Top 10 Superhero Costumes That Went Too Far

DC's New 52 revamp brought Harley Quinn back with a new outfit for her appearance in the 2011 'Suicide Squad' comics. This look featured plenty of corsets and short-shorts, if not underwear in some cases. Harley also traded her blond hair for a mix of red and blue to match her clothes, which annoyed more than a few fans. Quinn's redesign was needlessly over-sexualized, especially given how iconic her original design was. Her tiny cape in a few appearances didn't make much sense either. As fans even compared Harley to a juggalo, it's no wonder DC has changed her new look repeatedly.

When Magneto decided to spend some time as a hero, he changed costumes to mark the occasion. Rather than a new helmet, the Magnus donned a purple suit with a giant white M on his chest. The outfit had no sleeves and instead showed off some rather long gloves to cover Magnus's arms. Though this new get-up wasn't far off of some Hawkeye costumes, Magneto's massive cape was out of place. His pajama-like suit came off as silly during the otherwise serious 'Trial Of Magneto' series as well. While Magnus was a great hero, his costume just couldn't match up.

Though Superman's suit didn't change dramatically for his titular New 52 series, he received a t-shirt in the pages of 'Action Comics.' With jeans and the iconic S on a tee, this imagining of Clark Kent's origin story looked like a cosplayer. While this laidback take on Superman's outfit was a good fit for his roots as a farm boy, the cape looked silly. Clark would also buy his S t-shirts in bulk, since they weren't strong like his Kryptonian suit. As well-loved as this storyline is, young Clark's cuffed jeans are still earning mixed reactions.

Neptune brought Namor back to life and gave him a surprisingly gritty makeover in the process. The Sub-Mariner had taken on a more feral look throughout the 1990s, with long hair and gold gauntlets for his vicious fighting style. His revival, however, came with a sharp gold chest-plate, which was a big change for a hero who normally just wears a Speedo. Issue 37 also saw Namor with dozens of spikes across his body which resembled a muscular sea urchin. Even with the more experimental tone of these adventures, artist Jae Lee's design reflects the excess of 90's comics.

Following the events of 'The Contest,' Diana Prince lost her title as Wonder Woman to Artemis. Not one to give up on crime-fighting, Diana put on shorts and a leather bra to defeat evil in Boston. The clothes showed far too much skin, while also looking cobbled together by both artist Mike Deodato Jr. and Prince herself. Diana's bright blue jacket is also wildly ill-matched for the otherwise dark aesthetic of the outfit. Luckily it was only a few issues before Diana was back to her stars and stripes again. Biker chic however just never felt right for Diana.

Speedball's energy powers and use of glowing colorful balls kept Robbie Baldwin as one of Marvel's most lighthearted heroes. When he faces trial for hundreds of deaths in 'Civil War' however, his guilt is unshakeable. Baldwin is reborn as Penance, and dons armor with 612 spikes inside it to remind him of all the people he let die. Though the concept was appropriate for his story, the design resembled medieval armor mixed with a BDSM outfit. Deadpool even lampooned how 'Penance' was just an attempt to make Speedball seem deep. Speedball’s dramatic character pivot crossed the line by turning a lovable clown into a violent and ugly martyr.

As the World Tree was dying, the gods of Asgard were changing to deal with their dramatic circumstances. For a few issues, Thor's hair got ridiculously long and he spent most of his time completely shirtless. Things got extra over-the-top when he showed up covered in straps, but his mid-rift remained completely exposed. Mjolnir was even put on a chain for a look that screamed heavy-metal meets fantasy. Artist Mike Deodato Jr. ruffled a lot of feathers with this costume, even though it was only on a cover. The codpiece also provided a level of sexuality Thor really didn't need.

Emma Frost has often worn some variation of a crop-top with pants, but she wears far less when she becomes the White Queen. As part of her villainous persona within the Hellfire Club, Frost ditches her usual trousers for underwear of all things. Emma doesn't need armor with her diamond powers, although a corset certainly isn't great for flexibility in combat either. One version of her Hellfire Club story actually changed her into a stripper, but that played as justification rather than fixing the issue. As empowering as Frost's attitude towards sex is in the comics, her get-up was way too over-the-top.

For Zatanna's alternate timeline in the 'Flashpoint' event, she joins a magical organization known as the Secret Seven. Between this group and her biker gang, the sorceress shed her usual stage clothes for a thong and a small jacket. Her new affiliations don't really legitimize the outfit since no one else wore nearly as little as Zatanna. Her normal outfit already featured fishnets, but the thong was a step too far. Zatanna's low-riding pants are confusing at best, as they don't hide anything and look like they'd trip her up. For one of DC's rarely altered characters, Zatanna was a jarringly different person in 'Flashpoint.'

Following years of neglect from her husband Reed Richards, Sue Storm decided to gain power back in their marriage through a new costume. Sue designed an outfit that could assert her sexuality, with nonsensical portholes in her suit as well. Although a breast-window would be bad enough, the Invisible Woman made it in the shape of a four. There are also random loose rings of fabric across the outfit. The concept was eventually explained as the result of Malice possessing Sue. After a dozen issues, however, this attempt at an empowering new costume came off as comedic, with Sue ditching it and referring to it as too “flashy.”