10 Most Underrated Batman Suits, Ranked

Whenever fans think of Batman‘s greatest comic book suits, his classic first appearance in 1939 with the purple gloves, his bulky armor in Dark Knight Returns, or his suit in Batman: Hush usually come to mind. Likewise, Batman’s best suits beyond the comics include Robert Pattinson’s The Batman suit and his classic suits from Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. However, so many Batman suits deserve more praise.

Iconic comics like Justicefeatured Batman in unique armor, while comics like DC Rebirth and Batman: Earth One slightly modified Batman’s classic design, which instantly stood out. From animated series like The Batman (2004) to live-action classics like Batman Forever, the Dark Knight has worn amazing costumes and many underrated suits.

10 The Batman Modernized A Classic Look

The Batman (2004)

The suit in The Batman is nearly as underrated as the animated series itself. Has Batman ever really had a bad animated series? His appearances in Superfriends and other cartoons in the 1970s were a little corny and lacking narrative depth, but every modern Batman animated series has been a hit. Everyone remembers Batman: The Animated Series, but The Batman introduced a familiar design with some added flair.

Batman’s ears were shorter, his eyes bigger, his nose rounded, his gloves looked like talons, and his cape impossibly long. This all came together to create a more creature-like aesthetic that distanced itself from Batman: The Animated Series’ bulkier, square-shaped design for the character.Batman gave fans one of the best animated interpretations of the character, both in story and design.

9 Batman Donned His Advanced Prototype

Batman Forever (1995)

Batman Forever and Batman & Robin have been ridiculed for many aspects of their films, including the inclusion of the infamous bat nipples on the first suits that both Val Kilmer and George Clooney wore at the beginning of their films. However, the silver, metallic suit Kilmer dons at the end of Batman Forever is very stylish and one of the coolest live-action Batman suits.

It may not hold a candle to Michael Keaton’s or Robert Pattinson’s suits. Still, the advanced suit in Forever took the best aspects of the film’s first suit, covered the nipples with a large emblem that stretched across Batman’s chest, and added sharper features to his nose, abs, and gauntlets.Batman Forever may sit low on the Batman film tier list, but this suit was one of the best parts of it.

8 Batman Walks The Haunting Halls Of Arkham Asylum

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth

Grant Morrison wrote one of the best graphic novels ever, but Dave McKean brought it to life. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth is a haunting, visually distinct graphic novel. Batman journeys deeper and deeper into Arkham Asylum, encountering classic villains and seeing them at their worst and their lowest, with the Joker as his guide.

The art style is something out of a horror movie, and Batman’s costume was similarly altered to match the vibe. Batman exists mostly in the shadows, but when readers see his full form, they see long, pointed ears on his cowl and spikes on his shoulders that curl like branches of a cursed tree. McKean’s Batman looks a lot like his vampire counterpart from the Batman/Dracula series, and the “Dark Knight” should wear this demonic version of his suit more often to truly stroke fear in criminals’ hearts.

7 Batman Dresses Like The Batman 66 Batmobile

Justice

During the Justice miniseries, Batman and the Justice League donned malleable metal armor made from the same material as Hawkman’s Thanagarian weapons. The Justice League wore unique, brand-new armor, each tailored to the heroes. Batman’s stood out from the rest in a striking black and silver design with red highlights.

At first glance, it was reminiscent of the Batman Beyond suitwith a cape. However, on closer inspection, artist Alex Ross clearly drew inspiration from the iconic Batmobile seen in the 1966 Adam West Batman TV series. Batman wore the Batmobile. Fans need to talk about this suit more, and DC needs to bring it back to mainstream Batman comics.

6 Gary Frank’s Batman Has Eyes

Batman: Earth One

The Batman: Earth One suit looks very similar to Batman’s classic suit from the late 1990s and early 2000s; however, there are some very subtle differences and improvements. The Earth One costume lacks the classic trunks, as DC was attempting to modernize its superhero costumes. The suit also looks more functional and realistic. Readers can spot the seam lines throughout Batman’s costume and cowl.

Earth One Batman’s emblem is also more squared and bulkier while maintaining the black and yellow color scheme. But the biggest change comes in the cowl’s eyes. Readers can finally see Bruce Wayne’s eyes beneath Batman’s mask, making the character far more expressive than he’s ever been, something the live-action Batman films have always maintained.

5 Batman & DC Comics Are Reborn

DC Comics: Rebirth

When DC Comics relaunched their entire comic line with the New 52 initiative, legendary artist Jim Lee redesigned all superhero costumes. Superman’s suit looked more alien, Wonder Woman looked like a warrior from Greek mythology, and Batman looked more militaristic.

Years later, DC relaunched its titles yet again with the Rebirth initiative and created a brand-new Batman costume that appeared to meld aspects of Batman’s New 52 suit with the costume he wore in his first appearance in Detective Comics #27. Still missing his black trunks, Batman’s bat emblem was sharp, with yellow highlights, and his purple cape was a nod to the purple gloves he wore in DC’s Golden Age.

4 Batman Prepares For War With Superman

Injustice 2 (2007)

When Superman lost his wife, Lois Lane, and their unborn child in Injustice: Gods Among Us, he became a tyrant and ruled Earth with a Kryptonian fist. Batman created a resurgence to combat Superman’s reign and donned a new metallic suit.

The foundational suit Batman wore in Injustice 2 is gorgeous, and one of the best armored interpretations of the suit fans have ever seen. As an additional perk, Batman’s Injustice 2 suit is customizable. Gamers could make Batman’s suit whatever they wished, with additional color schemes and add-ons. The Injustice 2 suit is not only stylish and sharp but malleable, making it an underrated, fluid Batman suit.

3 Dick Grayson Becomes Batman In Another Universe

Earth 2

In the first issue of Earth 2, the New 52 series revamping the Justice Society of America, DC’s Trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman either vanished or seemingly died. Years later, several versions of Batman would appear, including one that sported a yellow, purple, and black design, with a cape that looked more like a trench coat with flowing tassels.

This Batman was Dick Grayson of Earth-2. DC readers were no strangers to Dick Grayson being Batman, but with this new setting, with new heroes, and a new version of Grayson, this Batman needed a new suit. It helped that Jorge Jimenez’s art was incredible and brought a frenetic energy to Grayson’s movements as Batman.

2 The Batman Of Zur-En-Arrh

Batman R.I.P. / “Failsafe” / “Mindbomb”

This strange concept of Batman first debuted during DC’s Silver Age, when Batman encountered an alternate version of himself from an alien world who seemingly took up the same bat mantle, albeit with a stitched color scheme of red, purple, and yellow.

Years later, Grant Morrison recontextualized the Zur-En-Arrh concept into something much more sinister: a backup identity within Bruce Wayne’s mind, awakened only when Batman was compromised. Modern artists, from Tony Daniel to Jorge Jimenez, have made this strange Batman suit work. It is meant to be wacky and colorful, something Batman would never wear, but it works because of its absurdity. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh is one of the most underrated Batman costumes because it’s unique and, in the context of its stories, unsettling when seen.

1 Batman Rocks The Blue & Gray

DC Comics Bronze Age / Batman/Superman: World’s Finest

For the last two decades, Batman has worn mostly costumes with gray and black color schemes. The dark costume works in a realistic sense; Batman would want to blend into shadows and obscure himself as much as possible, but there’s something so fun and eye-catching about his blue and gray color scheme from the late Silver Age and early Bronze Age.

Neal Adams’s art stands out from that era, and Dan Mora has used a similar color scheme in his and Mark Waid’s World’s Finest comic series. It may not be “realistic,” but the blue really pops against the gray and also looks great with Batman’s yellow emblem and utility belt. DC should consider implementing this blue and gray design across all Batman books, not just Batman/Superman: World’s Finest.