7 Times Superhero Shows Got Surprisingly Dark

The superhero genre can adapt a wide variety of different tones, and many superhero stories have gone surprising dark, including some on television. Superheroes are popular and beloved because of the feelings of hope and possibility they inspire in us, of what we can do for the world, and the aspirational joy of having great power and using it to make the world a better place. However, there can be no light without darkness, and that applies as much, if not more, to superhero storytelling as it does to any other genre. The reality is, for every high-spirited, joyful superhero story found in comic books, movies, animation, or any other medium, there is an equally dark and depressing one right alongside it.

Videos by ComicBook.com

With the episodic nature of television having a somewhat closer format to issue-by-issue comic book storytelling, superhero TV shows are particularly well-equipped to shift from both being light and hopeful to a much darker tone in an organic way. Because of this, superhero TV has often had some of the darkest moments seen with any DC or Marvel characters. Here are seven superhero TV shows with some especially dark moments.

1) Harvey Dent’s Origin As Two-Face – Batman: The Animated Series (Season 1, Episodes 10 & 11)

Batman: The Animated Series remains a generationally popular interpretation of the Dark Knight in part because of just how mature its themes and material were, especially for a kid’s show. While Two-Face has always been as dark and ruthless as any other Batman villain, Batman: The Animated Series delivered an unforgettable origin story in the two-part episode “Two-Face.” As Harvey Dent (voiced by Richard Moll) begins developing a dual personality with his normal self and “Big Bad Harv,” his battle with Gotham City crime boss Rupert Thorn ends horrifically with half of Harvey’s face being irreversibly scarred and Batman unable to save Harvey. The scene of Harvey’s deformed face finally being unveiled is one of the most harrowing images of Batman: The Animated Series, and arguably the darkest moment of the show’s entire run.

2) Peter Parker Morphs Into the Man-Spider – Spider-Man: The Animated Series (Season 2, Episodes 7 & 8)

Spider-Man: The Animated Series always had a fun, cheerful, and kid-friendly style, but the show was also never afraid to move into darker territory. One of the most memorable examples occurred when Spider-Man (voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes) learns that his mutation from his radioactive spider bite is continuing. The episodes “Enter the Punisher” and “Duel of the Hunters” pay that off when Spidey, under pursuit from The Punisher (voiced by John Beck), reaches the final stage of his mutation and transforms into the monstrous creature dubbed by New York City’s media as the “Man-Spider,” a massive, humanoid arachnid with all of Peter Parker’s powers and none of the responsibility or even sense of human identity that come with them. Fortunately, Spidey’s transformation is eventually reversed, but the scene of Spider-Man morphing into the 10 foot-tall Man-Spider is nonetheless the scariest single moment on Spider-Man: The Animated Series, by far.

3) Tommy Merlyn Dies in Arrow’s Season 1 Finale – Arrow (Season 1, Episode 23)

Arrow kicked off what would become the popular and long-running Arrowverse on the CW with The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman, and Black Lightning following in its footsteps and creating a vast DC universe on the small screen. The light-hearted tone of the Arrowverse also makes it easy to forget how much of a downer Arrow ended on in its first season, with the cliffhanger ending of the episode “Sacrifice.” Despite the efforts of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) to save Starling City from being destroyed by Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), Oliver’s best friend and Malcolm’s own son Tommy (Colin Donnell) perishes in the episode’s final scene. The loss of Malcolm would haunt Oliver long after, and despite the much more upbeat ending of Arrow Season 2, the show’s inaugural season still stands out for the sheer darkness and nihilism of its finale.

4) Dick Grayson’s First Alley Fight Scene – Titans (Season 1, Episode 1)

The Teen Titans have been one of the most tonally malleable teams in the DC canon, from the wackiness of the animated series Teen Titans Go! to the far more mature tone of the four-season streaming series Titans. The very first episode of Titans‘ first season, titled “Titans,” kicks off with Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), switching gears from his job as a Detroit police detective to donning his old Robin garb and mercilessly pummeling a gang in an intense alley fight. Titans also establishes right from the start that Dick isn’t exactly on the best of terms with his mentor from Gotham City. He exclaims, “F–k Batman” in response to one thug mistaking his arrival for that of the Dark Knight. Titans had a consistently dark tone throughout its run, and the show’s first fight sequence set that tone in shockingly definitive fashion.

5) Kingpin Murders Ben Urich – Daredevil (Season 1, Episode 12)

The Man Without Fear made his tertiary debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the three-season Netflix series Daredevil (before Spider-Man: No Way Home and Daredevil: Born Again made the connection much more direct). However, even for its dark tone, Daredevil Season 1 has one of the most shocking moments in superhero television history with the death of journalist Ben Urich (Vondie Curtis-Hall) at the hands of Wilson Fisk in the penultimate episode “The Ones We Leave Behind.” While Ben’s efforts to bring the Kingpin down with the help of Daredevil (Charlie Cox) are vexing enough for the crime boss, what really pushes Fisk over the edge is the fact that Ben went directly to Fisk’s sick mother for information. In Fisk’s mind, that’s a bridge too far, and Fisk’s sudden violent lunge from his chair to strangle Ben to death remains a haunting and shockingly dark scene from Daredevil.

6) Lex Luthor Kills His Father Lionel – Smallville (Season 7, Episode 16)

The 10-season Superman prequel series Smallville focuses not only on Clark Kent’s (Tom Welling) journey of becoming Superman, but of Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) becoming his arch-nemesis. Smallville‘s Season 7 episode “Descent” opens with a scene that would have seemed unthinkable when the show first began. Lionel Luthor (John Glover) — reformed from his evil ways and having become one of Clark’s most trusted allies — is shoved out of a Luthorcorp window to his death by Lex, his son having finally transformed into a true villain. Smallville often went a lot darker at points than many remember, but few of the show’s darkest moments can compare to the demise of Lionel Luthor after his own long journey from villain to hero.

7) Lois Lane Is Diagnosed With Cancer – Superman & Lois (Season 3, Episode 2)

Superman & Lois is arguably the best Superman TV series of all time, and part of its greatness lies not just in Tyler Hoechlin’s stellar portrayal of the Man of Steel, but in the show’s willingness to take Superman into darker stories. Superman & Lois‘ Season 3 episode “Uncontrollable Forces” made a real shift into that arena with the unexpected revelation of Clark’s wife Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) being diagnosed with breast cancer. The reveal was a heartbreaking one for viewers, no doubt because the reality of learning of a loved one’s grave illness is something many people can relate to. Lois’ cancer diagnosis would be an element of the show throughout the remainder of its run, and outranks even Superman’s death battling Doomsday as the darkest moment on Superman & Lois.