Off THEIR Minds: Should Superheroes Change Their Costumes?

I think they should because sometimes the new costumes are better than the old ones like Wonder Woman for instance, not that the classic one is bad it's just that I like the new look better.

To answer both of your qestions (cause we know what this is really about ^_^) Yeah I think Superheroes should change their look from time to time. 
 
As for Wonder Woman, in the end they should  update her look, it's the best of both worlds, and die-hards won't complain........as much 
 
If Thor's look can be upgraded why can't Diana's?????  (I know he isn't as iconic but still)
 

Yes. Hell yes. I think the worst thing that can happen to a hero is that his look becomes iconic.

It really depends on the character to me. Some characters just aren't the same with out their suits, like Spiderman, Batman and Superman, where as others like Vanisher, Shatterstar and other lesser named characters should get their costume changes as it brings them into a modern age and makes them more iconic. 

if the costume does workk or  for some reason just hasnt been right  such as wondermans  and  hank pyms costumes then yes  they should be changed
 
if a superheroes outfit is very very old fastioned and they just look silly in it then yeah they should change costumes
 
if the superhero is iconic  like batman  superman  or wolverine then the costime is not going to work  does anyone remember how hideous boneclaw wolverines costume was ?

If iconic no. No matter what unless they change just the color scheme or change but still looks the same. If the creators want to change or even the less popular characters they should go threw the fans first. 

I think i said this in the last article discussing this. So I'm going to elaborate some more now. Some early costumes are kinda lame. Look at Daredevil's original (yellow and brown) costume. Or Wonder Man's. or Wolverine's. Those weren't iconic costumes, those were stepping stones to the costumes they wear today. 
 
And then there's costumes born of fashion and trends of yesteryear that NEEDED an update or a change. Like Luke Cage, Black Lightning, and Blade, who were all running around with Afros on and outfits that screamed the 70's. Or Dazzler's original disco outfit. Or Power Girl and Black Canary's (thankfully temporary) outfit changes.  Or half the outfit changes from the 90's (liefeld pouches, tiny shades, vanilla ice hairstyles, etc.) and other such things. Though I'm still a fan of Bishop's original 90's-esque appearance.
 
But that DOESN'T mean an iconic character can't change/update their outfit but still keep similar motiffs. Look at how Batman's outfit has evolved over the years, or Iron Man's. 
 
I really don't mind Wonder Woman's new outfit, it beats the last NEW outfit they tried to give her (that lame kung-fu/secret agent outfit), and STILL keeps the motiffs from the original costume. The only real change is that she's now wearing something over her legs. That's about it really.

" @Vitality:   I agree, I mean what would Wolverine be without those horns? He'd still be Wolverine, but the horns kinda have that don't mess with me look lol. But I think Wolvie is a good example to use here. I like costume changes I really do, as long as it befits the character, like Wolvie's main line-up, his Brown and Tan, his X-Force Black and Grey, and his standard Gold and Blue. He's had many costumes, some that work and some not so much, like the leather biker gear, I thought it looked cool but it didn't speak super-hero in my personal opinion. His Gold and Blue has gotten plenty of updates beginning from its very first look with the whiskers and smaller shoulder pads. The pads got bigger and he got a more iconic mask, I'm probably skipping steps but he lost the blue underwear on the outside (thank goodness) and the blue was better integrated into the costume and his horns were reduced in size as well as greatly reducing the fins along his boots, basically modernizing a classic look. Then further changes were made with the loss of the shoulder pads, new style gloves and boots and the tiger stripes reduced from four to three. I think the evolution of Wolvie's blue and gold has gone great, others like the brown and tan don't really need molding but the X-Force uniform is based off of it and it looks great especially with the menacing red eyes. Of course not all of Wolvie's looks have gone so well, anyone remember the Shiar's Fang uniform? or maybe even when he turned all feral with the bandanna for a mask? Not my favorites but Good times lol "

as long as it's still recognizable as the characters they are then I think it's fine, as they've said, Iron Man has had several costume changes over the years but with each one you still know he's Iron Man. also you pretty much always know they'll eventually go back to their other costume anyways

" @EisforExtinction said:

"

Even if it leads to really bad design (see above) I always think it's cool to see new costumes.  "

I liked Guy Gardner: Warrior, I kind of miss his Alien bloodline "

 No I don't think they should, especially the Iconic super heroes just update the design style of their old costumes.

I think the best costume redesign ever (other than the Silver Age redesigns) was Robin's. It still looks like him, but they completely modernized him from looking like a pedophile's fantasy. Plus, it's ludicrous to have this Dark Knight traveling with this brightly colored spotlight. They should do the same with Wonder Woman, which I think they have to some extent, though it deviates too far from her original costume. So I agree with the Futurama woman: tweak, don't overhaul.

I like when they evolve a costume instead of out right changeing it, Such as Bucky's Cap Costume It's basically the old cap costume with minor changes so you know it's not the same. Ussally when they take an existing costume and stylelize in to make it look a bit more of a reflection of current fashion trends it enchances the character , (hair styles also).

Iron Man is a perfect example of why super heroes should change their costume, that is to stay with the times. As for Wonder Woman, Power Girl is WAY more popular than WW but I don't see not ONE person saying cover up those midgets busting out from her flimsy top.

Notice how everyone is talking about DC characters. If they really didn't need a makeover then nobody would be so quick to defend.

I was thinking about this just the other day, 
What about weather?  In one comic Batman mentions that he must be sure to make a costume for each climate, hot, cold, rain, snow, whatever.  Spider-Man isn't as rich as Batman, but he only wears thin spandex.  One issue he got sick from the cold,
why not have the character's costumes change slightly for the cold.  Imagine Spider-Man wearing a sweater or jacket, or something.

" @EisforExtinction said:

"

Even if it leads to really bad design (see above) I always think it's cool to see new costumes.  "

I liked Guy Gardner: Warrior, I kind of miss his Alien bloodline "

Yes, they should change up from time to time.  Change is good.  Even if the costume sucks then when they change back it's good! 

I think a  little change is good but not much. look if they were ever to change superman's suit, which they shudnt, they only thing they shud really do is take away the underwear. I think underwear shud leave a lot of characters if writers are thinking of redesigning

I agree that characters such as Iron Man are able to change their look without any consequence as it is part of their character.... but i dont really agree with the changing of super heroes costumes... 

it worked great for Spider-Man

"Red"? That's clearly pink~ ^_^ 
 
As for costume change, it really depends how big a change, an for how long. Small things like the bat-logo don' matter as much as say removin the cape an cowl.  
 
However some outfits evolve. Like with Wonder Woman. No I don' mean the new pantsuit(pfft) I mean skirt to bathin suit, sandles to boots. Some minor changes can become the main for many years, till the creators get bored an change it up again.  
 
An of coruse there's always the option of new people takin on the roles of other heroes. More often than not they change the outfit either slightly like with Dick becomin Batman, or majorly like when Pym takes over as Wasp. Every Robin (in comics[cartoons everyone steals Timmy's~]) has their own look. 
 
It's really hit or miss when it comes to costumes. Some can think it's brilliant, others just don'. Personaly, I'm just happy when I don' see bats with those shoulder horn THINGS some artests drew in the 90s~ ^_^

lol, there's a reason why the popularity of Power Rangers dropped when they changed the Mighty Morphin costumes and powers for the Zeo ones. MMPR is iconic, Zeo's suits are ugly (the show survived, but it's never been as popular as it was in 1994). Same applies to comic books, and that's why Spider-Man always goes back to his classic red and blue.

No, If they want to get creative create a new character. Leave them alone they usually return to the original costume anyway.

To a certain degree i think absolutely  they should be able to change costumes. If I lived in a world were there really were superheros I'd have like 10 different costumes so that if I got caught I'd only have to face the possible criminal charges that can happen being a superhero, and the villains of one costume. I'd only have 1/10 the trouble. And that way people would get confused.
In comics I definitely think superheros should be able to change their costumes to progress with the artists drawing them, but I do not think that they should change completely so that you couldn't recognise them.

They should keep in pace with fashion. Anyway, no one love the original green dress Marvel Girl costume but we love Rachel's current Pretty HOTTT Marvel Girl costume!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes it's cool to see a hero with new look for a couple of issues, but they always go back to the original eventually

" @Silkcuts said:

" @EisforExtinction said:

"

Even if it leads to really bad design (see above) I always think it's cool to see new costumes.  "

I liked Guy Gardner: Warrior, I kind of miss his Alien bloodline "

I didn't but I really liked Superman's static costume: 

"

Not only should they change costumes, they should age and have finite conclusions.
As for marketability Pro Teams change uniforms, colors and logos and stay popular. 
 
Now from my sentimental perspective it does seem like certain characters have classic looks. I think this is the dilemma that is created from characters that don't age. They have looks that fans love but don't work in a contemporary world thus the character runs into the corner of becoming dated or unbelievable. 

I think they absolutely should, but you're always going to get people complaining about any kind of costume change.

" The main problem is that the majority of comic artists draw a few standard body frames.  A generic male & a generic female body.  After that, they rely on the hair & outfit to make the character recognisable.  In real life we recognise friends, family & colleagues every day, even though we all change clothes.  Yet in comics, there isn't that distinctive difference between characters' faces, build, height, etc.  A lot really does come down to costume & colouring.  Take the Age of X for example, we're still guessing who some of the characters are... purely based on their designs.  We know who Jubilee & Dazzler are because they carried over the same costume these: a yellow jacket & visors for Jubilee, and a blue top with a starburst design for Dazzler.  They're vastly different outfits, but still carry the familiar motif. "

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Yes. I will always like the Scarlet Spider & black suit better than the "classic" outfit.
 
It doesnt hurt to have some options, & keep it fresh.
 
Plus, some guys like Batman, or Ironma it would actually make sense to have customized suits.

I dont think an ESTABLISHED and POPULAR character should have anymore than different variations of the same costume unless they have a complete NAME CHANGE! If they become a new hero then it is more exceptable when they change their uniform...

A costume or costume change is usually irrelevant. If a costume is no longer to hide an identity, why should it exist?

Horrible question. Whether or not a costume should be changed is entirely dependent on the costume itself. Sure, messing with Batman's costume would be iffy, but I'm betting most people wouldn't prefer to have heroes like Rogue or Luke Cage running around in their original costumes.

I think a little change every now and then is ok

People don't seem to realize that even iconic characters like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman and Captain America have tweaked their iconic costumes. 
 
Compare Superman's S-shield from the 30s to the one he's sporting now. Captain America went from having a triangular shield and an exposed neck to a circular shield with a covered neck (and when Brubaker first came on the title, he gained a pouch belt). The blue in Spidey's costume was originally black and the eyes and the size of the symbol on the chest and back are always changing depending on the artist (and the presence and size of the armpit webbing varies). Wonder Woman has worn a skirt, shorts, bikini bottoms, sometimes with only two stars, sometimes with multiple, and the WW on her chest was originally an eagle, sometimes the WW serves as a bustier, sometimes it's just a symbol on the red shirt. The ears on Batman's cowl are different from the 30s, much thinner, the symbol has varied from being a silhouette of a bat to being a bat in a yellow circle to some variation on that, the black has shifted to blue and then back to black and sometimes black with blue highlights, and the belt has changed numerous times as well. Sometimes he's worn trunks over the pants, sometimes he hasn't. 
 
Even the classic costumes are occasionally tweaked or updated. Sometimes, it's necessary. Take Iron Man -- if someone made a rule that comic characters can't change costumes ever, would Iron Man still be believable as running around in a suit of advanced armor when he looks like something out of a sci-fi B-movie? And then there are some costumes which are such a product of their time that they scream out for change -- does anyone really want to see Luke Cage, Blade and Black Lightning running around with afros again? Or what about disco Dazzler? Mullet Superman?  
 
Just because there have been bad costume changes in the past doesn't mean they should be prohibited. It's not the costume change itself that's bad, it all depends on who designs it. Sometimes, even a well-intentioned design change turns out bad. When Claremont returned to the X-Men in 2000, the costumes were changed because in many cases, it had been about ten years or so since any change and it was to reflect the fact that we were (supposedly) entering a new era for these characters. Some of the costumes worked because they kept classic elements of the characters -- Colossus and Phoenix come to mind. Some of them were done to reflect character changes, like Cable who incorporated the presumed-deceased Cyclops' visor into his costume. But some of them didn't work, like Nightcrawler or Archangel and then some, like Storm and Beast, just made people wonder what the hell the artists were thinking.   
 
The problem with the new WW costume isn't that they changed the classic costume -- it's that they changed it too much, changed it into a costume that doesn't reflect the character, and turned her into something unrecognizable. Had they kept the basic elements of the costume the same, they could have tweaked parts of it.

Only if it is a bad costume.

I know this isn't related to the topic at hand, but I just can't resist... 
Andrew "Dice" Clay + Ron Jeremy = Jimmy Palmiotti 
 
Now, with that done, here's my 2 bits... 
I don't have a problem with characters changing costumes.  As the argument was made, people in real life change their looks all the time.  So, it only makes sense that comic characters do it too.

I know that comic fans don't like change, but there have been a lot of improved outfits throughout the years (Nightwing springs to mind ;)

Depends on what hero it is. If it's anyone like Batman then no, not really. Unless the changes are very minimal - nothing, too, drastic. As long as the artists don't get out of control and start thinking like a musician's manager who's always saying: "You have to keep your image fresh!"

i don't think costumes should have drastic changes unless it reflects the changes in the life of the character like spiderman's black costume or hank pym becoming 'different heroes'. 
but also when a character dies and some one takes their place such as bucky becoming cap he didn't really want to replace him more carry on the legacy so he had a slightly different costume. 
but there are some heroes who's costumes are always changing like iron man because of upgrades etc...  
also when janet van dyne was a fashion designer  so it makes sense that her costume will change 

Sometimes a change is good, sometimes it's just unwanted. I know I liked Kyle Rayner's change from his strange black and white GL costume to his current mixture of classic and crab-mask. But overall I do like to see variations of costumes as opposed to complete changes. Like how one artist interprets the Bat-Suit as opposed to the other.

Adam Warlock has changed over time, and improved, Spider-Man's black costume was great, and any time Namor wears more than a speedo is an improvement. Some characters look is fine though, like classic Dr. Strange. It's alot better than the trenchcoat look he has now. So some characters changes are good. I personally think Superman needs an update. Nothing too different or extreme, just a touchup, as his costume looks out of place compared to alot of the modern characters. 

" I have no problem with a costume change if it fits the character.  "