Heroes, as a whole, do not kill people. Superheroes are role models as much as they are protectors, so they always look for the solution ot save everybody, even their enemies. This is especially true for DC’s heroes, who tend to lean towards being paragons. Batman is most famous for his refusal to kill, but ninety-nine percent of heroes also refuse to kill, aside from a few, usually out-of-character choices. Killing simply isn’t very heroic. Superheroes are supposed to look for the way forward that rejects anyone paying the price. When they can’t find a way forward, they make one with sheer grit and kindness.
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However, as vocal as heroes are about saving lives, that doesn’t mean all their hands are clean of blood. Even the Justice League, the highest echelon of heroism and self-sacrificing virtue, has had some of the universe’s greatest killers in its ranks. Today, we’re taking a look at seven of the Justice Leaguers who have caused the most death. We’re only counting mainline Justice Leaguers who are primarily heroes, so no temporarily redeemed villains like Lex Luthor and Black Adam, since that’d feel like a cop out. With all that said, leaps let into ranking the League’s biggest killers.
7) Orion
Orion is the son of Darkseid, traded to New Genesis as a part of a peace agreement. He constantly burns with his father’s hatred and leaps at any chance to take it out on his enemies. He’s a warrior who is willing to charge the frontlines of any army, and has spent much of his life bathed in the blood of Apokalips’s forces. One doesn’t earn the nickname the Dog of War without a serious dedication to bringing your enemies down, after all. It’s rare to see Orion kill when he’s actually partnered with Earth’s heroes, but he’s shown that he’s more than willing to be pointed like a weapon at New Genesis’s enemies.
6) Green Lantern — John Stewart
Today, John is the wisest and most patient Green Lantern, but that wasn’t always the case. In his younger years, he was brash, arrogant, and angry more than he was calm. That culminated in his greatest mistake. In Cosmic Odyssey #2, John trapped Martian Manhunter in a bubble so he could stop the doomsday weapon set to destroy the planet Xanashi on his own. Unfortunately, the weapon was painted yellow, meaning he couldn’t do anything as it exploded, killing everyone but the two heroes. John didn’t pull the trigger to destroy Xanashi himself, but his need for glory led to its destruction.
5) Triumph
Triumph is one of DC’s most forgotten characters, but he was one of the Justice League’s founding members, wiped out of history by a time rift. Once he returned, he found that the world had moved on without him, and every attempt he made to regain his former glory ended with shame and embarrassment. He eventually lost his powers and fell on hard times, and was tricked by the evil Lkz, prince of the fifth dimension. In exchange for his power, he let Lkz run rampant, which nearly led to the Earth’s destruction and caused countless deaths. Triumph was a man who only wanted to be loved, but his selfishness led to thousands of deaths across the world.
4) Etrigan the Demon
Etrigan is a true demon, born with a love of death, torture, and every evil thing in the universe. He’s been bound to Jason Blood for centuries, and one of his first actions in his new form was to slaughter Blood’s entire village. Even though Blood has learned to gain greater control over his demonic half over the years, he’s never been able to completely rein him in. Etrigan revels in slaughter and has assuredly killed many more people over the centuries he’s walked the Earth. The Demon kills whenever he’s given the opportunity, from villains to innocent civilians, so his body count is certainly very, very high.
3) Green Lantern — Hal Jordan
While John Stewart didn’t mean to take any lives, Hal Jordan certainly did. Hal’s been known to kill villains he finds especially dangerous or repugnant, such as Krona, but that’s definitely not where most of his kills come from. His fall to the monstrous Parallax led him down the path of villainy and destruction, and he wasted no time trying to enact his selfish goal to remake the universe. Parallax’s attempts at ending all life in the universe almost succeeded on a few occasions, and he killed anyone who got in his way when it came down to it. Hal was one of DC’s most dangerous villains.
2) Spectre
The Spectre is a spirit of pure vengeance, sent to inflict divine wrath on the unjust. In that regard, the Spectre never holds back. He regularly inflicts lethal and ironic punishments on those he deems guilty, from supervillains to common criminals. The Spectre is without mercy or remorse, and thus must be tethered to a human host, who directs his bottomless power and fury. Of course, even with a good soul guiding the Spectre, there’s no stopping him from killing whoever he wants to kill. Heck, he wants to slaughter sinners so much that he allowed a ritual to awaken the Great Darkness, just so he could kill more enemies. If nothing else, he’s dedicated.
1) Hawkman
Hawkman isn’t just a killer, he’s the greatest killer that the universe has ever known. For decades, his mythos was overly complicated, but it was streamlined with a single change. Hawkman’s first life was Ktar Deathbringer. He worshiped the vile Lord Beyond the Void and traveled the universe, slaughtering in its name. He murdered millions, possibly billions of people. When he finally died, God directly gave him the choice to reincarnate until he had saved as many lives as he took. Hawkman has saved countless lives across countless generations, but as of yet, he still hasn’t balanced the scales. He’s murdered more people than just about anyone else, but he’s still one of the Justice League’s greatest heroes.
Which of the Justice Leaguers do you think has killed the most? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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Image courtesy of Netflix -
Image Courtesy of Netflix
