Spider-Man's 10 Best Costumes Of All Time
1. Black Costume
Spider-Man's first major costume change remains his best. The black costume was first seen in Amazing Spider-Man #252 and his acquisition of the mysterious black goo that turned out to be an alien symbiote was detailed in Marvel Secret Wars #8.
Reportedly, Marvel editor-in-chief and Secret Wars miniseries writer Jim Shooter wanted some new duds for the Web Slinger, and after much debate about what this costume should actually do, an all-black alternative was agreed upon. Unfortunately, the initial fan reaction to the suit was so negative, Shooter wanted to ditch the idea immediately (but was forced to wait until Amazing Spider-Man #258, the first Spidey comic to be released after Secret Wars #8 was published).
But something happened over the course of those seven issues of Amazing Spider-Man that changed the jeers into cheers. After the symbiote was removed by the Fantastic Four, fans demanded that Spidey suit up in black again. To quiet the crowd, the black suit is reintroduced when Spider-Mans (then) girlfriend, the Black Cat, sews her man a replacement and asks him to wear it again, saying she prefers the all-black look to the classic red and blues (and who are any of us to argue with the Black Cat?). Spidey continues to wear this non-alien version of the suit off and on until Amazing Spider-Man #300, when a sociopath named Eddie Brock acquires the symbiote and becomes Venom.
Peter doesn't don the black suit again until the 2007 "Back in Black" story (which was timed to coincide with the release of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, which also featured a symbiote/black costume sub-plot). As any woman will tell you, there's nothing more versatile than a little black dress.
In terms of Spider-Man's costume history, the black suit has proven to be equally popular, providing this street-level hero with a bit more edge and grit, without completely betraying the essence of who the character is underneath the mask and tights. Meanwhile, the actual symbiote has emerged as a major player in the Marvel universe in its own right.