DC Comics’ Lazarus Planet event featured a huge redesign for Jon Kent and other DC heroes as the young Superman’s powers experience a shocking change. However, young Kent’s change in powers and costume has already been much better received than Superman’s earlier stint with electrical powers.
DC has redesigned a few heroes quite successfully over the years. While Silver Age heroes like The Flash popularized the character, it was his New 52 redesign that really energized fans. Superman received a much more successful reimagining during the Kingdom Come storyline while Darwyn Cooke’s iconic Catwoman redesign became the character’s ongoing look.
10 Batgirl’s Updated Burnside Suit
Barbara Gordon also wore a few different costumes over the years as Batgirl. She regained her costumed identity in the New 52 after years as the information broker Oracle. However, one of Batgirl’s biggest costume changes came when she moved to Burnside.
Gordon adopted a new look and attitude to match her new Gotham City neighborhood. She abandoned the black tactical designs of the New 52 for a bright purple and yellow suit and jacket. She further updated this look during the Fear State event. Her mature new suit also served as a homage to her popular look from the ‘60s Batman TV series.
9 Green Arrow's Rebirth Suit
When Oliver Queen first started his crimefighting career as Green Arrow, his look was heavily inspired by tales of Robin Hood. He altered the costume slightly over the years to add a hood but didn't make too many drastic changes and it worked for the character. However, the New 52 modernized the suit and added high-tech accessories and armored plating.
Green Arrow's New 52 look didn't impress fans, but it was perfectly reimagined for the Rebirth era. Queen ditched the high-tech goggles and armbands but retained simple armor plating on the suit. He also wore dark tactical pants which helped separate his look from his previous costumes over the years.
8 Lobo's Leather Biker Look
When the Czarnian bounty hunter named Lobo first appeared in the DC universe, he was wearing a light purple and orange suit and rode a high-tech space cycle. His origins were slightly different in his original debut, though the character was quickly redesigned to his most successful and longest-lasting look.
Lobo adopted a new leather biker look that helped the character stand out in DC's universe of costumed characters. His space cycle was also given a harder edge in the redesign that worked with Lobo's new in-your-face attitude. While Lobo received a new look in the New 52 era, fan disappointment led to the return of his first redesign.
7 Nightwing's Black-And-Blue Suit
Dick Grayson is another hero with a few different costumes. He started his career as Robin before he became Nightwing, which further increased the size of his closet over the years. Grayson's first Nightwing costume was as colorful as his Robin suit, though it was heavily influenced by the '80s.
Nightwing adopted a sleek black suit with a blue design across his chest and shoulders that stretched down his arms to his fingertips. Nightwing wore his Escrima sticks on his back and used hidden pockets on his gauntlets to further streamline his look. While he changed the coloring a bit over the years, he always returned to the iconic black and blue suit.
6 Flash's Energetic New 52 Suit
Some of DC’s best costume redesigns came when a few Golden Age characters like Green Lantern and The Flash appeared as new characters in the Silver Age. However, the new Flash Barry Allen later had his own huge redesign in the New 52.
Barry Allen’s New 52 redesign as The Flash stayed true to his roots as the “scarlet speedster” but modernized the costume. His suit featured lines that flared with energy when he activated his super speed. His golden lightning bolt insignia was also raised off the chest to give the costume more depth. His Justice League teammates would also use elements from Flash’s New 52 look.
5 Batman's Rebirth Costume
The Dark Knight has worn quite a few different costumes over the years, though not every redesign has worked for the character. Batman's costume is so iconic that most drastic changes never last. Thankfully, Greg Capullo's Rebirth redesign was one of Batman's best, as it updated the classic costume with modern touches and references to the DC hero's historic legacy.
Following the New 52's removal of color and trunks from the costume, fans were left unimpressed. The DC Rebirth suit surrounded the black bat insignia and utility belt with yellow trim while redefining Batman's cape. The inside featured the same dark purple used by the character's earliest costume and the tactical gloves and boots from the New 52 to create a well-rounded costume.
4 Superman’s Kingdom Come Suit
The Man of Steel’s costume is one of the most recognized around the world, which can sometimes make it difficult to redesign. Wild and new looks never landed with fans, but Kingdome Come introduced a few subtle changes to Superman's suit that became a huge hit.
Kingdom Come followed an older version of the character as he reassembled the Justice League to take the world back from an out-of-control next-generation of super-powered characters. He modified his classic costume slightly to give it a dark futuristic edge. The recolored “S” shield featured a black background and a new stylized logo that continues to impress fans.
3 Catwoman’s Leather Catsuit
While Catwoman’s status as a hero is sometimes in question, there’s no denying the character has gone through quite a few redesigns over the years. Selina Kyle has grown quite a bit since her debut as the formally dressed thief known as The Cat. When Darwyn Cooke redesigned Catwoman, he simplified her design while making it uniquely hers.
Catwoman abandoned her former supervillain costumes for a simple and elegant black leather catsuit. She wore a subtle new mask with cat ears that featured a pair of cat-eye goggles to complete the look. Catwoman has worn some variation of this suit ever since the successful redesign.
2 Superboy's '90s Costume
Clark Kent was the first character to use the name Superboy, though he wasn't the last. His own son Jon Kent became one of the best versions of Superboy, though the best redesign appeared in the '90s. Conner Kent was a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor created by Cadmus Labs after Superman fell in battle with Doomsday.
Conner Kent was a product of the '90s and he modified his costume to reflect that. His bodysuit featured a modernized design with sleek new lines that respected Superman's original suit. He paired the costume with a studded leather jacket and round glasses. While this version wore other costumes, he returned to his original iconic look
1 Shazam’s Magical New 52 Suit
Another character who greatly benefitted from the New 52’s modernization of the line was Shazam. Formerly known as Captain Marvel and the “Big Red Cheese,” Shazam’s costume got a huge overhaul that highlighted the mystical nature of his powers. Billy Batson’s origins and story were also heavily altered into the more recognizable version that inspired the live-action movie.
Shazam’s costume featured a new armored look while the lightning bolt insignia now spewed energy to reference his role as one of DC's most powerful magic users. Shazam’s new look separated the character from his former Captain Marvel identity while bringing him into the modern age. The rest of the Shazam Family would also share the new design elements.