20 of the Worst Superhero Costumes

Cloak and Dagger (Image via Marvel)

5. Dagger

Far too often, a genuinely interesting and complex character is completely overshadowed by his or her costume. And, wouldn’t you know it, female characters in particular are often saddled with some of the craziest, most sexist costumes.

That’s a real shame when it comes to the character of Dagger, also known as Tandy Bowen. Along with Ty Johnson (“Cloak”, naturally), the teenage runaways are kidnapped, injected with a mysterious drug, and receive superpowers. Ty can essentially move others and himself through a dark dimension, while Tandy can generate psionic “light daggers.”

The Cloak and Dagger writers, like many before them, just couldn’t resist a series of near-puns and all-too-convenient costume designs. Ty wears, naturally, a big cloak. Simple enough. It’s probably pretty warm and comfy, too, not to mention appropriately dramatic. Though it should be said that Ty, who is a young black man, does have to “feed” off of light and kind of doesn’t have a physical body. It’s an awkward metaphor.

Tandy, meanwhile, is saddled with — contain your surprise — a skintight white jumpsuit with dagger-shaped cutouts. Said cutouts are naturally situated right above her breasts and along her abdomen. This leaves Dagger in constant danger of popping out of her costume, as insightfully illustrated by artist Kate Beaton (in a NSFW sort of way). It also means that poor Tandy can’t just have a burrito once in awhile, thanks to her unforgiving and probably uncomfortable getup.