Though this is changing, superheroes in comics are predominately male. Most superheroes are men, but the scales are being balanced as the medium and creators involved grow and adapt to the times. This isn’t to say that there aren’t any great female superheroes; on the contrary, there are a ton of preexisting female characters in comics! Unfortunately, a lot of these female superheroes that appeared in the earlier days of mainstream comics were just female versions of popular male heroes: Supergirl, Batgirl, Spider-Woman, etc. However, as uncreative as this was, there were quite a few winners in the mix who ended up being some of the most beloved, interesting and multi-layered characters in their respective superhero universe.
Furthermore, the costumes they wore ended up being much cooler than their male counterparts’. This notion actually extends beyond just the canonical female versions of male superheroes, and includes alternate universe heroes, pieces of fan art and even cosplays. What we’re trying to say is that, even though they were originally designed as men, some male superheroes actually look way better redesign as women. Just check out the following examples for yourself!
25 CAPTAIN AMERICA - AMERICAN DREAM
Let’s start off with an alternate universe version of Captain America, the hero known as American Dream. Hailing from Earth-982, Shannon Carter grew up idolizing the Avengers, specifically Captain America, and when it came time to form a new Avengers team, she was chosen as a member partially because of her inventions -- disc-like weapons that could ricochet and strike enemies with ease. Shannon Carter also trained her body to be as strong and agile as humanly possible, and her excellence in the field proved to the 616 Captain America that she was worthy enough to wield the shield of her universe’s Cap after he was killed. She soon went by the name “American Dream” and donned a costume similar to Captain America’s.
We think it looks a whole lot better on her than it does on Steve Rogers.
There are a few changes to the shapes, like the corset-looking stripes and the pointed sleeves of the blue top that make everything flow much better, as does the black outline on the star and seams near the arms. We also really dig the cut-off cowl, which allows Shannon’s blonde hair to flow free with the appearance of a flying flag. The awesome gloves are definitely the coolest part of the design, as are the matching boots, which have just enough of an armored look that the suit seems functional. Finally, we love the fingerless fighting gloves! Sorry in advanced for the pun, but this costume really is a dream.
24 IRON MAN - IRONHEART
Next up is another Marvel hero, this time from the main universe, Earth-616. Riri Williams stood in for Iron Man as Ironheart when Tony Stark was in a coma for a period of time, and we don’t think we’re too off-base to say that her suit looks WAY better than anything Tony has ever worn. Okay, fair, that’s kind of a bold statement since Tony has worn countless different armor designs while Riri has only worn a few, but the one she donned as Ironheart is one of the coolest Iron suits we’ve seen. Maybe it’s because it’s one of the most modern, and thus, one of the most design-savvy, but who’s to say. For those who don’t know who Riri Williams is, she is a 15-year-old super genius who, after making her own Iron Man suit, was chosen by Tony Stark to be a superhero under his guidance.
After Tony fell into a coma, Riri stood in for him in her newly designed, updated Ironheart armor, which has one slick design. The slim look makes it feel more aerodynamic than any other Iron Man suit we’ve seen before and the hints of black between the suit’s segments and under the arms make it look functional. We also love the hexagonal chest piece, and the blank mouth on the helmet gives a slightly intimidating, but awesome expression to the suit.
23 THE HULK - SHE-HULK
Most iterations of The Hulk are the same; he is green with ripped pants, either purple or blue, and that’s about it. Furthermore, The Hulk is less of a superhero and more of a liability who sometimes helps out the good guys. She-Hulk, on the other hand, does not have the same dual personality problem as her cousin and is always in her super strong form, able to use her strength how she see fits (most of the time, anyway). As such, she is an active superhero on top of being a lawyer, which means, A.) she is arguably better than The Hulk, and B.) because she is actually a superhero, she gets to wear an actual costume, one that is awesome.
Something about the white and purple costume Jen usually rocks just works so well against She-Hulk’s iconic green skin.
Combined with her long, flowing hair, we get this awesome cross between a superhero and a wrestler, one who knows how to fight and not just “smash.” We get this from her outfit, thanks to the activewear look of some iterations and the fingerless fighting gloves. Let’s be honest, The Hulk is cool and all, but She-Hulk looks way cooler, not just in terms of appearances, but because she pulls off the green and purple WAY better. Also, in terms of character, since she actually helps people (both in her civilian and superhero identity), she has more pathos and isn’t just some mindless monster.
22 SPIDER-MAN - ULTIMATE SPIDER-WOMAN
There are quite a few members of the Spider-family, including a good amount of female heroes. There are actually two that go by the name “Jessica Drew,” the Jessica of Earth-616 and the Jessica of the Ultimate Marvel universe. The latter version of Drew is actually a female clone of Peter Parker, one who eventually went by the moniker of Spider-Woman. While we do love the main continuity version of Spider-Woman -- hard to beat that classic costume -- we love this version even more, since it combines some of the best elements from all the members of the Spider-family.
First off, the flowing hair is always a nice touch with superhero designs; a bit impractical (okay a lot) sure, but it still makes for a cool, heroic look when it flows in the wind. As for the suit, it is simple, but carries a lot of weight, since it makes Drew look thin and spindly like any Spider hero should. It also has the Venom spider insignia, making her seem a bit more dangerous than the other Spiders, as does the dark red color. We also love the white fingers, which are made even cooler by the fact that she shoots her webs from her fingertips. The mask is also great, since it is part Ultimate Spider-Man lens, part Scarlet Spider, and part original look. Overall, this is a really great pastiche of past Spider outfits that ends up being much better than Spider-Man’s look.
21 THOR - JANE FOSTER
A winged helmet and big red cape are hard to pull off for anyone, and though Thor rocked the look for years, we have to say that Jane foster wears it a little better. It was a cool move for Marvel to do a Thor series with an all new, all different Thor, and the fact that it was Jane Foster was even cooler. But, great stories aside, female Thor looks cooler than classic Thor, since, instead of being the same old song and dance, this Thor’s outfit changed things up a bit. The usual Thor look has the six disks, the winged helmet, chainmail, yellow belt, etc.
Jane Foster’s Thor is completely different, though with a few nods to classic looks.
The long, blonde, flowing hair is the same, as are the red cape and the winged helmet, but the helmet itself looks unlike any other Thor costume, adding a mask and a symbol on the top. As for the rest of the costume, Thor’s armor is simple and sleeveless, leaving room to show off her buff arms, one of which has an awesome, Viking-looking arm piece on it. In fact, the whole look has a very Viking vibe to it, something that is sometimes lacking from older versions of Thor. We also love the belt and yellow skirt, as well as the awesome short boots. Seriously, Jane Foster as Thor has a way better design then the son of Odin.
20 DEADPOOL - LADY DEADPOOL
Lady Deadpool is not only cooler looking than lame ol' Wade Wilson, her story is also way better. Hailing from Earth-3010, Wanda Wilson led quite the noble life before joining the Deadpool Corps., or at least more noble than most of Wade Wilson's life. In her universe, the United States has been divided by a fight between a fascist U.S. government and the revolution attempting to take back freedom. Leading an assault on Washing D.C. against the forces of General America (an alternate version of Captain America), Lady Deadpool uses her advanced healing factor and impressive assassin skills to help the country become the land of the free once again. Sounds pretty cool, right?
It doesn't stop at her story either, since Lady Deadpool's whole look also trumps that of her male counterpart. Funnily enough, there's almost no differences between the two, but the subtle changes make the costume seem to be more fitting to Wanda than Wade. In fact, the only difference between the two designs are that Lady Deadpool has a ponytail and the two characters have different body shapes. However, as subtle as the change is, the long blonde ponytail is VERY Rob Liefeld, and thus very fitting to the character, giving he agile Deadpool a much greater sense of movement.
19 IRON FIST - PAULINA GANUCHEAU'S REDESIGN
Next up, we have an awesome fan redesign of Danny Rand as Dani Rand by Zodiac Starforce artist, Paulina Ganucheau. This redesign was done in response to another redesign of the character, which was in turn sparked by the controversy surrounding the casting of Finn Jones in the starring role of the Netflix Iron Fist series. While the character has been depicted as white in the comics, many fans were hoping that an Asian actor would be cast in the role so as to negate the "white savior" trope that Danny Rand depicted by being chosen as the master of an ancient Chinese martial art.
Everything about this design is way better than what we've seen in the past with the character!
Thus, artist Kris Anka drew an asian version of the character, which inspired Paulina Ganucheau to flip the script further and portray Iron Fist as a woman, and it is awesome. Everything about this design is way better than what we've seen in the past with the character, the combination of the tattoo and insignia is a smart design move, the outfit combines superhero design and martial arts wear, and the colors are just brilliant. Seriously, if Marvel ever does a full reboot of their characters, we need Paulina Ganucheau's female redesign of Iron Fist to be the canon version.
18 SUPERMAN - SUPERGIRL
All members of the Super-family have had countless costumes over the years, be it subtle design changes or complete makeovers. But, only one of them has had some of the coolest, and most fashionable looks, and that's Supergirl. Though some of her costumes have been... questionable in terms of being impractically revealing or just plain goofy, the girl of steel still knows how to rock the red, blue and yellow way better than her more famous cousin. Since there are too many to cover, we're just going to pick three of her most iconic, and best designed suits, the one featured above, her "white gloves" suit and the New 52 costume.
The above costume is easily Supergirl's most recognized look, looking similar to Superman's suit from the waist up, but then adding a bit of unique flair with the red skirt and thigh-high boots. The white gloves suit, which was featured in the DC animated universe, was such a divergence from the usual Super-family look that ended up paying off, especially in animated form. Finally the New 52 Supergirl costume also took a different route, but this time keeping pieces of Superman's costume and adding a bit more Kryptonian flair and sci-fi hero elements to create something way better than what Superman got out of his New 52 redesign.
17 THE FLASH - ALL NEW FLASH (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF CHINA)
If you haven't kept up with the DC universe, then you might not know about the Justice League of China, which is exactly what it sounds like, China's answer to the Justice League comprising of Chinese citizens with the same powers, abilities and motifs as the main members of the Justice League. Specifically, the JLC has their own Super-Man, Wonder-Woman, Bat-Man and even their own Flash, a woman by the name of Avery Ho who got her powers from a speed force storm in Central City. After learning to control her powers, Avery eventually became The Flash of China's Justice League, taking a suit that matches her teammates'.
Cho's Flash costume is, in a lot of ways, a breath of fresh air from the usual speed force user.
To start, the use of purple is a wonderful veer from the usual red of the Flash family, and the costume overall has a lot of originality to it that makes it stand out from both other Flashes and the other members of the JLC. Though it has some elements of the other Chinese Justice League members to keep the team aesthetic, Avery's Flash costume, which neatly incorporates the lightning imagery into the team elements, is just a creatively simple take on The Flash, improving on the original by being more, well, original.
16 HAWKEYE - KATE BISHOP
Remember that time that Clint Barton quit being Hawkeye, decided to dress up like a ninja and start calling himself Ronin? Yeah that was pretty weird. But, out of that weirdness, we got something great -- a new Hawkeye, a young woman by the name of Kate Bishop. Kate was recruited into the Young Avengers and eventually given Hawkeye's moniker and bow by the order of Captain America after proving herself worthy. Kate gained her archery skills and martial arts abilities after hard training and dedication spurred by watching Hawkeye, an ordinary human, stand shoulder to shoulder with the other, super-powered Avengers.
As Hawkeye, Kate had a few costumes, including one that consisted of pieces of other heroes' suits, but perhaps her coolest one was the outfit she wore in both Young Avengers and Matt Fraction's Hawkeye. We particularly love this version of the Hawkeye costume because it is so simple, but still makes a statement. Hawkeye's original costume was rather ridiculous, and his simpler modern suit is just a bit too bland. Kate Bishop's costume on the other hand? It's like a '60s spy movie jumpsuit with the flashiness of a superhero costume, adding just enough tactical gear to appear functional while being simple, creative, and all around awesome. Plus, the purple sunglasses are a nice touch.
15 ROBIN - CARRIE KELLY AND STEPHANIE BROWN
Despite the fact that it's 2018, there has yet to be a longstanding female Robin. Sure, The Dark Knight Returns had Carrie Kelly, but it was not a mainline story, and when Stephanie Brown wore the suit, it was only for a short time. The former has only ever been seen wearing the Robin suit in Frank Miller's acclaimed Batman comic, buying the suit to fight crime and eventually being "hired" by Batman, though he was pretty harsh on her as his new sidekick. Stephanie Brown on the other hand, has had a long and dense career as a crime fighter, starting with her identity as The Spoiler. This led her to take up the Robin moniker for time after Tim Drake was forced to retire. But, after being fired by Batman, she eventually took up the Batgirl moniker.
Both Carrie and Stephanie's costumes put the original Robin designs to shame, despite being almost identical.
For Carrie, her costume is exactly like golden-age Robin, but something about her futuristic glasses in place of a mask and her redheaded pompadour make the costume look a lot cooler. Seriously, it's hard to pull off the classic collared cape, but Carrie does it well. Stephanie, meanwhile, makes Time Drake's Robin costume look way better, the blonde hair and headband making for a nice change to the usual Robin look.
14 BATMAN - BATWOMAN
Batwoman has quite the interesting backstory. After being discharged from the military for being gay, Kate Kane found another way to "serve," by becoming a vigilante of Gotham, one who was willing to use lethal force against criminals. Taking the name Batwoman and donning an instantly iconic costume, Kate proved to be one of the city's most effective crimefighters with the help of her father and her step-mother's weapons technology and massive fortune. Though she was not officially part of the Bat-family to start, she did gain the approval of Dick Grayson during his stint as Batman, and has since become and on-again/off-again (but always in some way valued) member of the team.
Wether or not Batman actually likes Batwoman, he's got to admit that her costume blows his out of the water. It takes elements of past Bat-costumes, including the original Batwoman, Kathy Kane, and Barbara Gordon's various looks, and makes something refreshingly new. Starting with all black, the suit is accented by red, a bold choice that pays off, especially with Kate's hair (which is a wig in-costume) and the red lipstick. We also love the way her mask, which is open at the top, still keeps the bat-ear motif, as well as the overall simplicity of the suit, which helps it look iconic and much cooler than Batman's many looks.
13 WOLVERINE - X-23
We might lose a few people on this one, but hear us out. For those who don't know who X-23 is, she's a female clone of Wolverine with two claws on each hand and one in each foot, and for a while now, she has been running around as the new Wolverine. And honestly? The suit looks much better on her than it ever did on Logan. Here's the thing: for so many decades' we've seen the old yellow and blue (sometimes brown) draped over a short, stout, buff animal of a man, so the fact that we're finally seeing it in a new light is refreshing.
Specifically, the longer sleeves, gloves and boots, as well as an opening for Laura's hair to flow freely, are all great!
On top of that, the costume actually ends up looking better on a thinner, taller frame, and the small changes to the overall design give everything a nice, personalized update. Specifically, the longer sleeves, gloves and boots, as well as an opening for Laura's hair to flow freely, are all great, giving the suit a bit more personality and freshening up a design that has been the same for years. Sure, it might not be what we're used to, but this one earns points just for trying something different, and succeeding with flying colors (specifically blue and yellow).
12 BLUE BEETLE AND BOOSTER GOLD - EARTH 11 FANART
Speaking of Blue and Yellow, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold have never looked cooler than in this wonderful piece of fanart by Maya Nord, which switches the genders of some of the second-tier Justice League members. The piece depicts what Booster Gold and Blue Beetle would look like in "Earth-11" of the DC multiverse, an alternate world in which all the world's men are women and vice versa. Though these two characters have never been seen in Earth 11, Nord has provided us with a peak into what their costumes might look like, and we love them, especially with all the personality put into them
Let's start with Blue Beetle, whose basic color balance is the same, but this female version has some slight changes that make the whole look come together. The shorts come to mind first, their high-waist and buttons looking like the height of superhero fashion, and the same goes for the long gloves that button to the shoulders. Booster is just awesome, subtle changes being made to the design like the gold heels and shorts. We also love how flirty Booster looks, since that is something that definitely wouldn't be different in Earth 11. For more cool art by Maya Nord, check out her Deviantart gallery here.
11 DOCTOR STRANGE - HOLLY CONRAD COSPLAY
Next up we have an awesome Doctor Strange cosplay by Holly Conrad, the cosplayer otherwise known as Commander Holly. Conrad has done quite a few awesome cosplays in her time, and this female Doctor Strange is easily one of her best. Strange has had quite a few different costumes over the years, but a few elements remain consistent; the same goes for his over all look of greying hair and a stylish goatee. This sorcerer supreme is as powerful as he is fashionable, but that doesn't mean someone can't outshine his design, which is exactly what Conrad has done with her cosplay.
The goatee was not included, but the striking red lipstick, which matches the color of the cape, is a nice substitute.
Doctor Strange's greying temples and short hair are switched out for a stylish bob-cut with greying bangs. Of course, the goatee was not included, but the striking red lipstick, which matches the color of the cape, is a nice substitute. The main costume isn't too different from the usual look of Doctor Strange, but the hair really brings this genderswapped version together, and Conrad pulls it all off excellently, since her costume looks like it came right out of a comic book page. Honestly, this female version of Doctor Strange definitely looks much better than the original.
10 GOKU - KENDRA ABBOTT COSPLAY
For the longest time in the world of Dragon Ball, there were no female Saiyans; or at least, there were none that could turn into Super Saiyans. The "canon" reason for this was that those with less than half-Saiyan blood could go Super, but then we saw that Bulla couldn't go Super and that Goku and Vegeta's descendants could. Of course, this part, as well as all of GT, was written out of the franchise's canon, but we still did not see any female Super Saiyans. The behind-the-scenes reason that Akira Toriyama gave was that he could never figure out how to design a female Super Saiyan, though it seems he figured it out by the time of Dragon Ball Super with Caulifla and Kale.
If he really needed help designing a female Super Saiyan, then he should have taken a look at all the women who have cosplayed as Super Saiyans, especially Kendra Abbott, who goes by Thelegendofkendra on Instagram. Kendra's Super Saiyan 3 Goku cosplay actually looks better than the original, and its not just because she still has eyebrows. The flowing hair makes the Super Saiyan 3 form look a bit less ridiculous and a bit more realistic... well, at least as realistic as Dragon Ball hair can get. Plus, the small modifications to Goku's costume are a nice touch as well.
9 CAPTAIN MARVEL - CAROL DANVERS
After gaining the powers of the original Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers started her own superhero career as Ms. Marvel. But, after Mar-Vell's death, Carol eventually took the Captain Marvel moniker, rocking an awesome new costume to go with it. An accomplished Air Force pilot, Carol's Captain Marvel costume reflects her pilot background and pays tribute to the original Captain Marvel at the same time, finding a balance that creates something fresh and new.
Everything about this Captain Marvel costume blows the original out of the water, especially since it doesn't have the "underwear on the outside" nonsense.
Let's break down this costume. The top has the classic insignia and an awesome collar that combines fashion with superhero design, the same goes for the gloves and sash, the latter of which helps the design remain balanced in terms of color, since it breaks up the blue just enough. The short hair and her on-and-off mask are also awesome, and the way the helmet turns her hair into a mohawk is such a baller design choice. This version, and the slightly different future incarnations of this look, are way better than what Mar-Vell ever wore as Captain Marvel.
8 AQUAMAN - JORDAN GIBSON'S DC BEND
Does this Aquawoman look familiar? It should, since the face is based on Charlize Theron as part of a series of genderbent superhero redesigns from Project Rooftop, a website dedicated to the greatest superhero designs the world has to offer. This particular series was called DCbent and showcased a few different artists' interpretations of genderbent superheroes with famous celebrities in the parts of the characters. Among them was the work of Jordan Gibson, who gave us everything from Stephanie Beatriz as the Red Hood to Helen Miren Commissioner Gordon and, of course, Charlize Theron as Aquaman.
There's a lot to love in the simplicity of this take on the King of Atlantis, and the choice to put Theron in the role is an excellent one. The short hair definitely still works for this design, and the harpoon earrings are delightful, as is the addition of a cape. That's something we've never seen in an Aquaman design. Keeping the golden fish-scale armor was a god choice, the slight change in color making it seem much more royal together with the cape, which itself is a nice shade of ocean blue. Lastly, the royal broach brings the whole thing together with Aquaman's superhero insignia.
7 GREAT SAIYAMAN - GREAT SAIYAWOMAN
Who is the Great Saiyaman, you might ask? He's the unmitigated champion of justice who tolerates no evil, of course! However, the more specific answer is that he is actually Son Gohan, a half-Saiyan warrior who uses his great power to fight crime and protect others in Satan City, wearing a disguise to hide his true identity from his classmates. Gohan took up the Great Saiyaman moniker at the beginning of the Buu saga of Dragon Ball Z, though he was eventually found out his future wife Videl, who blackmailed hime with revealing his secret identity in order to get flying lessons. The two ended up falling for each other, and, in some filler and films, even fought crime together, ain't that cute?
While she might have based her outfit on Gohan's, we think that the Great Saiyawoman costume is actually a huge improvement on the original.
Videl took up a similar costume and superhero name, going by the Great Saiyawoman or sometimes Great Saiyaman 2 in certain translations/iterations. While she might have based her outfit on Gohan's, we think that the Great Saiyawoman costume is actually a huge improvement on the original. The color palette is a bit more interesting than Gohan's especially the use of white, which brings the whole thing together by matching with the boots and gloves, something the original failed to do. Plus, what's not to love about the retractable visor with the heart slider?
6 MARTIAN MANHUNTER - MISS MARTIAN
Sidekicks always get the better costumes, don't they? Whether or not you agree with this notion, it is definitely true of Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian. Though her costume has had few changes over the years, it has remained relatively the same, which is also true of the shapeshifter's superhero form. Instead of being a not-so-inviting martian face (with a frightening name), it is very human-looking with the addition of some cute and stylish red hair. Everything about Miss Martian's design is a huge upgrade from her uncle's, so let's break it down, shall we?
The white shirt and blue skirt are a very human-looking outfit, which makes for an even better look, like she is much more in touch with humanity than Martian Manhunter, or at least wishes to be more like humans. The cape and boots are taken from her uncle's costume, but the gloves are a nice addition. As for her stealth costume from Young Justice, it takes a note from Martian Manhunter's black costume to make a cool nod that is still its own thing while still making her appear frightening when she has to be, or at the very least mysterious and powerful. Though the changes are slight, Miss Martian's outfit is a huge improvement from Martian Manhunter's.