10 Most Iconic Superhero Symbols

Boiling a hero's entire character into one symbol.

By John Tibbetts /

Never underestimate the importance of well made iconography. Sometimes the simplest images and symbols will tell your audience more about the character or organization they're associated with than any amount of dialogue or conflict could. And one type of story that has always understood this is the superhero comic.

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From the first superhero all the way to modern era, superheroes have always had some kind of trademark symbol or visual detail that readers can immediately place as belonging to them and only them. There might be imitations or subversions, but there's only one original, and everyone knows it.

But, of course, some are more famous than others. Some are so iconic, so immediately recognizable, that you don't need any clarification on whom it belongs to when you see it. These superhero symbols have maintained the core idea of their character throughout because of how integral a part it is to the concept of the hero wearing them.

Whether because of how they reflect their beliefs and character, or because it's just that damn good a design, these are the ten most iconic superhero symbols out there.

10. The Flash

A good symbol should be something that anyone can make even a crude drawing of at a moment's notice. Not only does this help its iconic nature, but obviously it makes it easier to draw several dozen times every issue. The easier a time you can make for your comic artist, the better off you'll ultimately be.

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With that said, the symbol of The Flash is about as bone simple as you can get for one of these things. It's just a white circle with a lightning bolt emblazoned in the center.

It hearkens back to the lightning bolt symbol used by the Jay Garrett Flash from the Golden Age, but the white circle helps it stand out more. It also gives it a better sense of location on the suit, rather than it just floating there in the negative space of red like on the Golden Age outfit.

The Flash's outfit has mostly remained unchanged over the years, and a key pillar behind its success has to be the symbol.

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