DC Comicsis home to some of the most recognizable superheroes in the world. From Superman, to Batman, to Wonder Woman, every iconic DC legend has more than a few fan-favorite designs that have long been stuck in the minds of readers.
Unfortunately, many of DC’s designs haven’t stuck around as long as the audience may have liked. And there are more thana few underrated DC Comics costumes that desperately need a revival. From one of Supergirl’s best, short-lived designs to a Flash look every fan should want back, DC’s heroes have a massive collective wardrobe with far too many costumes that deserve more time to shine.
10Supergirl’s Woman of Tomorrow Wardrobe
First Appearance:Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow#8 by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Matheus Lopes, and Clayton Cowles
Maybe even more so than her baby cousin, Kal-El,Supergirlhas undergone quite a few wardrobe changes throughout her publication history. From her 1980s headband to her early ’00s crop top look, Kara Zor-El’s uniform has frequently reflected the times in which she’s lived. But the striking glimpse at her future inSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrowincludes one of her best looks ever.
Doing away with the classic skirt in favor of a more utilitarian jumpsuit, the massive gold belt calls back to the circus strongman costumes that inspiredthe original design for Superman. And while the shorter haircut is clearly reminiscent of Kara’s earliest appearances, this look is a perfect example of paying homage to the past while fully embracing Supergirl’s place as the Woman of Tomorrow.
9Superman’s Earth 2 Ensemble
First Appearance:Earth 2#1 by James Robinson, Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott, Alex Sinclair, and Dezi Sienty
For years, DC Comics has introduced more than a fewSupermanredesigns that did away with the Man of Steel’s iconic red trunks, but few innovations look as good as the Superman of Earth-2 following the DC Universe’s post-Flashpointreshuffling. Eschewing the trunks for a thick red and yellow belt, this design blends the House of El crest directly into his cape with an open collar lacked by his younger Earth-0 counterpart.
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In many ways, this older, more experienced Superman reminded readers of the post-Crisis Man of Tomorrow even more than the de-aged Kal-El established within the New 52. But even now thatmultiversal shenanigans have realigned all of DC Comics’ history– and especially Superman – to a more classic status quo, this is still one of Clark’s best looks.
8Wonder Woman’s Challenge of the Gods Armor
First Appearance:Wonder Woman#10 by George Pérez, Len Wein, Bruce D. Patterson, Carl Gafford, and John Costanza
Though she may be the world’s greatest symbol of peace,Wonder Woman herself is also one of DC’s greatestcombatants, and, as a born warrior, it’s no surprise that Diana has quite a few different suits of armor. Her Golden Eagle armor may indeed be her most iconic, but the Amazing Amazon’s most equally amazing armored design predates that look by more than a few years.
First donned by Diana during the “Challenge of the Gods” story arc, Wonder Woman’s classic battle armor more clearly emphasizes the base aspect of her costume, incorporating her signature colors while also acknowledging her status as a warrior as well as an ambassador and hero. Along with her equally well-branded weaponry, this lookaligns Wonder Woman more closely with her Amazon sistersand should be her default for any major battle.
7Red Hood’s Hybrid Redesign
First Appearance:Batman and Robin#24 by Judd Winnick, Greg Tocchini, Arthur Fujita, and Pat Brosseau
Jason Todd has hada tumultuous history with the wider Batman Family, and before he rejoined the ranks of Gotham’s protectors, he was in the running to be one of its most dangerous supervillains – and he had the suit to match. Luckily, he didn’t stay a supervillain for long, but several design aspects of his more comic-book-y Red Hood design would make it into his next outfit, blending some of his more traditional superhero design choices with the tactical bent that Jason’s fans know and love.
The outfit was cobbled together from his previous costumes after escaping a prison convoy, but its striking redesign was short-lived and debuted right before DC’s New 52 relaunch. Clearly defining his role as part of the wider superheroic ecosystem while still highlighting his independence from the wider Bat-Family, Todd’s third Red Hood design remains one of his best.
6Cyborg’s DC You Makeover
First Appearance:Cyborg#1 by David F. Walker, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Adriano Lucas, and Rob Leigh
As a genuine half-man, half-machine hybrid that lives up to his codename, Cyborg, also known as Victor Stone, is constantly upgrading his tech and look to continue the never-ending battle against evil. But Stone’s best look was criminally short-lived: the pitch-perfect redesign for his DC You solo series that finallyshone DC Comics' spotlighton the Justice League founder while incorporating some of Cyborg’s greatest design elements from across his history.
Looking for more Cyborg? Don’t forget to check out his most recent solo miniseries, which is collected asCyborg: Homecomingby Morgan Hampton, Tom Raney, Travis Mercer, and more, available now from DC Comics.
Since the start of the New 52,Cyborgs’s designs had grown more and more mechanizedto the point that his face was the only human aspect left for fans to see. This look dials it back a notch, showing off more of the man inside the machine while also ditching the red tints in favor of the blue accents popularized by Vic’s fan-favorite design from theTeen Titansanimated series.
5Black Lightning’s Brick City Blues Outfit
First Appearance:Black Lightning#1 by Jenny Blake Isabella, Eddy Newell, Ron McCain, Matt Hollingsworth, Electric Crayon, and Albert De Guzman
Black Lighting isone of DC’s most underrated powerhouses, but Jefferson Pierce’s fashion tastes have always been as shocking as the powers from which he derives his codename. But the founding Outsider and future Justice Leaguer’s best look first appeared in the “Brick City Blues” relaunch of his solo title, as Pierce relocates to the titular, crime-ridden neighborhood of his father’s hometown.
Highlighting his more grounded, street-level roots compared to some of the DC Universe’s loftier heroes, this redesign featured a leather jacket with an irresistibly ’90s high collar and fingerless gloves. Forgoing a mask in favor of obscuring his identity with his signature electrical abilities, it’s more shocking than anything that Black Lightning’s best look has yet to make a comeback.
4Green Lantern’s Jim Lee Redesign
First appearance:Green Lantern#150 by Judd Winnick, Dale Eaglesham, Pat Quinn, Rodney Ramos, John Lowe, Moose Baumann, and Kurt Hathaway
As an artist, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner has the perfect excuse to undergo all the costume redesigns he’s been through over the ages, but his best uniform first appeared inGreen Lantern#150. Designed by Jim Lee, Kyle’s new costume was a reflection of the lastGreen Lantern’s growth at that time, evolving him past his initial look into a form that signified his transition from rookie hero to established A-Lister.
More heavily emphasizing the green in the Lantern, Kyle’s new uniform featured an incandescent Green Lantern emblem and a more militaristic bent with a buckled collar and boots along with the ribbed sleeves and knees. To this day, it’s not only one of the best Green Lantern designs out there, but alsosome of Lee’s finest work.
3Walter West’s Dark Flash
First Appearance:The Flash#150 by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Paul Pelletier, Vince Russell, Tom McCraw, and Gaspar Saladino
There have been countless Flashes throughout the history of the DC Universe, and each Scarlet Speedster has their own unique design, but the uniform donned by the Dark Flash Walter West has to be one of the best out there. A variant of the third Flash, Wally West, Dark Flash’s design trades in the signature gold accents in favor of silver along with a massive asymmetrical lightning bolt that lives up to the Flash legacy.
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This costume is as far a leap from Barry Allen’s Flash costume as Barry’s was from that of the original Flash, Jay Garrick. And while later Wally West designs have incorporated the dark red and silver aspects of this uniform, it’s way past timefor DC Comics’ main Flash to don this look full-time– or at least something that looks a lot like it.
2Tim Drake’s Second Red Robin Uniform
First Appearance:Red Robin#12 by Christopher Yost, Marcus To, Ray McCarthy, Guy Major, and Sal Cipriano
Tim Drake’s Robin has had a hard time finding his footingover the last few years, and there are many readers who feel that the third Robin hasn’t been allowed to grow as a character since his days wearing this fan-favorite Red Robin uniform. Inspired by more than a couple Elseworld designs, the sleeker cowled look symbolized Tim’s upgrade as an independent hero outside of Batman’s shadow following the death of Bruce Wayne, with this second iteration further streamlining the look.
Overall, this look perfectly blends elements of iconic designs for both Batman and Robin while more closely matching the color scheme of an actual robin. Even now, Drake’s Red Robin uniform remains one of his best of all time and elevates him way past sidekick status into his own hero like his fellow Robin alumni,Nightwing and Red Hood, long before him.
1Bruce Wayne’s Batman Incorporated Suit
First Appearance:Batman: The Return#1 by Grant Morrison, David Finch, Ryan Winn, Matt Banning, Peter Steigerwald, and Dave Sharpe
Much like his fellow hero, Superman,Batman has undergone quite a few redesignsthat have sought to ditch his iconic trunks, but few trunkless Batman costumes have looked quite as good as the uniform he wore during the beloved debut of Batman Incorporated. Ditching the trunks in favor of a streamlined gray costume with the return of the classic yellow oval logo, this look didn’t last long before it was replaced by Batman’s New 52 redesign – a redesign that similarly attempted a more modernized, simplified Dark Knight look that ultimately ended up looking far more complicated.
Thankfully, Bruce’s Batman Inc. design has made a few appearances in the years since, most recently as the Caped Crusader faced off with the villainous Abyss. But it’s only a matter of time beforeDC Comicsbrings back Batman’s best and most underrated costume, if not something similar.
