The Top 10 Superhero Deaths

I wrote a blog yesterday about 10 deaths in comicdom that made quite an impact.  Today I will remain on the topic of death (don’t ask me why) but shift to strictly superheroes that died.  This wasn’t easy as many have died over the years, but I think we can all agree that some just stunned us and left a hole in our hearts.  I won’t repeat the Flash or Jean Grey as they are from the other list, but they do deserve to be here.  So, let’s get started.

Here is The Comic Whisperer’s Top 10 Superhero Deaths:

10.)  Nightcrawler:  This one hits close to home because Nightcrawler was always the witty, winsome, swashbuckling hero.  He wasn’t hard edged or gritty but he did get the job done.  Believe it or not Nightcrawler was gone for more than 3 years before his triumphant return.  The mystery of his true mother and father still remains...

9.)  Captain Marvel:  There may have been many Captain Marvel’s but only one died of cancer.  When Jim Starling put together The Death of Captain Marvel, with it’s classic cover, he did a stellar job.  The most touching part to me was all of the heroes getting together for his passing.  Carol Danvers, our current Captain Marvel, has added a pleasant twist to the character.

8.)  Ted Kord/Blue Beetle:  I don’t mind telling you that this one came out of nowhere to me.  I thought he would take a beating from Maxwell Lord then it would be done.  Then, the panels I will never forget from the Countdown to Infinite Crisis, that showed him being killed.  It’s interesting to note that Ted Kord was not very popular on his own as Blue Beetle, but if you paired him with Booster Gold you had a great combination.  Funny, light-hearted, and neither of them being powerful in their own rights, they were heroes because of their suits.  Who can forget Booster Gold wearing logos to make money?  To see the Blue Beetle taken down like this was a blatant reminder that he was human underneath that mask.

7.)  Hal Jordan/Green Lantern:  The Parallax storyline is one of the best in the history of Green Lantern lore.  It sent ripples through the DC Universe that are still seen today.  The short version is that Hal Jordan went crazy before dying and became Parallax.  He killed the Guardians, the Green Lantern Corps, etc. etc.  He was a bad guy all around.  He then goes on a quest for redemption and winds up giving his life in the process.  If you haven’t read it, do so.  

6.)  Kara/Supergirl:  As deaths go this one was not only expected, but necessary.  Part of Superman’s charm and uniqueness was the fact that he was the only survivor of Krypton and that he was a “lonely alien”.  Supergirl’s presence took all of that away.  Not only that but DC never really capitalized on Supergirl that much.  She was in and out of comics but never really caught on.  Her death signaled the end of an era and the return of Superman to the status of “lonely alien”.  Please understand, her death was well written and traumatic, but it was also the streamlining of the Superman Family.

5.)  Jason Todd and Damian Wayne/Robin:  Yep, just like the last “Death List” I am cheating by putting two in one, but they are both Robin, right?  As a comic book reader I am not sure I have ever seen comic books that made me look away for just a second.  Just a heartbeat.  These panels were the ones responsible.  What you may NOT know is why the two Robin’s died.  Jason Todd’s death was a result of a DC Poll that was taken that drew gobs of attention, and criticism, from the public.  Damian’s death, however, was well planned out by Grant Morrison who put together the best Batman run of all time.  Feel free to look away...just for a second...during the death of Damian.

4.)  Peter Parker/Amazing/Ultimate Spider-Man:  Two Spider-Mans, Spider-Men, you know what I mean, in two different universes dying made huge ripples throughout comicdom.  Dan Slott killed off Spider-Man at the end of 2012.  Things got so bad for Dan that he started receiving death threats.  It was in 2011 that Brian Michael Bendis killed off the Ultimate universe Peter Parker, apparently for good, and replaced him with Miles Morales.  No matter which Peter Parker you were a fan of the ending came as a shock.

3.)  Logan/Wolverine:  It would be hard to argue that there has never been a character more dominating than Wolverine when it comes to popularity.  He doesn’t mind killing, he heals from just about anything, he has adamantium laced bones,  and he has that arrogant, cocky attitude.  He’s the total package.  His death in 2014, however, was no surprise.  Dying was the only thing he hadn’t done yet and you could be sure that, in one way or another, he'd be back.  This is a Joe Quesada variant of a Death of Wolverine cover.

2.)  Steve Rogers/Captain America:  There were two things that made Captain America’s death significant.  First, he was Captain America.  His death made headlines around the country.  My death won’t make headlines around my block.  The second thing is that Captain America died fighting for the rights of his fellow heroes.  He died for what he thought was right.  He died like we thought Captain America would die, in the name of a cause he believed in.  Since then he has returned and he is an old man having had his super serum negated.  I will say, on a personal note, that the new Captain America is TERRIBLE and has made the Marvel Universe tilt, just a little bit, in the wrong direction.  Captain America is a character who should remain just as he is...Captain America.

1.)  Clark Kent/Superman:  Superman is the consummate superhero.  He is the superhero who stands up for superheroes.  He makes a Boy Scout look dishonest.  He was the hero every hero is compared to.  “Yea, he’s tough, but he’s no Superman” or as my doctor puts it, “You have a Superman Complex, you think you have to do everything for everyone”.  He has a point, but I digress.  This gambit by DC Comics in the 90’s was the ultimate gamble.  If it didn’t pay off they had very little else that they could do to sell comics.  Superman’s reincarnation was both expected and popular with the comic reading public.  Besides that Doomsday was an awesome villain.  In the end it wasn’t the best written comic but it may be the most collected.  When I am with comic novices, or part time collectors, the question always comes up, “Do you have the one where Superman dies?”  Yes...yes I do...and I’ve got the armband as well.  Enjoy this pictorial tribute to my favorite, the Man of Steel.

Thanks for taking this journey with me.  Heroes dying always leaves me asking two questions:  What was the reason for their death and when will they be back?  

Superman’s back, that means all is well.

Answers to The World’s Hardest Comic Book Quiz

OK, dig out your answers and compare them to what I have below.  I have added an explanation to each answer to give a little history.  I promise, you will stump your friends with at least one of these questions.  If you get 100% on this quiz you’re writing this blog from now on.

1.)  In Loki’s first appearance in Journey into Mystery #85 he couldn’t use his powers when:

     a.)  He didn’t have his helmet on
     b.)  He didn’t have his scepter
     c.)  When he was soaking wet
     d.)  During the night

As odd as it may seem, In his first Modern Age appearance (Journey Into Mystery #85) Loki couldn’t use magic when soaking wet.  That is no longer an issue apparently.

2.)  Wonder Woman’s bracelets were made of Amazonium, but in the 70’s TV Series they were named something different.   What was it?

     a.)  Vibranium
     b.)  Feminum
     c.)  Adamantium
     d.)  Indestructinum

“Amazonium”, the metal from which Wonder Woman’s bracelets are made, was renamed “Feminum” in the 70’s tv series.  I couldn’t locate a reason for this change.

3.)  In the Marvel Universe, Loki’s real father is ________, but in Norse Mythology that is actually Loki’s _________ name.

     a.)  Odin, brother’s
     b.)  Laufey, mother’s
     c.)  Zeus, son’s
     d.)  Odin, father’s

In the Marvel Universe Laufey is Loki’s father.  In Norse mythology Laufey is actually Loki’s mother’s name, while his father’s name is Farbauti.

4.)  Captain America set aside his original shield for his current discus shaped shield.  Who gave him the discus shaped shield?

     a.)  Tony Stark
     b.)  Tony Stark’s Dad
     c.)  Nick Fury
     d.)  Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Yes, given to him by the president and it was lighter than Caps old shield, bulletproof, and disc shaped so it’s easy to “hurl”.  The President goes on to say, “I’m told that the metal in the shield has some incredible properties.  If only the metallurgical accident which produced it could be duplicated..."

5.)  Batman once peed himself and admitted it (yes, it’s true).  He said that there was a large explosion with a sudden impact and he:

     a.)  had a bladder spasm
     b.)  peed himself
     c.)  secreted hydrogen dioxide
     d.)  found he had excessive moisture in his pants

Batman says, “And when I felt the size of the explosion and the sudden blast of searing heat...well...I had a...bladder spasm.”  To which another person says to him, “No!  You’re saying you wet your pants?”  Look for yourself in Batman: Year One.

6.)  Who was the first flying hero?

     a.)  Superman
     b.)  Namor the Sub-Mariner
     c.)  Captain Marvel
     d.)  Wonder Woman

Since Superman started flying only after the animated series (1943) and apparently Captain Marvel started in the fifth issue of Whiz Comics (1940), the first hero to fly was actually Namor, who was described in his first appearance on Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 (1939) as “An ultra-man [who] flies in the air”.

7.)  Cyclops, from the X-Men, can light a fire with the beams that come from his eyes.

     a.)  True
     b.)  False

Cyclops’ optic blasts are not lasers -they only have concussive force- and they don’t generate any heat.
Sometimes writers don’t know about that, forget, or joke about it.  There are several panels in comics that show Cyclops lighting birthday candles or starting a fire.  In another panel, Corsair, Cyclops’ father, asks him to start a fire and Cyclops replies, “My eyes don’t give off that heat, Dad.”  Whatever “that heat” means.  Oddly enough, his laser blasts come from another dimension to which his eyes are a portal.  He is also immune to his own power which is why he doesn’t lose his eyelids.

Source (and Uncanny X-Men #391/#502)

8.)  In The Amazing Spider-Man #3, Doc Ock calls Spider-Man another name, what does he call him?

     a.)  Super-Spider
     b.)  Super-Man
     c.)  Spider-Web
     d.)  The Spider

The conversation went like this:

Spider-man (thought bubble):  My web! He snapped it!  Nobody has ever done that before!
Dock Ock:  And now, Super-Man, I grow bored with this game!  My time is too valuable!

Did you ever notice how everything they say, or think, is exclamatory?  They’re very excitable.

9.)  In the 2007 crossover “New Avengers Transformers” Iron Man comes up with an interesting way to fight the Transformers.  What does he do?

     a.)  He sprays them with a “Rusting Agent” which rusts them instantly
     b.)  He uses huge magnets to hold them until he can dismantle them
     c.)  He finds their inventor and asks him how to stop them
     d.)  He puts on his “Anti-Transformers” armor

There is nothing more to this than Tony’s ingenuity.  Yes, he created “Anti-Transformers” armor.

10.)  It’s a fact that “Kryptonite” was introduced on the Superman radio show, not in comic books.  In comic books it was first called “K-Metal” in an unpublished story in 1940, introduced by co-creator Jerry Siegel.  Why was kryptonite introduced into the radio show initially?

     a.)  Because Superman was too strong and he needed something to weaken him
     b.)  It was suggested by the creators of Superman as an alternate to “K-Metal”
     c.)  It was a slip of the tongue by the voice personality and they kept it in
     d.)  It was a plot device that allowed other characters to take the lead so the voice personality
           could take a vacation

Contrary to popular belief “Kryptonite” made its debut in the Superman radio drama, not in the comic books.  It was added as a plot device to allow Bud Collyer, Superman’s voice on radio, to be able to take some time off while other characters took over as the main characters for awhile.  The idea, however, did come from the unpublished comic by Jerry Siegel in 1940 called “The K-Metal from Krypton”.

11.)  Jamie Madrox, also known as Multiple Man, creates duplicates of himself that can live their own lives.  It’s interesting to note:

     a.)  that Jamie didn’t originally have this power until he died and was brought back to life
     b.)  that he got the power after falling into a vat of radioactive liquid that was being churned
     c.)  that one duplicate body started a family and became a Preacher
     d.)  that Jamie was asked to become part of the X-Men but turned it down

Bizarre but true, that is until Jamie reabsorbed said Preacher and his family was left to fend for themselves.

12.)  While the current Green Lantern Corp is weak against the color yellow, the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, was weak against:

     a.)  the color yellow also
     b.)  other Green Lanterns so they couldn’t fight
     c.)  against himself, so he couldn’t use his powers to fly
     d.)  wood

While the modern age Green Lanterns can’t use their powers against yellow stuff, Alan Scott could not use his powers on wood.  Wikipedia states that "power ultimately corrupted the early Green Lantern, the one that predated Alan Scott, as he attempted to rule over mankind, which forced the Guardians to cause his ring to manifest a weakness to wood, the material from which most Earth weapons of the time were fashioned. This allowed the Chinese peasants to ultimately defeat their corrupted "champion". His ring and lantern were burned and it was during this process that the “intelligence” inhabiting the ring and the lantern, and linking them to the Guardians, was damaged. Over time, when it had occasion to manifest itself, this "intelligence" became known as the mystical 'Starheart' of fable."

13.)  What was Jack Kirby’s real name?

     a.)  Jacob Kurtzberg
     b.)  Jack Kirby
     c.)  Jacob Krigstein
     d.)  Jake Kurgsburg

He changed his name soon after he was married.

14.)  Arkham Asylum, the famous institution from the Batman comics, is names after:

     a.)  Arkham Sanitarium in Arkham, MA
     b.)  The actual Arkham Asylum that used to be in New York City
     c.)  It’s not named after anything, it was created by the writers of Batman
     d.)  It was named after Noah’s Ark because it held so many different “animals”

Arkham Asylum is a reference to Arkham Sanitarium in Arkham, MA.  Don’t see an Arkham in MA?  You won’t.  It’s fictional.  It’s taken from H.P. Lovecraft’s story “The Thing on the Doorstep”.

15.)  Which of these statements is false:

     a.)  Before Action Comics #1, Siegel and Schuster published a short story called “Reign of the
           Super-Man" where the Superman was a telepath trying to take over the world.
     b.)  In Age of Apocalypse, Magneto and Rogue are romantically involved.  In this reality, Rogue
           absorbs Polaris’ magnetic powers so that touching Magneto won’t put him into a coma
     c.)  Because of the time they spent together the Venom symbiote no longer triggers Spider-Man’s
           spider-sense.
     d.)  Nightcrawler is Mystique’s son, but she was the father thanks to her shapeshifting 
           capabilities.  Destiny is his mother.

a.)  It’s true!  Still wondering where the Superman idea came from?  Sadly, this evil Superman thing has 
      no relation to the Superdickery covers.  Look it up.
b.)  No strange explanation here.  It’s just how the story went.  This is certainly better than when they
       first got together and Rogue’s touch caused rather unfortunate reactions in Magneto.
c.)  Although it does trigger the spidey sense of spider-man’s clones created before Peter got the 
      symbiote.
d.)  Believe it or not, this storyline was considered. The idea was dropped due to the Comics Code 
      Authority’s limitations about gay or bisexual characters.

16.)  Which doctor did Squirrel Girl beat-up with the help of her Squirrels?

     a.)  Dr. Doom
     b.)  Dr. Strange
     c.)  Dr. Octopus
     d.)  Dr. Light

Squirrel Girl is a mutant with squirrel-like looks whose ability is to communicate with squirrels and also behave like one.  In Marvel Super-Heroes Volume 2 #8, where she made her first appearance, she managed to defeat Dr. Doom with the help of her squirrels (all the other Doombots laughed at him I would guess).  In the process she saved Iron-Man, who she was trying to impress.  That must have done the trick!

17.)  In his first stories, Bruce Banner didn’t turn into the Hulk when enraged.  It was actually triggered by:

     a.)  Being physically threatened
     b.)  Being struck
     c.)  When he concentrated on becoming the Hulk
     d.)  Sundown

Oddly true.  Prior to being enraged caused the transformation the change was triggered by the sun setting.

18.)  Natalia Romanov a.k.a Natasha Romanov, Black Widow, has kept her young looks due to a variation of the Super Soldier Serum.  How old is she actually?

     a.)  30
     b.)  50
     c.)  70
     d.)  90

This one speaks for itself.  ‘Nuff Said.

19.)  Batman is known for having a huge penny in his bat cave.  How did he get it?

     a.)  It was given to him by Two-Face
     b.)  He got it from “The Penny Plunderer” a villain he fought in the 40’s
     c.)  He had it made for him to remind him that there are two sides to every story
     d.)  It was a novelty made for Wayne Enterprises that was discarded during remodeling

Long thought to be a gift from Two-Face, it was actually owned by The Penny Plunderer, apparently a “penny-themed” villain.  I can’t even imagine who came up with this idea or what the villain looked like.

20.)  The original Hulk was gray, but later changed to green due to printing problems.  Why was the original color gray?

     a.)  The original drawings were black and white and the original gray coloring just stuck
     b.)  They wanted him to resemble the color of stone to symbolize strength
     c.)  They wanted a neutral color so as not to suggest a particular ethnic group
     d.)  He was supposed to be green all along, but at the time of the printing deadline they didn’t
           have enough green ink to satisfy the volume of comics to be produced.

It was Stan Lee who suggested that the original color be gray.  It was only changed after a printing problem caused him to go green.  I can’t see any ethnic group being offended by green, unless the “Kermits” have an issue with it.

So ends the World’s Hardest Comic Book Quiz.  How did you do?  Get a 100%?  Liar!  Admit your plans of a perfect score were foiled by me!!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I expect you to name and drinks you win after me.

I would like to pay tribute to the website from which I pulled all of this information, Comicfacts.com.  So, no, I didn’t scour the web, I scoured this site.  Wikipedia filled in on the whole “Alan Scott” and “Wood” thing.

I would highly recommend you go there and see all of the other things you probably didn’t know about comic books.