Top 10 DC Superhero Turning Points
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Script written by Joey Turner
Top 10 DC Superhero Turning Points
Superheros see more than their fair share of drama and having god-like powers doesn’t mean things will always go their way. Welcome to Watchmojo.com, and today we’re counting down the top 10 DC superhero turning points.
For this list, we’re looking at the crucial moments in these heroes’ lives that really changed who they are as a character, for better or. We’re looking at moments that occurred during the prime of their superhero carriers, so you won’t find origin stories here. Finally, if you’re not up-to-date with your DC comic book history, there will be spoilers.
#10: Maxwell Lord’s betrayal It just goes to show that you don’t know whom you can trust during a crisis. For example, Maxwell Lord. In the beginning, he was a huge influence in developing the Justice League International. However, it turns out he wants to DESTROY metahumans –even though he is one himself. Blue Beetle finds out about Lord’s secret, so Lord shoots him in the head and kills him. He then takes control of Superman’s mind to make him attack his friends and loved ones. Wow, when superheroes have a mid life crisis, things can really get out of hand.
#9: The Death of Supergirl Crisis on Infinite Earths brought about the tragic deaths of many DC characters, and this one is no exception. The original Supergirl was Superman’s cousin. Though a bit brash and defiant, she was very popular in the DC universe: becoming best friends with fellow heroine, Batgirl. This only adds to the tragedy when she sacrifices herself to save her cousin from the Anti-Monitor. A memorial is held in her honor, where Batgirl says how she will NOT be forgotten. However, when the universe gets rebooted, Supergirl is erased from existence and she is indeed, forgotten with the positive influence she had on her friends lives being completely undone.
#8: Superboy-Prime Kills Superboy Sit tight folks, we have more parallel world drama for you. When Superboy-Prime’s world is destroyed during Crisis on Infinite Earths, he is forced to live in the world of the original Superman and Superboy. Traumatized, angered, and more than a little whiney about his loss, Superboy-Prime decides that there’s only room for ONE Superboy; so he goes after Kon-El, and the two battle it out. In the end, Superboy sacrifices his life to try and stop Superboy-Prime… while prime lives to whine another day becoming a much darker and disturbed version of the character.
#7: Superman Renounces His U.S. Citizenship For decades, Superman fought for truth, justice, and the American way; but suddenly, the American way. The last part changed however when Superman flew to Iran to defend a peaceful protest. The people of Iranian resent Superman’s presence however, as they see him as an “American possession”. Tired of his actions seen as instruments of America’s policy, Superman decided to renounce his American citizenship so he can be seen as a man of the world rather than a man of one specific nation. This may stir some controversy, but Superman feels that now he can do what’s best for the whole world.
#6: The Flash Kills Reverse-Flash When you have the two fastest men alive sharing the same speed-force and constantly battling it out, eventually one of them has to go. Reverse-Flash is determined to make Barry Allen’s life miserable and kills his first wife, Iris West. When Flash finds love again, Reverse-Flash threatens to kill this one as well. But Flash won’t let history repeat itself, and starts a worldwide chase against the reverse-colored psychopath. In the midst of the chase, Flash accidentally break’s Reverse-Flash’s neck, inadvertently killing him. Flash may have saved his fiancé, but his doppelganger got the last laugh by driving him to kill.
#5: Hal Jordan goes crazy Hal Jordan has always been the poster boy for the Green Lantern Corp… but all that changes when his hometown is destroyed. The grief-stricken pilot tries to use his ring’s power to recreate Coast City, but the other Guardians stop him. Angered at the Guardians, Hal finally snaps and flies towards Oa; along the way, he attacks dozens of other Green Lanterns and steals their rings. He flies straight into Oa’s Central Power Battery and absorbs its power! He emerges with a new costume, and a new name: Parallax!
#4: Batgirl is Paralyzed by The Joker The Joker’s done some pretty insane things in the past but this probably his most vicious. Barbara Gordon was once a fellow caped crusader of Gotham, defending the citizens from evil under the name “Batgirl.” However, upon learning her idendity, Joker comes to her home and shoots her, crippling her spine. He then undresses her and starts taking pictures of her broken form to show them to her father, Commissioner Jim Gordon. Batgirl may be gone, but Barbara isn’t ready to turn in her hero license just yet. She now helps Batman as his eye and ears, going by the name “Oracle.”
#3: Dick Grayson Becomes Nightwing Dick Grayson was Batman’s first sidekick, and the original Robin – the Boy Wonder. But, as time went on, Dick wanted his independence and to step outside the Dark Knight’s shadow. He finally gets his wish when he –and a few other disgruntled sidekicks- band together to form the Teen Titans. When Deathstroke kidnaps his teammates, Grayson decides it’s time to step up his game and dons an all-new costume, and an all-new identity: Nightwing!
#2: Doomsday and Superman Kill Each Other You’d think with his only weakness being a green glowing crystal from outer space, nothing could kill Superman, right? Apparently not. When the monstrous Doomsday goes on a rampage, Superman flies off to slay the Kryptonian-hating beast. Surprisingly, the two are evenly matched and Doomsday gives Supes a beating like non other. Unfortunately, the grudge match is in vain, as both warriors overpower each other and die after one final blow each. Of course, neither party stays dead, but the event shocked comic book readers everywhere, and, for better or worse, showed that no hero is immortal.
Before we unveil our number one turning point, here are a few honorable mentions.
Speedy Becomes a Heroin Addict
Aquaman Loses His Hand
Roy Harper Loses an Arm
Jericho Goes Crazy
#1: Joker Kills Robin Taking the number one spot is a major death in the Bat-Family. Jason Todd was the second Robin, brought in after he tried to steal the tires from the Batmobile. But fans hated Jason because of his rebellious and many felt, forced-attitude, so the writers decided there was only one way to solve this… have the Joker torture him and beat him to death. Death was only the beginning however, and Jason was brought back to life as one of the DC Universe’s most brutal antiheroes: The Red Hood.
Do you agree with our list? What event do you think left the biggest impact on a DC superhero? For more shocking top 10’s published everyday, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.
Top 10 DC Superhero Turning Points
Superheros see more than their fair share of drama and having god-like powers doesn’t mean things will always go their way. Welcome to Watchmojo.com, and today we’re counting down the top 10 DC superhero turning points.
For this list, we’re looking at the crucial moments in these heroes’ lives that really changed who they are as a character, for better or. We’re looking at moments that occurred during the prime of their superhero carriers, so you won’t find origin stories here. Finally, if you’re not up-to-date with your DC comic book history, there will be spoilers.
#10: Maxwell Lord’s betrayal It just goes to show that you don’t know whom you can trust during a crisis. For example, Maxwell Lord. In the beginning, he was a huge influence in developing the Justice League International. However, it turns out he wants to DESTROY metahumans –even though he is one himself. Blue Beetle finds out about Lord’s secret, so Lord shoots him in the head and kills him. He then takes control of Superman’s mind to make him attack his friends and loved ones. Wow, when superheroes have a mid life crisis, things can really get out of hand.
#9: The Death of Supergirl Crisis on Infinite Earths brought about the tragic deaths of many DC characters, and this one is no exception. The original Supergirl was Superman’s cousin. Though a bit brash and defiant, she was very popular in the DC universe: becoming best friends with fellow heroine, Batgirl. This only adds to the tragedy when she sacrifices herself to save her cousin from the Anti-Monitor. A memorial is held in her honor, where Batgirl says how she will NOT be forgotten. However, when the universe gets rebooted, Supergirl is erased from existence and she is indeed, forgotten with the positive influence she had on her friends lives being completely undone.
#8: Superboy-Prime Kills Superboy Sit tight folks, we have more parallel world drama for you. When Superboy-Prime’s world is destroyed during Crisis on Infinite Earths, he is forced to live in the world of the original Superman and Superboy. Traumatized, angered, and more than a little whiney about his loss, Superboy-Prime decides that there’s only room for ONE Superboy; so he goes after Kon-El, and the two battle it out. In the end, Superboy sacrifices his life to try and stop Superboy-Prime… while prime lives to whine another day becoming a much darker and disturbed version of the character.
#7: Superman Renounces His U.S. Citizenship For decades, Superman fought for truth, justice, and the American way; but suddenly, the American way. The last part changed however when Superman flew to Iran to defend a peaceful protest. The people of Iranian resent Superman’s presence however, as they see him as an “American possession”. Tired of his actions seen as instruments of America’s policy, Superman decided to renounce his American citizenship so he can be seen as a man of the world rather than a man of one specific nation. This may stir some controversy, but Superman feels that now he can do what’s best for the whole world.
#6: The Flash Kills Reverse-Flash When you have the two fastest men alive sharing the same speed-force and constantly battling it out, eventually one of them has to go. Reverse-Flash is determined to make Barry Allen’s life miserable and kills his first wife, Iris West. When Flash finds love again, Reverse-Flash threatens to kill this one as well. But Flash won’t let history repeat itself, and starts a worldwide chase against the reverse-colored psychopath. In the midst of the chase, Flash accidentally break’s Reverse-Flash’s neck, inadvertently killing him. Flash may have saved his fiancé, but his doppelganger got the last laugh by driving him to kill.
#5: Hal Jordan goes crazy Hal Jordan has always been the poster boy for the Green Lantern Corp… but all that changes when his hometown is destroyed. The grief-stricken pilot tries to use his ring’s power to recreate Coast City, but the other Guardians stop him. Angered at the Guardians, Hal finally snaps and flies towards Oa; along the way, he attacks dozens of other Green Lanterns and steals their rings. He flies straight into Oa’s Central Power Battery and absorbs its power! He emerges with a new costume, and a new name: Parallax!
#4: Batgirl is Paralyzed by The Joker The Joker’s done some pretty insane things in the past but this probably his most vicious. Barbara Gordon was once a fellow caped crusader of Gotham, defending the citizens from evil under the name “Batgirl.” However, upon learning her idendity, Joker comes to her home and shoots her, crippling her spine. He then undresses her and starts taking pictures of her broken form to show them to her father, Commissioner Jim Gordon. Batgirl may be gone, but Barbara isn’t ready to turn in her hero license just yet. She now helps Batman as his eye and ears, going by the name “Oracle.”
#3: Dick Grayson Becomes Nightwing Dick Grayson was Batman’s first sidekick, and the original Robin – the Boy Wonder. But, as time went on, Dick wanted his independence and to step outside the Dark Knight’s shadow. He finally gets his wish when he –and a few other disgruntled sidekicks- band together to form the Teen Titans. When Deathstroke kidnaps his teammates, Grayson decides it’s time to step up his game and dons an all-new costume, and an all-new identity: Nightwing!
#2: Doomsday and Superman Kill Each Other You’d think with his only weakness being a green glowing crystal from outer space, nothing could kill Superman, right? Apparently not. When the monstrous Doomsday goes on a rampage, Superman flies off to slay the Kryptonian-hating beast. Surprisingly, the two are evenly matched and Doomsday gives Supes a beating like non other. Unfortunately, the grudge match is in vain, as both warriors overpower each other and die after one final blow each. Of course, neither party stays dead, but the event shocked comic book readers everywhere, and, for better or worse, showed that no hero is immortal.
Before we unveil our number one turning point, here are a few honorable mentions.
Speedy Becomes a Heroin Addict
Aquaman Loses His Hand
Roy Harper Loses an Arm
Jericho Goes Crazy
#1: Joker Kills Robin Taking the number one spot is a major death in the Bat-Family. Jason Todd was the second Robin, brought in after he tried to steal the tires from the Batmobile. But fans hated Jason because of his rebellious and many felt, forced-attitude, so the writers decided there was only one way to solve this… have the Joker torture him and beat him to death. Death was only the beginning however, and Jason was brought back to life as one of the DC Universe’s most brutal antiheroes: The Red Hood.
Do you agree with our list? What event do you think left the biggest impact on a DC superhero? For more shocking top 10’s published everyday, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.
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