7 DC Plot Twists That Still Have Us Shook

DC Comics created the modern concept of superheroes, taking the pulp heroes of the early 20th century, mixing them with the two-fisted detectives of noir, and creating something entirely new. Since then, DC has constantly redefined what a superhero comic can be. They created the superteam, made teen heroes important, created the sidekick, had the first mainstream mature readers comics, and many, many other firsts. DC has employed some of the greatest creators of all time, and they’ve given readers stories unlike anything they’ve experienced before, introducing them to characters and situations that stayed with them for years. These stories have often included plot twists that made them even more memorable, changing the game on readers.

Plot twists are something that is very misunderstood in modern critical discourse. A lot of the times, people think of plot twists as just “anything I don’t like”. However, plot twists used correctly can stay with readers forever, and those are the ones we’re discussing today. These seven DC plot twists are the best of all time, taking stories in directions no one would have guessed, making these some of the greatest superhero stories of all time.

7) The Reverse Flash Reveal in “The Return of Barry Allen”

Wally West is the most popular Flash, but that wasn’t always the case. Wally inherited the Flash mantle after years of no one liking the Flash very much. DC had an uphill battle to get fans to like the Flash again, and Wally-mania wouldn’t truly take until the classic story “The Return of Barry Allen”, by writer Mark Waid and artist Greg LaRocque. Fans were shocked by the return of Barry, and Wally had to deal with the return of his mentor just as he was finding his way as the Flash. However, Barry suddenly decided that he didn’t want to be a hero anymore, and became a criminal, beating Wally down. Wally had to train with Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury to find the power to defeat Barry, but he soon realized this wasn’t actually Barry. And then came the plot twist — this was actually Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash, come back in time to replace Barry Allen after his death. This was a mindblowing plot twist: fans were already dealing with the idea of evil Barry, but then this reveal changed the story all over again. Wally’s defeat of Barry’s greatest enemy cemented his spot as the greatest Flash, and this plot twist is one that will never get old.

6) Terra Working with Deathstroke in “The Judas Contract”

“The Judas Contract”, by writer Marv Wolfman and artist/co-writer George Perez, is one of the greatest DC stories of all time and for very good reason. Deathstroke’s attack on the New Teen Titans, using new member Terra as his scalpel, is amazing, the Terra plot twist taking a story that would have just been a standard good Teen Titans story and making it a tale that no DC fan will ever forget. Terra was a fan-favorite character who could be mouthy and a bit of a problem, but it seemed like she was lightening up, gelling with the team more; she even kissed Beast Boy. Readers were ready for her to finally become a true Teen Titan… and then it was revealed that she had been working with Deathstroke the whole time. This is one of those plot twists that retains its impact even when you know it’s coming. It’s an amazing moment not just in DC Comics, but superhero comics in general.

5) The True Enemy in “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”

“Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”, by Alan Moore, Curt Swan, and George Perez, is the last story of pre-Crisis Superman. Superman’s enemies start to make some very violent attacks against Metropolis, which is completely unlike them, with even Bizarro killing. Superman’s secret identity is revealed in an attack by Toyman and the Prankster, while Brainiac takes control of Lex Luthor’s body, all of this leading Superman to take his friends and allies to the Fortress of Solitude. This leads to a showdown at the Fortress, one which costs Krypto, Jimmy Olsen, and Lana Lang their lives. Superman is triumphant over the Legion of Supervillains, Kryptonite Man, and the Lex/Brainiac team, and the true enemy shows up — Mr. Mxyzptlk, the Fifth Dimensional imp that had long entertained himself by messing with Superman. Mr. Mxyzptlk then reveals that he changes things up every hundred thousand years to keep himself from getting bored; he’s going from playful to brutal, and he’s been responsible for everything that’s happened to Superman so far. It’s an excellent plot twist, one that no one saw coming when they picked up the book. It’s the most Alan Moore plot twist ever, taking a character that no one thought twice about and adding complexity to him in the most brutal fashion possible.

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4) The Batman Mindwipe in Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis is one of the most maligned DC events of the 21st century. Written by Brad Meltzer with art by Rags Morales, the book gets a bad reputation because of its fridging and sexual assault of beloved DC character Sue Dibny. The book used the latter development to introduce a major DC plot twist — the Justice League mindwipes. It was revealed that the League had wiped the minds of multiple villains who had learned their secret identities, including Dr. Light, Dibny’s attacker. This was already a massive plot twist, but the book would go further when Wally West realized there was something that Green Arrow wasn’t telling him about the night Light was mindwiped. It was revealed that Batman showed back up to check on Sue while the League was mindwiping Dr. Light. Batman took this very badly, and Zatanna froze him, forcing the League to vote to mindwipe Batman. This took an already pretty big plot twist and took it to another level. Identity Crisis gets a lot of deserved flack for its treatment of Sue Dibny, but the Justice League mindwipes, intensified by the situation with Batman, is a cool DC idea.

3) The Return of Darkseid in “The Great Darkness Saga”

“The Great Darkness Saga”, by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, and Larry Mahlstedt, is widely considered the greatest Legion of Superheroes story. “The Great Darkness Saga” sees a group of strange beings with amazing powers attack the Legion and the worlds of the United Planets. The team is constantly trounced by this new threat, before they realize that these beings are based on powerful alien races like Kryptonians, Oans, and the New Gods themselves. The planet Daxam is transformed into an army for these forces, and this billions strong army uses their heat vision to carve their planet into the likeness of their new master — the returned God of Evil Darkseid. This plot twist took an already epic story and brought it to the next level, as the Legion has to team up with the gods of the past to defeat the greatest threat they’ve ever faced. There’s a reason this story has such an amazing reputation, and this plot twist is a huge reason for that. While the Legion isn’t nearly as beloved as it once was, this plot twist is one of the most remembered in Legion history, and gave them a story that is easily among the best DC stories of all time.

2) Alexander Luthor and Superboy-Prime’s True Purpose in Infinite Crisis

Infinite Crisis, by Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, is one of the most important DC events of the ’00s. It planted the seeds for the return of the DC Multiverse, as well as more Silver/Bronze Age ideas to the publisher’s characters. It did this by heavily homaging Crisis on Infinite Earths, even bringing back the four heroes of Crisis — Earth-Two Superman and Lois Lane, Earth-Three’s Alexander Luthor, and Superboy-Prime. At first, the quartet seemed like they were still the heroes of old, with Earth-Two Superman recruiting Power Girl to help them save the world from the forces arrayed against it. However, there’s something rotten in Denmark, and soon fans learn who has been behind all of the problems that had been rocking the DC Universe in the days leading up to Infinite Crisis — Alexander Luthor and Superboy-Prime. They had decided that only they could save existence by creating the perfect universe, and the only way to do that was to harness of the energies of the old multiverse through the heroes that had come from those Earths. Infinite Crisis kicked off with the reveal of the heroes of the Crisis, and its reveal of Luthor and Prime’s true actions and motivations change the course of the story completely.

1) The Dark Future of “Rock of Ages”

“Rock of Ages”, by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter, is one of the greatest Justice League stories of all time. The story kicks off with the Justice League battling the Injustice Gang — Lex Luthor, Joker, Mirror Master, Circe, Dr. Light, and Ocean Master — in a winner takes all battle, one instigated by Lex after he found an object of great power. However, partway through this, Kyle Rayner, Wally West, and Aquaman are pulled away from the fight by the New God Metron, who takes them to WonderWorld, and tells them that the Justice League are going to destroy something called the Philosopher’s Stone and it’s going to lead to the most terrible future imaginable. They’re sent home to warn their teammates, but instead of going to Earth in the present, they go to the ruined Earth of the future. Suddenly, the entire tenor of the story changes as Wally, Kyle, and Aquaman have to figure out not only how to get home, but also how to stop the Justice League from making this future happen. It takes an already brilliant story and makes into something even better, which is quite a feat.

What DC plot twists stand out in your mind? Sound off in the comments below.