10 iconic differently abled comic book characters from DC and Marvel

When most fans think of iconic comic book characters from DC and Marvel, they don't think about them having impairments that affect their daily lives. The notion of superheroes having vision difficulties, mental health issues, or other forms of struggle isn't new in comic books by any stretch of the imagination, but there are fans that seem to handwave or otherwise brush these aside in discussions.

But it's not just fans that don't take these into account; plenty of creators at DC and Marvel appear to erase characters facing these unique challenges. Barbara Gordon's time as Oracle after The Killing Joke was erased in the New 52 Batgirl solo series, which is just one famous example of an ableist creative decision. Therefore, it would do well to remind fans of 10 iconic comic book characters from DC and Marvel comics that face these challenges in their lives.

Disclaimer: This will include spoilers for all the characters mentioned and the comics likewise. Any opinions are solely those of the author.

10 iconic DC and Marvel comic characters, like Barbara Gordon and Charles Xavier, that are differently abled

1) Charles Xavier, aka Professor X (X-Men)

Charles Xavier is one of the most powerful psychics in the Marvel Universe and the founder of the X-Men. While in recent comics Charles has been shown as able to walk for a limited time, his most iconic incarnations have him using a wheelchair to get around.

Charles' physical impairments originated in two forms: the original X-Men comic in 1966 and the X-Men: First Class film. In the comic book X-Men #20, aka "I, Lucifer," to be precise, Xavier reveals that his legs were crushed when attempting to stop the supervillain Lucifer in Tibet.

In the First Class film, he got hit in the spine by Magneto when he deflected a bullet into the former by accident. Xavier would need aid getting around, even with temporary treatments to help him walk in X-Men: Apocalypse. It is shown to be difficult, but Charles manages to adapt all the same.

2) Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle (Batman)

Barbara as Oracle (Image via Sportskeeda)

Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Detective James Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department and iconic Batgirl prior to Cassandra Cain, remains a very controversial example. While The Killing Joke originated in 1988, author Alan Moore has since spoken out against several uses of ableist language on the part of DC executives, referring to Barbara's "retirement" as Batgirl.

The decision was made to retire Barbara after the Joker shot her in the spine. It would take at least a year's worth of critical backlash from within the company to finally reinvent Barbara as Oracle. Ironically, many people loved Barbara as Oracle more than her time as Batgirl because she created the Birds of Prey and helped train both Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain.

It got to the point where the rebooted Batgirl comic series in The New 52 got panned by people who saw it as erasing Barbara's time as Oracle and an important representation point for women and wheelchair-using people in comics. She's pulled double duty as Batgirl and Oracle since getting injured in DC's Infinite Frontier event in 2021.

3) Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Daredevil)

Visual difficulties for comic book characters are nothing new. Some, like DC's Slade Wilson, are missing an eye or otherwise require special glasses or goggles to see. Others, like Marvel's Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, need to use canes to navigate the world around them. The superhero Daredevil has enhanced senses to compensate for his lack of sight.

It all began in 1964's Daredevil #1, when Murdock had radioactive isotopes splashed on his face when saving a man from being run over. Because of the radioactivity, his senses became superhuman, even as he lost his sight. He would still need a cane, but he uses his other senses and assistive devices to interact with the world.

This hasn't changed from adaptation to adaptation either, as the Daredevil film in 2003 and the Netflix show starting in 2015 kept this intact. Some of the assistive devices shown in the TV show include motion sensors, his cane, and other kinds of sound-based devices in his apartment.

4) Nick Fury (Avengers)

Following up on the idea of visual impairments, Nick Fury of SHIELD is an iconic one. One of his eyes was gouged out, hence the eyepatch. The origin story depends on the source: the original comic book Battle Scars Volume 1 #5, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain Marvel.

In the comic book, Nick Fury was captured by the evil organization Leviathan and tortured for information. His eye was gouged out as a result of resisting that torture. In the Captain Marvel film, he gets too close to the omnivorous cat Goose and gets lashed across the eye for it.

Regardless of his visual impairment, it didn't stop Fury from becoming Director of SHIELD and Marvel's ultimate government and black ops liaison. He's taken seriously by everyone, from the President to Captain America, owing to his attitude and the skills he brings to the table.

5) Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Captain America)

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Missing limbs are an all-too-common sight in superhero comics, fantasy, and science fiction in general. Bucky Barnes, aka the former Winter Soldier, makes it onto this list because one of his arms was severed after a train explosion in the MCU or a plane crash in the comics. This resulted in his capture by HYDRA in the MCU or the Soviets in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier comic arc.

Bucky's bionic arm is not the only implant he's had done, but it will be focused on for the purposes of discussing prostheses in comics. Bucky's has a wide variety of features, like an automatic reloader and resistance to EMPs. It has also broken or needed repair and replacement more than once.

It's a very common trope that a character will get a metallic prosthetic in place of their missing limb. It comes with its own set of issues, as even Marvel's comics have pointed out, with Bucky's arm either needing repair, causing Phantom Limb and Phantom Pain Syndrome, or even revolting on him more than once.

6) Victor Stone/Cyborg (Teen Titans)

Speaking of characters that are missing limbs, Victor Stone, aka Cyborg, of DC's Teen Titans, is missing half his body. After a horrible car crash or an alien invasion, depending on the source material, Victor Stone's father, Silas, fused his body with cutting-edge cybernetic enhancements and created Cyborg.

This didn't go over well with Victor at all. He lost his chances at a football scholarship and felt exiled from society. He also hated his father for this and didn't feel he had a true family until he joined the Teen Titans. His cybernetic components are much like prosthetics; he needs them intact in order to function.

The comics have gone much deeper into how isolated and alone Victor felt before the Titans, like in DC's JLA/Titans: The Technus Imperative, where Cyborg fuses with machine intelligence and almost absorbs Earth into a techno-organic moon so that Victor won't feel alone in the cosmos.

7) Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Avengers)

Onto superheroes that are hard of hearing, we go to Hawkeye of the Avengers. Clint Barton has lost his hearing many times over the years, so this entry will just focus on the overall hearing impediments he's suffered from. His hearing has come back fully more than once, but often he's been seen using a hearing aid.

Barton's situation showcases a number of difficulties hard-of-hearing people tend to have in society: sound itself is absent or hard to hear, lip reading is a skill needing constant practice, and there's been more than one Marvel comic featuring Hawkeye learning and using sign language.

Even when his hearing returns, Hawkeye still keeps track of his sign language, hearing aids, and other assistive devices and techniques to help him navigate the world around him.

8) Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Deadpool)

Despite having a healing factor that rivals Wolverine's and a sense of humor to boot, Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, is still suffering from cancer and chronic pain. Deadpool contracted cancer and went as far as going to the Weapon X project for a cure. It didn't cure his cancer. In fact, it made it more aggressive and put Wade in chronic pain.

Wade has made plenty of jokes about his condition, but it severely affects his life and public perception. He can't really take off his suit in public; it scares people if he does since his body has been ravaged by the cancer. The chronic pain he suffers can likewise bother him when he's trying to relax or on missions.

This does provide commentary on appearances being deceiving and never letting them affect people's judgment. Deadpool might be violent, but he does have a somewhat softer side underneath all the jokes and a lot of empathy when the situation calls for it.

9) Marc Spector/Moon Knight (Moon Knight)

Moon Knight, aka Marc Spector, might be better known for his MCU adaptation than his Marvel comic origins, but having Dissociative identity disorder, or DID, is something that carries over from the comics. His multiple personas include former soldier Marc Spector, millionaire Steven Grant, and cab driver Jake Lockley.

Marc developed DID after being persecuted for being Jewish by bullies, an escaped Nazi war criminal, and a serial killer as a child. The different personas he developed weren't helped by Khonshu choosing him as his agent, which put a great deal of mental stress on him. Eventually, he would allow Marc Spector to fade into the background to focus on crime fighting.

Moon Knight may be a crime fighter and sometimes a mystic, but his life hasn't been easy due to his DID and the various traumas that were inflicted upon him from childhood to adulthood. Thankfully, he's had the Defenders, Spider-Man, and even the Avengers to help when needed.

10) Cassandra Cain (Batman)

Speech difficulties are obstacles in many people's lives, especially when parental abuse is involved. While a spot could go to DC Comics' anti-hero Slade Wilson's second son, Jericho, as his vocal cords were severed, Cassandra Cain's situation remains the more iconic of the two.

Cassandra Cain was raised as an assassin by her father, the assassin and mercenary David Cain. Because of his abuse toward her, Cassandra was raised as a weapon. This meant she wasn't vocal and couldn't read, except for reading opponents' moves. When she was eventually adopted into the Batman family, it was a difficult time for her.

Cassandra struggled with reading, struggled to speak full sentences, and had a long struggle with understanding others outside of battle. It didn't help that Cassandra's allies weren't all that receptive and were sometimes very distant, even with Barbara standing up for Cassandra. It goes to show that people need to be patient with others, especially when they were never taught certain things as kids.

This concludes the list of comic characters from DC and Marvel that face unique challenges owing to being differently abled. As a final comment, the world in comic books isn't unlike the real world, with people facing similar challenges in life.

The real world may not have perfect bionic arms, but there are people who can help. In the end, if a person faces challenges that able-bodied people don't, the least able-bodied people can do is help them through them and ensure that the world becomes a kinder, fairer place through words, action, and mutual aid.

If any other comic heroes from Marvel, DC, or other companies who face these unique challenges in their lives are not on the list, readers are encouraged to mention them in the comments.

Edited by Somava