Top 10 DC Animated Movie Kills
#10: Joker Kills Jason Todd
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“Batman: Under the Red Hood” (2010) This death in the family rocked Batman to his core. When the Joker held Jason Todd hostage, he beat and brutalized the Boy Wonder with a crowbar. And for the final killing blow, Joker rigged the warehouse he was keeping Jason in to explode. Batman did everything in his power to reach his sidekick in time. Unfortunately, he was ultimately too late and Jason died in the explosion. This truly tragic moment became a crucial part of the Batman mythos. After this point, Jason Todd would be reborn as the Red Hood, a bloody reminder of one of the dark knight’s biggest failures.
#9: Catwoman Silences Hush
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“Batman: Hush” (2019) When a new criminal called Hush begins orchestrating a series of attacks against Batman, all bets are off. If you want a sense for how dangerous this villain is, his plans led to a night where a mind-controlled Superman tried to kill Batman and Catwoman. The diabolical Hush is eventually revealed as Edward Nygma AKA the Riddler. By the timeBatman and Catwoman discover the truth, they’re eager to beat the villain senseless. A brutal brawl nearly results ugly in Edward almost falling into a vat of molten metal. While Batman tried and likely would have saved him, Catwoman purposefully cuts the rope holding Nygma. He plunges to his doom before the building he’s in explodes for good measure. While Batman wasn’t a fan of Catwoman’s cut, Hush was unquestionably silenced.
#8: Sal’s Death by Laughter
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“Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” (1993) When longtime mob boss Sal Valestra realized he was on the brutal vigilante the Phantasm’s hitlist, he knew his time was close to running out. He was already knocking on Death’s door thanks to his old age and medical condition. Sal thought he could improve his chances by meeting with the Joker. However, this measure majorly backfired in the absolute worst way possible. By the time the Phantasm tracked Sal down to kill him, they discovered the gangster had already been lethally poisoned by the Joker’s laughing gas. While the mobster might’ve died laughing, there’s nothing funny about this situation.
#7: John Stewart Gets Roasted By Darkseid
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“Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” (2020) While “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” had a ton of violent deaths, there was one particular demise that stuck with us. After an attack against Darkseid goes horrifically wrong, the galaxy’s remaining heroes struggle to resist the big bad. But the Green Lantern Corps still insist on making one last stand. Unfortunately, Darkseid is able to utterly decimate their forces. Despite the odds, an injured John Stewart tries to use the central power battery to recharge his power ring one last time. But Darkseid spites the hero by sending magma to blow up the battery. The resulting explosion leaves John as nothing more than ashes. Overall, this kill was one hell of a way to send a message that the heroes were toast.
#6: Superman Murders Joker
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“Injustice” (2021) Joker begins this bleak movie by orchestrating a series of events that led to Superman causing the death of Lois Lane. To add salt in the wound, her demise directly led to the destruction of Metropolis. While Batman was prepared to toss the clown back into Arkham, Superman wasn’t willing to let the villain go so easily. The man of steel makes it very clear that he would no longer tolerate the clown's actions. And in a shocking moment, he executes the Joker with one punch. This incident propelled Superman into a tyrant, sparked years of division, and arguably doomed the world. It reminded us all of what could happen if the man of steel showed no mercy.
#5: Batman Burns Dracula
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“The Batman vs. Dracula” (2005) Batman battling Dracula is a fight we never knew we needed until we saw it! When Dracula is resurrected, his new plans place him in direct conflict with Batman. While Batman’s not quite on Dracula’s level in terms of sheer power, his power of having prep time made all the difference. During their final battle in the Batcave, Batman leads Dracula towards a gigantic machine that stores solar energy. And once the machine was powered on, Batman made the vampire see the light. If Dracula being set ablaze and withering into bones wasn’t cool enough, the shot of Batman punching his skull clean off his skeleton definitely was. This is by far one of the most epic dark knight finishers of all time.
#4: Constantine Explodes Nergal
“Constantine: City of Demons - The Movie” (2018) To say the demon Nergal was a nasty creature would be the understatement of the century. Not only did he slaughter countless innocent civilians, but he also dragged the innocent Astra Logue to hell. Unfortunately, all of this was possible due to a mistake Constantine made. So it was only appropriate for petty dabbler of the dark arts to take Nergal out! The battle initially looks like it will go in the demon’s favor. However, Constantine is able to use a spell fueled by love called the Candever Curse. Its overwhelming power caused Nergal to be exploded to bits. It may sound ridiculous that a demon was vanquished with the power of love, but hey, if it works it works!
#3: Thomas Wayne & Deadshot Kill Reverse Flash
“Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” (2013) & “Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay” (2018) This was a kill that took two movies to complete! While Reverse Flash was wasting time bad-guy-monologuing during “The Flashpoint Paradox”, he was shot by Thomas Wayne. It seemed like the act stopped the villain and saved Barry Allen. However, this killing blow didn’t actually kill him right away. After Flash reset the universe with time travel, Reverse Flash showed up in the new timeline. He shockingly revealed that he was able to escape death at the last second in the “Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay” film. While trying to get a literal “Get Out of Hell Free” card, Deadshot executed the speedster. It was impressive that it took a supervillain, a Batman and two timelines to finally put this evil Speedster down.
#2: The Joker’s Death
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“Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” (2000) During “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker”, the grisly details of Joker’s unceremonious end were revealed in flashbacks. It all started when the clown and Harley Quinn captured and tormented Tim Drake in order to turn the kid into a Joker Junior. The brainwashing seemed to be absolute. As a result, the clown prince of crime ordered his new assistant to kill Batman. However, Tim fought his orders and eliminated the Joker. The shocking moment and its gut-wrenching aftermath was etched into our brains forever. We never thought a Robin would cause the Joker to take his last laugh.
#1: Superman Is Killed by Doomsday
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“The Death of Superman” (2018) The death of Superman was a moment where time stood still. After the beast called Doomsday was released, he tried to kill everything in sight. His mission was majorly stalled when he came up against Superman. The two traded a series of devastating blows in a true battle of titans. And when Superman put everything into a final killing blow, Doomsday fatally wounded the hero. It’s never easy to see any superhero struck down in combat. But seeing the earth’s strongest champion fade away felt devastating. While the Man of Steel would find a way to overcome death, we’ll never forget how the loss of his life made us feel.
