What would superheroes be without their iconic costumes? The bright colors, the capes, the logos, the masks; it’s all part of the grand spectacle of the superhero. And what’s not to love? You wouldn’t expect athletes to play basketball in jeans and t-shirts, would you? Superheroes need their uniforms too.

And all the best superheroes have more than one – some good, some bad.

That’s a lot of Iron Mans

There are a lot of reasons for a superhero to change his or her costume. Maybe somebody new has taken up the mantle, or maybe it’s simply a change in the season, or a change in technology. Take Iron Man for example. He started with that big, bulky metal thing, but once he got his hands on his own equipment, he designed the sleek red and gold battlesuit. Or maybe the hero is getting a new comic series, and they need a new look.

Whatever the reasons, superheroes change their costumes all the time. And I’ve put together my list of the 6 best and the 6 worst superhero costume changes. I’d love to hear your thoughts and your choices in the comments!

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Best:

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6. Captain America

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How do you alter the American flag? By making it look more like the Puerto Rican flag, apparently. But kidding aside, I like this costume change because it keeps the classic red, white and blue look, while making it a bit more modern and badass. He’s got the party up top, and the business down below. The change came about when Captain America died, and his former sidekick, Bucky, stepped up to take over the mantle. Bucky filled in as Captain America for a few years in this costume until the original came back to life and took over again.

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5. Ant-Man

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The original Ant-Man costume is pretty damn ugly. That helmet may be functional, but it just looks stupid. So Marvel decided to awesome things up a little during an Avengers revamp in the late 90s, giving second Ant-Man, Scott Lang, a sleeker, more insectoid look. I couldn’t be happier, and I hope they use this costume as inspiration for the upcoming Ant-Man movie. It retains the classic colors and the big, metal helmet, but they just look so much cooler now. A third Ant-Man came along and there have been several more costumes changes (mostly bad), but Lang also recently returned, and it looks like he’ll be keeping this badass look.

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4. Iron Fist

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Bare chest, yellow booties and a collar that would make disco dancers blush, Iron Fist’s original costume would make him a laughing stock if he wore it out in public. It was created in the 70s, when America was big into kung fu. Still, that’s no excuse. That thing looks ridiculous! So when Iron Fist got a revamp for a spectacular mid-00s series, Marvel smartly toned down the insanity of his costume. That series, with help from that new costume, has gone a long way to making Iron Fist a major character these days.

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3. Fantastic Four

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The Fantastic Four recently went through a big team revamp, changing from superheroes to a larger, more science-based group known as the Future Foundation. Marvel decided this required new, dynamic costumes. Most superhero teams are composed of different heroes with their own costumes, but the Fantastic Four are one of the only teams who have always had matching uniforms. And they’ve been wearing the same blue jumpsuits for decades. So I love the change to white. It’s a dazzling and bright look, and not many superheroes wear all white, or can pull it off so well. Even the new logos on their chests are neat.

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2. Green Lantern

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A total overhaul of the Green Lantern franchise in the 1960s necessitated a new costume, and the world is grateful. Original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, wore that hideous red and green thing back in the 40s as a solo superhero with a magic ring and lantern. So when the reboot came in the 60s with new hero Hal Jordan, DC gave him a much sleeker costume, and made him part of the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps of law enforcers. Now his costume is part of a larger group uniform, and it looks a million times better than Alan Scott’s clown suit.

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1. Robin

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I say this completely without bias, but Robin’s new costume in the 90s is the greatest superhero costume change in the history of comics. Not only does the costume look much cooler, but it changed how the character was perceived and continues to be perceived. The change finally gave Robin the respect he lacked from decades of wearing short shorts, pixie boots and ugly bare man legs. Robin wasn’t always a 10-year-old boy. The first Robin, Dick Grayson, wore that bare-legged costume well into his late teens, simply because DC didn’t want to change such an iconic and famous costume. So either he shaved his legs all the time, which is bad enough, or Robin had some hairy legs.

But thankfully, when DC created a new Robin in the 90s to appeal to young readers, Tim Drake got a much better, much cooler and much less bare-legged redesign. Since then, the new costume has been used in cartoons, movies, video games and pretty much every version of Robin. The old, silly costume is a thing of the past. Thank the comic book gods!

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Worst:

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6. Cyclops

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I loved the new black and yellow leather uniforms the X-Men wore in the early 2000s, to match their leather-based movie costumes. They were a cool combination of jackets, shirts and various other accessories. Everyone seemed to get a cool new look. I almost considered putting them on the 6 best list. But the uniforms didn’t last long, and Marvel went back to giving the X-Men individual costumes. I think Cyclops got off the worst. He looked great in the unified look, but then he got a dull, dark-colored design that makes him look like a condom-head.

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5. Zatanna

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What better look for a magical witch than to dress up like a sexy stage magician? It’s more realistic than flashy. Of course, it helps that Zatanna actually is a stage magician, using her magic to enhance her shows. It’s a classy look, and Zatanna really makes it work. Yet back in the 70s, DC wanted to make her look more like a superhero, I guess. Hence this ugly gypsy-based get-up. She looks like a fluffy bird. And it got rid of the fishnet stockings! For shame. Zatanna had one of the classiest, most unique-looking costumes in all of comics. But this change is the very definition of not fixing something that isn’t broken. Thankfully, Zatanna has been back to her magician look for decades. Well, until the New 52, at least…

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4. Wonder Woman

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Usually when it comes to Wonder Woman and costume changes, it usually means showing more leg and showing more bust. But back in the 1960s, DC Comics decided to give the most famous female superhero a new feminist angle. Along with that new costume, based around the style at the time, Wonder Woman also lost her powers and became a kung fu fighter. Totally more progressive, right? But then real feminists like Gloria Steinem disagreed and demanded the old, superheroic Wonder Woman back! Them gals was alright.

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3.  Thor

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Yep, that’s definitely Thor exposing his midriff as if he were some teenage valley girl. Welcome to the 90s, when superheros and their costumes were an insane mix of desperation and insanity. Along with the exposed midriff, you’ll see the giant shoulder pads, the numerous brown straps that do nothing, the buckle across the chest, the crotch plate, the giant chain hanging off his hammer, and the long, flowing blonde hair. All he needs is a short leather jacket and a few more pouches to complete the 90s look. Thor didn’t wear this outfit for long, but it’s what he had on in such big adventures as Marvel vs. DC and the Onslaught Saga. Fortunately, he ‘died’ in that story, and got a costume change when he came back.

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2. Invisible Woman

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Yep, they definitely turned the 4 into a cleavage window. Behold the Invisible Woman’s 90s costume, when Marvel, I guess, tried to make her edgier. That seems to stand for sluttier. The rest of the Fantastic Four got to keep their usual blue jumpsuits, but the Invisible Woman (a mother of two, no less), decided she needed to show a lot more skin. And this is why people think comic books are sexist. Thankfully, this look didn’t last long at all. But just look at the thing. She’s basically just wearing a series of straps so that she can show off her cleavage, her navel, her thighs, and as much skin as possible. I hope she didn’t wear that to any parent/teacher conferences.

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1. Superman

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What more needs to be said? Just look at that picture. DC thought they could improve Superman. They wanted to remake him hip and cool. But c’mon, he’s the greatest superhero of all time. He’s a worldwide icon, more recognizable than Mickey Mouse! And yet…and yet…not only did DC take away some of his classic powers and costume, but they decided Superman would instead have electricity-based powers! This was a real thing! It lasted for several months. When, you ask? Why, in the 1990s, of course! That horrible time of comic book insanity. Even as a member of the Justice League, Superman looked like this bright blue Smurf guy.

Fortunately, sales of the new Superman quickly died off and DC saw the error of their ways. The fools. Comic book fans love consistency, not insanity. And they don’t love Electric Blue Supermen.