Deaths in DC Comics may not be permanent, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t leave an emotional impact on readers. This also applies to supervillains who, despite their murderous track records and general evil, can still elicit some pity in their demises.
That said, not all villainous deaths are the end of evil. Sometimes, an antagonist finally found a way to redeem themselves, but paid with their life. This may not exactly make up for their past sins, but it shows that no one is really too far gone from saving.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
10 Lex Luthor Pays The Ultimate Sacrifice
Lex had a number of alternate deaths in the DC Multiverse, though his end in Last Knight On Earth is easily his most pathetic yet tragic. After finally beating Superman, Lex immediately regrets his victory and life choices when the Man of Steel’s death leads to global anarchy. The world tears itself apart, leaving Lex a broken man.
Desperate to atone, Lex clones Superman while trying to guide a parallel timeline’s Kryptonian rocket to Earth. Lex dies at the hands of his artificial Supermen, but not after getting Wonder Woman and Batman to safety. If it’s any consolation, Last Knight On Earth’s epilogue reveals that Lex’s plans paid off, with an alternate Kal-El landing safely on Earth.
9 A Mind-Controlled Captain Marvel Remembers Who He Was
To be fair, Billy Batson was under the influence of Lex Luthor’s brainwashing by the time of Kingdom Come’s dark future. But even after Bruce Wayne snaps him out of it, it takes a while before Billy returns to his heroic self. When he regains the powers of Shazam, Captain Marvel instead attacks the Gulag, inadvertently making the superhuman war worse.
As two warring generations of heroes clash, Captain Marvel overpowers Superman and forces him into a corner. It’s only when the two realize that nuclear missiles are headed their way that Captain Marvel breaks free of Luthor’s thrall. In a last-minute act of redemption, Captain Marvel flies towards the nuke and blows it up midair with the powers bestowed onto him.
8 Earth-Two Superman Dies Redeeming Himself
After saving the multiverse, Earth-Two’s Superman grows bitter that the DC Universe turned into a grim and gritty hellscape. This motivates him and Superboy-Prime (both under Alexander Luthor’s influence, of course) to declare war on the DC present (i.e. Earth-One) during Infinite Crisis. Their goal: To resurrect their “perfect” worlds at the expense of others.
Earth-Two Superman only realizes his mistakes when Earth-One Superman reminds him that attaining a perfect world is simply impossible. To save the day, the two Supermen fight alongside each other and beat Superboy-Prime. The Golden Age Superman succumbs to his injuries, finally reunited with his beloved Lois Lane in death.
7 Superboy-Prime Dies A Hero
After Infinite Crisis, Superboy-Prime cemented himself as one of superhero comics’ most demented villains of all time. He went from one reboot to the next, demolishing countless realities in a vain attempt to make himself the center of the universe. He returns in Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Secret Origin, where he does the impossible: get readers to like him.
During the final multiverse-breaking war, The Batman Who Laughs offers Superboy-Prime his own utopia if he sides with him. Superboy-Prime rejects the offer, finally realizing that his selfishness killed billions. He dies unnoticed while killing Barbatos’ disciple, but reawakens in a new world where he can restart life as the hero he always wanted to be.
6 Deadshot Finally Bites The Dust
One of the longest running jokes about any Suicide Squad run is how Deadshot seems impervious to death, despite the fatal motifs of both his call sign and his team’s name. That changed in one of Task Force X’s most recent runs where, surprisingly, Deadshot dies. Specifically, Black Mask (disguised as Superman) shot Floyd Lawton in the face.
What makes Deadshot’s demise tragic is that his 2019 incarnation was arguably one of his most humanized and relatable so far. Deadshot wasn’t just finally pardoned, but his daughter Zoe was excitedly waiting for him to come back. Unfortunately, Deadshot’s impossibly good luck ran out when he figured out that “Superman” was a fake.
5 Bizarro Dies & Gains Lex Luthor’s Love
To be fair, any of Bizarro’s deaths can break any DC reader’s heart. As a botched Superman clone, Bizarro is more childlike being than Superman’s evil self. That said, his passing in Forever Evil ranks high because of the unexpected bond he had with Lex. In brief, Bizarro was the closest person Lex had to a son.
During the Crime Syndicate’s invasion, Lex prematurely activates a Superman clone that becomes Bizarro. Lex is initially annoyed by Bizarro, but he warms up to him. When Bizarro died fighting, Lex broke down and vowed vengeance. Forever Evil then ends with Lex restarting his Superman cloning program not to replicate the Man of Steel, but to create another Bizarro.
4 Solomon Grundy Gets His Reward In Death
The Justice League animated series is filled with some of DC’s most emotional moments, with Solomon Grundy’s retroactive origin story and death being one of them. In the two-parter “The Terror Beyond,” the undead brute is recruited to stop DC’s equivalent of Cthulhu. Grundy dies fighting the ancient evil, but that’s not what makes DC fans cry over what they consider his best depiction to date.
Here, Grundy formed an odd but sincere friendship with Hawkgirl (aka “Bird Nose”). There’s even a chance for Grundy to regain his humanity and atone for his past with Hawkgirl’s help. Unfortunately, he only gets his reward in death. His resurrection in Justice League Unlimited where Hawkgirl had to mercy kill him only makes things sadder.
3 The Joker Falls To Her Death
Somehow, Flashpoint features a Batman story that’s darker than mainstream Batman comics. That, and it actually gives its alternate Joker a tragic backstory that’s hard not to sympathize with. Here, Bruce is killed by Joe Chill, leaving the Waynes broken. Thomas becomes a bloodthirsty Batman, while Martha descends into madness as the Joker.
Batman chases Joker to a decrepit Wayne Manor, where he tells her that he found a way to rewrite history so that Bruce lives while they die in his place. This calms down Martha for a bit, but she snaps when Thomas reveals that Bruce is destined to become Batman. Refusing to accept this dark fate, Martha runs in a fit of denial and falls to her death in a nearby cave.
2 Terra Loses Her Mind & Takes Her Own Life
Terra’s betrayal in The Judas Contract isn’t just one of the most heart-wrenching moments in all of Teen Titans canon, but in comics in general. By the time the comic starts, Terra has become a core Titan and is going steady with Changeling. However, Terra was only getting close to the Titans because she following was Deathstroke’s orders and was in love with him.
During the fight in H.I.V.E. headquarters, Terra’s crumbling mental state is worsened when a Jericho-possessed Deathstroke attacks her. Torn between allegiances and feeling betrayed by all, Terra unleashes a deadly earthquake to end her own life. In the end, even the Titans acknowledge that Terra wasn’t wholly evil, but misunderstood and manipulated.
1 Harley & Ivy Restart Their Life & Love
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy aren’t just one of DC’s premiere couples, but arguably one of the most famous pairings in all comics. That said, their romance hit an emotional high in the Valentine’s Day special DC: Love Is A Battlefield. Here, an elderly Harley and Ivy reminisce about the glory days before Harley dies of old age.
Before Harley passes away, Ivy reveals that she was able to modify her Lazarus Seeds. While they’ll be able to resurrect Harley and Ivy as plant-beings, they won’t be able to recreate their memories, essentially “killing” their current selves. Harley doesn’t mind, though, promising to find Ivy earlier in her second life.
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