{"id":7339,"date":"2025-04-10T08:15:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T08:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/7339\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T08:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T08:15:15","slug":"thought-downeys-doom-looked-bad-7-more-mcu-villain-designs-that-infuriated-comic-book-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/7339\/","title":{"rendered":"Thought Downey’s Doom Looked Bad? 7 More MCU Villain Designs That Infuriated Comic Book Fans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the weekend, a first look at Robert Downey Jr. as Avengers: Doomsday’s Doctor Doom leaked online. While we can’t say for sure whether it’s the real deal, we have good reason to believe it is and the MCU’s take on the character’s MCU…well, it’s not looking great.<\/p>\n

We’ll get to that a little later in this feature, but real or not, it still\u00a0got us thinking. As many of you pointed out when that image surfaced shortly after Downey’s 60th birthday<\/strong><\/a>, it’s not like this would be the first time Marvel Studios has dropped the ball on an iconic villain.<\/p>\n

In this feature, we’re looking back at some of the most noteworthy\u00a0examples of comic book baddies where something was lost in translation during the journey from page to screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can find out who rocked a design\u00a0every bit as bad as Doom by clicking the “Next”https:\/\/comicbookmovie.com\/”View List” buttons below.\u00a0

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

7. Gorr The God Butcher (Thor: Love and Thunder)<\/p>\n

\"Gorr-Infobox-copy\"<\/p>\n

We appreciate that Christian Bale didn’t necessarily want to don a motion-capture suit to play Gorr the God Butcher, but it would have been infinitely better than this half-hearted effort in\u00a0Thor: Love and Thunder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Weird makeup and a few markings on his skin did little to make Bale look any less ridiculous, and the fact he donned little more than a grey cloak…well, it pales in comparison to the living black substance that surrounded his comic book counterpart (which also formed the Necrosword and made Gorr a living weapon capable of killing Thor).\u00a0<\/p>\n

This didn’t work and was another disappointment in a movie full of them.\u00a0

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Deathlok (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.)<\/p>\n

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It’s still unclear whether\u00a0Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.\u00a0is canon (at least on Earth-616), but it would be\u00a0wrong not to mention this abomination of a costume…even if the blame lies more with Marvel Television than Marvel Studios.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s no denying that this character needed a few tweaks during the transition from page to screen, the costume he ended up with just looked like cheap garbage. The rubbery\u00a0material and unnecessary lights mean it would have been a better fit for an old\u00a0Power Rangers\u00a0episode from the 1990s.<\/p>\n

It’s not difficult to appreciate that superhero costumes on a TV budget are no easy feat, but whoever came up with this…well, have they ever even seen a picture of Deathlok?\u00a0The ABC series improved as time went on, but this was an unforgettable low point.

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5.\u00a0Green Goblin (Spider-Man: No Way Home)<\/p>\n

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We hate to be negative about this incredible movie, but c’mon,\u00a0Spider-Man: No Way Home\u00a0really didn’t do the Green Goblin justice from a costuming perspective.<\/p>\n

His classic (and admittedly divisive) green suit barely received any screentime, and the mask was destroyed far too soon. When the Goblin made his presence felt later in the movie, it was in a cobbled-together costume, which is saved only by the fact that the purple poncho and hood at least pay homage to the comic books.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We appreciated seeing Willem Dafoe’s manic face during these scenes, but that mask\u00a0should have been given another chance. The fact scenes showing Norman building his new suit were cut is also a shame.\u00a0

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Taskmaster (Black Widow)<\/p>\n

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This…this was\u00a0bad.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Black Widow’s Taskmaster not\u00a0wearing a literal skull on his head is an easy decision to understand on Marvel’s part, and the attempt to include the blue, white, and orange colour scheme we’re used to seeing in the comics is appreciated. However, the way it’s combined for the MCU does not work and looks pretty silly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Marvel Studios is no longer hiding the fact he is a she in Thunderbolts*, the suit only looks a little bit better. The MCU typically nails costume design, but something here simply didn’t translate properly. As a result, Taskmaster was little more than a generic action movie baddie.\u00a0

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3.\u00a0Whiplash (Iron Man 2)<\/p>\n

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Whiplash \u2013 who was a weird mashup of both that villain and Crimson Dynamo \u2013 had a couple of different looks in\u00a0Iron Man 2, but both of them underwhelmed.<\/p>\n

The first might have been the worst, though, and while his use of Tony Stark\u2019s arc reactor technology played a key role in the sequel\u2019s plot, it just looks like a lazy Iron Man knock-off and comes across as uninspired as a result.<\/p>\n

His final appearance (which received a laughably short amount of screentime) is so generic that it\u2019s hard to remember what Whiplash even looked like when he finally donned his own suit of armour. Trust us when we say it was bad, though, because there was nothing in this movie that redeemed Mickey Rourke’s big bad.\u00a0

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Ghost (Ant-Man And The Wasp)<\/p>\n

\"Ghost-Ant-Man-and-the-wasp-copy\"<\/p>\n

Making Ghost a female villain in\u00a0Ant-Man and The Wasp\u00a0wasn’t a bad idea, and choosing\u00a0Hannah John-Kamen to play the character was a genius move on Marvel’s part.\u00a0It’s just a shame that both the movie itself and the costume the villain wore were so underwhelming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There’s a creepy quality to Ghost in the comics that was completely lacking here with this sterile, plasticky effort that looked beyond generic on screen. The mask was a real miss, while the addition to the hood ensured that pretty much nothing we saw here actually worked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We’re excited to see Ghost return in Thunderbolts*, and while that design is a definite\u00a0improvement, it still doesn’t quite manage to do the source material justice.

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Shocker (Spider-Man: Homecoming)<\/p>\n

\"Shocker-Prepares-To-Punch-copy\"<\/p>\n

Before we conclude this feature, we have to mention another forgettable villain who deserved so much better.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An action figure confirmed that Marvel Studios once considered a comic-accurate design for Shocker, but that was abandoned, and he ended up looking like a generic thug with generic sci-fi\u00a0gauntlets rather than a memorable supervillain. Honestly, it’s one of\u00a0Spider-Man: Homecoming’s biggest failings.<\/p>\n

The Vulture looked great, so we don’t really know what went wrong here.\u00a0There’s been no sign of Shocker (or Scorpion) since, so perhaps Marvel Studios hopes to redeem them down the line. For now, though, we’ll continue to struggle to accept that this is how Shocker looked during his live-action debut.

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Honourable Mention: Doctor Doom (Avengers: Doomsday)<\/p>\n

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Look, we know this isn’t Downey’s “confirmed” look as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, but it seems likely (there are far too many specific design elements for a simple birthday card).\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the one hand, we can accept that this is what a Victor Von Doom without a world would look like as he explores the Multiverse. Then, when he gains the power of a God, the classic “God Emperor Doom” showing up is surely a given. Still, it’s hard not to find fault with this approach, and there’s one specific part of the design we hate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yes, we’re talking about the mask. It clearly takes its cues from Iron Man and makes sure to show enough of Robert Downey Jr.’s face so that no one will be able to forget he’s playing Doom. This could be a major misstep. We’ll see.\u00a0

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