7 Worst DC Character Assassinations In Comics

DC and Marvel Comics have sometimes damaged the established reputations of their heroes, often just for the sake of shocking readers. This usually involves drastically changing a beloved character, ignoring their established personality and history, and even turning them into villains or having them make questionable choices that alienate fans. A prime example is Scarlet Witch from Marvel, who was transformed into a villain, killing fellow Avengers and altering reality itself in storylines like Avengers Disassembled and House of M. Once a character’s reputation is damaged like this, it takes a significant amount of time and effort to rebuild trust with fans.

This article examines seven DC Comics heroes whose reputations were damaged within their own stories, and explores whether those characters were ever successfully restored to their former glory.

7) Roy Harper

Roy Harper, like many sidekicks to the Justice League’s heroes, had the potential to become a great hero himself. However, a damaging storyline in DC Comics derailed his path. It began with a controversial plot where Roy became addicted to drugs, leading Green Arrow to abandon him and effectively end his career.

Despite a period of recovery where Roy Harper became Red Arrow and even joined the Justice League, DC Comics later drastically altered his story with the ‘Cry for Justice’ storyline. This event saw Roy suffer devastating losses – losing an arm and his daughter – which led to a relapse into drug addiction. Abandoned by his friends, mirroring past betrayals, he briefly became a villain working with Deathstroke. While the ‘New 52’ reboot attempted to undo these events, Roy has never fully regained stability.

6) Wonder Woman

As a lifelong movie fan, I’ve always loved Wonder Woman – she’s traditionally been presented as this beacon of pure goodness, much like Superman. But lately, I’ve noticed a shift. They’ve started portraying her as a warrior who’s willing to kill, which feels…off. For years, her strength came from not taking lives, from finding peaceful solutions. She always sought another way. But something happened, a single moment really, that completely changed her character in that regard.

Wonder Woman’s decision to kill Maxwell Lord, after realizing he wouldn’t release Superman from his mind control, was a truly surprising moment. The rejection she faced from Batman and Superman afterward was devastating, and marked the start of a difficult period for her character. This ultimately led to storylines like Injustice, where Wonder Woman became even more ruthless than Superman, sacrificing the qualities that originally made her a hero.

5) Batman (from Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman)

As a long-time Batman fan, I’ve always appreciated how he sticks to his principles. It’s fascinating to see what happens when that’s thrown out the window, like in the ‘Absolute Batman’ series. It really explores a darker, more brutal version of the character, and it works because it feels like an alternate take. It’s different from Frank Miller’s ‘All-Star Batman’ though. While that series is an ‘Elseworlds’ story, it still felt connected to the main DC universe and the Batman I knew, rather than a complete reimagining.

This version of Batman is widely considered a failure, and is often cited as one of the worst portrayals of the character in comic book history. The story significantly alienated many longtime fans. His overconfidence, poor treatment of Robin, and awkward writing style fundamentally damaged the character in a way few other stories have.

4) Zatanna

Honestly, the recent portrayal felt like a real disservice to the entire Justice League, but Zatanna was particularly affected. Comic book characters with magical abilities have established boundaries – crossing them can turn a hero into a villain. That’s why Doctor Strange is often criticized – he frequently goes too far and loses the audience’s sympathy.

Zatanna generally avoids using her true magical powers, preferring illusions in her performances to be fair to her audience, even though she’s become successful with magic shows. However, during the Identity Crisis storyline, she made a difficult choice and used magic to erase Batman’s memories of a confrontation with Doctor Light. This act had lasting negative consequences and damaged her reputation, and she struggled to overcome it.

3) Maxwell Lord

Maxwell Lord is often seen as a villain, and many consider him untrustworthy. But that wasn’t always the case in DC Comics. He began as a complex, well-intentioned character who sometimes made questionable choices, believing he was acting for the greater good. However, his reputation was irrevocably damaged when he shockingly shot and killed the hero Blue Beetle, an act he never truly recovered from.

The biggest problem with Maxwell Lord’s story is that he lost all complexity and became a one-dimensional villain. He started as a flawed character, but his actions – like hypnotizing Superman and ordering him to attack Batman and Wonder Woman – ultimately stripped him of any redeeming qualities. While his death at Wonder Woman’s hands was a shocking moment, it felt unsatisfying because he’d been reduced to a generic bad guy, making it hard to care about his fate.

2) Hal Jordan

Hal Jordan is a classic DC Comics superhero. He was a founding member of the Justice League, alongside iconic heroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and is considered the most dedicated and honorable Green Lantern ever. While some DC heroes, like the Flash who died saving the universe in ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ and passed his role to Wally West, have been given impactful endings, Hal Jordan wasn’t so fortunate.

Witnessing the destruction of his hometown shattered Hal Jordan, leading to a mental breakdown. A being called Parallax seized control, transforming him into a formidable and vengeful villain within the DC Universe. Driven by this new persona, he attempted to kill his former friends, effectively destroying everything that defined him. Though he ultimately sacrificed himself to save the world, the damage was done. While Geoff Johns later attempted to restore his heroic image, Hal Jordan has never fully recovered from the influence of Parallax.

1) Wally West

After the Flash gave his life to save everyone during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally West stepped up to become the new Flash. This was a big deal – Wally quickly became the most popular version of the character for many fans. Unlike some other replacements, like Kyle Rayner taking over for Hal Jordan, Wally wasn’t a brand new hero. He’d been Kid Flash for years and was already a fan favorite in DC Comics.

DC Comics made a big mistake with Wally West in the New 52. They essentially erased him, replacing him with a different version of the character, Wallace West. When Wally finally returned, it was a joyous occasion for longtime fans who loved him as the Flash. Unfortunately, the storyline in Heroes in Crisis severely damaged his character. What could have been a powerful story about heroes dealing with trauma was overshadowed by Wally committing murder and then falsely accusing Harley Quinn and Booster Gold, which many consider to be one of the worst character betrayals in DC Comics history.

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2026-02-16 00:19