20 of the Worst Superhero Costumes

Image via DC Comics

6. Electric Superman

Okay, I’m going to get real honest with you, here. The original Superman costume is already kind of rough. By now, it’s a classic and people are naturally attached to it. But you’ve got to admit that the 1930s focus on leotards and giant pairs of underwear worn on the outside look strange today.

So, it naturally follows that modern comics artists are eager to redesign classic costumes. However, they need to tread carefully. Big-name superheroes like Batman and Superman especially pose a lot of risk. Whether or not an artist or writer thinks a legacy costume is dumb, chances are that many of the fans are pretty attached to it. Changing such essential looks can be a big risk.

Sometimes, it pays off. Other times, however, you get Electric Superman.

It all began in 1996, when Superman lost his powers for a short period of time. You see, our Sun was briefly extinguished; Superman, with his solar-based powers, was out of luck. After a complicated series of events in which a sort-of-evil Hal Jordan redeems himself by starting up the sun again, Superman gets his powers back.

Of course, it wasn’t quite so simple. Superman somehow managed to get way too much solar energy into his system, making his powers almost too strong too contain. In order to function, Supes took to wearing a white and blue containment suit with a built in mask thing. It’s maybe not the worst costume on this list, but it sure looked strange on one of the biggest names in superhero comics.