Top 10 Darkest Versions of Classic Superheroes
For this list, we're looking at the darkest and most twisted versions of our favorite heroes.
#10: Spider-Man Noir
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Set on Earth 90214, Noir takes place during the Great Depression, were Uncle Ben served as an activist and the Goblin acted as a New York mob boss, this Spider-Man isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Unlike the typical friendly neighborhood web-slinger, this Spider-Man has no qualms with killing anyone deemed to deserve it, a characteristic that is further cemented by Peter's choice in weaponry. Armed with pistols and seeking to cut down any villain in power, Noir presents a twisted version of Spider-Man that is undeniably captivating.
#9: The Dark Knight Returns
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Proving to be extremely influential, for better or worse, Frank Miller's depiction of the Caped Crusader ushered in a new age of adult-oriented comic books. Batman was always somewhat prone to violence and obsessive in nature, but "The Dark Knight Returns" amplified these traits while turning Gotham into a dystopian wasteland due to the vigilante retiring ten years prior. Old and overwhelmed by guilt, Bruce returns to crime fighting to stop a mutant gang and a relapsing Harvey Dent. Opting for a more hyper-realistic tone, "The Dark Knight Returns" questions Batman's definition of morality, as heroes and villains are depicted with positive and negative traits.
#8: Dark Beast
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Inaugurated during the "Age of Apocalypse" cross-over event, this deranged version of Hank earned the denomination of Dark Beast. A sadistic geneticist who has yet to meet a mutant that is not worth dissecting, Earth 295's Henry McCoy purposely experimented on himself to transform into a gray monster. A twisted madman that frequently engaged in torture, Dark Beast ended up hitching a ride to Earth 616 and temporarily posed as the normal Beast, although Evil Hank still found time to carry out a couple of bloody experiments.
#7: Old Man Logan
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Oh, how did things get so bad? A highly regarded comic book event set fifty years after the fall of the heroes, "Old Man Logan" presents Wolverine as a broken old man driven to pacifism due to playing a part in handing the world over to the supervillains. While Wolverine has never shied away from slaughtering a couple of baddies, this older Logan is far more desperate and the passage of time has weakened his healing ability. The event that triggered this timeline is also heartbreaking, as Mysterio tricked Logan into believing that the X-Men were actually villains attacking Xavier’s school, resulting in Wolverine wiping out his allies.
#6: Out Of Time Flash
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Barry Allen's selfishness triggered "Flashpoint" and helped launch DC's "New 52," leading to the Flash's darkest timeline. Due to the Speed Force suffering a leak, Allen ended up losing time and failed to prevent a myriad of tragedies, including Wally West's death and Iris being seriously injured. Learning absolutely nothing from his past mistakes, Allen repeatedly slips back in time in time to right any perceived wrongs, but the hero's actions become progressively more vicious and desperate. Besides eliminating a couple of villains, Future Flash tries to fix a tear in the Speed Force by forcibly sacrificing his younger self.
#5: Pappy Banner
Whether referring to the Maestro or Infernal Hulk, the big green powerhouse always seems a second away from turning evil. Out of the many different alternate renditions of Marvel's anti-hero, "Old Man Logan's" Pappy Banner takes the cake for the most disgusting and intimidating. Serving as Wolverine's final boss, Banner turned California into Hulkland and established a family by boinking his super-powered cousin, as Jenny was the only person capable of withstanding the Hulk's thrusts. Leading a cackle of inbred ruffians, Pappy Banner enjoys cannibalism, senseless murder, and Jim Belushi movies.
#4: Hydra Supreme
Dating back to 2016's "Avengers: Standoff!," good old Cap took a walk on the wild side by serving as a sleeper agent for Hydra in the organization's bid for world domination. Prompted by Red Skull and Kobik, Rogers' memories were twisted around until the superhero took up the mantle of Hydra Supreme. Things came to a head during the "Civil War II" crossover event, when the undercover Captain America used Ulysses Cain's predictive ability to play the Avengers against each other, resulting in a full-scale war and the death of Bruce Banner. With the heroes in turmoil, Captain America and Hydra seized the planet for themselves, culminating in the “Secret Empire” crossover.
#3: Parallax
People grieve in many unique ways, but Hal Jordan took anger to a whole new level. Devastated by the destruction of Coast City, the superhero sought to use his power ring to bring back the dead, a move which went against the Green Lantern Corps' rules of conduct. Unwilling to take no for an answer, Jordan fought against his former colleagues, stole many power rings, and left the beaten Lanterns for dead. This string of events resulted in Jordan embracing the villainous persona of Parallax, although DC later retconned this entire storyline by stating that Jordan was being controlled by an ancient entity.
#2: Injustice Superman
The "Injustice" timeline portrays the Man of Steel from a fascinating but dark perspective. Taking place in an alternate reality, Joker finally gets the last laugh by fooling Superman into believing that Lois Lane was actually Doomsday, killing her and their unborn child by flying them into space. Understandably traumatized, Superman kills the Joker and transforms into a full-blown tyrant who refuses to show any mercy to criminals. While a couple of members oppose the Justice League's former leader, Superman launches a five-year reign of terror and transforms Earth into a global police state.
#1: The Batman Who Laughs
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Blending the Caped Crusader with other characters, "Dark Knights: Metal" centers around a group of evil Batmen who are brought together to invade the Multiverse by Barbatos. Such a depraved line-up requires a truly terrifying leader to take charge, and The Batman Who Laughs is definitely up for the job. Hailing from Earth -22, this Bruce Wayne was poisoned by Joker's toxin and transformed into a villainous hybrid of the two. Armed with a wild pack of Robins, the Batman Who Laughed massacred every god, hero, and human on the planet, before jumping at the chance to conquer the Multiverse.
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