From the summer of 2011 to May of 2016, the DC Comics universe changed during the initiative called New 52 and DC You. In this period origins were retold, costumes were redesigned, and heroes became younger. In total, everything people knew about their favorite heroes and teams was changed and fans had some very strong opinions about this.
New 52 was a valiant effort that had both fans and detractors. Several good things came out of this era but that doesn't mean that there weren't issues with the new canon as well.
10 Bad: No Trunks Rule
Iconic superheroes who make significant costume changes face the approval or wrath of their fans. In the case of the New 52's Superman and Batman, they also had to contend with new rules and a lack of iconic undergarments. This is due to the alleged "No Trunks" rule the 52's architects instituted.
The result was the removal of said design elements from the costumes of this World's Fined duo. No matter how many times they were ridiculed, their outside underwear was a symbol of longevity. Once gone, the two long-time heroes seemed almost naked.
9 Good: Needed Costume Redesigns
Though there were no trunks, the New 52 provided needed and liked tweaks and redesigns to some costumes. For instance, though he lost his trunks, Batman's costume featured a powerful redesign. When the pants were removed, Wonder Woman's outfit was streamlined and ready for battle.
Other heroes that got tweaks included Aquaman, Hal Jordan Green Lantern, Flash, and Batgirl. Cyborg's armored look was even given an aerodynamic appearance. Some of these changes translated to live-action shows. The best example is Green Arrow's new outfit. It became the model used for the TV show Arrow.
8 Bad: Destruction of Teen Teams
The New 52 wasn't kind to its teenage and young adult heroes. For instance, after being tweaked to the point of being nearly unrecognizable, the era's version of the Teen Titans faltered. This was despite the talents of creators Scott Lobdell and Will Pfeifer.
Meanwhile, the Legion of Super-Heroes imploded under the talents of legacy creators Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen. In fact, they seemed to have been eliminated from the New 52 timeline. In its place were rebirth clones of the Justice League.
7 Good: Cyborg In The Justice League
It had been a long time since the Justice League's origin had been rewritten. The last significant change was after Crisis on Infinite Earths. Then, Black Canary replaced Wonder Woman as one of the original members. It was rewritten again in the New 52 era to replace the Martian Manhunter.
The person who took his place was Cyborg. His appearance was met with a collective "About time" from fans. Out of all the Titans, Vic was the one who seemed to fit most as a member of the League.
6 Bad: Everyone Died (Sort Of)
The New 52 universe seemed emptier. Heroes and supporting characters regularly seen before the shift no longer existed. The most significant of those was the senior Kents and a guy named Wally West. With the figurative and literal death of these personalities, the new reality felt quieter.
Then there were characters who perished during the era's run. Damian Wayne was killed in battle (but came back to life). Fan-favorite Kon-El also perished during this time. Furthermore, a number of Legion members died then came back to life. For some, it felt like the New 52 architects wanted to kill as many of their darlings as possible.
5 Good: The Original Batgirl Returns
One of the best things to come out of the New 52 was the return of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Needless to say, fans were still sore about the circumstances that led to her paralyzation. Though she had huge roles with the Justice League and Birds of Prey as Oracle, it wasn't the same.
Even her replacements, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, didn't have the oomph and fun Babs provided. With Jim Gordon's daughter now Batgirl once again, she could truly be a physical part of Batman's support team.
4 Bad: Superman And Wonder Woman
What would happen if you woke up one morning and the person you had been married to for decades was replaced by someone else? This is how fans felt when the New 52 introduced the literal power couple of Superman and Wonder Woman.
Readers wondered how the era's architects could break up Clark and Lois after so many years of blissful marriage. Let alone how they could split up the Amazonian Princess and Steve Trevor. For some, it was worse than Superman having no trunks. Luckily, things were corrected as the New 52 morphed into DC You and Rebirth.
3 Good: Scott Snyder And Greg Capullo On Batman
The New 52 books had some terrific talent on them. Grant Morrison on Action Comics, George Perez on Superman, and Geoff Johns & Jim Lee on Justice League are a few examples. However, the creative team that made the most impact from the start of the New 52 into Rebirth were writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo.
For 51 issues of Batman, this pair brought the Dark Knight into the New 52 era while maintaining much of his legacy. They introduced the Court of Owls, retold some of Batman's first adventures, and brought readers along when Bruce "died" and Jim Gordon became the new Batman. Masterful storytelling and detailed artistry kept fans intrigued through the run and the Rebirth series like "Dark Knight: Metal."
2 Bad: Too Many Changes At Once
In the aftermath of DC's last major reboot, Crisis on Infinite Earths, many series were restarted with new origins. However, the changes were gradual. It permitted readers to properly adjust to the new universe. This was not the case with the New 52.
The architects took a "rip the band-aid off" approach and started their run one month after the May 2016 releases. For many, it felt like whiplash. One moment they were reading about familiar characters, then utter confusion. Perhaps a one-shot, like they did when they introduced "Rebirth," would've been better to kick things off.
1 Good: Set Everything Up For Rebirth
History has shown that judgment errors have a silver lining to them. The New 52 is in that group. The fact fans were unhappy with many of the changes led to DC's management to trash it all and return its universe to what it once was.
Hence, the "Rebirth" era began. With the reintroduction of Wally West into the world, a path was set to bring back many concepts of the post-Crisis error. This included the Justice Society, Legion of Super-Heroes, and trunks.