caused our heads to turn fastest. Wanda has gone through various costume changes in the MCU, none of which include the iconic red one-piece, cape, and headdress she wears in the comics, so it was nice for fans to get a glimpse of what it would have looed like to have the original Scarlet Witch on our screens — shortly before she finally puts on the updated version.
Vision in WandaVision
Vision is a powerful android whose look changed drastically from the pages to the big screen — with good reason, as the MCU version of Vision leans heavily into the fact that he's an android, making his costume look more artificial. In the comics, aside from being red, Vision very much looks like a human man. He wears green spandex with a bright yellow cape with matching gloves and boots, and his torso is decorated with a yellow diamond. This is exactly how Vision's Halloween costume looks in "WandaVision," right down to the popped-up collar on the cape.
Vision was also given a second comics-accurate costume as White Vision. In the comics, Vision is disassembled and put back together by Hank Pym, but when he wakes, up he's devoid of his humanity and memories, making him an emotionless droid. This is similar storyline to the origin story of White Vision in "WandaVision," and having him look so similar to his comic book counterpart was a nice touch.
Quicksilver in WandaVision
This one is a doozy. In Marvel Comics, Wanda Maximoff has a twin brother named Pietro, gifted with superhuman speed and a terrible attitude. They're both Avengers, but they're also both mutants. Pietro, aka Quicksilver, holds the rare distinction of being the only character to appear in both the MCU and 20th Century Fox's "X-Men" films, thanks to an agreement that allowed Marvel to use the Maximoff twins as Avengers but not mutants, while Fox could use them as mutants but not Avengers. Pietro is portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (a film he didn't survive), but the Fox version, Peter Maximoff (who doesn't appear to have a sister) is played by Evan Peters.
So when Disney bought Fox and it was revealed that Peters was portraying a returning Quicksilver in "WandaVision," many questions about alternate universes came up. And while the revelation of Peters' real character in the MCU wasn't as exciting as we might have hoped, audiences still got to see him dressed as comic book Quicksilver in the Halloween episode, right down to his weird wind-pressed hair. We also got to see the blue costume marked with Quicksilver's iconic white lighting bolt, and for now, that's good enough.
Iron Man in Iron Man
The Mark 1 is the first suit Tony Stark creates, designed to help him escape his imprisonment and the hands of the terrorist organization known as the Ten Rings. While the setting is different in the comics, the storyline pretty much plays out the same way in the original MCU movie, 2008's "Iron Man." This was the movie that started the entire MCU franchise, and it all came from the bulky, intimidating armor that Tony famously built in a cave.
While most of the suits created by Iron Man in the MCU look incredibly similar to their comic book counterparts, the Mark 1 not only looks stunningly accurate but is similarly armed with a rocket launcher, flamethrowers, and jet boots, all of which help Tony escape the Ten Rings and begin his new life as a superhero. It's only fitting for the first installment in the MCU to pay such loving tribute to the first set of Iron Man armor.
Hawkeye in Hawkeye
For the most part, Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye costume has always leaned more towards being tactical spy gear rather than being a costume — his costume has arguably changed the most from the comics to the MCU. All that changed, though, when he got his own Disney Plus series, "Hawkeye."
The show addresses Hawkeye's costume via the character of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) who constantly tells Renner's Clint Barton that he has a branding issue and pushes to have him change his look. The show hints toward a change in Clint's appearance a few times, with Kate drawing a comics-accurate Hawkeye costume as inspiration for what his new suit should look like. We also get a glimpse at the classic costume in a quick moment that sees Clint encounter a group of LARPers — someone is wearing the Hawkeye costume while shooting a bow and arrow. However, due to Clint's resistance to changing his look, we naturally assume that these hints are all we'll ever get.
We're proven wrong when Clint surprises everyone, showing up in the final episode with a costume that clearly evokes the version of Hawkeye popularized by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Annie Wu. Clint wears Hawkeye's purple colors, has the purple logo on his chest, and even has purple feathers on his arrows.
Kingpin in Hawkeye
Another surprise that delighted fans from the "Hawkeye" show was the return of Kingpin from the hit Netflix series "Daredevil." The Marvel spin-off shows that aired on Netflix (which also included "Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage," "Iron Fist," and "The Defenders") have never had much of an impact on the broader MCU, even when they were still putting out new episodes, but between Charlie Cox's cameo appearance as Matt Murdoch in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and Vincent D'Onofrio's return as Wilson Fisk, that seems to be changing.
Introduced in the show's final episodes, Kingpin is a criminal force to be reckoned with. And while he's apparently been killed, his costume certainly made an impression on fans of the 2014 comic "Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business" by Mark Waid. In that story, Kingpin rocks the same bright red floral print shirt under a white jacket as he does "Hawkeye." According to CBR, this attention to detail is something D'Onofrio himself pitched to the costume department, as he was a fan of the original source material.
Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
At the end of "Avengers: Endgame," Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans) goes back in time to live out his life with Peggy Carter. When he catches up with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), he's an old man. He gives his shield to Sam, believing that he's the man to take Steve's place, but it's not that simple — the Phase 4 Disney Plus series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" dives into what this really means for Sam, who suspects that the world isn't ready for a Black Captain America.
By the end of the show, however, Sam accepts and understands the burden and honor that comes with picking up the shield. He debuts a new outfit that pays homage to both his old title as the Falcon and his new one as Captain America. And the best thing about his new look is that it's identical to his costume in the comics, right down to the sunglasses, color scheme, and wings.
US Agent in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Early in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," Sam Wilson gives Captain America's shield to the U.S. government, with the intention of it being put in a museum to honor Steve Rogers. However, the government has other plans, as seen when they introduce their own new Captain America: John Walker (Wyatt Russell). While he seems like your average all-American man, audiences can instantly see the differences between him and Rogers. John is quick to react in rage while Steve was always calm, cool, and collected; Steve always tried to do what was right, while John just does what is convenient.
In the comics, Walker is an enemy of Captain America, the other side of the coin — a patriotic villain. And while the MCU series hasn't taken him to those depths quite yet, it's easy to see that he's on a journey toward becoming his comic book character, the U.S Agent. He's even got the costume to match. Like in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," The U.S Agent is depicted in the comics as wearing Captain America-like colors, but darker. His chest outlines the American flag with simple red lines, with a black star on one side and red gloves. His costume is also more tactical than that of Captain America, driving home the fact that while Steve inspired hope, the U.S Agent inspires violence. Hopefully, we'll see more of both John Walker and his costume as his character develops.
Moon Knight in Moon Knight
The character of Moon Knight has gone through many iterations since his introduction to comic book readers back in the 1970s. Because of the constant changes, his origin story is a hard one to pin down, which is why the new Disney Plus series "Moon Knight" is a breath of fresh air for audiences to try and make sense of such an elusive character.
And if there's one thing the show absolutely nails, it's the costume design, especially with the introduction of Mr. Knight (Oscar Isaac) in the show's second episode. Phase 4 has been killing it with the comics-accurate costumes, and Mr. Knight's portrayal takes the cake. The suit itself is mystical in nature, but it's the little nuances that make it so similar to the comic depiction. For example, the all-white suit, the moon symbol on his forehead, and even the glowing eyes are classic Mr. Knight. What makes this suit so interesting, though, is that Marvel has managed to stay true to the classic design while still making the costume look cool. We can only hope that this trend continues throughout the remainder of Phase 4 and beyond!