DC Comics has produced some of the most beloved and enduring superheroes of all time, but that doesn’t mean that how all of them have come to be is regarded with warmth or affection. Superman marked the beginning of what would eventually become the DC Universe in Action Comics #1, establishing Kal-El as an alien refugee from the destroyed planet Krypton, hiding among humans as Clark Kent while protecting the world as Superman. Other characters like Batman and Wonder Woman followed suit with their respective origins as billionaire Bruce Wayne becoming Batman after the murder of his parents and Princess Diana of Themyscira entering the world of man as the Amazonian heroine Wonder Woman, all of which helped set the template of superhero origin stories that future DC heroes would follow.
However, some DC characters have gotten off on a less than beloved foot, including some of the most popular DC heroes and villains ever created. An origin story is a defining stage of any superhero or villain’s creation, but there are a few that still rub many DC fans the wrong way even with the general popularity of the characters in question. Here are 5 DC characters with particularly controversial origin stories.
As a core member of the Bat-Family, Barbara Gordon technically has two superheroic origin stories, the first being her training to become Batgirl and her alliance with the Dark Knight. Barbara’s second origin story as Batman’s tech-support whiz Oracle is far more infamous and tragic. As seen in Batman: The Killing Joke, the Joker arrives at Barbara’s apartment and shoots her in the torso. Though Barbara survives, she is left paralyzed from the waist down, and while she uses her brains and computer savvy to continue helping Batman as Oracle, the circumstances of her attack by the Joker and how much her transition to Oracle takes from her is both tragic and controversial among DC fans. Oracle might be a popular ally to the Caped Crusader, but the event that made her into Oracle in the first place is far from beloved.
There have been numerous young crime fighters to don the cape and mask of Batman’s partner Robin, and the second Robin Jason Todd is by far the least beloved Boy Wonder. So disliked was Jason Todd, indeed, that DC Comics put his fate in the hands of a 1-900-dialed fan vote in 1988, resulting in Jason being murdered by the Joker in DC’s A Death in the Family story. Jason’s demise, like that of virtually any superhero, wasn’t permanent, with Jason later being revived as the ruthless Red Hood. Jason has since become a staple of the Bat-Family, albeit one that the Dark Knight still keeps at arms length due to his brutal methods, and even after his return and settling into an anti-heroic groove that seems to suit him better than the mantle of Robin ever did, Jason Todd is still a fairly divisive DC character.
With the numerous characters who have taken on the identity of Robin, the character has often come to be seen as Batman’s adoptive son or daughter, and the torch was eventually passed to Batman’s literal son, Damian Wayne. Compared to the widespread popularity of former Robins like Dick Grayson and Damian’s immediate predecessor Tim Drake, Damian’s entry in the Bat-Family arrived under uneasy circumstances with Batman’s romance with Talia al Ghul, the daughter of his sworn enemy and leader of the League of Assassins, Ras’ al Ghul. Talia kept Bruce in the dark on Damian’s existence for years while training Batman’s son under the League’s brutal rigors, with the League even intending to have Damian assassinate his father. On top of that, Damian’s training with the League of Assassins has made him far more willing to indulge in lethal force, while his generally cocky attitude also rubs many comic book readers the wrong way. Damian may be every bit the warrior Batman is, but in being created as a killing machine before the age of 10 and a son who was hidden from his father and intended to take him out, Damian still carries a lot of baggage in being the newest Robin.
Harley Quinn’s origin story is unlike any other DC character – originally created specifically for Batman: The Animated Series as a one-off partner in crime with the Joker, the former Dr. Harleen Quinzel grew so popular that she was eventually integrated into the comics, and her popularity has only grown with her appearances in many DC video games and movies and TV shows, both animated and live-action. However, Harley’s origin is also born out of a textbook abusive romance with Mr. J, who gaslit Harley into becoming his girlfriend and accomplice, and who generally regards her with the kind of low-level contempt embodied by the worst kind of significant other. Harley’s origin under these circumstances is a polarizing topic, with some highlighting Harley’s manipulation by the Joker and others pointing to Harley’s popularity as a solo character as exemplifying how strong she is without him. Wherever one falls on that debate, there’s no denying that Harley Quinn is a beloved DC character with a divisive backstory.
With Superman’s iconic status as the ultimate embodiment of hope and heroism, it isn’t uncommon to see alternate Men of Steel emerge in DC’s multiverse with a much darker backstory. Case in point – Superboy-Prime, the Clark Kent of Earth-Prime (which essentially represents the real world in the context of DC Comics). As a die-hard Superman fan, the teenage Clark Kent of Earth-Prime gains the powers of the Man of Steel as a result of the multiverse-level effects of Crisis On Infinite Earths. However, after the destruction of Earth-Prime (which is eventually restored by Mister Mxyzptlk at Clark’s coercion), the teenaged metahuman becomes a menace of the main DC Comics continuity known as Superboy-Prime, regarding himself as the true Superman and using extremely vicious methods of fighting for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Eventually, Superboy-Prime is pulled back from his dark ways and returns to Earth-Prime to finally fulfill his role as the Superman of his home world. However, his origin story and the extremely un-Superman-like conduct he partook in it at the time, which included everything from murder, joining the Sinestro Corps, and kicking Krypto the Super Dog, has made his origin story arguably the least beloved of any Superman in DC’s multiverse.
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DC Comics has produced some of the most beloved and enduring superheroes of all time, but that doesn’t mean that how all of them have come to be is regarded with warmth or affection. Superman marked the beginning of what would eventually become the DC Universe in Action Comics #1, establishing Kal-El as an alien Read More