15 Best Superhero Redesigns
4. Daredevil - Wally Wood’s Red Redesign
Strangely for a ‘Man Without Fear’, Daredevil’s original costume was the colour of fear itself: bright yellow. The costume was a little goofy, as was everything of that era, but when Wally Wood took over the character in 1964, everything changed.
It was still a little melodramatic, and a far cry from the grittier comic book style yet to come, but it laid the groundwork for Daredevil’s development spectacularly. The switch to the all red getup gave him a much more ominous feel, and removed the acrobatic, slightly whimsical feel of the name ‘Daredevil’ and made it into something more ominous and powerful. It’s hard to imagine the character would be so successful today if not for this early tune up.
The first appearance of his new red costume came in issue #7, one of the most popular Daredevil stories ever, which sees him fighting Namor. The success of this plus the more atmospheric tone of the outfit meant this look was a keeper from then on out.
Although Frank Miller’s tenure with the character in the eighties is what really propelled Daredevil into the comic book stratosphere, Wood’s complete overhaul of his palette cannot be overstated.