10 Worst DC Superhero Costumes Ever

In the Golden Age of comics, DC Comics established a standard for superhero costumes, which evolved over time to reflect changing tastes and times. However, even in the early days, there were some questionable designs among the gems produced during this period. It’s just part of the creative process: sometimes artists push boundaries, but the result doesn’t always meet expectations. Over time, fans have seen a mix of brilliant and disappointing costume designs. You often have to accept the occasional dud in order to appreciate the better costumes, and hope for improvements in the future.

Various individuals hold distinct opinions about what constitutes an unappealing costume. Sometimes, it’s the choice of colors that leaves a lot to be desired. Other times, the cut of the costume is ill-fitting or outdated. At still other times, costumes are so rooted in their particular era that they seem incongruous when worn outside of that timeframe. DC Comics, known for its iconic costumes, has had a significant number of questionable costume redesigns (some might argue that DC has more subpar costume transformations than Marvel due to the enduring popularity of its original designs and fan resistance to changes). Regardless, here are the ten most poorly received costume modifications.

10) Golden Age Mister Terrific

It’s exciting to see Mister Terrific II making his mark in mainstream pop culture! His costume is stylish, yet there’s an overabundance of elements that make it appear complicated rather than simplistic. One might anticipate the original Mister Terrific would have a similarly impressive costume, but this isn’t the case. The “Fair Play” emblem on his chest and the peculiar overcoat seem like excess components that detract from the design’s overall harmony. Although the red and green color scheme coordinated well, the combination of odd design choices doesn’t quite gel together effectively.

9) Silver Age Elongated Man

The Elongated Man’s costumes aren’t particularly remarkable, but his first one takes the cake as the least impressive. It’s a simple, plain purple full-body suit paired with a domino mask. Simplicity can be effective, but not in this case. There’s nothing about it that makes an impact or stands out. A superhero costume should capture attention, and this one fails to do so entirely. In fact, it’s so dull and unremarkable that it doesn’t even warrant criticism.

8) Justice League Europe Power Girl Costume

Power Girl’s outfit stands out among many, yet its appeal extends beyond visual allure. It exemplifies a minimalistic design that truly resonates. Post the “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” DC experimented with altering Power Girl’s costume, leading to an ’80s style that left much to be desired. The costume still retained the “boob window,” but other aspects were poorly thought out. The shoulder pads and tiara are distinctly ’80s, and the blue color seems misplaced on Power Girl. Furthermore, modifying her cape’s color was a mistake. The lack of vibrant colors in the costume is problematic; it’s dull and poorly constructed. This design forgets the classic elements of her original outfit and creates something unsuitable for any era outside of the ’80s.

7) Cosmic Boy Swimsuit Costume

There have been quite a few unusual redesigns of costumes, but Cosmic Boy’s swimsuit outfit is undeniably one of the most puzzling. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with revealing male outfits; it seems as though nearly every female costume revolves around sex appeal, so it could be argued that a similar approach works for males too. However, something about this costume just doesn’t seem to fit right. Yes, it showcases a lot of muscular definition, but that doesn’t necessarily make it good. In truth, when you really think about it, this costume is far from sexy. It’s difficult to understand the reasoning behind such a change for Cosmic Boy’s outfit. Regrettably, the new design abandoned all distinctive features and colors associated with Cosmic Boy’s previous costumes. If it had retained even some elements, it might not have been ideal, but at least it would still look like a Cosmic Boy costume. However, this version doesn’t possess any traits that identify it as belonging to Cosmic Boy, which is what makes it so disappointing.

6) Lex Luthor’s Bronze Age Costume

In simpler terms, Lex Luthor, one of DC Comics’ most brilliant villains, has sported some stylish looks throughout the years. His iconic green and purple armor is often hailed as one of the coolest in comic book history, allowing him to engage in battles with Superman who could hurl planets at that time, while still maintaining a sleek appearance. However, during the late Silver Age and Bronze Age, Lex Luthor’s costume took a turn for the worse. The costume was marked by a disco-style collar that dated it significantly, and although the combination of green and purple was appealing, the excessive use of purple made the green seem insignificant. Moreover, the cylindrical pouches scattered across the costume felt awkward, while the bandoliers helped to balance out the color scheme but lacked a sense of authenticity for Lex Luthor’s character. Although Lex was on the right track with his costume design, it never quite reached its intended goal.

5) ’80s Black Canary

The transformation of Black Canary’s costume in the 80s was one of the most significant downgrades in terms of costumes, with her original design being highly regarded and still influencing contemporary designs today. However, during this period, DC Comics sought to modernize their characters, which resulted in costumes that didn’t quite hit the mark. Unfortunately, Black Canary’s 80s costume, characterized by its headband and shoulder pads, fell short of expectations. Although the designers intended to create a symbol with the shoulder pads/black section, the outcome was far from appealing. Black Canary, being a formidable fighter, deserves a costume that reflects her toughness, but this design fails to convey that image. Instead of preserving the original perfection, they ended up with a design that can only be described as less than ideal.

4) Earth-Two Dick Grayson’s Batman Homage Costume

As a die-hard fan of DC Comics, I’ve always appreciated the rich tapestry of their universe, including the varied costumes donned by our favorite characters. Earth-Two has its fair share of both stunning and questionable designs, and the Dick Grayson costume on this alternate reality is undeniably one of the latter.

Now, it’s important to acknowledge that there were some exceptional designs for Earth-Two Robin, particularly the one he wore during Crisis on Infinite Earths, which truly embodied the essence of the character. However, the costume in question falls far short of that mark.

One of the challenges DC faced back then (and to some extent still does) was a lack of opportunities for characters to advance or transition into new roles. With the retirement of Earth-Two Batman, Dick Grayson wasn’t destined to become the new Batman, leaving us with his less-than-impressive replacement costume. It seemed like a half-hearted compromise: “Sorry, Dick, no promotion for you, but here’s this… well, let’s just call it unique.”

There is a certain charm to the costume, a campy appeal that feels reminiscent of a cult classic like The Room, and I must admit, I find myself drawn to it, not because it’s good, but because it’s so different. Yet, that doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s still a rather unfortunate design in the grand scheme of DC Comics costumes.

3) New 52 Tim Drake

In The New 52 era, the Teen Titans’ costumes were particularly awful, and among them, Tim Drake’s Red Robin outfit stood out as one of the worst. Since the introduction of Damian Wayne, Tim Drake had been grappling with his place in the superhero world. Although he maintained popularity, it seemed that the creators weren’t sure what to do with him. They gave him the Red Robin name, a moniker previously held by Dick Grayson in Kingdom Come, and a costume that was initially well-received. However, The New 52 brought about changes, affecting Tim’s costume as well.

The revised costume retained the red and black colors of the original Red Robin outfit, but it ditched the full head mask for a domino mask reminiscent of Robin. The design became excessively complex, with the red chest plate appearing unattractive. In addition to the outdated ’90s-style bandolier and arm pouches, the creators opted to replace his cape with wings, presumably to alter Tim’s superhero gimmick from swinging through the city to gliding. Unfortunately, this change didn’t align at all with Tim’s character. All in all, it was a poorly conceived costume for Tim Drake, a character who had truly earned his status as Robin.

2) New 52 Superboy

The New 52 version of Superboy didn’t succeed as expected, standing out among other changes made to the character. People felt that the new costume was a miss, veering away from the casual yet cool image of Superboy in t-shirt and jeans. The black and red costume felt too grim, losing the appeal it once had. While the red piping attempted to balance the dark look, its design wasn’t appealing either. Overall, the costume didn’t work well, and it’s been discarded like other aspects of the New 52 Superman.

1) Azrael’s Batman Costume

The ’90s are often referred to as the era of excessive design, and superhero costumes from this period offer numerous examples. As evidence A, let’s discuss Azrael’s version of Batman. This costume embodies all the questionable design choices of the ’90s: futuristic armor, pouches, blades, and full face masks, which are combined and extensively applied to the Batman suit. What many don’t realize is that Azrael was intended as a critique of the grim and gritty heroes popular in the ’90s, serving as a satirical take on the trends. The costume itself epitomizes this, combining all the negative aspects of ’90s costumes into an unsightly ensemble.

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2025-08-16 02:04