Avengers' 10 Greatest Superhero Designs Of All Time, Ranked

Marvel's Avengers are the greatest heroes Earth has to offer, with a roster made up of household-name characters. But among these iconic characters, which heroes have the greatest designs of all time?

Here are the 10 best character designs in Avengers history. For this list, we're focusing on characters with a major link to the franchise, and excluding characters better-known from other teams like the X-Men or Fantastic Four, as well as solo heroes who have technically joined, but aren't traditionally seen as Avengers, like Spider-Man and Moon Knight.

10 Thor

Debuted Journey into Mystery #83, Designed by Jack Kirby

Kirby was experimenting with Thor comics long before he partnered with Stan Lee, but his initial vision of the character was an out-and-out viking with a bushy orange beard and spiked armor.

It was with Marvel that Kirby turned Thor into a superhero, creating a whole visual language of fantasy Asgardian fashion and architecture. The bold colors, the boulder-like muscles, and the simple but almighty hammer combine to create a superheroic superstar.

9 The Vision

Redesigned in West Coast Avengers Volume 2 #45 by John Byrne

The Vision's red, yellow and green design is awesome, but has never quite connected with his depiction as a synthetic being. That changed in West Coast Avengers, when Vision was detached from his humanity and took on the white Vision form.

Spectral and inscrutable, this design coincided with Vision becoming callous and uncaring, but it also came the closest to visually embodying what makes the character unique.

8 Spider-Woman

Redesigned in Spider-Woman Volume 5 #5 by Kris Anka

Spider-Woman has always had a strong costume... but not one that necessarily speaks to her arachnid powers or espionage background.

In 2015 that changed, with Kris Anka giving Jessica Drew an awesome combination of superhero costume and streetwear.

The costume is the perfect complement to Spider-Woman's merged superhero/private investigator lifestyle, and even turned her classic yellow triangle into a spider logo. Small details like 'eyes' on the shoulders create a far more arachnid theme, but opening the jacket and stowing her web-wings also allowed Jess to blend into the crowd when on an investigation.

7 Captain Marvel

As Seen in Captain Marvel Volume 7 #1, Designed by Jamie McKelvie

When Carol Danvers took the Captain Marvel codename in 2012, she needed a costume to match, and Jamie McKelvie knocked it out of the park first try. Carol's new costume was a bold, bright suit that uses the three 'hero' colors (yellow, red and blue) while still feeling unique.

An asymmetrical sash at the waist is a fitting nod to Carol's former Ms. Marvel costume, and subtle details like the collar add a military vibe that speaks to Carol's origin and outlook.

6 Iron Man

Costume Debut in Tales of Suspense #48, Designed by Steve Ditko

When he first stomped into Marvel Comics, Iron Man wore a gigantic silver version of his iconic armor. He later switched to gold and, eventually, invented a far more light-weight red and yellow suit that effectively reinvented the character.

There have been endless iterations on the Mark 2 armor, but the iconic red torso and yellow limbs redefined Tony Stark's aesthetic forever.

5 Ant-Man

As Seen in Tales to Astonish #35, Designed by Jack Kirby

While the MCU has tried to strip all hints of kitsch out of its hero costumes, that element is essential to comic art. Ant-Man's costume doesn't look 'cool' in the stylish sense, but its retro sci-fi vibe is perfect for the character, inviting fans to ask what this guy can do.

Ant-Man didn't start out as a superhero. In his first appearance in Tales to Astonish #27, he didn't even wear a costume, in a sci-fi short story about a scientist who develops a shrinking potion. His eventual superhero costume speaks to this origin - it should take a bulky helmet with antennae for a regular guy to communicate with insects.

4 Jane Foster's Thor

Costume Debut in Thor Volume 4 #1, Designed by Russell Dauterman

After Thor became unworthy of his hammer, Jane Foster took on the role of the Mighty Thor. Russell Dauterman's costume was designed to act as a superhero persona, but also to hide Jane's identity as fans speculated which of several characters had inherited Mjolnir.

The entire costume is a work of genius, melding realistic details like the leather skirt with superhero iconography, like the bare arms and billowing cape. Indeed, Dauterman surrounded Jane with fabric to aid in depicting her mastery of the weather.

However, the cherry on top is the helmet, which makes Jane feel like a true force of nature. With hidden black eyes, blonde hair whipping in the wind and dark lips bellowing in fury, Jane's Thor has the presence of a god.

3 The Hulk

Debuted in The Incredible Hulk #1, Designed by Jack Kirby

Like Godzilla, Hulk is a relatively traditional monster with just enough of a twist that he became an icon. Burly grotesques aren't uncommon in pop culture, but Hulk's jutting brow, gaping mouth and jade skin (the result of a printing error) are more than the sum of their parts.

As Marvel itself has pointed out, Hulk's color scheme marks him as a villain (comics often uses green and purple for evil-doers like Green Goblin, the Joker, Kang the Conqueror and Lex Luthor), baking his antihero nature into his design.

2 Black Panther

Debuted in Fantastic Four #52, Designed by Jack Kirby

Black Panther has never had a bad costume (apart from an early sketch when Kirby and Lee were kicking around the idea, below), but his original is something special.

The white eyes against a silhouetted body creates the sense of being hunted by a big cat, however Kirby's genius couldn't stop there. The initial costume includes gray-striped gloves and an asymmetrical cape that gave the hero a more defined shape and sense of swashbuckling adventure - a detail which the sketch above shows was one of the first Kirby struck upon.

1 Captain America

Perfected in Captain America Comics #2, Designed by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon

Captain America was near-perfect right out of the gate, but his first appearance in Captain America Comics #1 was lacking some key details. First, his costume didn't cover his neck, making it seem like he had a skinnier build. Second, his disc-shaped shield didn't yet exist.

The legendary accessory came along in the next issue, replacing Cap's original escutcheon weapon. At the time, Steve Rogers was one of many patrioic super-soldiers wearing variations on the American flag. However, odd details like the Hermes-esque wings on his mask and his unique shield made him stand out from the pack.

When Lee and Kirby were looking for characters to join the Avengers decades later, Steve Rogers returned from the grave - too iconic to remain forgotten, despite originally debuting in 1940.

Those are the 10 best character designs in Avengers history - let us know in the comments below what you think of our ranking, as well as what other heroes belong on this list.