# Deaths superheroes are responsible for **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535 "2005-11-11T05:04:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/21 "2005-11-11T16:06:58Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > Judge Dredd nuked East-Meg One in order to win the Apocalypse War, and deliberately killed four hundred million people. Prior to that he launched a retaliatory nuclear strike which would have destroyed the Earth, but the Sov’s shields beamed the missiles into an alternate universe where an idyllic world had never known war: that utopian Earth was destroyed instead. Oh, and he accidentally ran over a deaf woman on his motorbike and killed her. Indeed, his actual hand to hand combat body count isn’t too shabby either 😃 ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/22 "2005-11-11T16:28:02Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > Collossus killed that whirlwind guy during the massacre of the Morlocks. Didn’t he also kill Brickbat around that same time? Grabbed him from behind and snapped his neck? At one point Rom realised killing Dire Wraiths was as good as banishing them. Daredevil let Bullseye fall to his “death”. It’s far more common for heroes to passively “allow” someone to die as opposed to actively killing. Not sure a court of law would see that fine distinction, though. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/23 "2005-11-11T16:37:43Z")
> [@Wolfian](#): > > Didn’t Barry Allen beat a man to death just before the first Crisis? Kinda. The Reverse Flash was making a run for Barry’s fiancee (he had killed Iris, Barry’s first wife, previously). Barry caught him in a superspeed headlocka nd snapped his neck. Got put on trial for manslaughter for it. Iris (who had gotten better) helped him beat the rap and they retired to the future together. Until Barry died in the Crisis. I think it’s always been ambiguous whether Gwen Stacy was already dead when the Green Goblin threw her off a bridge or if Spider-Man accidentally snapped her neck when he got her on a web to attempt to save her. The Huntress has killed a few times. In Cry for Blood she actually puts out a mob hit on one guy, and allows it to be carried out. Even the Question was shocked at that one. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/24 "2005-11-11T16:45:48Z")
> [@sleeepy2](#): > > Didn’t he also kill Brickbat around that same time? Grabbed him from behind and snapped his neck? No, that was Whiphand he did that to. Brickbat was accidentally impaled on a steel support beam when a building collapsed on him and Colossus. In the same fight, Havok killed Divebomber and Tension, Storm incinerated Blindside with a lightning bolt, Wolverine killed Temptress and Spitball accidentally killed himself and Lockup trying to kill Havok. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/25 "2005-11-11T16:51:55Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > **The Comedian** must’ve offed a good many in his career, including a pregnant Vietnamese woman and probably **Hooded Justice**. Not to mention, it’s strongly hinted that he saved Dick Nixon’s bacon by offing Woodward and Bernstein. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/26 "2005-11-11T16:58:16Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Superman killed Zod Faora and Quex-Ul, too, if you’re talking about the post-Crisis Kryptonite incident on the burnt-out remains of Time Trapper’s parallel Earth. Superman and Batman killed people in their early days, circa 1938-1941, including Supes picking up a military torturer/interrogator and hurling him like a javelin hundreds of feet to certain doom. Bats machine-gunned (from an early Batplane) a grotesquely enlarged and malformed henchman of Hugo Strange that had climbed a skyscraper, in an obvious steal from _King Kong_. Things calmed down quite a bit when Supes’ power increased dramatically and simple brutality seemed beneath him, and Bats got his sidekick Robin, which pussified the character considerably. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/27 "2005-11-11T17:01:01Z")
Jay Garrick killed the first Mr. Terrific. He was possessed, though. Barry Allen killed Professor Zoom. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/28 "2005-11-11T17:09:36Z")
[Superman is quite fond of killing people.](http://www.superdickery.com/dick/17.html) Particularly Lois Lane, it seems… ---
**Author:** ![False\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@False\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/False_God)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/29 "2005-11-11T18:18:34Z")
Kid Miracle killed an enite hospital of folks, but in his defense he wasn’t quite himself at the time. If we count Galactus, then the body count gets really high; as does if we factor in the Crisis on Infinite Earths. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/30 "2005-11-11T21:00:48Z")
No one’s mentioned Spider-Man yet, or am I just missing it? His entire career is premised on his feelings of responsibility for the murder of his uncle at the hands of a burglar who Peter could easily have stopped. Not quite what the OP is looking for but a decent example nonetheless. Shortly after her reboot Wonder Woman decapitated one of the Greek demi-gods, I wanna say either Deimos (sp?) or Phobos, can’t remember which. If we’re counting What If? stories then an alt-Phoenix (after supposedly being cured by the Shi-ar) broke loose, killed all of the X-men then in her grief took out Earth. It’s implied that she may have destroyed the entire universe. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/31 "2005-11-11T21:02:11Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > I coulda’ sworn that was Steve Ditko’s proto-Question, Mr. A. Nope. It was the Question. (Who was really the proto-Mr A coming first and all.) > [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Faora and Quex-Ul, too, if you’re talking about the post-Crisis Kryptonite incident on the burnt-out remains of Time Trapper’s parallel Earth. That’s the one. I just couldn’t remember the other two’s names. > [@Little Nemo](#): > > Captain Hero threw his homeworld Xebulon into its sun. That reminds me. Lobo killed every last Czarnian, save himself, so he could be the last Czarnian in the universe. But Lobo’s not exactly the most heroic of non-villains. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/32 "2005-11-11T21:08:06Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > No one’s mentioned Spider-Man yet, or am I just missing it? You missed it. 🙂 > [@Der Trihs](#): > > Spiderman semi-accidentally killed a woman named Charlie ( she manipulated him into it, as a sort-of suicide ) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/33 "2005-11-11T21:23:05Z")
“Semi” is right. He punched her dead (literally) in the face. He thought it was Wolverine attacking him again (in Spider-Man Versus Woverine appropriately enough) and whirled around thinking he was going to be punching Wolvie’s adamantium face. Oooooooopsie! Somehow she survived long enough to say goodbuy to Wolverine, when in “reality” her head should have exploded like that guy in that Story Of Ricki movie. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/34 "2005-11-12T01:15:15Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Next to him, **Rorschach** ’s body count is pathetic; a mere four or five: a child-kidnapper and murderer; a multiple rapist; a fellow prisoner he threw boiling oil over (reported dying, probably dead); one of the **Big Figure** ’s henchmen; and the **Big Figure** himself. I have to take minor issue with that—that’s just the people we see him kill “on screen.” It seems reasonable enough that he’s killed more than that. > [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Superman and Batman killed people in their early days, circa 1938-1941[…]Bats machine-gunned (from an early Batplane) a grotesquely enlarged and malformed henchman of Hugo Strange that had climbed a skyscraper, in an obvious steal from _King Kong_. [**Astro** managed to find some of those panels, not long back.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6732427&postcount=39) That reminds me…are we counting civilians who have died because heroes refused to kill villains? Cause, y’know, if that’s the case, I think Batman’s got to be pretty high up on the list. (Well, the list of guys who haven’t killed planets, at least.) Like he said in DKR, > [@](#): > > “I’ll count the dead one by one. I’ll add them to the list, Joker. The list of all the people I’ve murdered–by letting you live. How many more will it take? …How many more – until I finally do it?” ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/35 "2005-11-12T01:56:29Z")
Miracleman kills at least two of Emil Gargunza’s guards. One by nonchalantly poking his finger through the guy’s chest and the other by flying at full speed right through him. He then proceeded to grab Gargunza, fly him up to the uppoer atmosphere, kiss him and toss him back to the Earth. He also killed Johnny Bates (the non powered form of Kid Miracleman) so that he could never regain his powers and kill another city full of people. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/36 "2005-11-12T01:58:29Z")
Didn’t Star Brand destroy a city ? ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/37 "2005-11-12T03:10:16Z")
I wouldn’t count something like the death of Uncle Ben as being a “murder” on Spider-man’s part; while he certainly carried huge guilt for it, he didn’t plot the murder nor carry it out. Random thug dude did. A more ambiguous example comes from _Avengers_, when Mockingbird was mind-controlled and raped by Phantom Rider. Later, after she snapped out of it, she had the opportunity to save him from falling to his death – and she did nothing. She stood aside and let him die, and then covered up the whole thing from her teammates. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/38 "2005-11-12T03:38:30Z")
Queen Projectra killed Nemesis Kid in the Legion, however, she wasn’t a member of the Legion and he had just essentially caused her husband’s death. She said something about it being her right as absolute ruler of Orando. I guess she was right. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/39 "2005-11-12T03:48:36Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > Queen Projectra killed Nemesis Kid in the Legion, however, she wasn’t a member of the Legion and he had just essentially caused her husband’s death. She also, later, inadvertantly caused the death of the Emerald Empress when she cut her off from the Emerald Eye (which had been sustaining her). It was something of a Suicide by Superhero on the Empress’ part - she knew it would kill her, Jeckie didn’t, the Empress begged for Jeckie’s help getting free of the Eye. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535/40 "2005-11-12T07:57:27Z")
> [@Agent Foxtrot](#): > > A more ambiguous example comes from _Avengers_, when Mockingbird was mind-controlled and raped by Phantom Rider. Later, after she snapped out of it, she had the opportunity to save him from falling to his death – and she did nothing. She stood aside and let him die, and then covered up the whole thing from her teammates. Wow … _Avengers_ has evolved quite a bit since I was reading it regularly (but that was over a decade ago). It was a pretty simple good-guys-whomp-the-bad-guys deal back then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-superheroes-are-responsible-for/330535.md?page=3)