Best Of Batman Armors. 10 Awesome Batman Suits Part 2

NUMBER 5

Batman Beyond

Oh, Terry, how could I stay away from you?  I’m a big Batman Beyond fan, so this was one of the first Batman suits I definitely wanted to include on this list.  And though it’s position jumped up and down quite a bit, it was always on the higher side of ranking order because… well, just look at this thing!  It’s so cool!

The Batman Beyond Batsuit is essentially the last version of the Batsuit created at the end of Bruce Wayne’s career as a super hero.  As such, it benefits the most from futuristic technology.  This is why the outfit doesn’t have a cape – there are retractable wings which allow for gliding.  Additionally, the suit has dozens of gadgets built into it, including rocket thrusters in the boots, special surveillance technology, Batarangs which can be used as explosives or to deliver electric charges, retractable claws, a grappling hook.  The suit can be used to stick to certain walls and ceilings, can turn almost completely invisible, and is incredibly resistant to hazardous elements in the world like fire or radiation.  It’s made of a special polymer that can fit pretty much any wearer, hence why it bonds so well to both Bruce Wayne and Terry McGuinnis even though both men are built quite differently.

So the suit not only is cool in all the crazy things it can do, but it also looks cool.  The polymer design means that Batman, even fully masked, is incredibly expressive.  Whatver Batman is feeling, you can see it on his face.  That’s cool and makes this costume quite unique, and the visual design of this really deserves to be commended.

A lot of times, a new Batman suit suffers from over design.  Too much flourish and detail can turn the whole thing into a bit of a mess, just look at Square-Enix’s take on Batman or Azrael’s Batsuit, both of which look pretty ridiculous.  That isn’t what happened with the Beyond outfit.  It was nice and simple yet instantly unique and different from any other Batsuit.  The red works well to this effect, yet it’s still a Batman suit at it’s very core.  These days, the folks at DC are having some fun with the idea of the beyond suit in the comics, and every once in a while we get a hint that this is still the direction that Batsuits are heading towards as the design of the Batsuit develops, and that’s a pretty cool thing, too.  The Batman Beyond Batsuit is easily is one of the very best out there, and it robustly deserved a spot on this list.

 

NUMBER 4

DCEU Batsuit

Yeah, that’s right, I said it.  The batsuit that we see in the recent DCEU movies is without a doubt one of my favourites.  Some fans might not love this being here, but just look at this thing!  As a live action Batsuit, this is, in my opinion, the best one yet.  It just looks so Batman.  Not only does it live up to the idea of the costume nicely, it also felt like one that really allowed for natural movement and just looking cool at all times, something even the Nolan batsuit struggled with.  It looks cool, it feels right, and we get to see so many flavours of this costume in one movie.  There’s the original version, which is great and just feels like Batman is running around the big screen in the purest form we have ever seen in a live action movie, but we also see a cool variation I really liked in that one vision, and the mech version when he goes up against Superman.

All three were great and the movie just absolutely nails the look of this thing.  He feels like what he is – just a dude with no powers running around with all these super powers, and Ben Affleck just pulls this roll off like nobody has ever done in any movie thus far.  It feels like he just lives in the part when he’s in this Batsuit and I was really impressed by every scene with Batman in it.

Say what you will about Batman v. Superman – I personally liked it but I’ve only seen the extended version – but however you feel about that movie, this is just a cool version of the Batsuit.  Even the most hardened detractors of this movie typically reserve the fact that at the very least, Batman was cool as hell and the best part of Batman v. Superman.  And when you consider the look and feel of this Batsuit, I can understand why and I think that it, at least in some way, really helped sell people on this Batman.  He was a different Batman but one I quite likes, and I think the suit really helped sell me on this version of the character.

 

NUMBER 3

Noel Batsuit

So as we get into the top 3, we’re moving into the really classic, iconic looks for Batman that I think most define the character or are just the coolest versions of the standard Batman look.  One that really ended up near the top of this list was this one.  Designed by creator of Batman: Noel, Lee Bermejo, this variation of the Batsuit is one of the coolest out there, in my opinion.

It’s the best looking version of the Batsuit that only relies on black and grey.  There is a nice use of armour in the look yet it doesn’t go overboard and remains unmistakably Batman.  It looks cool, it feels cool, and has been gradually becoming a fan favourite among the Batman community for a good reason.

Me?  I totally see why this is a popular one, almost instantly.  Many Batsuits have been created over the years, yet something just sticks with me concerning this one.  There’s a nice, polished look to it, pulling inspiration from a few past versions of Batman and coalescing into a unique take that feels like an instant classic.  It’s not a classic, having been created not long ago in 2011, but as a modern Batsuit in the comics, this really is one of the best I have seen so far, and I think yeah, down the road, this is going to be one that people will remember fondly.  Speaking of which…

 

NUMBER 2

Light Blue and Grey (Neal Adams)

So there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of blue and grey variations of Batman’s costume.  I didn’t want to fill this list with every kind I thought was cool though, so, like a lot of entries here, I just picked my favourite.  That decision was easy, as Neal Adam’s design is definitely my favourite from the Silver Age of comic books and, in my opinion, the best use of this colour palette out of all the Batsuits from this era.

The use of the Batman insignia, coupled with Adams bringing the cape around Batman’s shoulders instead of hanging it off his back, and the slight increase in Batman’s bulk were among the first steps ever taken to make Batman a little darker and more in line with the character we know today.  The suit itself was meant to be tougher than the older costumes, too – more resistant to tearing and resistant to both fire and certain chemicals.

This would all pave the way for future Batman stories with darker tones and more adult themes.   It’s design would later be used for Strange Apparations, a story which in turn inspired Batman: The Animated Series and Tim Burton’s Batman movie.  So yeah, I think this costume was a huge reason as to why Batman is the way he is today.  Batman’s history is thus deeply tied into this Batsuit.

The great thing about this outfit is that it could still have a Batman doing lighter superhero things while also being a rough crime fighter dealing with more mature content depending on the story at hand.  The costume worked well in both contexts, which is a great thing.  And best of all, it still looks great to me.  Being able to both be important to Batman’s history while still, somehow, looking cool 40 years after this outfit was created?  That’s a hell of an achievement.

This easily takes second place and, for a while, was going to take the number one spot.  Yet there was one outfit I just feel just barely pulled ahead.

 

NUMBER 1

Dark Blue and Grey (Jim Lee)

Yep, my all time favourite Batsuit is actually pretty standard in design, but really, who can knock a classic?  The look and feel of this Batsuit is really one of the best I’ve ever seen and I’m not going to pretend I’m the first person to have made this claim.  But you know what?  They’re right.  This is one the best, most iconic Batsuits out there.  It’s a nice mix of a dark outfit yet a bit of colour splashed in that I really dig.  Everything about this, from bulking up Batman a bit more to just making him a bit more menacing in his design, it all just works so well!  I just love this Batsuit.

This is Batman, and the simple design with the black logo and little else in terms of flourish or flair makes for a great Batman outfit that stays with you.  This is, in no small part, because Jim Lee is such a good artist.  It’s hard not to look at these drawings and just be blown away by it.  When I need a default image of Batman for my videos, I usually use one of Jim Lee’s covers.  When I think of Batman, this is pretty much what I think of.  That’s what I mean when I say this is iconic.  It stays with you.  It defines the character and what we think of him.  And that’s why I think this is the best take on Batman’s costume yet.

 

Of course, that gets into something worth mentioning.  My age and interests meant that Jim Lee was pretty much the major Batman artist that broke me into Batman comics.  As such, while these may have been my favourites, they probably weren’t the same for you.  That’s a great thing, since consensus is boring.

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