10 Best DC Comics That Killed Off Major Heroes

Summary

• Major DC heroes meet their demise in memorable, creative ways, shaping the publisher’s iconic history of storytelling.
• Best-selling stories like “Final Crisis” and “Kingdom Come” showcase heroes sacrificing themselves to save the day.
• From Superman’s death at the hands of Doomsday to Batman’s final showdown with Darkseid, these deaths leave a lasting impact.

In the decades since its creation, the publisher has often experimented with its best heroes, reinventing many of them for new eras. Sometimes, a great way to open a new chapter in a character’s life is to kill them off — something that is a great sales boost, too.

DC has made a name for itself, arguably more than Marvel, not just for killing its heroes but doing so in shocking and creative ways. Ranging from the deaths of popular sidekicks to attempts by fallen heroes to redeem themselves, some of the company’s greatest stories feature or revolve around such losses. With some remaining among the most iconic tales in the publisher’s history, these are the best of DC Comics that killed off major heroes..

10 Final Night

Karl Kesel, Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr

During the “Return of Superman” story, Mongul and Cyborg Superman destroy Coast City, the home of Hal Jordan. Overcome by grief, the maverick Green Lantern attempts to revive his city. When the Guardians of the Universe rebuke him, his rage turns him into the villain Parallax, and he promptly wipes out the Corps. After this, he returns in Final Night, a story that revolves around the slow death of Earth’s sun, plunging it into a deep winter that threatens humanity.

Hal returns and makes clear that he’s still very much Parallax, but begins to rediscover his humanity after discussing things with Ganthet, Kyle and Carol. Invoking his oath one final time, he uses his Lantern power to save the sun, preserving Earth but, in the process, giving his own life, going out on his own terms as a hero one final time.

9 Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness

The 2003 Superman/Batman series kicked off with one of the duo’s greatest stories, “Public Enemies.” Set in a near future where Lex Luthor was able to manipulate a divided America into electing him president, the World’s Finest became outlaws. Enforcing his agenda was a team of superheroes, including the likes of Hawkman, Powergirl, Shazam and Captain Atom. At the same time, the villainous president discovers an impending Kryptonite meteor, which Bruce and Clark also set out to stop.

“Public Enemies” concludes with Captain Atom overpowering Superman with Batman’s Kryptonite ring, allowing him to pilot a giant mecha rocket directly into the threat. In his final moments, the hero laments the folly of his decision to aid Luthor, and asks “forgive me, for only wanting to be a hero as beloved as Superman.” The death is a defining moment in the atomic character’s history, as it shed light on his motivation and how he views the Man of Steel.

8 Starman #0

James Robinson, Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger

The 1990s saw the revival and popularity of several characters who, until then, had been relatively obscure. Among the best of these was the passing of the Starman mantle, which went on to become one of the hottest new heroes of the decade. The very first two pages of the series opens with David Knight, the latest Starman, preparing to fly when he’s suddenly killed, falling to his death in the streets below. Following this, his younger brother Jack reluctantly accepted the responsibility.

In the case of Starman, the mantle was elevated by David’s death, allowing Jack to usher in a new, ’90s-inspired generation of rugged, more rebellious superheroes. It’s also key to note that the original hero, Ted Knight, was one of the first members of the JSA, making him a core part of comics’ first superhero team.

7 Justice League #75

Joshua Williamson & Daniel Sampere

The Justice League have been known to stare down death many times in their history, but their blockbuster defeat at the hands of Pariah and the Great Darkness was DC’s biggest push of the idea. In the seventy-fifth and final issue of the 2018 Justice League series, the heroes fall one by one in a battle against their classic enemy. Of course, their death was later revealed to be more complicated, and they did make a comeback.

The “death” of the Justice League signaled DC’s biggest attempt to deliver a cataclysmic crisis since the original Crisis On Infinite Earths. Killing off the team allowed Williamson and other writers to explore the company’s legacy heroes, as Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths saw Dick Grayson and Jon Kent reform a new League. With Alan Scott at their side, the event made for a multi-generational ode to the company’s history.

6 Death In the Family

Jim Starlin, Jim Aparo & Mike Mignola

In the late 1980s, DC began its turn towards a darker tone for its stories, heralded by the success of Alan Moore’s signature stories like Watchmen and The Killing Joke. In the main Batman series, this was signaled when the publisher allowed readers to phone in and decide the fate of Jason Todd. After they voted to kill off the young sidekick, writer Jim Starlin followed through in brutal fashion, with Joker beating Robin to death with a crowbar.

The death of Jason Todd led to some dramatic changes in the DCU, as Batman almost killed Joker, took on Tim Drake as his new ward, and Todd later returned as Red Hood. Even today, this storyline is often referenced as a source of friction between the Caped Crusader and his old sidekick, who was enraged that Bruce didn’t avenge him in a similar fashion.

5 DCeased

Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Guadiano & James Harren

DCeased took DC Comics into the heart of the zombie horror craze. The series begins when Darkseid finally acquires his Anti-Life Equation. However, rather than empowering the villain, it spreads like a virus, corrupting the minds of anyone using technology with a screen. As it claims the lives of major DC heroes, readers get a shock when Batman is among the first to go.

DCeased has since become one of the publisher’s most successful Elseworlds universes, with sequel titles taking the zombie apocalypse to the cosmos. As good as the action in the title is, part of the attraction of the first volume is the countdown of A-list heroes, with readers seeing their favorite characters drop like flies.

4 Crisis On Infinite Earths

Marv Wolfman & George Perez

In 1985, DC sought to simplify their universe, bringing their books in line for a single continuity, and reorganizing the multiverse. In order to do this, they introduced the Anti-Monitor, a cosmic being capable of consuming entire universes. As he destroys various alternate Earths, the Monitor, his opposite, assembles an army of heroes from around the multiverse to fight back.

Crisis On Infinite Earths pulled off the rare feat of shocking readers with two major deaths in quick succession. Where Supergirl is killed in issue seven, the company upped the ante just one month later, killing Barry Allen, paving the way for a new hero to step in. This was one of the deaths the company was most committed to, with the Silver Age speedster being absent from continuity for twenty years.

3 Final Crisis

Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones

Final Crisis follows the arrival of Darkseid to Earth — using Dan Turpin as a host — where he acquires the Anti-Life Equation. Now with mastery over the free will of most of the people on the planet, the villain begins his conquest, as Superman rallies a small army of multiversal Men of Steel. As this happens, Batman does the unthinkable in crossing his no-kill rule, firing a radion bullet (the only thing that can kill a god) at Darkseid.

Final Crisis’ most shocking moment comes when a mortally-wounded Darkseid fires his omega beams at Batman, leaving him a fried corpse in the arms of Superman. The death showed that, when facing armageddon, The Dark Knight could be persuaded to take the life of someone truly evil.

2 Kingdom Come

Mark Waid and Alex Ross

Kingdom Come takes place in a future where Clark Kent has retired as Superman, leaving the world to dangerous antiheroes and their war against villainy. However, when these brash new heroes prove too careless and reckless, the Man of Tomorrow makes his comeback. When he does, he assembles a new Justice League, and gives other heroes a choice between helping him and internment. At the same time, readers are shown that Lex Luthor and his Legion of Doom are keeping a mind controlled Billy Batson as a servant.

Kingdom Come concludes with an epic battle, with Superman’s Justice League on one side and the now-free rebellious meta humans on the other. As Shazam gets into a grudge match with the Man of Steel, he then attempts to divert a nuclear missile, claiming his life in the process. An enraged Kal-El, the sole survivor in a graveyard of dead heroes, confronts the United Nations for their actions. The conclusion made for arguably the most courageous act in Captain Marvel history.

1 The Death of Superman

Roger Stern, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Karl Kesel, Louise Simonson

When it comes to superhero deaths in comics, “The Death of Superman” reigns supreme. The event follows the arrival of Doomsday on Earth, where he rampages across the United States in search of Superman. As the Justice League steps in to aid the Man of Steel, they prove no match for the ferocious Kryptonian monster. After an epic battle, the hero is forced to kill his new enemy but, in the process, is himself killed. Of course, in a matter of months, he made his triumphant return.

“The Death of Superman” is a great example of what comic book “death” typically looks like, with heroes killed in such a way that they could plausibly return. The story shows just how hard the Man of Tomorrow is willing to fight when the chips are down, and, despite its temporary nature, was worth it to see the hero make the ultimate sacrifice.