Top 10 Darkest Superhero Cartoon Moments Ever

TMNT tends to lean towards darker stories from time to time, but never did it get as dark as the death of the Turtles. After Donatello is sent to a dystopian future, he learns that in his absence his mentor Splinter died, the team split up and Michaelangelo became a whole lot edgier. Shredder has become the totalitarian ruler of Earth, so Don must break into his compound to travel back in time and prevent this timeline from happening. The Turtles team up, but slowly die off one by one. The saddest moment is when Raphael, who had become estranged from Leonardo, crawls over to spend his last moments beside his dead brother.

This animated series wasn’t shy to explore body horror, having previously seen Spider-Man turn into a horrifying Man-Spider. But Mary Jane’s dissolution is even more haunting. Spider-Man was haunted by the death of Mary Jane, but then she suddenly reappeared sporting some extra waterbending powers. She returned to the series for a while, but during “The Return of Hydro-Man, Part 2”, we learn that she’s just been a clone mixed in with Hydro man’s DNA. The process was unstable, and so she evaporated before Parker’s eyes. The idea of uncontrollably disappearing into vapor is terrifying. And the way Peter screams, having lost the woman he loves for a second time, is heartbreaking.

When this universe’s equivalent of the Justice League saves the day in the opening sequence of the first episode, it seems like “Invisible” is going to be a pretty wholesome superhero show. Then at the end of the episode, Omni-man crushes Red Rush with his bare hands. We then watch as every member of the team fall to this invincible murder machine, with each death more gratuitous than the last. The Image Universe is no stranger to dark and gruesome moments, but this scene is not just amazingly gory but also completely harrowing.

The Powerpuff Girls may have a few adult jokes hidden here and there, but it’s still a show for younger audiences. This is why the dark episode “Speed Demon” was so surprising and universally traumatizing. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup race home from school, ready to start their vacation! But unfortunately, they went a bit too fast, sending them forward in time. It’s there that they discover everything has turned into a hellish landscape in their absence, with characters dead or drastically changed. HIM announces that it’s all their fault and the townspeople agree, chanting in unison. The girls band together to turn back time, but the mental scars will remain.

Carl Nesmith had battled with Ben 10 before this episode, using popular actress Jennifer Nocturne as bait. Much to Ben’s confusion, Nocturne later breaks Nesmith out of prison. She’s unphased as he kills countless people and ends up almost killing Ben herself. Jennifer didn’t have much beforehand, with an uninterested mother, an absent father, and an unfulfilling career. She put all of her dreams of having a new life with Nesmith, who never reciprocates her feelings unless he can use them to his advantage. This episode represents the grim reality behind some toxic relationships, with one person manipulating the other into doing horrible things.

One of the most tragic of characters to come from DC, Baby Doll is a villain cursed with the appearance of a child, despite being well into adulthood. She kidnaps the co-stars of her canceled hit TV show to try and reclaim the “family” she had lost. But as Batman stops her and chases her into a house of mirrors, Baby Doll is confronted with her distorted reflection, seeing what she would be like without her condition. Knowing that it was fake, she opens fire, smashing everything around her. She then cries in front of Batman, saying her iconic catchphrase as we all realize this was just someone desperate for a normal life.

One of the worst parts about being a mutant is being shunned by regular society. Warren aka Angel has it worse as his father looks to “cure” him of the mutant gene. Despite trying to communicate with his father, he’s ultimately kidnapped, sedated, and gets his wings surgically removed. Once Sinister gives him a new pair of metal wings, he goes on a rampage, trying to kill his father. The darkest thing about this isn’t just his father’s role, it’s Angel’s own screams of anguish.

What started the Dark Knight on his crusade to rid Gotham of crime was the death of his parents at the hands of Joe Chill. Confronting Chill, Bruce starts beating him to a pulp, revealing his identity as Bruce Wayne. He ends up letting Joe live, but Joe runs to the other major villains and reveals his connection to Batman. Joker, Penguin, Poison Ivy, and many others all turn on Chill, knowing he was the cause of their worst nightmare. As the building they’re in collapses, Joe is crushed and dies as the Ace Detective watches. This Batman cartoon certainly wasn’t child-friendly in this episode.

In general, Superman is a fairly wholesome hero, and so are his cartoons. But the episode “The Late Mr. Kent” journeyed into dark territory. It starts with Clark looking into a man on death row who was framed. As he gets close to the answers, his car blows up with him in it. No human would survive that blast, so he continues looking into the case as Superman and learns that Detective Bowman is the culprit. Once everything is in place, he arrests the crooked cop, who’s sent to death row. We then have a front row seat watching Bowman’s last moments, right before he’s gassed, as he realizes that Superman is Clark Kent.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Robin’s Invisible Enemy, “Teen Titans” (2003-06)
Battling a Threat Only He Can See, Robin Turns Against His Friends

Darkseid Kills Dan Turpin, “Superman: The Animated Series” (1996-2000)
On the Retreat, Darkseid Kills Dan Out of Spite

Superman Loses His Family, “Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06)
The Man of Steel Says Goodbye to His Perfect, But Fake Reality

The Joker Breaks His Own Neck, “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns: Part 2” (2012)
Framing Batman as a Murderer

Richie Gets Shot, “Static Shock” (2000-04)
The Superhero Show Tackles Gun Violence

When the Joker kidnaps Bruce’s protege, he tortures Robin into becoming his own mini-Joker. After a scuffle with Batman, Joker has the Dark Knight by the collar. He gives his new mini-self a gun and demands he kill his former family. Bruce pleads with his sidekick, sadness in his eyes seeing what has been done. As Tim goes to pull the trigger, his Joker-ish laughter turns to sobbing. Tim turns on Joker instead and shoots him, collapsing on the floor afterward completely defeated. This scene tears you apart every single time you watch it. Batman couldn’t save Robin, and both he and the audience are forever scarred for it.