10 Superhero Costumes That Totally Ruined Iconic Characters

Costumes are essential to the success of superheroes. For decades, Marvel and DC Comics have captivated audiences with bright, eye-catching designs. A truly memorable character needs a striking costume. While a costume doesn’t have to be perfect from the start, it should be recognizable and have the potential for improvement. Evolving a costume can be just as important as having a good initial design, allowing creators to build on what works. However, costume changes don’t always succeed; sometimes they can actually detract from a character.

We’ve seen some truly awful costume changes over the years. Sometimes, these changes don’t fit the character at all, and in some cases, they’ve even ruined beloved iconic characters. Here are ten of the worst examples, and how they negatively impacted the characters they were meant to represent.

10) “Steampunk” Iron Man

Iron Man is famous for constantly improving his armor, but some designs haven’t quite hit the mark. While his suits are typically at the forefront of technological advancement, a recent armor debuted in 2024 took a surprising turn towards a steampunk aesthetic. This feels out of character for Iron Man, who is known for futuristic, cutting-edge technology, not retro-inspired designs. This new suit stands out as an odd and unusual choice in the history of Iron Man’s iconic armor.

9) Cyborg Brainiac

I’ve always been fascinated by Brainiac. He’s a Coluan known for being incredibly intelligent, and I always loved how simple his original look was – it really suited him. But honestly, when they turned him into a full-on cyborg, it just didn’t feel right to me. Brainiac’s strength has always been his mind, his ability to outsmart everyone. You usually see cyborg bodies on characters who rely on physical power. Don’t get me wrong, I actually really like the Brainiac redesign Gary Frank did a while back – a more imposing physical presence can work. But making him *completely* robotic just diminishes what made the character so brilliant and unique in the first place.

8) ’80s Black Canary

DC Comics has created some questionable character designs, and Black Canary’s outfit from the 1980s is arguably one of the worst. Intended as a more contemporary look, it replaced a fan-favorite costume but didn’t suit the character at all. Black Canary is known for her fighting skills, and her clothing should allow for complete freedom of movement. This costume prioritized style over practicality, hindering her abilities. It’s a poor choice for a character who looks best in simple, functional attire like a jacket, bodysuit, and fishnets.

7) Golden Age Sandman’s Superhero Suit

The Justice Society was DC Comics’ original superhero team, bringing together their earliest popular characters. Most members wore typical superhero outfits, but Sandman stood out with his distinctive look – a fedora, gas mask, trench coat, and suit. This unique costume perfectly matched his character, which was inspired by classic detective stories. However, as traditional superheroes became more popular and the detective style fell out of favor, Sandman’s costume was redesigned to look like everyone else’s. This change completely ignored what made the character special and is widely considered the biggest misstep in his history.

6) Shirtless ’90s Thor

Costume design in the 1990s wasn’t a high point for comics. While publishers always update character looks, the ’90s style often missed the mark, and even looked bad at the time. Thor was a prime example. He received a particularly awful costume with a midriff cut-out, and things didn’t improve before the ‘Heroes Reborn’ event led to the series being cancelled. Before the ‘Onslaught’ storyline, Thor started appearing shirtless, which didn’t suit his character. As a god *and* a warrior, his outfits should feel strong and armored. But this ‘costume’ – if you could even call it that – was simply a poor design choice. I disliked Thor’s original top in the ’90s, but removing it altogether and just having him shirtless didn’t feel right for the character.

5) Armored Captain America

The 1990s were a mixed bag for Captain America fans, and the early years were particularly rough. A prime example is the period where Captain America wore armored exoskeletons. While there was a story-based explanation – his super-soldier serum temporarily failed, but he still wanted to fight crime – it just didn’t feel right for the character. Many fans consider it a misstep and something they’d rather forget.

4) Bestial Wolverine

Over the years, Wolverine has worn many memorable costumes, and fans often debate which ones are the best. While some prefer his classic blue and yellow look, others favor the orange and brown or the sleek black and grey. However, most agree that his worst outfits came during his more animalistic phase. Instead of designing something new, the creators simply damaged existing costumes – like his blue and yellow X-Men suit – by adding holes and a bandana mask. Many fans dislike Wolverine’s ‘bestial’ period in general, and while the costume design might not be the biggest issue for some, it certainly didn’t help matters.

3) Wally West Rebirth Costume

Many fans consider Wally West to be the best version of the Flash, but a former DC Comics executive, Dan DiDio, didn’t seem to agree. He completely excluded Wally from the revamped DC Multiverse known as the New 52. It took significant fan protest to bring the character back. When Wally finally reappeared in *DC Rebirth* #1, he was initially shown wearing his old Kid Flash outfit. His next appearance in *Titans Rebirth* #1 featured a new red and silver costume, which was essentially just a color swap of his Kid Flash look. While not a bad costume on its own, it felt like a deliberate message from DiDio that Wally wasn’t considered the true Flash, a move many fans found deeply disrespectful to the character’s legacy.

2) Mod Wonder Woman

The “Mod Wonder Woman” era was a strange period in the character’s history. DC Comics briefly removed her superpowers and traditional costume – likely influenced by popular mod spy characters like Emma Peel – and dressed her in trendy, modern outfits. While not all of the costumes were awful, the concept of a powerless, fashion-focused Wonder Woman didn’t resonate with fans and ultimately harmed the character for a while. It’s no surprise DC hasn’t revisited that storyline since.

1) Superman’s New 52 Armor

While many of the costumes from DC’s New 52 era weren’t great, the Superman armor stands out as the worst. It’s not that it looks *bad*, it’s just… boring. More importantly, it doesn’t make sense for Superman to wear armor! He’s famous for being nearly indestructible, able to withstand attacks that would obliterate other heroes. So, putting him in armor actually undermines his core power. The story tried to tie it to his Kryptonian roots, but it just didn’t land. Honestly, one of the best looks for Superman during that period was simply a t-shirt and jeans – anything was better than the armor.

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2025-09-22 21:42