DC Comics’ monumental 1996 Elseworlds masterpiece, Kingdom Come, remains to this day one of the most influential and iconic stories the company has ever published. Set on Earth-22, the miniseries takes place in the near future, when most of the original superhero community comes out of retirement to fight the rise of violent next-generation anti-heroes while also bringing hope back into the world. Kingdom Come is the quintessential Justice League story. It offers some of the most powerful and nuanced alternate versions of the characters. Additionally, part of what made these versions of DC characters so iconic was their memorable new costumes.
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Rendered in beautiful, detailed style by acclaimed comic artist Alex Ross, the character designs in Kingdom Come often have deeper meaning and serve as visual metaphors for the story’s themes.
10) Nightstar
With a story all about how the world is constantly changing, Mar’i Grayson, aka Nightstar, presents one of the few morally righteous and non-corrupted next-generation heroes. As her name suggests, Nightstar is the daughter of the founding Teen Titans Dick Grayson, aka Red Robin, and Starfire. Nightstar’s costume is a perfect blend of the contrasting designs of her parents’ uniforms. While the overall design of the suit is revealing and flowy like her mother’s outfit, the costume’s coloration is primarily dark purple, which refers to her father’s dark costumes. Everything about Nightstar’s design calls back to her mixed alien and human heritage.
9) Blue Beetle
The second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, has always prided himself on being a master of creating complex gadgets and vehicles to fight crime. With such a skill set, it was only logical that in the Kingdom Come universe, he would develop an Iron Man-like suit of armor powered by his mystical scarab amulet to give himself super strength and flight capabilities. The suit’s design is very creative, leaning heavily on a rhinoceros beetle with large horn-like appendages on the back, giant mechanical insectoid wings, and armor plating reminiscent of a beetle’s carapace. It’s an incredibly creative design and one of the most literal interpretations of the Blue Beetle mantle.
8) Deadman
For a character literally named “Deadman,” Alex Ross provided the most haunting version of the phantom hero. Instead of looking like a frail human with white skin, Earth-22’s version of Deadman has lost all of his flesh. Now, all that’s left of Deadman is a skeleton and the iconic red trapeze costume that he died in. This design evokes Deadman’s acceptance of his new existence as a ghost and the loss of his mind after spending decades trapped between the worlds of the living and the dead. It’s an incredibly spine-chilling design that makes Deadman look creepier and more otherworldly than ever before.
7) Red Robin
In most universes, Dick Grayson grows out of his Robin persona and becomes Nightwing. However, in the world of Kingdom Come, he keeps his original mantle well into his forties. While previous versions of an adult Robin costume have turned out poorly, the one Dick wears as Red Robin is amazing. With a giant black cowl and cape with a red chest, the suit doubles as both a reference to the color scheme of a real-life robin bird and a perfect amalgamation of Batman and Robin’s outfits. Red Robin’s bird-shaped silhouette crest is meant to emulate the “R” logo of his original costume. The Red Robin identity and outfit proved so successful that both Jason Todd and Tim Drake replicated them in the main DC Universe.
6) Magog
As the leading next-generation anti-hero, Magog was designed to represent everything wrong with ‘90s superhero cliches. Drawing heavily on Marvel’s anti-hero Cable, Magog has a metallic arm, a missing eye, a giant shoulder pad, and numerous belts and pockets across his suit. Magog’s blind right eye is in the shape of the Egyptian Eye of Ra. Magog’s design also includes biblical references, such as the golden coloration which combined with the horned helmet is meant to evoke the Golden Calf, a metaphor for a false idol. All these design choices are meant to convey how Magog and other ‘90s anti-heroes made comics incredibly dark and nihilistic, where superheroes ceased to be symbols of hope.
5) Flash
With a hero as incomprehensibly fast as Wally West, aka the Flash, it was only a matter of time until he practically became the God of Speed. In the future world of Kingdom Come, Wally finally unlocked his full potential and became a perpetual moving and near omnipresent red blur. His ever-vibrating design, which glows red from heat and friction and expels lightning bolts, creates an incredible aura of the limitless power Wally possesses as he continuously vibrates between different levels of reality. The design perfectly captures how Wally has practically abandoned his humanity and transcended into godhood. His winged cap is also a clever reference to both the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick, and the God of Speed, Mercury.
4) Batman
Despite being the Dark Knight, Batman is still a human whose body grows frailer as he ages. For many years, he relied on giant robot drones to protect Gotham while he oversaw their deployment from the Batcave. However, during the climactic battle between the Justice League and the army of anti-hero prisoners, Batman led the charge of his own secret army to quell both sides before their conflict spread across the globe. To make up for his frail body, Batman wore an awesome power suit that enhanced his strength and came with giant mechanical wings. It’s the ultimate symbol of how nothing short of death will keep Batman from donning the cowl.
3) Green Lantern
Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern from the Golden Age, was given one of the best costumes ever associated with the Emerald Knight. To have a self-sustaining power source, Alan transformed his Lantern Battery into a wearable suit of armor. The suit, along with the giant energy broadsword he now wields, makes him look like a knight from medieval legends granted cosmic power. Not only does the suit make Earth-22’s Alan Scott one of the most powerful Green Lanterns in the multiverse, but it also acts as a metaphor for classical concepts of heroism that he and the rest of the new Justice League are hoping to restore in their nihilistic world.
2) Wonder Woman
While for most of Kingdom Come’s story, Wonder Woman wears a classical costume in homage to her Golden Age attire, it’s her armor that has become legendary. For the climactic final battle, Wonder Woman debuts her Gold Armor. Like a warrior from Greek myth, Wonder Woman’s Gold armor design resembles a golden eagle with gigantic metallic wings. She also has an American flag around her shoulder to symbolize how she often symbolizes American ideals. This costume has become so iconic that it has appeared numerous times in the main continuity and in the WW 1984 movie. Whenever Wonder Woman dons this armor, it’s a clear sign that she’s ready for battle.
1) Superman
To this day, Kingdom Come Superman has one of the best costumes the Man of Steel has ever worn. When Superman comes out of retirement to restore the values of heroism and hope in a bleak, nihilistic world, his costume perfectly conveys this character arc. The costume is a homage to his classic look, but with subtle differences that reflect how the world has hardened Superman. The costume’s colors are much darker, and he’s switched the yellow in his suit for black. The uniquely alien-like design of his logo has also become iconic to the point that it helped inspire the Superman logo used in James Gunn’s 2025 Superman movie. Everything about Earth-22’s costume symbolizes the core themes of Kingdom Come.
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