20 of the Worst Superhero Costumes

Image via Marvel

8. Noble Kale Ghost Rider

How could you possibly screw up the Ghost Rider costume? All you really need to do is make sure that he looks like he stepped straight off a metal album cover. Apart from finding an appropriately be-studded leather jacket, there’s little you need to do. The flaming skull should do all the work, really.

And, yet, we still have Noble Kale. Who is Noble Kale, anyway, and why does that spelling of “Johnny Blaze” look so weird? Ah, friends, I have terrible news. Like practically every single superhero in all of creation, no one person holds that title.

This particular version of Ghost Rider is something of an amalgamation. Dan Ketch, the latest version in 1990, started out wearing a classic biker outfit with plenty of black leather. However, Ketch eventually learns that his powers come from Noble Kale, an 18th century ancestor who had been cursed by demonic forces. When Ketch is possessed by the spirit of his ancestor, the two become the Spirit of Vengeance.

That’s all well and good in the world of comics, but it turns out that Noble Kale has a seriously outdated sense of fashion. Instead of relatively subdued black and gray gear, Kale has a taste for color. Ghost Rider therefore went through an unfortunate period where he donned bright blues, red, and oranges. Not exactly menacing.