There’s Only One DC Hero That Never Needs a New Costume

DC Comics basically set the parameters for what a superhero costume could be. Over the years, we’ve seen numerous types of superhero costumes based on those early looks. However, audiences can be fickle and some looks need to be modernized. This can mean little cosmetic changes that don’t really change the costume, or it could be large scale change that gives them an entirely new costume. Over the years, looking across the history of the DC Multiverse, nearly every character has had a costume change of some kind. Some of them were amazing, making the characters look even better than ever. However, there’s one costume that has never needed a change, even if it’s gotten them — Superman‘s.

DC has changed itself numerous times over the years, but one thing that has never changed is that Superman has the best costume in the history of comics. It set the example that superhero costumes would follow in the years that came after it. It’s a perfect costume, one that never really needs any changes. DC has changed it several times, but they always come back to the best Superman costume of all time.

It Took Time but Superman’s Costume Reached the Perfect Level

Superman’s costume didn’t reach the perfect level immediately, but it had all of the ingredients. The colors were striking and eye-grabbing, the blue, red, and yellow popping perfectly. As we all know by now (or maybe you don’t; I forget that comics aren’t everyone else’s favorite thing), it was based on the circus strongman costumes of the time, which all had the trunks on the outside. The cape was just right accoutrements for a comic book, making it easy to show that he was in motion in the static medium of comics.

The only problem with the original costume, and why it’s not completely perfect, is the chest symbol. It would evolve over the early years of the character, going from a shield shape to a triangle, to the combination of shield and triangle that we have right now. 1940 was the first one that it looked like the modern crest, with the S evolving (I’m partial to the 1942 crest, which would be the one that was worn by the best Superman, Earth-Two Superman) into the one that we have today. Since then, the size of the shield and the S have fluctuated, but it’s basically the same S-shield.

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There have been many versions of Superman, but nearly all of them use the basics of the character’s costume to create new looks. It’s a look that is ingrained in the pop cultural consciousness and there’s really no reason to change it. It’s one of those costumes that tells a story, and you understand who Superman is just by looking at it. DC has tried to change it several times, but it never sticks. However, other than the electric blue costume and the black and silver resurrection suit, it has never been completely changed. That’s how good it is.

That’s not to say that DC hasn’t tried to ingrain a new look into fans’ mainds; the New 52 costume, while using the basics of Superman’s fighting togs, made several little changes. It was changed to an armor, with lines denoting the “plates”, had a collar, modified the cuffs, and dropped the trunks. If I’m being honest, there’s nothing wrong with this version of the costume — it still looks good — but the fact that it was made into armor for an invulnerable character was asinine. The Rebirth costume changed it back to cloth/spandex, and kept the trunksless look, but that would change as well around 2018. The costume would shift back to its perfect form and stay there.

Superman’s Costume Is THE Superhero Costume

Superman is one of the most popular fictional characters of all-time. He’s known the world over, and has been inspiring fans for decades. We all picture the same thing when we see his costume, and it’s that blue, red, and yellow classic. It’s so good that it never needs to be changed. Honestly, all you need to do to make it more modern is change the S-shield in the simplest ways, but that’s not really even needed. It’s a gorgeous costume.

It’s telling that most of the time, any changes to the costume are cosmetic. It’s such an amazing piece of superhero sartorial art, and there’s really nothing needed but to modify it. Fans love it so much that even when changes are made, they complain enough to get it back to the old look. It’s a costume that basically every superhero fan loves. It’s perfection, and while there have been some cool modifications over the decades, it doesn’t need any of them.

What costumes do you think are perfect (I almost wrote this about Nightwing’s blue and black; it really is that good)? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!