The previously fan-titled DCEU, short for DC Extended Universe, has now been dubbed Worlds of DC. A banner reading "Worlds of DC" was hang up at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con and apparently, this was enough to give the Warner Bros. DC Comics' cinematic universe its kind of, maybe, allegedly official name. For all intents and purposes, Worlds of DC serves as the much-needed re-branding of the DCEU. The new name is in line with Warner Bros. statements about the future of the DC Comics movie universe that will likely take on a different shape in the future. Instead of playing catch up with Marvel and building their own cinematic universe, Warner Bros. will follow the tradition of DC Comics and create a multiverse.
While some are excited about this change, others remain skeptical because changing the name alone doesn't make any difference when it comes to the quality of the movies and, thus far, the DCEU films haven't had the best track record with either the fans or the critics. One of the areas often pointed out as in need of improvement is costume design. Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Joker all faced backlash over costume design. A lot of talented fans and artists who felt that the official costumes didn't do the characters justice decided to take matters into their own hands and create their own versions of the costumes. Some of these fan designs are more comic book-accurate, others are more outlandish, but all of them are awesome in their own way.
30 DEADSHOT
Will Smith’s Deadshot was quite possibly the best part of Suicide Squad, though the movie managed to ruin him as well by the end. Unlike the Arrowverse version of the character, the Suicide Squad Deadshot sported a rather comic book-accurate costume.
While the movie costume was met with positive reactions, some fans have designed their own Deadshot costumes. The one featured above was designed by John Gallagher. The costume is faithful to the comics, but the artist completed the design with more original elements.
29 BATMAN ARMOR
Batman’s armor from Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was dubbed Supesbuster due to its massive Iron Man-like design. The bulky Batman armor was a disappointment for many fans of the Caped Crusader who thought the designers should have done a better job.
Ricky Ryan felt the Batman armor was in dire need of a redesign so he created his own version of the armor. While it still looks fierce, Ricky’s armored Batsuit is far less bulky. Overall, it’s a significant improvement on the official design.
28 WONDER WOMAN
Wonder Woman is coming back in 2019 and this time the movie will take place in 1984. According to the director Patty Jenkins, the ‘80s were in many ways humanity at its best and worst, which is why she decided to set the movie in that decade.
Though Gadot posted a photo in costume, it’s still possible that some changes to the familiar look will be introduced. Though the changes, if they happen, will probably be minor. Nothing like artist David Paget’s design, which looks completely different from the official movie costume.
27 AQUAMAN
Aquaman’s bright orange costume looks great on the page, but a live-action adaptation is a whole other beast. The costume Jason Momoa wore in Justice League had no trace of orange in order to fit with the overall tone of the DC cinematic universe and to make Aquaman less cartoonish.
However, we can’t help but wonder if there was a way to incorporate the orange into the cinematic version of the costume. Artist Daniel Kamarudin designed an awesome Aquaman costume that might just work even on the big screen.
26 SHAZAM
2019 has been marked as the year of Captain Marvel. First, Marvel’s Captain Marvel will hit the theaters in March. Then, in April, Zachary Levi will make his debut as DC Comics’ Captain Marvel, aka Shazam. The Shazam! movie has been in development since early 2000s and it’s finally coming to the big screen.
The trailer dropped during the San Diego Comic Con and it has us all hyped for April 2019. The Shazam costume is pretty spot-on and the Chuck star looks awesome in it. Artist Bryan Fiallos made some slight adjustments on his fan designed suit.
25 THE FLASH
Ezra Miller’s solo movie Flashpoint is scheduled for a 2020 release, though Warner Bros. don’t have the best track record with keeping to a schedule. Miller made his debut as the Flash in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice with a brief cameo.
In Justice League, we finally got to see him in action and the reactions were mostly positive. However, a lot of fans seem to be a bit disappointed with the costume. Mark Williams designed a cool updated version of Miller’s suit that could appear in upcoming films.
24 AQUAMAN AND MERA
Though we got a pretty good look at Aquaman in Justice League, we only saw Mera for a brief couple of moments. Come this November, we’ll finally get to see much more of the underwater world of Atlantis and Amber Herd as Mera.
Before the role went to Amber Herd, artist created fan art of different actresses as Mera. Portuguese artist Tiago Datrinti designed his own version of Mera’s costume with Jessica Chastain in the role. Datrinti’s design is similar to the official costume, save for the neckline.
23 BATMAN
While Christopher Nolan’s the Dark Knight trilogy is fondly remembered and held in high regard, many fans have pointed out that the Batsuit was perhaps a bit too armor-like. In contrast, Ben Affleck’s Batsuit is incredibly form-fitting (when he’s not wearing the tactical suit at least), but it’s a bit too modern.
Turkish artist Tuna Kaan Koç designed an outfit for Batman that combines the modern look with the traditional elements. The blend works remarkably well and it would be awesome to see it on the big screen.
22 THE FLASH
The Flash is one of the most beloved comic book characters, even if he doesn’t quite have the same status as Batman and Superman in the DC Comics universe. The character’s popularity increased with the recent two live-action adaptations -- Grant Gustin’s TV Flash and Ezra Miller’s movie Flash.
Their costumes differ significantly from one another and the comic book version of the suit. However, the design shown above by Guy Bourraine Jr. is far more outlandish than either the TV or movie version. Still, it’s a cool concept we wouldn’t mind seeing in action.
21 CYBORG
The half-man, half-CGI hero is hands down the most overlooked member of the Justice League. To be fair, Ray Fisher wasn’t even given a fair chance to shine. His character didn’t really have much to do thus far and the costume could and should look a whole lot cooler.
Talented fans of the character decided to give Cyborg the awesome costume he deserves. Artist Luke Sparrow redesigned Cyborg’s costume that we can only lament wasn't used as the official design in the movie.
20 AQUAMAN
Before Jason Momoa got the part of Arthur Curry on the big screen, the King of Atlantis was portrayed by Alan Michael Rithson on the CW’s Superman origin series Smallville. The costume was a product of a TV budget and the 2000s fashion, so it wasn't all that great.
Still, French artist Lucas Rémoussin found some elements of the Smallville suit are worth keeping so when he designed a brand-new look for Aquaman, Lucas blended elements form Smallville, the comics and the movie.
19 THE JOKER
In 2008, Christopher Nolan made arguably the most influential superhero film of all time with The Dark Knight. The second installment in the Dark Knight trilogy featured the Academy Award-winning performance by the late Heath Ledger who portrayed Batman’s nemesis the Joker.
When Jered Leto was announced as the new Joker in Suicide Squad, he had some big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, Leto came up short. Leto’s Joker was a far cry from the source material, which rubbed too many fans the wrong way. Australian artist Bosslogic fixed the Joker with his amazing fan design.
18 WONDER WOMAN
Wonder Woman’s costume in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn’t met with the most positive reactions. The muted colors and Snyder’s trademark sepia effect didn’t do justice to Diana’s brightly colored comic book costume, but thankfully this was rectified in Gal Gadot’s solo movie.
However, some fans still think there’s room for improvement. Artist Alex Malveda created this incredible armor costume for Gadot’s Wonder Woman. It’s a bit unconventional for sure, but that doesn’t stop it from being impressive.
17 AQUAMAN
Aquaman has been object of ridicule for the better part of his history, so when time came to adapt the character for the big screen the costume designers came up with a new dangerous look for the King of Atlantis. Combine that with the hulking Jason Momoa and you’ve got yourself a fierce hero no one would dare mock.
Before the official costume was revealed, artist James Bousema deigned two awesome costumes for Aquaman that are more in line with the comics and could have worked incredibly well in live-action.
16 THE FLASH
When Ezra Miller got cast as Barry Allen in DC’s cinematic universe he knew he had some pretty big shoes to fill. Grant Gustin had already won the affection of fans as the Flash. In fact, many felt Gustin should have been the one to portray the Scarlet Speedster on the big screen as well.
Once we actually got to see Miller’s adorkable Flash in action his approval ratings went up. Though, the costume is still a polarizing topic. Artist Fred Gago, for example, has a very different take on Flash's costume.
15 SHAZAM
Shazam! is less than a year away and we can hardly wait to get our tickets and see Zachary Levi in action. Everything looks good so far, hinting that Shazam! could end up being the next Wonder Woman for the newly titled Worlds of DC.
The costume is an accurate depiction of the character’s look from the comics and Levi looks amazing wearing it. However, Leonardo Vincent’s fresh and stylish take on the Shazam suit is nothing to sneeze at either.
14 DOOMSDAY
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was an ambitious but ultimately rather disappointing endeavor. The big bad Doomsday, who appears for no more than a couple of minutes just to smash stuff, was merely one of the movie’s shortcomings.
Artist Junaidi Lim thought so too, which is why he decided to design his own Doomsday. Junaidi’s new and improved version of the mammoth villain looks far more human, which was the intent of the artist. We’d gladly take this Doomsday over the CGI abomination from the film any day.
13 THE JOKER
Jared Leto’s Joker costume is one of the most controversial live-action costume adaptations in recent memory. But, we’d be more than willing to forgive the horrendous costume design had the movie not ruined the character completely.
While we can’t fix the later, the costume we can do something about. And by we, we mean the talented artists like Jesus Bonaguro who designed a much better alternative look for the Joker. Now, this is the Joker we know and love to hate.
12 SHAZAM
The trailer for the upcoming Shazam! movie has us incredibly hyped for Zachary Levi’s superhero antics. Shazam! will obviously be much lighter and funnier than most of Worlds of DC’s previous cinematic installments. Which is why Zachary Levi is the perfect man for the job.
Zachary Levi got buffed and looks incredible in the flashy red costume, something a good number of fans were worried about. Prior to the trailer’s release, artist Dalton Barrett designed his own version of the Shazam costume, which looks equally awesome.
11 HARLEY QUINN
One of the biggest attractions of the Suicide Squad movie was, of course, Harley Quinn. Portrayed by Margot Robbie, Joker’s crazy girlfriend received a complete makeover for her big screen live-action debut. While the new look wasn’t hated, some fans still preferred the original costume.
Jesus Bonaguro was craving Harley’s classic look as well, so he decided to redesign Margot Robbie’s costume. Perhaps this design can make its way into one of the many Harley Quinn projects Warner Bros. announced -- if they get made that is.