DC: Best Legion Costumes of the 1990s, Ranked | CBR

In 1994, DC Comics did some spring cleaning. Though Crisis on Infinite Earths eliminated the Multiverse, there were still some loose ends to fix. Their answer to this was the crossover event Zero Hour: Crisis in Time.

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The five-issue miniseries and subsequent tie-ins adjusted some of the events that still didn't make sense. Among these was the Legion of Super-Heroes. After three decades of almost non-stop stories, the original Legion ceased to exist. In its place was a reborn team, complete with new names and, especially, new costumes.

10 Thunderer Has A Classic Shazam Family Look

Thunderer, whose real name is Cece Beck, was introduced in Legion of Super-Heroes #110 by Tom Peyer. An orphan like her namesake, Billy Batson, she originally lived in the 90th century on the planet Binderaan. However, due to an explosion in time, she was sent back to the late 30th century where she became a member of the Legion.

Her costume is a throwback to the way Shazam looked during that time. It's similar to the outfit worn by Mary Marvel, except it's the classic red and gold instead of white. Cece also sports the collared cape with the braided rope to hold it around her neck. It's streamlined in a future century of strange outfits.

9 Leviathan Finally Gets A Decent Costume

Known in the original Legion as Colossal Boy, Gim Allon didn't have much luck with costumes. His origin green and yellow two-piece was replaced with a strange red-and-blue combination in the 1970s by Dave Cockrum. it included a faceless mask that never made sense.

His reboot costume is definitely more practical. It still has some elements of the old one. However, it features protective pads on the shoulders, elbows, and knees. Perfect for when he bumps into things as he grows. Instead of a faceless mask, Gim wears something like a red helmet. In later adventures, the helmet would go away.

8 Star Boy Gets Some Contrast

Star Boy's costume history is short. When he was initially inducted into the Silver Age Legion he wore a purple one-piece with a yellow cape and a large star on his chest. Dave Cockrum's redesign of his outfit in the 1970s turned it into a star-filled unitard. It would be the costume he wore, with some adjustments, until 2989.

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The post-Zero Hour costume combines elements of both designs. A large yellow star is part of a V-shaped area of black that spreads down the center of his tunic and around his shoulders. It's complemented by gold arm gauntlets. It gives this younger Thom a more heroic look than his predecessor, who would eventually become a living star map in the 21st century.

7 Cosmic Boy Went Purple

The original Cosmic Boy's costume was a lighter shade of pink than the one worn by Saturn Girl. With black highlights and white shoulder blades that artists of the 1960s thought were futuristic, the hero from Braal made a striking figure. Save for his black tube top costume of the 1970s, Cosmic Boy wore a form of this outfit in the 60s and 1980s.

Overall, the only thing different in his post-Zero Hour costume is the main color. It's a light purple. Plus, the large circles on the front of his tunic are no longer for show. He can remove them and use his magnetism to propel them as weapons or combine them into a shield.

6 Andromeda Took Supergirl's Place In The Legion

Laurel Gand, the hero known as Andromeda, isn't an original Legionnaire. Truth be told, she didn't exist until Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4. She was a creation of Rond Vidar as he tried to restore the original Legion's timeline. Since Superboy was no longer part of its existence neither was his cousin, Supergirl.

In her origin story, Laurel wears a costume similar to her cousin, the Daxamite known as Valor -- Mon-El before the reboot. In the post-Zero Hour universe, Andromeda's costume is more dynamic. Orange and black with a giant bursting star emblem on the chest, it goes slightly beyond the standard leotard. Long tails of starry cloth hang down the front and back of her costume to make it seem more regal.

5 Apparition Finally Got A Costume Without Holes

The costume worn by Apparition (Phantom Girl) is a little of the new and the old. The latter is the way the character's costume looked during the Silver Age. It was a simple white unitard and cape with a large P on the chest. This was discarded in the early 1970s for a costume with a lot of holes in strange places.

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Toward the end of Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3, artist Keith Giffen came back to the title and redesigned PG's outfit. It was now a black and white number. The post-Zero Hour Apparition received a costume that combines both of these features. It became one of the sleekest looks of the new Legion lineup.

4 Timber Wolf's Costume Is Bad To The Bone

The first version of this Wolverine-like character had several costume problems over the decades. Actually, he probably had the most outfit changes since his 1960s introduction as Lone Wolf. He even went through a surgical procedure to look more like the feral creature.

Writer Andy Lanning and artist Oliver Copiel considered this when they reintroduced the character in their book The Legion. Now a former gang member from Rimbor, Brin has the leather jacket to prove it. The rest of his orange and black costume, with a large white wolf icon on the chest, is similar to the color scheme the hero wore for most of the 1970s and 80s.

3 Triad Wears A Costume That Matches Her Powers

The original Triad, originally known as Triplicate Girl, didn't have much of a costume when she became a Legionnaire. It was a lavender tunic and skirt with an orange-ish belt and cape. When Computo killed one of her "sisters," she wore a half purple-half orange outfit to represent her new role as Duo Damsel.

The hero was back to a trio in the post-Zero Hour universe, and her outfit reflected this. Her single costume is purple and orange with a white/purple/orange triangle in the center. However, when Triad splits into her three personalities, they wear single-colored outfits. It gave viewers a chance to recognize their different personalities.

2 Wildfire's Costume Finally Made Sense

The adjustment to Wildfire's costume in the pages of Legion Lost and The Legion makes perfect sense in the long run. Introduced by Dave Cockrum in the 1970s, the hero formerly known as ERG-1 had a practically flimsy costume. Though internal circuitry maintained his human traits, one tear in the fabric and he exploded. He had to hang around as a blob of anti-energy until a replacement suit was found.

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In the post-Zero Hour Legion, Wildfire gained something akin to armor. It is certainly sturdier and takes a good deal of pounding. This version of his outfit was most likely used as a model for the one Geoff Johns and Gary Frank utilized in Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

1 M'Onel Got Himself An Insignia

In the original Legion universe, M'Onel (known as Mon-El) had a simple costume. Actually, it was the reverse of the one Superman wore, minus the chest insignia. It was all red with a blue belt and cape.

When he was reintroduced into the post-Zero Hour universe, the hero had the same outfit. However, to make his membership in the Legion official, M'Onel redesigned his costume. It still had a blue cape and red elements. However, the tunic featured a large red M surrounded by a starscape. Unfortunately, this design wouldn't last through the Legion's future incarnations.

NEXT: Legion Of Super-Heroes: 10 Best Costumes From The '80s, Ranked


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