Well…That Got Dark
Turns out that the Caped Crusaders of the DC Universe don’t exactly have the easiest time. After all, with so many maniacs running rampant, there’s bound to be casualties down the line, some of which just happen to be on the excessive side of the spectrum.
#5: The Death of Aquababy
Most of the time, the death of infants and young children is off-limits, being considered too shocking and taboo for all but the darkest storylines. But that didn’t stop DC writers from giving Aquaman’s infant son Arthur Jr the ax in a story that forever changed the aquatic hero. After being kidnapped by Aquaman’s arch-enemy Black Manta, poor baby Arthur was killed by asphyxiation, drowning on dry land where his Atlantean biology left him vulnerable. This tragic event destroyed the marriage of Aquaman and his wife Mera and setting the hero down a darker path. Even today, few stories have dared to go this dark again when it comes to children.
#4: The Assault of Sue Dibny
The “Identity Crisis†storyline, a DC miniseries written by politic thriller novelist Brad Meltzer, saw the Justice League face one of their darkest periods ever when it was revealed that several members had secretly used magic to erase the memories of several individuals. One of these was the villain Doctor Light, following an incident in which he sexually assaulted Sue Dibny, the wife of Justice League member The Elongated Man. It’s a notoriously dark storyline full of twists and turns that shaped the DC Universe for years after, sending the once shining and optimistic heroes of the DC Universe into new and often depressing territory.
#3: Jason Todd’s Death
Still one of the darkest chapters in Batman’s history, this tragic storyline is made even darker when you learn the story behind it. After being brutally beaten by The Joker and left to die, the fate of Jason Todd, the second Robin, was left up to readers to decide. Would the Boy Wonder perish, or live to fight another day? fans could vote via a telephone hotline, and the votes to end Todd’s life narrowly won out. This massive loss would become one of the cornerstones of Batman’s saga, even when Todd inevitably rose from the grave years later. This one’s on you, comic book readers!
#2: The Killing Joke
And speaking of heinous acts committed by The Joker, who could forget his infamous acts in The Killing Joke, the landmark story in which the sadistic villain shot, paralyzed and assaulted Barbara Gordon. Appearing seemingly nowhere at her home, Joker shot batgirl in an act that would leave her paralyzed. He then proceeded to strip her naked and photograph her, all to prove to her father that anyone can be driven mad by one bad day. The storyline’s use of sexual assault has been rightly criticized in the decades, and it remains an infamous storyline among not just the Batman mythos, but the DC universe at large.
#1: The Fridging of Alexandra DeWitt
Being the significant other of a superhero tends to be pretty hazardous, as this list itself has demonstrated. But it wasn’t until this incident that the phenomenon of female characters in comics getting killed off took on a new name. After Green Lantern Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend Alexandra was killed, dismembered and stuffed in a fridge, writer Gail Simone began a running list of female characters who met similar fates. These women, who were killed not as a logical conclusion to their own story, but as a component of their male counterpart’s story, became known as Women in Fridges, a trope that unfortunately continues to this very day.
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Greatest DC Comics Stories Ever Written.
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