8 Terrible Mistakes That Almost Ruined Superman For Everyone
4. Getting Rid Of The Trunks
The New 52 was a huge, crazy deal for DC Comics when it launched in 2011. The publisher strolled up to comics readers with all the gusto of Steve Buscemi in skater garb and proceeded to ask, "how do you do, fellow kids", introducing brand new designs for its roster of characters in a bid to get in touch with a new audience.
The problem, however, was that in attempting to reach new readers, DC editorial lost sight of what made their comics unique in the first place. The new tone and aesthetic divested from classic DC and a few characters in particular suffered dramatically, with Superman - once again - stuck in the middle.
Supes was a frequent target of DC's critics and tended to be seen as the visual embodiment of the publisher's supposedly dated characters, and so it's no surprise he bore the brunt of the reboot's retcons, starting with his costume.
The trunks were gone, a more armoured look was introduced, and the suit was given a bunch of random lines and accents because... detail, I guess? Either way it didn't work, and in five years' time the entire New 52 experiment came crashing down.