DC Comics has some of the most interestingly designed characters in all of comic book history. Iconic heroes and villains from across the company’s history have been given some of the most intricate and well-articulated comic book designs ever, and live-action adaptations of those iconic characters have attempted time and time again to replicate the magic of the source material.
Unfortunately, more often than not, the adaptations to live-action for some of DC Comics’ most important characters are lackluster. So often, character designs in live-action DC properties come off as cheap, poorly designed, or completely unfaithful to the comic source material, and those are things that fans of the characters simply cannot stand.
10 The Flash Looked Terrible In His Solo Movie
Seen In: The Flash (2023)
The character of Barry Allen, also known as the Flash, is one of the most popular DC heroes in modern history. Even in live-action, the character has had great success with general audiences on his nine-season TV series, The Flash. While that series eventually had one of the best live-action costumes for the character, the 2023 film starring Ezra Miller absolutely butchered the hero’s design.
Ugly, over-designed, and bulky, Miller’s iteration of the Fastest Man Alive was shoddy work compared to the much cheaper version shown on television on The CW. The film itself wasn’t much better than the suit, and fans did not find The Flash satisfying in any way. Though Miller’s iteration of Barry Allen looked better in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, his solo film gave fans one of the worst interpretations of a DC hero ever put to live-action.
9 Mr. Freeze Was a Garish Mess in Live-Action
Seen In: Batman & Robin (1997)
Director Joel Schumacher’s 1997 film, Batman & Robin, remains one of the most unfairly hated superhero films of all time. Sure, it’s silly and campy and a little stupid, but it’s absolutely purposeful in those aspects. There are genuine issues with the movie, however, and chief among them is its portrayal of Victor Fries, also known as Mr. Freeze.
Played oddly by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Freeze was transformed from a compelling and emotionally complex villain into a one-dimensional, pun-firing villain with an unappealing suit and a contrived plot. His costume was bulky, over-designed, and cheap-looking, something that went against everything about the comic book version of the villain.
8 Atom Was an Off-Brand Iron Man in Live-Action
Seen In: Legends of Tomorrow (2016-2022)
Brandon Routh, notable for playing Clark Kent, aka Superman, in the somewhat mediocre 2006 film Superman Returns, found himself playing yet another DC Comics hero when he took on the role of Ray Palmer, aka the Atom. Generally, Atom’s costume is a simple, cloth suit, but The CW’s interpretation of the character made him an over-designed mess.
Taking advantage of the popularity of Iron Man in the MCU, Legends of Tomorrow saw the Atom become the de facto Tony Stark, complete with tech-oriented armor. The series’ budget didn’t do the character any favors, as his suit, powers, and characterization came off as cheap and gaudy.
7 Red Tornado's Brief Live-Action Appearance Was Instantly Forgettable
Seen In: Supergirl (2015-2021)
Yet another CW series, Supergirl was generally beloved by viewers, and it typically contained some impressive character designs, especially for its TV budget. One outlier in an early episode of the series, however, was its adaptation of Red Tornado, the iconic android hero and member of the Justice League.
In the series, Red Tornado is a generic antagonist for Supergirl to face off against, and his cheaply-made, boring, and flat costume design made Red Tornado utterly forgettable. Fans of the character barely register that version as a true adaptation, and the ugly design is destined to be lost to time.
6 Catwoman's Solo Movie Gave the Character Her Worst Ever Look
Seen In: Catwoman (2004)
2004’s Catwoman is one of the most notorious superhero movies of all time. The movie’s embarrassing writing, terrible editing, and mediocre casting are just the tip of the iceberg, as the film constantly one-ups itself on the terrible scale. One of the film’s most notable flaws is the version of the iconic Catwoman costume design worn by Halle Berry.
With numerous previous live-action iterations of the character nailing the aesthetic of Catwoman, the 2004 film completely butchered the comic book femme fatale and made her into a garish, generic mish-mash of styles. Halle Berry’s costume is the least of Catwoman‘s problems, but it certainly does not help the already terrible film.
5 Green Arrow Never Got a Great Costume in His Long-Running Series
Seen In: Arrow (2012-2020)
Arrow was the series that kickstarted the era of live-action DC Comics adaptations on The CW, and for that, fans are eternally grateful. Although the assortment of series on the network wasn’t always the best, they helped pique general audiences’ interest and engagement with some of DC’s most iconic heroes and villains. Arrow had its ups and downs, but one of the weakest aspects of the show was always its inability to provide a great costume for its lead hero.
Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen was often the weakest part of his own series, and part of that was due to the fact that he never got a costume worthy of his comic counterpart. Constantly weighed down by shoddy, cheap-looking leather, ugly masks and hoods, and a refusal to embrace silliness, Arrow‘s Green Arrow remains a major missed opportunity for fans of the iconic archer from the comics.
4 Jared Leto's Joker Is An Embarrassment to the Character's History
Seen In: Suicide Squad (2016)
Jared Leto is arguably one of the most overrated actors still working in Hollywood, and this has never been more apparent than in his portrayal of the Joker in 2016’s critically panned film, Suicide Squad. Over-designed with annoying tattoos, grills on his teeth, and garish costumes, Leto’s Joker is one of the few live-action iterations of the character that simply doesn’t work.
Suicide Squad made the Joker obnoxious, and that is something that should be quite difficult to do. Joker’s tattooed look remains one of the most controversial iterations among fans, and while there are those who love the style, more audience members are strongly opposed to the embarrassing and overly edgy look for the Clown Prince of Crime.
3 Gotham's Series Finale Gave Fans the Worst-Looking Batman of All Time
Seen In: Gotham (2014-2019)
FOX’s Gotham TV series surprisingly provided fans with several genuinely good adaptations of certain DC Comics characters and storylines over the course of its five-season run; however, one of the worst aspects of the series was its finale’s reveal of Batman. Though many characters in the series received compelling and comic-accurate costume adaptations, Bruce Wayne’s Bat-suit was utterly disastrous.
Actor David Mazouz, a young man who had previously played the child version of Bruce Wayne in the series, was oddly utilized as the actor portraying Batman in a flash-forward future iteration of Gotham‘s titular city. Wearing an ill-fitting suit, Mazouz’s Batman was unintimidating and embarrassing, and it left a bad taste in the mouths of fans in the series’ final moments.
2 Steel Barely Resembled the Comic Book Character
Seen In: Steel (1997)
One of the most notorious DC Comics adaptations of all time is the 1997 film Steel, starring NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, is a complete disaster. Barely adapting any aspect of the classic comic book character or his story, Steel was obviously a cheap attempt at giving Shaq a career in Hollywood, and it failed completely.
Steel gave its titular character a cheap-looking costume for him to fight crime in, and it remains one of the worst on-screen superhero costumes of all time. There are numerous issues with Steel, but many of them could have been overlooked by comic book fans if the film had just managed to get the character design right.
1 The Justice League Never Looked Worse Than in Their TV Movie Debut
Seen In: Justice League of America (1997)
Featured in a forgotten TV movie from the late 1990s, the first live-action Justice League consisted of Guy Gardner, also known as Green Lantern, Ray Palmer, also known as the Atom, Barry Allen, also known as the Flash, and many more. Among the remaining lineup was Martian Manhunter, oafishly brought to embarrassing life by acclaimed TV actor David Ogden Stiers.
While not many fans remember Justice League of America, the TV movie remains the worst interpretation of any DC character in live-action. Cheap, ugly, and corny-looking, the TV movie’s cast of heroes tarnished the comic book source material’s reputation, and fans would rather forget the adaptation ever happened.
