Summary

• Batman's various suits over the years showcase unique designs and interesting modifications, appealing to different readers with different preferences.
• The Batman of Zur-en-Arrh and Death Metal Batman offer striking alternate versions, showcasing bright colors and a grim reaper aesthetic.
• Batman's costume history includes a Soviet version, a Green Lantern mash-up, and a steampunk-inspired look, each adding a new twist to the iconic design.

First introduced in Bill Finger and Bob Kane's Detective Comics #27 in 1939, Batman has been a comic book icon for over eighty years. Appearing alongside the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman, he is arguably the face of DC Comics, and one of the safest bets when it comes to sales. Thanks to his extensive history, the Caped Crusader has undergone countless redesigns throughout his history, both in-continuity evolution and Elseworlds reimaginings.

Batman has appeared in many suits, from rainbow costumes to mummy bandages, and every reader has a favorite. However, some costumes have endeared themselves to readers more than others, and are great examples of unique designs and interesting modifications to the original suit. Thanks to the hard work of generations of artists, Batman has enjoyed some of the most memorable costumes in comics history.

10 The Batman of Zur-en-Arrh

First Appearance: Batman #113 (Ed Herron, Dick Sprang)

The Batman of Zur-en-Arrh was originally introduced to DC as a Silver Age alien counterpart to the Dark Knight. In the Modern Age, Grant Morrison reimagined the idea as an alternate personality of Batman, one that asserted itself in response to psychological trauma, recently being described as a "back-up personality."

The Batman of Zur-en-Arrh is a distinctly Silver Age design, one that uses bright colors like red, purple and yellow, commanding the attention of the reader. A complete inversion of the character's darker tones, the color scheme works well, and has recently created an interesting juxtaposition to the modern personality's violent nature.

9 The Death Metal Batman

First Appearance: Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 (Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion)

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Dark Nights: Death Metal story concludes their saga that began in Dark Nights: Metal and continued through Justice League and "Year of the Villain." In the aftermath of the Batman Who Laughs' attack that leaves the world a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the Trinity leads an army of heroes in the hopes of taking back their world.

The Death Metal version of Batman is drawn as a Grim Reaper-style figure, even carrying a scythe atop his monstrous motorcycle. Capullo's design for the hero was a perfect match for the tone of the series, with this Death-like Dark Knight leading an army of undead heroes against Batman Who Laughs.

8 The 'Red Son' Soviet Batman

First Apppearance: Superman: Red Son #1 (Mark Millar, Dave Johnson)

Superman: Red Son takes place in an alternate timeline where, instead of landing in Kansas, Kal-El's rocket made its way to the USSR instead. After his abilities are discovered, the Kryptonian becomes the Soviet Union's ultimate weapon, forcing the US into a race to find its own meta human soldiers. In the face of the Green Lantern Corps and a Russian Batman, the Man of Steel forges his own destiny against the wishes of tyrants and America.

Soviet Batman combines ideas from past tactical and thermal versions of the Batsuit, perfect for the harsh winters of Russia. The costume is mostly identical to the regular version, modified to incorporate aspects of Red Army uniform and weaponry and played into the Cold War tone of the book brilliantly.

7 The Flashpoint Batman (Thomas Wayne)

First Appearance: Flashpoint #1 (Geoff Johns, Andy Kubert)

First introduced for Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert's Flashpoint event, Thomas Wayne's Batman is the antihero of a timeline where Bruce Wayne was killed -- and Martha became the Joker. Donning the cape and cowl to avenge his son's death, Thomas stands out as a Punisher-inspired version of The Dark Knight. Afflicted by an addiction to alcohol, the business magnate funds his activities through a series of sketchy enterprises, like casinos.

Everything about Thomas Wayne's version of Batman is designed to represent the grimdark nature of his reality. From his gun holsters to his red eyes, this antihero is immediately more threatening than his son, and is feared by heroes and villains alike on his world. With padded shoulders that help him lean into the bat shape even better than Bruce, it's hard to find a more menacing Caped Crusader.

6 The Green Lantern Batman

First Appearance: Green Lantern #9 (Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver)

Batman has melded with a variety of DC heroes throughout the years, ranging from a mash-up with Superman to Nightmare variants from across the Multiverse. Of all these combinations, the hero never looked as good as he did in possession of a Green Lantern ring, first shown in the Elseworlds tale In Darkest Knight. However, the concept was best drawn by Liam Sharp, during his Green Lantern run with Grant Morrison.

Seeing the Batman costume emblazoned with green light brings together the best elements of both his suit and the Green Lantern design. Bruce Wayne has used a power ring a few times in DC history, but Sharp's version struck the best balance between both suits. Incorporating the cape and cowl into the Corps made for one of the most memorable moments from Morrison's run.

5 The Gotham By Gaslight Batman

First Appearance: Gotham by Gaslight #1 (Brian Augustyn, Mike Mignola)

Of all the Caped Crusader's Elseworlds adventures, Gotham By Gaslight (Brian Augustyn & Mike Mignola) remains one of the most memorable, thanks to its merging of Batman's mythos with steampunk. The story follows the hero's pursuit of Jack the Ripper during Victorian-era Gotham, aided by Jim Gordon. When Bruce Wayne is framed for the murders, he relies on his skills of observation and deduction to discover the identity of the true murderer.

Gotham By Gaslight Batman is one of the more realistic-looking batsuits, owing to its more improvised, hand-made design. The costume is as much a Western-looking suit as it is a pulpy, steampunk-inspired look, one perfect for a more rugged, grounded Dark Knight. Drawn by Mike Mignola, the suit calls back to the Golden Age of costume design, when characters fashioned their own costumes in a crude manner.

4 The DC Rebirth Batman

First Appearance: Batman #50 (Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion)

In 2011, DC rebooted its universe to a clean slate, allowing new readers to find a smooth entry point. A number of heroes were redesigned, with Greg Capullo leaving his mark on Batman. However, his design didn't reach its peak until shortly before the Rebirth initiative, where the hero got some color back for the first time in over a decade.

Rebirth Batman returned some much-needed color to the Batsuit after several years of a more minimalist design that toned down the yellow and focused on black and gray. Rather than have the Bat-symbol on a yellow oval, Capullo slimmed it down for a simple gold outline, brightened the utility belt and returned to a mix between '90s Batman and his own style.

3 Batman's Black Adam Armor

First Appearance: Black Adam #6 (Christopher Priest, Rafa Sandoval)

Batman has a long history using mech suits to face off against some of DC's strongest heroes, most notably using one to fight Superman in The Dark Knight Returns #4 (Frank Miller & Klaus Janson). While that original suit of armor is iconic, it actually looked its best in the recent Black Adam #6 (Christopher Priest & Rafa Sandoval), where Bruce takes on the fallen Champion of Shazam.

The updated mech suit incorporates elements of the Caped Crusader's modern costume, being reminiscent of Michael Keaton's costume turned into a suit of armor. With a relatively slim design as compared with his other suits, this Batsuit stands out as his finest suit of armor, one made with an eye towards practicality -- even if he did only use it in a simulation.

2 The Golden Age Batman

First Appearance: Detective Comics #27 (Bob Kane, Bill Finger)

The Golden Age of DC Comics showcased the universe's heroes in their earliest designs, virtually all of which have been revised, abandoned or replaced over time. One of the best was the original Batman costume, which featured larger ears, purple gloves, a simpler symbol and blue cape. Over time, the design has been revisited, most recently in Dan Jurgens and Mike Perkins' ongoing Bat-Man: First Knight miniseries.

Thanks to the talents of modern creators, recent stories like Generations Shattered & Forged showcased the Golden Age Batman costume at its finest. The suit always looks a little different depending on who's drawing it, with some artists ditching the purple gloves or tinkering with the size of the cowl's ears. However, the Generations arc stands out as the best the costume has looked, thanks to how it utilizes all the best elements of the 1940s design. It should also be noted that the costume was updated for Zero Year, which added a tactical element to the original Batsuit.

1 The Blue Cape Batman

Made Famous by Artist Neal Adams

Batman underwent a series of redesigns after the Golden Age, losing his purple gloves, getting his ears clipped and alternating between black and blue capes. Heading into the Silver Age, the character found one of his most iconic artists in Neal Adams, who perfected the blue cape and yellow oval look. While many readers do prefer darker colors and a black cape, the blue and grey design is the hero's best look, something that even Frank Miller and Klaus Janson honored during their Dark Knight Returns miniseries.

Batman's blue suit design has been the mainstay of his crime-fighting career, being the main costume design for the late Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age and various periods of the Modern Age. The suit is currently the costume of choice in Mark Waid and Dan Mora's World's Finest, a costume and book that suits Mora's vibrant, classic art style to a tee. One of the design's biggest strengths is how it helps the hero stand out on the page, providing a nice contrast to the grim darkness of Gotham City.