Batman Is Getting a New Costume: These Are the Greatest Batsuits of All Time

In case you missed the news, Bruce Wayne is getting a new look when DC Comics relaunches its flagship Batman series this September. Artist Jorge Jiménez has designed a new Batsuit that brings the classic blue cape and cowl back into the spotlight. After almost 90 years on the stands, DC is still tweaking the Dark Knight’s iconic costume.

But how does the new Batsuit measure up to the classics? What are the greatest Batman costumes of all time? We’ve handpicked our 10 favorite Batsuits from the comics, ranging from the original Golden Age costume to more modern reinterpretations like Batman Incorporated and Batman Rebirth. Scroll down to see them all.

And if Batman movies are more your speed, make sure you check out our ranked list of all the movie Batsuits.

10. ‘90s Batman

1989’s Batman movie introduced a radically different, all-black Batsuit that remains one of the Dark Knight’s most iconic suits in any medium. DC never fully committed to porting that costume over to the comics (outside of actual Burton-Verse tie-ins like Batman ‘89), but they did introduce a Batsuit inspired by the movies in the 1995 storyline “Troika.”

This new Batsuit adopted the all-black approach to Batman’s body but retained a more traditional blue cape and cowl. It even added more extreme elements like spikes on Batman’s boots, although those elements were toned down after the suit’s initial introduction. Regardless, the result was a more intimidating and stealthy Batsuit that became the default look for the Caped Crusader for the remainder of the ‘90s.

9. Batman Incorporated

When Bruce Wayne returned following his apparent death in 2008’s Final Crisis, DC celebrated with the launch of a new series, Batman Incorporated, and a new costume designed by David Finch. That Batman Inc. suit is notable both for bringing back the classic yellow oval around the Bat emblem and for ditching the black trunks.

In many ways, the Batman Inc. suit feels like a more successful and visually cohesive version of what DC tried to accomplish with Batman’s New 52 suit a couple of years later. It introduced a more functional quality to Batman’s look, creating the impression that the Batsuit was less spandex than a true suit of armor, yet it avoided mucking up the design with too many stray lines. It also helped create some much-needed visual distinction between Bruce and Dick Grayson, who was also serving as Batman at the time.

The only element that slightly holds back the Batman Inc. look is the slightly goofy-looking armored codpiece. We’re not sure what the thinking was there.

8. Absolute Batman

The most recent creation on this list, there’s a reason the Absolute Batman Batsuit makes such a strong first impression. This is Batman at his most imposing.

Absolute Batman takes place in a rebooted DCU where Bruce Wayne lacks many of the advantages of his traditional counterpart, like a mansion and billions of dollars. Still, he manages to create quite an impressive crimefighting arsenal. Nearly every inch of this Batsuit is a weapon, from the razor-sharp ear daggers to the removable Bat emblem that doubles as a battle axe. Even the cape is completely redesigned, consisting of several flexible, arm-like tendrils.

Ultimately, though, it’s the sheer size of this Batman that makes the Absolute suit stand out. Writer Scott Snyder jokingly referred to Absolute Batman as “the Batman who lifts,” and you can see why.

7. Flashpoint Batman

In the alternate timeline of Flashpoint, Joe Chill killed a young Bruce Wayne, leading to a grieving Thomas Wayne becoming Batman instead. This darker, very different Batman needs a darker, very different Batsuit, and he got one in the form of a costume that drops the traditional yellow elements in favor of bold red accents. The Bat emblem, utility belt, and leg holsters are all a deep crimson, creating a unique and cool look. Couple that with the dramatic shoulder spikes on the cape and the fact that this Batman is known to wield guns and a sword, and you have one of the most visually arresting takes on an alternate universe Batman.

6. Lee Bermejo’s Armored Batman

Artist Lee Bermejo has drawn and painted Batman a lot over the years, from the Batman/Deathblow crossover to the Joker graphic novel to the infamous Batman: Damned. In that time, Bermejo has established a distinctive and very striking take on the iconic Batsuit, one unlike any other at DC Comics.

Bermejo’s Batsuit is about as far from the typical spandex look as you can get. This is armor, pure and simple,and the artist’s Batman is as much about function as he is form. But the goal isn’t necessarily realism here. Bermejo’s Batman is also a haunting figure, one mired in dirt and grime and a certain Gothic quality. This Batsuit, as much as any other, inspired the look of Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight in 2022’s The Batman.

5. Gotham by Gaslight Batman

The DC multiverse is a vast place, and we’ve seen countless variations of the Batsuit appear on numerous worlds. That being said, none can truly measure up to Gotham by Gaslight’s Batman. It’s as if the character was made for this steampunk Victorian setting. The Batsuit perfectly translates into this bold revamp that trades skintight spandex for stitched leather and a billowing cloak.

Of course, it helps that the original Gotham by Gaslight series was illustrated by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. Mignola’s Batman is truly iconic, bathed in shadow and looking as if he were chiseled out of raw granite. And even though Mignola’s DC days are long behind him, this incarnation of the character lives on through follow-up stories like Gotham by Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age.

4. Golden Age Batman

It says a lot about the original Bob Kane/Bill Finger-designed Batsuit that the design has survived with only modest changes for the better part of 90 years. All the right ingredients for a truly iconic superhero look were there from the start.

But in addition to serving as the basis for every Batsuit since, the Golden Age design is also notable for boasting some interesting features you don’t normally see elsewhere. The curved ears on Batman’s cowl give him an even more menacing vibe, while the purple gloves add a welcome pop of color. Even the cape is different in a fun way, being more akin to actual bat wings than a traditional superhero cape. It’s always exciting to see modern artists revisit this design.

3. Batman Rebirth

For the majority of their hugely popular run on DC’s flagship Batman series, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo focused on the New 52 costume. As we’ve already covered, that suit served as a notable attempt at updating the Caped Crusader’s look with a more modern, tactical bent, but that approach has been done better elsewhere. Case in point, Capullo’s own redesign that debuted just in time for the DC Rebirth relaunch.

Batman’s Rebirth costume is an upgrade on the New 52 suit in pretty much every way. It retains the tactical look while also downplaying some of the extraneous lines and details. It brings some much-needed color back into Batman’s look both with the yellow outline around the Bat emblem and the distinctive purple inner lining of the cape (a throwback to Batman’s Golden Age roots). It’s a bit of a shame that DC phased out this Batsuit after only a couple of years. As far as modern redesigns go, this is the one to beat.

2. Bronze Age Batman

The late ‘60s and ‘70s were a very transformational time for DC’s Batman comics. The books veered away from the camp that defined Batman’s Silver Age adventures and the live-action TV series toward more serious action/adventure and detective stories. Three artists really came to define Batman’s look in this period - Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, and José Luis García-López.

It’s not that these artists dramatically changed the makeup of Batman’s costume. This is the same blue cape and cowl and Bat emblem with yellow oval that was popularized by the TV series. But what unites Adams, Aparo, and Garcia-López’s work is the physicality they brought to the character. Gone was the burly brawler of the Silver Age, replaced by a leaner and more lithe Batman. Batman is basically a ninja superhero, so it makes sense that he be built more like a gymnast than a bodybuilder.

For many fans, this is still the standard by which all other Batman costumes are judged. That’s especially thanks to Garcia-López, whose art has adorned bedsheets, lunchboxes, T-shirts, and countless other Batman merch over the years.

1. Batman: Hush

Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s Hush storyline is often regarded as the start of the modern era of Batman comics. That’s thanks to Lee’s instantly iconic redesign of the Batsuit as much as anything else.

With the Hush costume, Lee brought a new level of elegant simplicity to the Batsuit. Gone is the yellow oval that persisted for decades, to be replaced by a sleek, black emblem. Lee’s knack for rendering dynamic, detailed, and very powerful superhero physiques is on full display in his Batman. Readers needed to believe that this Dark Knight could face down a gauntlet of his greatest foes – and Superman for good measure, and they certainly did.

The Hush redesign immediately became the default look for Batman going forward. Lee created a clear model that subsequent artists like Andy Kubert and Tony Daniel followed closely. While individual artists varied in whether they chose the blue or black cape and cowl, the rest of the details remained consistent. It’s telling that, after a period of focusing on more armored Batman costumes in the New 52 and DC Rebirth eras, DC eventually threw in the towel and went back to the Hush costume. It just plain works.

How the New Batsuit Compares

Artist Jorge Jiménez is no stranger to Batman at this point, but he’ll be debuting a new Batsuit when he and writer Matt Fraction kick off DC’s relaunched Batman series in September 2025.

The newest Batsuit isn’t a massive deviation from the now-standard Hush costume, though it does have a few interesting embellishments all its own. Where most artists in recent years have gravitated toward the black cape and cowl, Jiménez is bringing back the blue. Not only that, the cape is now heavily shaded, creating a stark contrast between the inner and older folds and bringing to mind Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series look. Even the Bat emblem is blue now, as well as sporting a bigger and more angular shape.

After all this time, it’s great to see Batman still trying out new looks. But will the latest redesign have the staying power of Batman’s most iconic suits? Only time will tell.

For more Batman fun, check out IGN's top 27 Batman comics and graphic novels.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.