History EvilCostumeSwitch / ComicBooks

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** When Peter first found his black costume during the ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'', it just gave him unlimited web-shooters. It was later retconned into granting the wearer superhuman strength and agility. Eventually, Spidey discovered that it was the cause of his fatigue, taking his body out at night while he was sleeping. [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] figured out that the suit was actually a symbiote trying to permanently bond with him. His rejection hurt it and it tried to fight back. After he got rid of it, it found Eddie Brock, turning him into ComicBook/{{Venom}} and giving them both the means to fight Spider-Man. In a way, Spider-Man's black costume is an inversion: the ''costume'' turned him evil (or just amplified his aggression to feed off his adrenaline, depending on the explanation).[[note]]The idea of the costume corrupting the host was actually introduced in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' and has been kept in every adaptation after it, even making its way into the comics. In the original comics, the reason Spidey rejected it was the prospect of becoming permanently bonded and the symbiote taking over his body.[[/note]]
** Done again when [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Otto Octavius]] [[GrandTheftMe steals Peter's body]] and becomes the [[ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan2013 Superior Spider-Man]]. He replaces all of the blue coloring on the classic costume with black, and [[WolverineClaws adds claws]] to the hands and feet. After he [[spoiler:seemingly purges the rest of Peter's soul from his body]], he modifies the costume again, ditching the original look altogether for a more sinister look, complete with [[SpiderLimbs four waldoes]] that, in a way, mimic his old [[CombatTentacles tentacles]].
** Ai Apaec, the impostor Spider-Man from the ''ComicBook/DarkAvengers'' (succeeding [[Characters/MarvelComicsMacGargan Mac Gargan]] in the role), wears a black Spidey outfit inspired by the original symbiote costume. For some reason, it turns his normal form (giant spider from the waist down) into a six-armed human body.
** At the beginning of the [[ComicBook/MarvelNow All-New Marvel NOW!]] ''Amazing Spider-Man'', Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}} switches out the white in her costume for black and added a lot of metal belts (or something), and is acting as the WomanScorned to Spidey for what Doc did to her as the Superior Spider-Man.
* A partial occasion of this is ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_and_Thorn Rose and Thorn]]'', a DC Comics character with a [[SplitPersonality dual personality]]. Rose wore modest outfits, and her alter ego Thorn, if not evil, was definitely more mischievous and dark. She, of course, wore the quasi-Stripperiffic outfit.
* ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'':
** Mary Marvel was traditionally treated as the "kid sister" of the super-hero community and wore a white tunic-and-skirt combo. When she lost her powers, hijacked Black Adam's, and went evil, she traded in her traditional costume for a black, body-hugging number with a mini-can-that-even-count-as-a-skirt. Note that the trope image is ''not'' this costume. Mary once ran into a kinky evil twin in an alternate universe, which was PlayedForLaughs.
** Later, when she goes full-on evil [[spoiler:(actually possessed by Desaad)]] in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', she trades the black miniskirt for an [[http://images.wikia.com/marvel_dc/images/c/c7/Mary_Marvel_Final_Crisis.jpg even trashier latex outfit]]. This one comes complete with [[CombatStilettos thigh-high boots]], a cleavage window, and a shaved head (except for a pair of pink pigtails).
** In ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica'', she gives Billy the same powers, and he becomes Captain-Marvel-As-[[AllBikersAreHellsAngels Biker-Punk]]. See it [[http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/3399613930_7dbd525e68_m.jpg here]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'':
** ComicBook/PostCrisis Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, did this several times.
*** The first time was in ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004'', when she is [[BrainwashedAndCrazy captured by Darkseid and turned into one of his Furies]]. This was very brief, but during that time she wore, essentially, skintight red-and-black pants and a black bra.
*** The second time was when she was hit with black kryptonite in ''ComicBook/Supergirl2005: ComicBook/GirlPower'', causing an evil duplicate to suddenly emerge from her body... already wearing a black version of her normal costume. This trope was also lampshaded an issue later, when evil Supergirl switched her costume with the original's at superspeed, in an attempt to fool Batman and Superman as to who was the evil clone. The black costume returned in a later ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' storyline where a battle with the Omega Man accidentally reawakened the Dark Supergirl persona within her.
*** ''ComicBook/DeathAndTheFamily'': When Kara becomes possessed by the evil spirits of Silver Banshee's Clan, her Supergirl suit transforms into a sinister, tattered, white-and-black version. To drive the point home, her hair becomes black and white and her face chalk white.
** In ''ComicBook/AdventureComics'' #313: ''ComicBook/TheCondemnedLegionnaires'' (1963), Supergirl was exposed to a piece of red kryptonite that created [[http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Satan_Girl_(Pre-Zero_Hour) Satan Girl]], who likewise wore a black outfit. Her version had a cowl and no S-symbol because her identity was originally a mystery.
** In ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'' Kara flies off the handle and becomes a [[Characters/GLRedLanternCorps Red Lantern]] (Red Lanterns are berserk anti-heroes at best, and evil jerkasses at worst). She starts wearing a red-and-black version of her costume, complete with a red domino mask and a different ChestInsignia.
* ''ComicBook/NewWarriors'': Speedball post-''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'' dropped his bright orange, yellow, and blue spandex in favor of a new name, "Penance", and an accompanying outfit that was black and red with metal armor and spikes. LOTS of spikes. On the INSIDE. Which served a dual purpose: he needs to feel pain in order to activate his incredibly destructive powers, and [[spoiler:when he found the guy who ''really'' blew up Stamford, he put the costume ''on him'']].

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ''[[ComicBook/DarkEmpire Dark Empire]]'' comics taking place after the movies, Luke Skywalker undergoes Sith apprenticeship in order to explore the Dark Side [[spoiler:[[TheMole as well as]] convert other dark-siders over to his side and sabotage the newly [[BodySurf revived]] Emperor's plans]]. Naturally, [[spoiler:the Emperor]] takes it upon himself to make a "better", more Darth Vader-like artificial hand for Luke, and he gets an ominous-looking cape and glowing eyes. His costume is ''very'' Vaderesque.

* During the final few issues of ''[[ComicBook/LukeCage Power Man]] and ComicBook/IronFist'', Iron Fist switched to a red variant of his classic costume after his guilt over accidentally causing K'un-Lun's near destruction temporarily turned him evil. The red costume made a comeback in a later ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'' storyline where Iron Fist was [[BrainwashedAndCrazy corrupted]] by Chiantang and forced to fight the Panther.
* As part of ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}}'', several characters get new costumes after the Inversion causes their CharacterAlignment to change to an opposite of what they normally are. Characters/ScarletWitch sports a darker variation of her red outfit, while ComicBook/IronMan gets a new suit of [[LightIsNotGood all-silver]] armor. Meanwhile, several villains undergo a GoodCostumeSwitch.
* A ''lot'' of examples crop up in the ''Comicbook/XMen'' comics:
** During ''ComicBook/Inferno1988'', Madelyne Pryor, having just undergone a FaceHeelTurn (into her own {{Stripperiffic}} costume) and now calling herself the Goblin Queen, brainwashed Havok into becoming her Goblin Prince. His duties included wearing [[https://i.pinimg.com/736x/2a/2c/ae/2a2cae4b02037d68bd77f0fe691def69.jpg this costume]]. According to X-writers at the time, this particular ensemble was supposed to symbolize the ''evil'' in his ''soul''. Basically it was made by throwing razor-sharp glass at his normal costume until it looked suitably evil.

** "ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga": Jean Grey's switch to Dark Phoenix was marked by her green costume turning red. There are subtler changes in the Phoenix's costume that have been ignored in later Phoenix stories: when she first gets her powers, the phoenix symbol on the costume's black neckpiece is small. By the time she starts acting AntiHero-ish and being unapologetic about it, the phoenix symbol fills the neckpiece. When Wyngarde's mind control pushes her over the edge and the red suit debuts, the neckpiece is gone, the phoenix symbol now being so large that it covers her torso -- a continuation of the idea that the symbol's growth means an increase in how much Jean is NotHerself. Later artists forget, and though Dark Phoenix's symbol is always torso-covering, the good Phoenix's chest symbol always fills the neckpiece. Amusingly, a later host of the Phoenix, Rachel Summers, once showed up in the red costume, immediately alarming her teammates until she explained that she just didn't like green.

* Creator/PhilFoglio's ''ComicStrip/WhatsNewWithPhilAndDixie'' has Dixie undergoing a [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150428205529/http://www.airshipentertainment.com/growfcomic.php?date=20091004 literal lampshaded costume switch]], complete with expanded breasts.
** Happens instantaneously to Fea in ''Webcomic/{{Yamara}}'', when Dark Natasha sneaks up behind the heroes and slip a ''Helm of Opposite Alignment'' over her head. Next panel, Fea's gone from ditzy faerie to black-clad biker chick, complete with viper tattoo.

* In the third issue of ''ComicBook/FreddyVsJasonVsAsh: The Nightmare Warriors'', it's revealed Maggie from ''Film/FreddysDeadTheFinalNightmare'' is either BrainwashedAndCrazy or simply TheMole (her FaceHeelTurn has yet to be adequately explained). After revealing her [[BeneathTheMask true colors]], she [[GoodHairEvilHair lets her hair down]], [[TheGlassesComeOff loses the glasses]], and trades in her power suit for [[HellBentForLeather a tight, black, biker-esque leather outfit]] that's pretty much the definition of NavelDeepNeckline. Also, she gets [[DualWielding twin gloves]] like her father's, though they have fingers tipped with razor blades instead of knives.
* It was more AntiHero Costume Switch, but during ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'', when ComicBook/{{Azrael}} donned the mantle of the Batman, he started out wearing the classic suit. The warning signs of Azrael's unfitness to wear the costume of Batman came when he decided to switch the normal gloves for clawed gauntlets that fired shuriken, then ditched the classic costume all together for a blade-sporting armor (and, briefly, [[TooManyBelts a utility belt on his leg in addition to the normal one]]). By the time the story ended, he'd altered the armor as he went more and more off the deep end, with the Batman-blue being replaced by Azrael-red as a result of his own actions ([[TooDumbToLive namely, firing off a flamethrower after being soaked in diesel]]).
* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern:''
** Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, and everybody else Parallax has [[DemonicPossession possessed]] gets armor reminiscent of both their costume and the entity's natural form.
** Every dead character who returns as a Black Lantern in ''Comicbook/BlackestNight'' gets an evil version of their old costume.
* A ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' storyline involved time changing so the YJ team [[ButterflyOfDoom lacked the three founders]] and was much more ChaoticNeutral. Arrowette wore exactly the costume from the page quote.
* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': when ComicBook/{{Raven}} had a FaceHeelTurn due to Trigon's influence, she started wearing a bikini under her cloak. She then implanted demonic souls into several Titans, including Changeling (Beast Boy), who wore a version of his red-and-white costume in red-and-black, and Deathwing, who started wearing a red shirt and a leather vest with ''even more spikes''.
* The Plutonian from ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' changes his costume after his FaceHeelTurn from a white suit with a red cape to a red suit with no cape.
* When ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} finally snaps in ''ComicBook/{{Shadowland}}'', he begins wearing an all-new black costume with longer horns, red lining, and wrist blades. When Spider-Man shows up to [[WhatTheHellHero call him out on the whole psychosis thing]], he {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this whole trope. Subverted in ''Daredevil'' Issue 598: DD sports the black costume again, but he's not evil, he's wanted because Mayor Fisk is evil.
* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', Fiona Fox originally wore a one-piece yellow and white jumpsuit. After her FaceHeelTurn, she traded it in for a black pants/tank top ensemble with fingerless gloves. She also either tied up or cut her hair - either way, it's considerably shorter as a villain than as a Freedom Fighter. Funnily enough, she kept the cute yellow bow that had been coming and going from her hair for the new getup.
* In ''ComicBook/AllFallDown'', [[spoiler:Pronto]] gets one of these in his new identity as the Modern Prometheus.
* In ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'', those that are part of Superman's Regime change their costumes accordingly. Some, like Superman, are subtle. Some, like Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, are massive (GL's case is that he lost his Green Lantern Power Ring and switched up for a Sinestro Corps ring.)
* Cyborg Superman from the "Reign of the Supermen" story arc in the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' comic book titles in 1993, who was already evil, ended up dropping all pretense of being Superman in ''ComicBook/SupermanDoomsdayHunterPrey'' when he commandeered an Apokoliptian robotic body and refashioned it for his use to terrorize the planet Apokolips.
* Omega, the BigBad of ''ComicBook/BatmanLastKnightOnEarth'' is revealed to be [[spoiler:the original Bruce Wayne, having become a FallenHero after {{being tortured|MakesYouEvil}} and traded in the traditional Batsuits for a suit with a face-concealing mask and invoking RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver]].

* [[Characters/IrredeemablePlutonian The Plutonian]] from ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' changes his costume after his FaceHeelTurn from a white suit with a red cape to a red suit with no cape.

** The red and black came back for the ''ComicBook/New52'' reboot, with the idea to have all the former Robins in red. Fans were initially not happy, citing that he either looks like his evil self or Terry from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''. After implementation, it's gradually settled to more of a BrokenBase.

* ''ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders'': Looker was known, among other things, for having [[http://www.comicbookreligion.com/char?ID=67&Looker_Lia_Briggs a spectacularly ugly costume]]. When she became a vampire, that pink, black, white, and powder blue eyesore was mercifully dropped, and she now wears a surprisingly more sensible black BadassLongcoat in most continuities.

** ''ComicBook/StarWarsInfinities'', the ExpandedUniverse's ForWantOfANail series, has Darth Vader, after going through the same [[RedemptionEqualsDeath betray-the-Emperor-to-save-his-child]] thing as in the movie, survives, possibly because Leia was there too. At the very end of the comic, we see him again, as one of the good guys... in a costume basically identical to the old one, just white and with a little more cloth, a little less armor. Considering how little space was left, this might just have been [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience shorthand]] for "Hey, Vader's part of the Rebellion now!" since readers might not have known otherwise. The costume is memetic now and has its own action figure.

* A ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' storyline involved time changing so the YJ team [[ForWantOfANail lacked the three founders]] and was much more ChaoticNeutral. Arrowette wore exactly the costume from the page quote.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ''[[ComicBook/DarkEmpire Dark Empire]]'' comics taking place after the movies, Luke Skywalker undergoes Sith apprenticeship in order to explore the Dark Side ([[spoiler:[[TheMole as well as]] convert other dark-siders over to his side and sabotage the newly [[BodySurf revived]] Emperor's plans]]). Naturally, [[spoiler:the Emperor]] takes it upon himself to make a "better", more Darth Vader-like artificial hand for Luke, and he gets an ominous-looking cape and glowing eyes. His costume is ''very'' Vaderesque.

* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', Fiona Fox originally wore a one-piece yellow and white jumpsuit. After her FaceHeelTurn, she traded it in for a black pants/tank top ensemble. She also either tied up or cut her hair - either way, it's considerably shorter as a villain than as a Freedom Fighter. Funnily enough, she kept the cute yellow bow that had been coming and going from her hair for the new getup.

* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', Fiona Fox originally wore a one-piece jumpsuit. After her FaceHeelTurn, she traded it in for a black pants/tank top ensemble. She also either tied up or cut her hair - either way, it's considerably shorter as a villain than as a Freedom Fighter.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ''[[ComicBook/DarkEmpire DarkEmpire]]'' comics taking place after the movies, Luke Skywalker undergoes Sith apprenticeship in order to explore the Dark Side ([[spoiler:[[TheMole as well as]] convert other dark-siders over to his side and sabotage the newly [[BodySurf revived]] Emperor's plans]]). Naturally, [[spoiler:the Emperor]] takes it upon himself to make a "better", more Darth Vader-like artificial hand for Luke, and he gets an ominous-looking cape and glowing eyes. His costume is ''very'' Vaderesque.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] comics taking place after the movies, Luke Skywalker undergoes Sith apprenticeship in order to explore the Dark Side ([[spoiler:as well as convert other dark-siders over to his side and sabotage the newly cloned Emperor's plans]]). Naturally, [[spoiler:the Emperor]] takes it upon himself to make a "better", more Darth Vader-like artificial hand for Luke, and he gets an ominous-looking cape and glowing eyes. His costume is ''very'' Vaderesque.

** Done again when [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Otto Octavius]] [[GrandTheftMe steals Peter's body]] and becomes the ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan. He replaces all of the blue coloring on the classic costume with black, and [[WolverineClaws adds claws]] to the hands and feet. After he [[spoiler:seemingly purges the rest of Peter's soul from his body]], he modifies the costume again, ditching the original look altogether for a more sinister look, complete with [[SpiderLimbs four waldoes]] that, in a way, mimic his old [[CombatTentacles tentacles]].

** After being branded as terrorists and fugitives in the aftermath of ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]], [[Characters/EmmaFrostWhiteQueen Emma Frost]] and [[Characters/{{Magik}} Illyana Rasputin]] wore black outfits. Cyke's visor is basically a big 'X' across his head since he's trying to start a revolution and is basically using the X-Men's X as a gang sign. [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]], after a long stint as an anti-hero, started wearing white but switched to black at the start of his ongoing. He went back to wearing white during the [[ComicBook/XMen2019 2019 relaunch]], where he is once again allied with the X-Men.

** A notorious example is [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]]/Phoenix's switch to Dark Phoenix, which was marked by her green costume turning red. (Otherwise, it looked exactly the same; Dark Phoenix is so evil that she does not ''need'' to be {{Stripperiffic}}!) There are subtler changes in the Phoenix's costume that have been ignored in later Phoenix stories: when she first gets her powers, the phoenix symbol on the costume's black neckpiece is small, about the size of the phoenix symbol that nowadays appears over Rachel's eye when she uses her powers. By the time she starts acting AntiHero-ish and being unapologetic about it, the phoenix symbol fills the neckpiece. When Wyngarde's MoreThanMindControl pushes her over the edge and the red suit debuts, the neckpiece is gone, the phoenix symbol now being so large that it covers her torso -- a continuation of the idea that the symbol's growth means an increase in how much Jean is NotHerself. Later artists forget, and though Dark Phoenix's symbol is always torso-covering, the good Phoenix's chest symbol always fills the neckpiece. Amusingly, a later host of the Phoenix, Rachel Summers, once showed up in the red costume, immediately alarming her teammates until she explained that she just didn't like green.

** Mary Marvel was traditionally treated as the "kid sister" of Franchise/TheDCU and wore a white tunic-and-skirt combo. When she lost her powers, hijacked Black Adam's, and went evil, she traded in her traditional costume for a black, body-hugging number with a mini-can-that-even-count-as-a-skirt. Note that the trope image is ''not'' this costume. Mary once ran into a kinky evil twin in an alternate universe, which was PlayedForLaughs.

** The Matrix-Supergirl was a shapeshifter, who would periodically go BrainwashedAndCrazy or just plain crazy and shift her costume into something sleeveless with spiked bands around her arms.
* While not specifically an evil costume change, [[ComicBook/NewWarriors Speedball]] post-''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'' dropped his bright orange, yellow, and blue spandex in favor of a new name, "Penance", and an accompanying outfit that was black and red with metal armor and spikes. LOTS of spikes. On the INSIDE. Which served a dual purpose: he needs to feel pain in order to activate his incredibly destructive powers, and [[spoiler:when he found the guy who ''really'' blew up Stamford, he put the costume ''on him'']].

* Creator/PhilFoglio's ''ComicStrip/WhatsNewWithPhilAndDixie'' has Dixie undergoing a [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150428205529/http://www.airshipentertainment.com/growfcomic.php?date=20091004 literal lampshaded costume switch]], complete with the MostCommonSuperPower.

* Another ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' example: when ComicBook/{{Raven}} had a FaceHeelTurn due to Trigon's influence, she started wearing a bikini under her cloak. She then implanted demonic souls into several Titans, including Changeling (Beast Boy), who wore a version of his red-and-white costume in red-and-black, Matrix-Supergirl, who reverted to the sleeveless spiky outfit mentioned above, and Deathwing, also above, who started wearing a red shirt and a leather vest with ''even more spikes''.

** A reversal: an issue of [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Star Wars Infinities]], that verse's ForWantOfANail series, has Darth Vader, after going through the same [[RedemptionEqualsDeath betray-the-Emperor-to-save-his-child]] thing as in the movie, survives, possibly because Leia was there too. At the very end of the comic, we see him again, as one of the good guys... in a costume basically identical to the old one, just white and with a little more cloth, a little less armor. Considering how little space was left, this might just have been [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience shorthand]] for "Hey, Vader's part of the Rebellion now!" since readers might not have known otherwise. The costume is memetic now and has its own action figure.

* While not specifically an evil costume change, [[ComicBook/NewWarriors Speedball]] post-''ComicBook/CivilWar'' dropped his bright orange, yellow, and blue spandex in favor of a new name, "Penance", and an accompanying outfit that was black and red with metal armor and spikes. LOTS of spikes. On the INSIDE. Which served a dual purpose: he needs to feel pain in order to activate his incredibly destructive powers, and [[spoiler:when he found the guy who ''really'' blew up Stamford, he put the costume ''on him'']].

** During a period when the Fantastic Four were made to be DarkerAndEdgier, she wore a {{stripperiffic}} costume complete with a [[BareYourMidriff bare midriff]] and a CleavageWindow shaped like a 4 as a way to show how much grittier she had become. This was given a swift RetCon, explaining that it was the evil Malice personality trying to come back via her subconscious. Thankfully, she went back to a more modest look.