Most shocking comic book deaths

QMI AGENCY
Published Jul 16, 2014  •  Last updated Jul 16, 2014  •  < 1 minute read
  1. Ten shocking comic book deaths It's hard to think of superheroes as beings that can be killed. Yet time and time again, that's exactly what comic book writers set out to do. From the loveable kid Peter Parker to the "man who couldn't be killed" himself, Superman, most heroes have faced death in one universe or another. Here are ten of the most shocking deaths in comic book history. Courtesy
  2. Jean Grey Jean Grey, or Phoenix, remains one of the most shocking and saddest deaths in comic book history. After sustaining a large amount of radiation and, in subsequent, becoming her alter ego Phoenix, Grey learned she had a shadowy side possessed by a rival mutant group called the Hellfire Club. As Dark Phoenix began to overtake her mind and body, Grey decided to commit suicide, going out in a burst of flame), and not only saving her X-Men brethren, but the rest of humanity as well. Courtesy
    Jean Grey Jean Grey, or Phoenix, remains one of the most shocking and saddest deaths in comic book history. After sustaining a large amount of radiation and, in subsequent, becoming her alter ego Phoenix, Grey learned she had a shadowy side possessed by a rival mutant group called the Hellfire Club. As Dark Phoenix began to overtake her mind and body, Grey decided to commit suicide, going out in a burst of flame), and not only saving her X-Men brethren, but the rest of humanity as well. Courtesy
  3. Gwen Stacy Gwen Stacy was Peter Parker’s beloved girlfriend in The Amazing Spider-Man series, and the issue in which she dies, “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” has become one of the most beloved issues within the Amazing Spider-Man series. In the comic, Stacey is kidnapped by none other than Spider-Man’s number one enemy, Green Goblin. During an intense fight between Manhattan’s hero and villain, Stacy is dropped. Although Spider-Man tries to catch her with is web slinger, the fall was too great and too fast, causing her to snap her neck upon being caught. Courtesy
    Gwen Stacy Gwen Stacy was Peter Parker’s beloved girlfriend in The Amazing Spider-Man series, and the issue in which she dies, “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” has become one of the most beloved issues within the Amazing Spider-Man series. In the comic, Stacey is kidnapped by none other than Spider-Man’s number one enemy, Green Goblin. During an intense fight between Manhattan’s hero and villain, Stacy is dropped. Although Spider-Man tries to catch her with is web slinger, the fall was too great and too fast, causing her to snap her neck upon being caught. Courtesy
  4. Damian Wayne (Robin) The fifth incarnation of Robin, Damian Wayne is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul (who some may remember from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises). A trained assassin, his relationship with his father was always strained, but he decided to take up arms against the villains of Gotham following the events of Batman R.I.P. It’s during a fight with Heretic in issue eight of Batman, Inc. that Robin is killed. The irony of the situation comes through his own twisted lineage; Heretic was an artificially-aged clone of himself. Courtesy
    Damian Wayne (Robin) The fifth incarnation of Robin, Damian Wayne is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul (who some may remember from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises). A trained assassin, his relationship with his father was always strained, but he decided to take up arms against the villains of Gotham following the events of Batman R.I.P. It’s during a fight with Heretic in issue eight of Batman, Inc. that Robin is killed. The irony of the situation comes through his own twisted lineage; Heretic was an artificially-aged clone of himself. Courtesy
  5. The Flash At the end of it all, it was the Flash’s own superpower that led to his early death. Set in the Crisis on Infinite Earths series, Barry Allen flash forwards through time to the 30th century. Eventually, he’s captured within his utopia future and brought back to 1985 by Anti-Monitor. In an attempt to stop Anti-Monitor from destroying the world, the Flash places himself within the villain’s anti-matter canon and dies in the process of trying to stop the speed from creating a powerful weapon. Courtesy
    The Flash At the end of it all, it was the Flash’s own superpower that led to his early death. Set in the Crisis on Infinite Earths series, Barry Allen flash forwards through time to the 30th century. Eventually, he’s captured within his utopia future and brought back to 1985 by Anti-Monitor. In an attempt to stop Anti-Monitor from destroying the world, the Flash places himself within the villain’s anti-matter canon and dies in the process of trying to stop the speed from creating a powerful weapon. Courtesy
  6. Superman Superman has been killed and brought back to life so many times, it’s no wonder the question, “can Superman be killed,” is asked over and over again. The first time he died, and one of the most memorable, was in issue #75 of Superman, released in1992. In it, Superman is in the biggest fight of his Martian life against one of the vilest villains within the DC universe, Doomsday. The two are hammering it out with each other in the streets of Metropolis when both deliver a lethal blow to the other, ending the fight and each other’s lives in the process. Courtesy
    Superman Superman has been killed and brought back to life so many times, it’s no wonder the question, “can Superman be killed,” is asked over and over again. The first time he died, and one of the most memorable, was in issue #75 of Superman, released in1992. In it, Superman is in the biggest fight of his Martian life against one of the vilest villains within the DC universe, Doomsday. The two are hammering it out with each other in the streets of Metropolis when both deliver a lethal blow to the other, ending the fight and each other’s lives in the process. Courtesy
  7. Joker Joker’s death wasn’t only a shock to long time readers, it was a shock the fans who truly believed in the war of good against evil. In the last page of Alan Moore’s critically acclaimed Killing Joke, Joker and Batman are in their final standoff, when they both start laughing maniacally. Neither can stop, and in a bizarre moment, Batman (from what we’ve been lead to assume) pushes Joker away from him and to his final demise, still laughing creepily as his enemy falls to this death. Courtesy
    Joker Joker’s death wasn’t only a shock to long time readers, it was a shock the fans who truly believed in the war of good against evil. In the last page of Alan Moore’s critically acclaimed Killing Joke, Joker and Batman are in their final standoff, when they both start laughing maniacally. Neither can stop, and in a bizarre moment, Batman (from what we’ve been lead to assume) pushes Joker away from him and to his final demise, still laughing creepily as his enemy falls to this death. Courtesy
  8. Jason Todd (Robin) Set within the pages of Death in the Family, Jason Todd becomes Batman’s second right hand assistant, a second Robin. He’s turned over to the Joker from his recently discovered mother, and placed in a warehouse outfitted with bombs. Batman attempts to save Todd and his mother from within the warehouse, but it explodes before he gets the chance too. The image on the cover of this trade paperback, of a mourning Batman holding the lifeless body of Jason Todd in his Robin costume is one of the most prolific to date. Courtesy
    Jason Todd (Robin) Set within the pages of Death in the Family, Jason Todd becomes Batman’s second right hand assistant, a second Robin. He’s turned over to the Joker from his recently discovered mother, and placed in a warehouse outfitted with bombs. Batman attempts to save Todd and his mother from within the warehouse, but it explodes before he gets the chance too. The image on the cover of this trade paperback, of a mourning Batman holding the lifeless body of Jason Todd in his Robin costume is one of the most prolific to date. Courtesy
  9. Peter Parker The web slinging, radioactive filled teen superhero couldn’t live forever, but fans were shocked when Spider-Man was finally killed off two years ago. In issue 700 of the Amazing Spider-Man, one of the longest running comics in Marvel history, Parker finally meets his demise with an old foe: Doctor Octopus. In an odd twist of events, during Parker’s final minutes, he manages to transfer all his memories to Doc Ock’s brain, leaving a piece of him to continue living on within his arch nemesis. Courtesy
    Peter Parker The web slinging, radioactive filled teen superhero couldn’t live forever, but fans were shocked when Spider-Man was finally killed off two years ago. In issue 700 of the Amazing Spider-Man, one of the longest running comics in Marvel history, Parker finally meets his demise with an old foe: Doctor Octopus. In an odd twist of events, during Parker’s final minutes, he manages to transfer all his memories to Doc Ock’s brain, leaving a piece of him to continue living on within his arch nemesis. Courtesy
  10. Jon Osterman (Dr. Manhattan) One of the more recent comic book characters on the list, Dr. Manhattan has become one of the most popular and memorable deaths in cotemporary comics. Originally names Jon Osterman, he was a talented scientist, with a brilliant mind in atomic physics. During one night at work, he realizes he forgot an important watch in the intrinsic field experiment test chamber he had been working in and goes to retrieve it. Once inside, the door closes, and unable to open it, comic book fans witnessed the horror of Osterman being bathed in radiation, torn limb from limb in the generator, and instantly vaporized. The day Dr. Manhattan was born was the day Jon Osterman died. Courtesy
    Jon Osterman (Dr. Manhattan) One of the more recent comic book characters on the list, Dr. Manhattan has become one of the most popular and memorable deaths in cotemporary comics. Originally names Jon Osterman, he was a talented scientist, with a brilliant mind in atomic physics. During one night at work, he realizes he forgot an important watch in the intrinsic field experiment test chamber he had been working in and goes to retrieve it. Once inside, the door closes, and unable to open it, comic book fans witnessed the horror of Osterman being bathed in radiation, torn limb from limb in the generator, and instantly vaporized. The day Dr. Manhattan was born was the day Jon Osterman died. Courtesy
  11. Captain America If you’re going to kill off a major and beloved character within the Marvel universe, you’re going to want to do it the way Ed Brubaker did. Set within an 18-issue epilogue of Mavel’s Civil War, Captain America is taken into S.H.I.E.L.D custody where he’s assassinated by Red Skull, a major super villain within the Marvel universe. The death of Captain America was such a monumental event in Marvel history, it spawned a mini-series penned by some of the biggest writers in comics, each taking a Marvel character and writing a reaction piece to the death of the all-American boy, Steve Rogers. Courtesy
    Captain America If you’re going to kill off a major and beloved character within the Marvel universe, you’re going to want to do it the way Ed Brubaker did. Set within an 18-issue epilogue of Mavel’s Civil War, Captain America is taken into S.H.I.E.L.D custody where he’s assassinated by Red Skull, a major super villain within the Marvel universe. The death of Captain America was such a monumental event in Marvel history, it spawned a mini-series penned by some of the biggest writers in comics, each taking a Marvel character and writing a reaction piece to the death of the all-American boy, Steve Rogers. Courtesy

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The announcement of Archie Andrews' death, the beloved main character from the Archie comics franchise, came as a shock to comic book readers everywhere.

For the most part, the Archie franchise was one of the few comic book series left unscathed from emotional deaths.

While the death of an Archie comics character came as a shock, it got us thinking about other incredibly shocking deaths in the medium's history.

From Superman in issue #75 of the series' run to Peter Parker in issue #700 of The Amazing Spider-Man, DC and Marvel have been killing off heroes for decades.

Here are ten of the most shocking comic book deaths since the industry began.

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