'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABhAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgcQAAIBBQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECBAADBREhBlGBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABhEAAwABBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAAFESESMVH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMZ8WhWml25i6R8XZVbQVQoYXkBYHWtKfQqnMiMpI3kOc5NdR8AHKUpuFK23KwejnhQRwxHtm+atcrHhLGnVZJ5taiElQelC8dHX/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Comic enthusiasts know that overcoming tragic backstories is what makes their superheroes strong, both mentally and physically. The tragedies in their lives and how they have responded to those define them as the ideal icons for their fans.
Many of the superheroes have faced tragedies in their pasts – loss of loved ones, bullying, abuse, and misfortune. Their ways of coping with these issues transform them into either heroes or villains. Even villains may have a sad past that contributes to their twisted psyche.
DC and Marvel’s universes have many heroes who have faced misfortune. This article will explore the miserable past of 10 superheroes who have dealt with heart-breaking incidents in their formative years.
Trending
Spiderman, Batman, and 8 other superheroes who have faced tragedies in their past
1) Batman
It is no surprise that the caped superhero is the first name to recall when looking for tragic backstories. A young Bruce Wayne witnessed the brutal killing of his parents in a Gotham alley. Having both his parents shot must have shaken little Bruce.
Though left with a huge inheritance and a father figure in Alfred, billionaire Batman remained lonely and sad for the rest of his life. His only goal in keeping Gotham crime-free is to avenge his parents’ death.
2) Spiderman
This superhero is an orphan who, despite his misfortune, has retained a childlike enthusiasm and cheerfulness. Orphaned at a young age, the friendly neighbor Spider-Man was brought up by Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Being bullied for his glasses, weak physicality, and being a nerd, Peter Parker gets superpowers through the bite of a radioactive spider.
However, getting bullied and abused is not the only tragedy for this orphan. What he has on his conscience is partial responsibility for the killing of Uncle Ben. This pushed the webbing superhero to take his responsibilities and decisions more thoughtfully.
3) Superman
Kal-El was sent away from the planet of Krypton and never met his parents. The infant was lovingly taken care of by the Kents and given a human life. However, when Superman came to know that he was an alien among humans, it was devastating. The loss of his people and home planet made him feel lonely.
As such, his secret identity and having to lead a dual life left him isolated too. The flying superhero rarely uses his complete strength or winning attitude for fear of hurting others. This is a moral quality inculcated by the Kent couple which often leads to his defeat and pain.
4) The Flash
Flash grew up without his parents too but was not an orphan. At a young age, Barry Allen was getting ready for his parents' divorce when his mother was killed. Unfortunately, his father was the prime suspect and was wrongly accused of murder.
Growing up without the love and care of his parents, the speedster decided to prove that his father was innocent of the accused crime. The superhero's later battles revealed that just to trouble him, his malicious enemy, Reverse-Flash, time-travelled to kill his mother and frame his father.
5) Robin (Jason Todd)
Jason Todd’s mother lost custody of him while his father got married to a drug addict. These disturbing events became worse when his drug-addict stepmother died due to an overdose.
When members of the Two-Face gang killed his father, Jason was left to live an orphan’s life in his father’s rundown apartment. He tried to fend for himself by turning to crime. With the Joker sending the superhero's biological mother to kill him, this Robin ends up with one of the most miserable histories.
6) Black Widow
Natasha Romanov was recruited as a child by the KGB for their top-secret Black Widow program. Watching her mother die and knowing that her father was tricked into abandoning her and her sister hurt young Natasha. Later, she trained at the Red Room Academy in the Kremlin to become a killing machine.
She went through rigorous hardships while training to be an assassin, including sterilization. This superhero was forced to overlook empathy and softer emotions only to execute people ruthlessly. This left her childhood traumatized.
7) Ben Grimm
Ben, a bright, well-liked athlete, was Reed Richards’s friend in college when they planned on space missions. After coming out of the Marine Corps, he joined Richards and Susan Storm for a trip to space.
The radiations from the blasted spaceship mutated all four passengers, but Ben Grimm got the worst effect from it. Though part of the Fantastic Four team, he became a mass of orange rocks.
He wasn't as lucky as superhero Bruce Banner, who could change back from the Hulk. His permanent rock-pile appearance made it impossible to lead a normal life. With a name like "The Thing," he was constantly ridiculed.
8) Wolverine
Wolverine’s past is a long saga of isolation, suffering, and abuse. Born as James Howlett, he was estate caretaker Thomas Logan’s illegitimate child. After Thomas is fired by James’s father John Howlett, he returns to kill the latter for revenge.
Around this time, James mutates into Wolverine and claws Thomas to death. This superhero accidentally kills his friend, is captured, subjected to the Weapon X program, and forced to kill Jean Grey, his one-sided love. Now, this almost immortal superhero is forced to endure endless lifelong tragedy and alienation.
9) Daredevil
Matt Murdock’s life has been a series of unfortunate events since his youth. A young Murdock tried to save a pedestrian from an accident and was blinded by a radioactive substance in the process.
His father was murdered by gangsters, taking him to the path of revenge, killing, and crime. Karen Page, his love interest, sold his superhero identity under the influence of drugs. She wrongly informed Daredevil that she had an HIV infection before getting murdered by Bullseye.
10) Hulk
The awesome Hulk may look like the last of the superheroes to be connected to tragedies, but fans and readers know how exposure to Gamma radiation changed scientist Bruce Banner into the Hulk. This body horror was part of the problem for Bruce.
The other concern is his anger issue, as he says in The Avengers, “I am always angry.” His childhood seems to have had a role to play in his uncontrolled rage.
His father, Brian Banner, was a ruthless savage who abused his wife and son and killed the wife when she attempted to leave him. The green superhero carries wounds from his unstable childhood as per his character's constitution.
