14 Worst Male Superhero Costumes

Some might say a superhero is only as good as his costume, but that doesn't mean all costumes are all that great. Sure, Batman would be nothing without his Bat suit, but are you really going to argue that Robin needs to put his green scale short shorts back on?

While we have thankfully stepped away from the underpants phase, some characters would have been better off just going for the classic look. We’re about to delve into a world of shoulder pads, bad hair, ridiculous headgear and some dreadful accessories.

Some of these outfits may have looked great at the time of printing, but have aged horribly. Many characters received a much-needed redesign to fix the issues, but some have managed to avoid going back to the drawing board.

Then comes the heroes that have been redesigned and came out much worse than before. It's risky business changing an iconic character’s look. Yes, it pays off occasionally, like when Dick Grayson became Nightwing. But overall, it’s usually a bad idea, as we are about to see.

Luke Cage may have started out as an attempt to cash in on the blaxploitation craze, but - thanks to his reboot in 1992 - he has become a fan favourite.

Due to the character being introduced as a cash-grab by Marvel, early iterations of Cage were questionable at best, especially when it came to his signature look. The deep cut bright yellow top, chain belt and metal headband made no sense. Surely Marvel could have made the headband do something, instead of just looking like an upside-down tiara.

Unfortunately, the only actual answer to why he’s dressed that way is simple. To keep up with what was happening in Hollywood, Cage was designed with every stereotype in mind. Ironically, Luke’s costume was largely left out when it came to his most recent on-screen appearance. It did make a brief appearance as fan service, but really doesn’t work in a modern setting.

Having ran for 125 issues, the Power Man series was cancelled as the film craze died down. It took Marvel six years to bring the character back, but the wait was worth it. These days, Luke Cage prefers to stay under the radar, and has no need for a costume.