Top 10 Comicbook Characters with Tragic Backstories

Becoming a superhero isn't all sunshine and rainbows. When a car accident killed her family and left her exposed to a massive amount of radioactive chemicals, Jessica woke up with super strength, durability and the ability to fly. After taking on the persona of the vigilante Jewel she caught the attention of the Purple Man, an allusive villain endowed with the ability to control the actions of others. After having unwillingly aided the sociopath in a number of crimes and unruly acts, Jessica discarded her superhero identity and became a private investigator.

That “S” on his chest didn't originally stand for “Super” you know. The Man of Steel we all know as Clark Kent arrived on planet Earth as an orphan baby with no knowledge about his home world Krypton. Almost his entire species was wiped out when Krypton was destroyed and a human family, the Kents, adopted him. The fact that Clark never knew his original family or home, and that such loving parents adopted him definitely gives a bright side to his otherwise depressing backstory.

Losing your home planet is one thing, but witnessing the death of your entire race would destroy most men. J'on J'onzz once enjoyed the simple life of a family man with his wife and child before watching everything he ever loved go up in flames. Disgusted with his home planet, the Manhunter's twin brother staged a genocide against his own race, infecting them with a virus that caused them to spontaneously combust. Watching his loved ones burn to death was enough to make J'onzz teeter on the brink of insanity before a scientist from Earth was able to rescue him.

Peter Parker may have missed the fine print when accepting his superhero identity, as apart from being orphaned at a young age, everyone he is close to suffers because of it. In Peter's earliest debut as a hero, his neglect to stop a criminal would result in the death of his Uncle Ben, something every moviegoer should be familiar with by now. Being somewhat responsible for the death of his father figure would not only set the path of his heroism, but would also haunt him for the rest of his life.

This superhero is as dark and brooding as they come. After being beaten to a pumlp and forced to witness the rape and murder of his fiancée Shelly, Eric is soon resurrected by a crow who guides him on his mission for vengeance. Eric becomes the embodiment of revenge and becomes blinded by an unquenchable thirst for one-man mob justice. Now imbued with otherworldly powers, The Crow hunted down and killed those responsible, and now walks the night as an undead vigilante, incapable of any real connection with anyone.

Hell's Kitchen became a whole lot darker after this superhero's tragic accident. Matt Murdock's sight was robbed from him as a child after he came into direct contact with a radioactive substance. While this in turn bestowed the boy with a supernatural awareness of the world around him, it would be years before he would learn how to tune these senses. After his father was killed for refusing to throw a boxing match, Matt was left alone and was forced learn to use his blindness as an advantage.

There are just some traumas that there is no turning back from. Much like his younger counterpart Robin, Bruce Wayne's picture perfect world was soon flipped on its head when both his parents were gunned down after exiting a movie theater. Unlike many other ‘dead parents’ entries on this list, Bruce witnessed his parents die right in front of him. Having lived a more than sheltered life under the care of his two loving parents, the young heir to Wayne Enterprises was left with a burning desire for justice.

There's a thin line between a hero and this ex-Marine Corps vigilante. Despite Frank Castle's hardened and cynical appearance, he at one point enjoyed the simple life of a family man with his wife and two kids. An infamous New York City gang would however see that he was denied his “happily ever after” ending when him and his family played witness to one of their mob killings. Castle was regrettably the only one that survived the attack, consequently forcing him to watch his family die in front of his eyes. With all hope lost, Castle sought to deliver his own style of justice to the city that betrayed him.

How much would you sacrifice to save the one you love? When cryogenic expert Victor Fries' wife Nora was diagnosed with a degenerative disease, he not only devoted his entire life’s work to finding a cure, but sacrificed his own body and humanity as well. After GothCorp ceased funding Fries' independent study, an accident transformed the scientist's body in such a way that he could only survive in sub-zero temperatures. Angry and desperate, Victor turned to a life of crime, and is now a cold, emotionless shell of his former self, one his wife would no longer even recognize.

Before we unveil our pick for Tragic Superhero/Villain Backstories, here are a few honorable mentions:

Flash

Spawn

Peter Quill/Star Lord

Wolverine

Silver Surfer

Discrimination is something this mutant has become all too familiar with. Max Eisenhardt was born into a German-Jewish family during the Nazi’s rise to power just before World War II. He and his family were sent to a concentration camp and there he witnessed the deaths of both of his parents as well as many other friends. Despite this, Max still tried to live and honest life, eventually relocating to the Ukraine and settling down with a wife and daughter. This of course would be short-lived, as when the townspeople discovered Max's powers, they burned down his house with his child still inside, resulting in the mutant's violent outrage, and his wife leaving him out of fear.






Do you agree with our list? Tragic Superhero and supervillain backstory did we miss? For more heart-wrenching Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com