10 Amazing Comic Book Redesigns That Didn't Last

2. Black Bat

Black Bat Cassandra Cain
DC Comics

Cassandra Cain is better known to readers as the second Batgirl, with the character having operated under the mantle all the way up until 2009, where she was then replaced by former Spoiler and Robin, Stephanie Brown. Luckily, this switch also necessitated a change in outfit, and it was a great one.

Although there's no denying that Cass looked the part in her original Batgirl outfit, her costume as Black Bat was even better. The cape was tattered and worn, providing a different kind of intimidation factor compared to the clean-cut trim of most other Bat-family outfits. The black and gold theme was still there, but the material of the cape elevated it to a whole other level.

Then there was the mask. Rather than it being the typical domino masks DC's heroes all tend to swear by, Cass adopted one that made it look as though she had bat-ears too, sort of like a nice blend between the Dark Knight's old cowl, and what his sidekicks all tend to wear.

Cass goes by Orphan these days, but it'd be great to see her return to the mantle - and outfit - that fans couldn't get enough of.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.