DC Comics took a page from the pulp adventure heroes of the ’30s when creating the first superhero, who themselves took a page from the heroes of antiquity. If there’s one thing that centuries of storytelling have taught humans, it’s that tragedy is a key ingredient to any hero’s origin story. DC took this lesson to heart, and nearly every single one of their original heroes have some kind of tragedy in their life that presaged their costumed lives. DC Comics has shown that tragedy sells when it comes to superheroes, creating tragic heroes unlike any others in the history of the comic medium.
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Not all tragedies are created equally, however. While nearly all superheroes have some kind of tragedy in their past, there are some heroes who are more easy to define as “tragic”. DC’s most tragic heroes have losses that would define their lives, losing more than their fair share when it comes to their past. Some of them lost pretty much everything they had and yet kept going. These seven DC heroes are the most tragic, the trials and tribulations of their lives revealing pains that would destroy lesser heroes.
One night, young Bruce Wayne was taken by his parents to see a Zorro movie. It was something of a magical night for the family, but it would end with one of the greatest tragedies in the history of comics. When it was all over, Bruce Wayne had watched his parents die in front of them, bleeding out on the cold concrete in an uncaring city. This formative tragedy made Batman who he is, creating the greatest vigilante in superhero history. The tragedy didn’t just end there for Batman, either; Batman has lost nearly everything anyone could imagine. Friends and loved ones have died because of his actions. Losses in his love life could fill its own graveyard, and Batman truly believes that his being happy would make him lesser. Batman was molded by tragedy, and it has remained a major part of this character ever since.
6) Red Hood
An argument can be made that most Robins belong on this list, but that’s not the case. Dick Grayson had a tragic life, one that was made better by the people he met as a superhero. Tim Drake lost his parents, but also gained a much larger family than he could have ever imagined. Damian Wayne isn’t really tragic at all, and even Stephanie Brown found someone special in her life with Cassandra Cain. Jason Todd, on the other hand, got none of that. Jason Todd was abandoned on the streets, got taken in by Batman, and was killed by the Joker after his mother betrayed him. He came back to life, saw that Batman never avenged his death and lost his marbles. Even when he came back to the Bat-Family, he was still treated as a pariah by his former friends, and the only time when he was even somewhat happy was when he was hanging out with the Outlaws. Jason Todd is tragedy personified, the member of the Bat-Family who never gets anything good out of his life.
5) Crazy Jane
Kay Challis was sexually abused by her father as a child, and developed disassociative identity disorder. After the Dominators detonated a gene bomb that made a bunch of people metahumans, Kay gained powers as well. Each one of her identities gained a different superpower, and she’d end up meeting Cliff Steele in the asylum. This led to her joining the Doom Patrol, using her various alters to help the team save the universe on more than one occasion. Crazy Jane’s origins caused her tremendous mental anguish throughout her time with the Doom Patrol, trying to come to grips with the pain of her abuse and learning to trust people again. Of course, the Doom Patrol wasn’t her happy ending; Kay would lose her friends several times over the years, get herself into some kind of terrible trouble, and need the help of her friends. Crazy Jane’s terrible past is the definition of a tragic backstory, and the way that it affected her in the years to come made her life difficult despite finally having people that loved her for herself. One could argue that Cliff Steele could also be on this list, but Crazy Jane definitely takes the tragic cake when it comes to the Doom Patrol.
4) John Constantine
John Constantine has spent years on the dark side of life, working hard to keep the world alive day after day against magical forces. Constantine is the kind of person who would do pretty much anything to save the day, and this has led a lot of readers to realize just how tragic a character that John Constantine is. See, John has the pretty standard sad past — his first magical experimentations accidentally cost him his parents — and things got worse from there. John has spent much of the rest of his life not getting close to anyone, because he’s seen the cost that being his friend can have for the people around him. They are targeted by the darkest forces, and sometimes, he himself has to sacrifice them in order for the world to survive. John is mouthy and hard to deal with, but the only reason he’s like that is because of the tragedies of his life. John Constantine doesn’t get to have the kind of life that other heroes do; it’s constant pain and loss for him, even when he finds love and acceptance like he has with Zatanna and the Justice League Dark. John’s life is always a split second from some kind of tragedy, and that’s marked him as a person.
3) Starfire
Starfire is one of the most well-adjusted heroes in the DC Multiverse. She’s known as a ray of sunshine, and is the friend of everyone she knows. She’s gorgeous and successful as a superhero, and has found a new family with her friends in the Titans. It’s easy to forget that Starfire is a deposed space princess from a race of warriors who were enslaved, and her older sister has been trying to kill her for ages. Starfire only came to Earth because of the attack on her people, and this tragedy has marked her ever since. Starfire also never seems to actually to catch a break. Sure, she has her best friends in the Titans, but even that is a source of tragedy for her. Look at how her relationship with Dick Grayson went and ended; Starfire continues to lose everything good in her life. She definitely takes it all with a smile, but that doesn’t make her any less tragic. Starfire’s life has been way harder than she makes it seem, which is a testament to her as a person.
2) Supergirl
An argument can be made that Superman should be on this list, but Superman grew up with a family that loved him and a purpose. He didn’t even know the truth about Krypton for years. The same can’t be said for Supergirl, though. Supergirl grew up on Krypton. She had an entire life with her family and friends in Argo City, and that makes her life much more tragic than Superman’s. She didn’t just lose parents she couldn’t remember; she lost everyone she ever knew. Readers who read Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow also got introduced to a new, even more tragic Supergirl origin — that Argo City survived the destruction of Krypton and was launched into space. The ground beneath their feet transformed to Kryptonite, and Supergirl worked to put down lead composite plates to block the radiation. She watched her people die, knowing that they were all doomed, and then was sent away. That takes an already tragic origin and kicks it into a completely new place. Supergirl is much more of a tragic hero than Superman, and she’s done a near-perfect job of coming through her trauma.
1) Martian Manhunter
J’onn J’onnz had a great life on Mars. He was a policeman on the planet, helping to protect his people and solve their problems. He had a wife and kid, a family who loved him. J’onn J’onnz had a fairy tale life on his homeworld, and then it all burnt up. Depending on the continuity, J’onn’s own brother is sometimes the cause of his world’s destruction. In at least one version of Martian Manhunter’s origin, he’s pulled to Earth by Lionel Luthor and kept as a test subject. Regardless of the specifics, it all leads to the same place — Martian Manhunter lost everything he had and was pulled to another planet. He had to learn how to fit in with humanity, all while mourning the loss of his people. Since then, he’s had to deal with the legacy of losing Mars, and has basically only found Choco brand cookies as a consolation. Martian Manhunter has similar issues to Kryptonians, but the difference between them is that there are actually a lot of Kryptonians out there. Green Martians are almost completely extinct other than J’onn. The only Martians he ever gets to deal with are the White Martians, and they’re monsters who want to destroy everything. He’s barely even had any relationships with anyone outside of the superhero community. Martian Manhunter is one of DC’s greatest heroes, the tragedies of his past helping him become a greater hero than he would have otherwise been.
Who do you think are DC’s most tragic heroes? Sound off in the comments.