Tragedy is a core element of any hero or villain’s story. DC took this philosophy and applied it to many of its most popular characters. Countless characters, both good and evil, have donned their colorful costumes to cope with the unimaginable losses and trauma that they have suffered. Many of these tragedies profoundly impacted the characters’ entire lives, influencing their development as heroes or villains. Such heartbreak can help enhance a hero’s willpower and drive to prevent others from experiencing similar hardships. For villains, a tragic origin can help to explain their actions and descent into madness and arouse sympathy for their character.
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Trauma and loss have profoundly impacted the lives of numerous characters in DC Comics. While some use their suffering to rise above and become heroes, others use it to justify spreading misery to others. Whatever the case may be, these are the ten most traumatic origins DC Comics has ever written.
10) Harley Quinn
Dr. Harleen Quinzeel, aka Harley Quinn, was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who became the victim of her last patient: the Joker. During their therapy sessions, Joker used his manipulative charm to portray himself as a tragic figure and Batman as an abuser. Harley fell in love with the Clown Prince of Crime. She then donned a jester outfit. and broke her “Puddin” out of Arkham. Harley became the Joker’s girlfriend and sidekick, with her sanity slipping away throughout their escapades. However, Joker never really loved Harley and constantly physically and emotionally abused her. Brainwashed into a toxic relationship, Harley suffered under Joker’s manipulation for years before she eventually built up the courage to leave her abuser.
9) Batman
Batman’s tragic origin may be the most well-known in comic book history. On one fateful night, after attending a movie, the Wayne family took a shortcut through crime alley to get back home. It was in this alleyway that the mugger, Joe Chill, held the family up at gunpoint. The mugger shot and killed Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their son, Bruce. The trauma of witnessing his parents’ murder drove Bruce to dedicate his life to fighting crime as Batman. However, even after decades of training and striking terror into the criminals of Gotham, Bruce never truly recovered from that night. He still feels immense rage and survivor’s guilt from the deaths of his parents.
8) Bane
The boy who would grow up to become Bane knew nothing but violence and pain his whole life. As an infant, Bayne was condemned to serve out his revolutionary father’s life sentence. He grew up in the hellish prison known as Peña Duro in the corrupt Caribbean country of Santa Prisca. At six years old, Bane’s mother died, and he was pushed over a railing and fell three stories. After awaking from his coma, the six-year-old boy’s first act was to murder an inmate who tried to assault him. Over the years, Bane trained his body and mind to peak condition, making himself the prison’s “king.” After he became an adult, Bane escaped Peña Duro and set his sights on taking over Gotham City.
7) Mr. Freeze
Victor Fries, aka Mr. Freeze, has one of the most iconic and tragic backstories in comic book history. Formerly a cryonics scientist, Victor froze his terminally ill wife Nora to keep her alive. He then devoted himself to researching a cure for her sickness. When Victor’s bosses tried to shut the project down because it was wasting company resources, a fight broke out. During the scuffle, Victor was doused in various chemicals and left for dead. Victor survived the accident but developed a condition that made it so he couldn’t survive outside of sub-zero temperatures. Now forced to wear a suit to keep himself alive, Victor continues to dedicate his life to finding a way to save Nora and will not let anyone or anything hamper his pursuit of a cure, no matter the cost.
6) Pariah
Hailing from another universe, Pariah neglected his family to study the secrets of the Multiverse by using a device that harnessed antimatter. His usage of the antimatter device drew the attention of the Anti-Monitor, an all-powerful entity from the antimatter universe. The Anti-Monitor consumed Pariah’s universe and then began his crusade to destroy the entire Multiverse. The Monitor, the benevolent version of the Anti-Monitor, spared Pariah from the destruction of his universe.
To keep track of the Anti-Monitor and to punish Pariah for his meddling with antimatter, the Monitor cursed the scientist by teleporting him to universes about to be destroyed by the Anti-Monitor. Unable to do anything, Pariah could only watch the Anti-Monitor’s unstoppable antimatter wave consume countless universes. Although the Anti-Monitor was eventually defeated, the trauma Pariah suffered during his punishment is impossible to grasp.
5) Red Hood
Jason Todd, aka Red Hood, is often regarded as Batman’s greatest failure. Jason was taken under Batman’s wing when he was a young boy who lived on the streets and became the second Robin. In the iconic “Death in the Family” story arc, the Joker abducted the Boy Wonder and savagely beat him with a crowbar. Before Batman could rescue Jason, the Joker set off a bomb killing the young boy.
Of course, death wasn’t the end for Jason, as years later, through a series of events, Jason came back to life. The trauma he suffered and his rage against Batman for not killing the Joker drove the former sidekick to become the gun-wielding vigilante Red Hood. Jason tried to destroy Batman and prove that the Dark Knight’s non-lethal methods were ineffectual. And although over time the two would mend their relationship, Jason has never fully recovered from his violent death and resurrection.
4) Crazy Jane
Kay Challis, aka Crazy Jane, had one of the most disturbing childhoods of any DC character. Ever since she was five years old, her father had repeatedly assaulted her. To deal with the trauma, Kay developed 64 split personalities. Eventually, Katy’s trauma and dissociative identity disorder caused her to be sent to a mental asylum. Years later, when the Dominators, an alien race, dropped a gene-bomb on Earth, Kay and all her personalities were affected. Now, each one of Katy’s personalities has a separate superpower. Although Katy found a new home with the Doom Patrol superhero team, her mental instability and trauma have left deep scars on Katy’s psyche that will never truly go away.
3) Supergirl
Superman was sent to Earth as a baby when his home world, Krypton, was destroyed. His cousin, Kara Zor-El, wasn’t as lucky. Kara grew up on Krypton and witnessed the destruction of her planet when she was a teenager. Kara’s parents saved her life by jettisoning her from Krypton. During her voyage to Earth, the young Kara became trapped in a wormhole, where she remained in stasis for years. When she finally became free and landed on Earth, she found that her baby cousin had grown into an adult, while she hadn’t aged a day. With her family, friends, and world gone, Kara still struggles to adapt to Earth and overcome her trauma.
2) Starfire
Koriand’r, aka Starfire, presents herself as one of the friendliest heroes in DC Comics. However, she has one of the most heartbreaking origins of any superhero. The princess of the planet Tamaran, Koriand’r, was constantly bullied by her jealous and sadistic older sister, Komand’r, aka Blackfire. Indeed, Komand’r tried on multiple occasions to kill her little sister. Later, Komand’r betrayed Tamaran and helped the Citadel Empire invade and conquer the planet.
Koriand’r’s father, King Myand’r, gave his daughter to the Citadel as one of the terms of the planet’s surrender. Koriand’r was then tortured and assaulted for six years as a slave of the Citadel Empire. Koriand’r’s suffering continued when the Citadel sold her to the Psions to be experimented on. The Psion’s tried to see how much energy Koriand’r could absorb before she died from the overload. However, Koriand’r managed to escape from her captors and fled to Earth. Betrayed by her family, Koriand’r managed to find a new family with the Teen Titans.
1) Martian Manhunter
J’onn J’onzz, aka Martian Manhunter, lost everything and everyone he had ever loved in a horrific genocide orchestrated by his own brother, Ma’alefa’ak. J’onn lived a peaceful life and had a loving family with a wife and daughter. In contrast, Ma’alefa’ak was considered an outcast among Martian society for his lack of telepathic abilities. In revenge for this discrimination, Ma’alefa’ak released the telepathic virus known as the H’ronmeer’s Curse. Any Martian that contracted the virus and used their telepathy would immediately burst into flames.
J’onn was forced to watch his wife and daughter burn alive while screaming in agony. J’onn attacked Ma’alefa’ak, who then faked his death. Although J’onn believed he was successful in killing Ma’alefa’ak, his vengeance brought no satisfaction. J’onn wandered the dead planet for centuries, until a human scientist accidentally teleported him to Earth. However, J’onn’s appearance was so startling that it caused the scientist to suffer a fatal heart attack. Even so, J’onn took advantage of his near miraculous salvation and made Earth his home. Having to watch not only your entire species, but your own wife and child, burn to ash before your eyes is a trauma no one should ever have to endure.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
