While Batman and his extended family of heroes have become known as the protectors of Gotham City, they are also known among comic fans for their dynamic costumes that stand out on the rooftops in the night and separate them from some of the more brightly garbed heroes of the DC Universe.
The Bat-Family‘s costumes have changed a few times over the years to better reflect the characters and even share similar color schemes, while also serving to allow the characters to spread their wings on their own or even distance themselves from the family, which we’ll take a further look at today.
10 The Signal Shines Brightest To Protect Gotham During The Day
Duke Thomas has appeared in a few different roles following his first appearance during the New 52‘s “Zero Year” storyline and later reappearance in “Endgame” before he joined Alfred’s ground-level team of Robins.
Duke Thomas also appeared in a futuristic vision in the identity of Lark before the modern version began training with Batman. Thomas was outfitted in a new identity and yellow and black costume as The Signal, to better recognize his place as a daytime member of the Bat-Family.
9 Huntress’ Modern Costume Blends Elements From Previous Versions
While there have been quite a few different versions of both the character of Huntress and the costume she was worn over the years, the current version of Helena Bertinelli’s costume is an updated take that blends elements from her previous costumes together.
The original version of Huntress was Helena Wayne whose costume influence would influence the design of Bertinelli’s, though a new version of that character has appeared in the future scenes of Batman/Catwoman that adopted the identity of Batwoman instead of Huntress and wore a high-tech merger of her parent’s costume.
8 Spoiler Has Worn A Few Different Costumes Over The Years
Stephanie Brown may have spent some time in her own versions of the Robin and Batgirl costumes over the years and various rebooted continuities, it’s her Spoiler costume that has continued to evolve to become a modern mixture of outfits that succeeds with her color scheme.
While she originally wore a full-face mask to hide her identity from her supervillain father Cluemaster, she has since adopted a half-face mask and blended her Spoiler and Batgirl outfits together to better portray her unique history with the Bat-Family.
7 Red Hood’s Original Costume Is Still One Of His Best
Technically, the Red Hood‘s original costume was the tuxedo get-up worn by the Joker prior to his transformation, though Jason Todd adopted the identity when he returned from the grave following his death as the second Robin at the hands of the Clown Prince of Crime.
Todd’s first Red Hood costume was simple and tactical and featured his striking red helmet, which has slowly evolved over the years to reflect his renewed standing with the Bat-Family while also freeing Todd from his former helmeted visage.
6 Orphan Recently Returned To The Role And Costume Of Batgirl
Cassandra Cain first appeared in Gotham City as the new Batgirl following Barbara Gordon‘s long run as the character, and she wore a dark version of the costume that featured a sewn-over mask to completely cover her face to highlight her initial inability to talk.
While Cain adopted new costumes as first Black Bat and later Orphan, she returned to the role of Batgirl in her original costume during “Joker War” and will take the role into DC’s Infinite Frontier with a new series.
5 Tim Drake’s Best Costume Is Still His First Robin Costume
The third Robin to take on the role was Tim Drake though he was the first to get a new version of the costume that has continued to stand apart from the rest of his outfits, which have changed quite a bit over the years as he graduated to new identities like Red Robin and Drake.
The New 52 featured a low point for the character when he was given a complete costume overhaul that included wings, but thankfully he returned in a version of his original Robin costume that has continued to influence the designs of every Robin costume since.
4 Kate Kane Made The Costume Her Own As Batwoman
The modern version of Batwoman is Kate Kane, the military-trained cousin of Bruce Wayne who independently took on the mantle to become a protector after she was forced to resign from the military due to her sexual orientation.
Batwoman’s costume shares only a similar mask with her Pre-Crisis counterpart, with the rest of the costume following the familiar design of the Bat-Family that claimed the red and black color scheme as her own after the New 52 briefly shared the coloring among the entire Bat-Family.
3 Damian Wayne Is Forging A New Future With A New Costume
While Damian Wayne altered his original Robin costume to better reflect his upbringing as a member of the League of Assassins, he has begun to further update his costume as he branched away from the Bat-Family on a quest to find his own path.
His new Robin costume is an interesting merger of his previous assassin and Robin costumes that highlight his new path to find himself as he reaccepts his birthright as the Heir of the Demon Ra’s al Ghul while still honoring the teachings he learned from the Bat-Family.
2 Nightwing’s Black-And-Blue Is His Tried-And-True
Dick Grayson may have been the first to wear the Robin costume, but he became best known as the heroic Nightwing, whose costume went through quite a few different variations over the years before he arrived at his signature look.
Originally clad in a light blue and yellow costume, it eventually evolved to fit the dark color scheme of the Bat-Family when he adopted the black and blue costume that has become his longest-lasting suit, though it has received a red and black version and seen a few tweaks over the years.
1 Batman’s Iconic Look Helped Define The Bat-Family
While Batman has dabbled with different colored costumes over the years that have transitioned from black-and-grey to blue-and grey and back again, the iconic design of his costume has remained largely consistent over the last 8o years of the character’s history.
The cowl has slightly altered the shape and cut over the years while the logo and presence of trunks have also changed, but Bruce Wayne‘s main costume design has lasted for years, been replicated by other Batman’s like Dick Grayson and Jace Fox, and helped influence the design of other members of the Bat-Family.
About The Author
