10 Outdated Superhero Costumes In Desperate Need Of A Redesign

Comic books have been around for almost a century now, and in that time they’ve undergone a huge evolution. As the reader base has grown to include adults as well as children, storylines have often become grittier and more adult. The added influx from the popularity of the movies has seen the fanbase swell recently, and comic book heroes find themselves under the cultural microscope like never before.

Some characters have grown with the times, with the likes of Iron Man developing new and ever more futuristic tech, or the Invisible Woman ditching her ridiculous '4 cutout' on her cleavage. Others still, like Spider-Man, haven’t really needed much doing to their core design since their debut.

This list isn’t concerned with either of those though. Instead, it takes a look at characters who have failed or refused to grow with the times (like Invisible Woman if she had never ditched her 4 crop top).

They aren’t all examples of heavy handed sexualisation, but given comics books were historically aimed at men, a lot of them are. They aren’t all characters who’ve never changed either, but sometimes the change misunderstands the original flaws and the new design is just as outdated as the old.

Power Girl comes bottom of the list here because there’s a lot of things working in her favour, despite some outdated design features we’ll get to later. For one, she’s biologically the same person as Supergirl, and that red and blue classic doesn’t need any major work done to it.

Also, unlike a few costumes here, this doesn’t need a total tear down, just a couple of changes. Well, just one change really, but it’s absolutely glaring: the boob window.

There is no other dignified way to say that. Power Girl’s white leotard with the red belt and cape works perfectly. But that gaping circle in her chest... just why?

In 2009, Power Girl even has a meta moment where she criticises readers (specifically women) for disliking her costume. Still, no explanation is given. Not even a weird, Metal Gear Solid, breathes through her skin explanation. She just seems to like having a massive hole in her top to show off her chest.

It feels like it should have been put out to pasture for a more practical costume long ago - which it was, briefly, during the New 52 - but alas, not yet.