The 10 Weirdest Costume Changes in Comics

Both Marvel and DC Comics have achieved their level of success due to numerous factors. A key element is the relatability of their characters that readers can identify with. These companies have consistently hired top-notch writers, artists, designers, editors, and more, providing a platform for them to craft compelling stories. An essential aspect of this success lies in costume design. Consider costumes like Superman’s or Spider-Man’s; they are visually striking creations that stand out with unique design elements that have become iconic and influenced the way superheroes dress after their debut. Costume designs have evolved over time, even for the most iconic ones, with some modifications proving effective while others falling short.

On certain occasions, costumes have been altered, leaving fans puzzled about the reasoning behind these changes. These peculiar costume adjustments often leave fans perplexed, as they find themselves questioning the initial decision to alter them in the first place. The range of bizarre choices made in these changes is vast; at times, the original costume was simply superior, and other times, the revised outfit is just downright peculiar. Here are ten of the most confounding costume transformations, leaving fans scratching their heads and pondering what the company or creators could have possibly been contemplating.

10) “Brave New World” Martian Manhunter

2006 marked the end of “Infinite Crisis,” and DC excelled at revamping their universe and igniting fan enthusiasm during this period. As part of this transformation, DC launched a brief publishing project titled “Brave New World,” intended to reimagine characters such as the Creeper, the Atom, and Shazam. Additionally, Martian Manhunter underwent some alterations during this time, receiving an eight-issue series that revamped his costume and appearance. The original Martian Manhunter’s outfit was eccentric, featuring an X-shaped harness, a collared cape, and blue trunks, but it worked. However, the new costume covered him entirely, incorporating a red X and belt as a nod to his old attire, which gave the character a militaristic feel that was quite unexpected for Martian Manhunter. To make matters more peculiar, the redesign altered the shape of his head, making him appear closer to his true Martian form, a decision that still feels strange even in retrospect from such an unconventional costume change.

9) ’80s Black Canary Costume

Black Canary’s attire is renowned among female superhero costumes for its iconic simplicity and elegance, characterized by a black leather jacket, black bodysuit, fishnets, and pirate boots. However, her ’80s outfits deviate from this design. Following the Crisis event, DC aimed to modernize, causing many costumes of B and C-list characters to be altered. Black Canary was one such character, with her post-Crisis costume in the Justice League Universe differing significantly from previous versions. In this new universe, Black Canary is a legacy hero, with her mother having been the Black Canary of the Golden Age, as opposed to the pre-Crisis version where there was only one Black Canary who traveled between Earth-Two and Earth-One due to her love for Green Arrow. This change aimed to make her lineage more conspicuous, resulting in a new costume design that did not feature “Black Canary” but instead attempted to give her a bird-like emblem and an ’80s headband. Unfortunately, DC’s attempt to reinvent the wheel was unsuccessful, leading to the Brian Bolland-drawn cover of Action Comics Weekly #609, where Black Canary returns to her mother’s costume and discards the ill-fated outfit. We all wish we could forget this costume.

8) Hawkeye’s Goliath Costume

Among the esteemed Avengers, Hawkeye stands out as one who commands great respect, largely due to his lack of supernatural abilities. Despite being an exceptional marksman, it’s his courage that truly sets him apart – his readiness to engage in combat against any adversary has earned him legendary status. However, during a certain period, Hawkeye adopted the use of Pym Particles and assumed the identity of Goliath. This shift necessitated a new costume, but the outcome was more peculiar than fans anticipated. It’s not a terrible design, but it includes several eccentric details. For instance, he chose to conceal his nipples and belly button while being comfortable with a bare midriff. The color scheme is appealing, but it’s odd that he didn’t opt for the regal purple often associated with him. This costume combined elements from both Hank Pym’s Goliath suit and Bill Foster’s Black Goliath attire, and remains one of the most unusual costumes in comics history.

7) Steve Rogers’s Nomad Costume

Initially, Captain America fought against the Secret Empire and discovered that the President was secretly involved. This revelation caused him to lose faith in America, leading him to abandon the title of Captain America and adopt a new identity, Nomad. The appearance of Nomad’s costume was unusual compared to his original Captain America outfit, featuring a cape instead of the traditional uniform with a V-line and cape. Although he retained his pirate gloves and boots, the overall design was quite different from what fans were accustomed to. The addition of a cape, especially given Cap’s agile fighting style, seemed unusual because it could potentially hinder his movements.

6) Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl’s Bathing Suit Costumes

In truth, it was only natural that the Legion of Superheroes’ costumes would be featured here when you clicked on this article. As the initial teen superteam, they’ve always been known for their stylish and cool costumes in comic books. There are several iconic Legion outfits, but these have evolved significantly over the years, with newer designs preserving elements of the past. However, during the 1970s, there was a significant change to two costumes: Saturn Girl’s and Cosmic Boy’s. Now, it’s worth noting that Legion members donning battle attire resembling bathing suits isn’t overly unusual; Shadow Lass, Dream Girl, Princess Projectra, among others, did the same. Yet, the transformations of Saturn Girl’s and Cosmic Boy’s costumes were quite distinct from their previous looks, especially in the case of Cosmic Boy. While Saturn Girl’s costume wasn’t terrible, it was unexpected for her to switch entirely to a bathing suit-style outfit. However, Cosmic Boy’s new costume is undeniably the one that has become infamous as a bizarre change. It’s now iconically awful and didn’t suit Cosmic Boy at all. They eventually returned to costumes based on their original designs, but this alteration remains noteworthy.

5) The Iron Spider

The Iron Spider suit is an unusual design decision, yet it fits well with Marvel’s plans for Spider-Man at that time. Tony Stark, who had become close to Peter during his New Avengers tenure, gifted him this suit. Given its creator, Stark modified the color of Spider-Man’s costume, adopting the red and gold hues reminiscent of Iron Man’s armor. The name “Iron Spider” suit is fitting because it makes Spider-Man appear as if he’s attempting to be Iron Man. The arms, which resemble Doctor Octopus, add an interesting — but odd — touch. Personally, the color change was always the most striking aspect for me. Spider-Man’s red and blue colors are iconic, so seeing him without them in a costume feels strange. In the MCU, they presented an Iron Spider suit that retained the traditional colors, which makes it less of a drastic shift while still blending elements from both Iron Man and Spider-Man.

4) Punk Rock Storm

To begin with, let me express my fondness for Storm’s Punk Rock outfit. I appreciate the mohawk, leather attire, studded collar, and bracelet, all of which are quite stylish. However, it’s undeniable that this transformation seemed strange, given Storm’s original costume was incredibly sexy and exposing skin wasn’t unusual for her character.

The reason behind this change was rooted in the narrative, as Storm was experiencing significant personal turmoil and her friendship with the wild ninja Yukio influenced her to adopt a completely new look. Nevertheless, this drastic visual alteration for Storm’s character was a peculiar decision, as it came across as jarring and unexpected.

There were alternative ways to adapt Storm’s classic costume without making such a sweeping change to convey the intentions of Chris Claremont and his team. Despite being one of the best X-Men costumes, the Punk Rock Story outfit represented an unusual shift in character appearance.

3) “From the Ashes” Cyclops

In simpler terms, throughout Marvel history, Cyclops has sported some remarkable costumes. His initial X-Men suit was impressive, and his navy blue ensemble with the skullcap and pirate boots endured for a long time. I particularly enjoy the blue and white costume featuring the large X. The ’90s outfit is arguably his most well-liked, but many of his subsequent costumes were also quite good, ranging from the New X-Men leather to the Astonishing X-Men design, the Utopia era suit, the red and black, and the Krakoa Era. Each costume was fitting for Cyclops at that specific time. However, the “From the Ashes” costumes, including this one, were a step down, especially in comparison to his ’90s look. They seemed to be trying to evoke the feel of the ’90s, but they didn’t quite hit the mark, making Cyclops appear younger and lacking the characteristic vibe of other Cyclops costumes. After coming back to life, Cyclops reverted to his ’90s style, so if Marvel intended this design, they could have simply returned to that instead of creating this one.

2) “From the Ashes” Wolverine Costume

The Krakoa Era costume of Wolverine was flawless, boasting the ideal color scheme for him – brown and orange/yellow being his best, though I’d be happy to debate that – complete with stylish gloves and refined details, enhancing the traditional brown and orange look. Nevertheless, as previously discussed, the story “From the Ashes” aims to evoke nostalgia for the ’90s, which explains this costume choice. It reverts to yellow and blue, but discards the trunks and shoulder adornments while emphasizing the blue tiger stripes more prominently. This costume seeks to remind readers of both the original yellow and blue as well as the Astonishing version, yet it falls short in comparison to Wolverine’s other exceptional costumes. I find it rather generic, and it seems odd that Marvel opted for this design instead of revisiting one of the classic yellow and blue costumes.

1) The New 52 Costumes

As a devoted comic book enthusiast, I’ve always admired Jim Lee for his exceptional talent in the world of comics. In 1991, he demonstrated his remarkable skill as a costume designer when he revamped the X-Men’s uniforms. To this day, I believe that the updated blue and yellow uniforms from Uncanny X-Men #275 are the best versions of these iconic costumes. The timeless design has stood the test of time, and his subsequent work on WildC.A.T.s featured equally impressive costume designs.

However, it seems that Lee’s eye for design took a slight misstep in the 2010s. When DC rebooted their universe with the New 52, he was tasked with redesigning classic DC costumes. Instead of preserving the essence of the original designs, he opted to add unnecessary lines and remove trunks from the costumes. This wasn’t an isolated incident; other designers also made strange changes to DC costumes during the New 52 era. The result was a collection of costumes that bore more resemblance to refugees from the 1990s than modern iterations.

While there were some positive changes in the New 52, such as Cyborg’s refreshed look, most of the alterations felt odd and out of place. It was as if they were trying too hard to be “modern,” but ultimately missed the mark.

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2025-08-01 18:54