Comic books have been around way before most of us reading this list were even born. They have had their fair share of infamy. Here are a few controversies that rocked the comic book world.
Batman’s Trust Issues
Silver St. Cloud was an elite Gotham Socialite introduced to DC Comics in the 1970’s. In Batman: The Widening Gyre, Silver and Bruce got engaged. But Batman felt that things were too good to be true. He assaulted Silver and started plucking his hair to see if she was a spy or a robot. The writers never really glossed over this fact later.
The Golden Child
The Golden Child was a one shot arc that took place after the events of The Dark Knight Returns III: The Master Race. the storyline itself had no controversies but the poster of the issue was flawed. Carrie Kelley, the new Robin, is seen throwing a lit Molotov. The world was experiencing massive riots all over the globe at the time. This poster was not taken lightly.
Batwoman Turns Into A Vampire
Batwoman has a rare position to appeal to a lot of neglected communities in the DC Universe. She is a lesbian and a woman of prominence within the Bat Family. The fact that DC turned her into a vampire and threw her happy family life into the fire was something we can never ever forgive and forget.
Green Goblin Rapes Gwen Stacy
Spider-Man’s other, more popular romantic interest, was Gwen Stacy. She famously died when her neck snapped before Peter could hold her down while fighting the Green Goblin. But Stacy’s plight was not over yet. It is later revealed that Gwen was actually raped by the Green Goblin and she had given birth to twins.
Batman Pees His Pants
Batman: The Widening Gyre is an issue that will be featured multiple times in this list. It is Kevin Smith’s greatest shame. In one event in the arc, Batman reveals to Baphomet, another vigilante, that he peed his pants while addressing Gotham’s Illuminati in Batman: Year One. Kevin Smith ruined the most badass moment in comic book history for us with a simple bladder spasm.
The Blob Eats The Wasp
The Blob was not always a joke. He was a mixed race superhero with a wonderful character development under the tutelage of Mark Millar. So when the Blob was revealed to have literally eaten the Wasp, people took it in very bad taste. It was rather uncalled for.
Black Cat’s Sexual Assault
The Evil That Men Do was an eye-opener for fans of Felicia Hardy aka Marvel’s Black Cat. The real reason behind why Hardy chose to become a vigilante is revealed in this issue. Black cat was date raped back in college. It is not a bad thing to address sexual assault on women but the way they handled it was very bad. It was all done in a ploy for the readers to sympathize with Black cat and make her popular.
Hank Pym Slaps Janet
Domestic abuse was taken very lightly in the comic books. Hank Pym had been diagnosed with personality disorders a long while ago, the reason why he had so many superhero identities. The final straw that broke the camels’ back was when hank struck back at Janet. That slap forever changed the way people looked at the superhero.
Captain America’s Hail Hydra
Boy where do we begin with this one. This entire panel was wrought with controversies. Captain America revealing he was a Hydra agent all along was like saying Deadpool never liked chimichangas.
Superman Renounces His Citizenship
In a standalone story arc titled ‘The Incident’, Superman decides its time to let go of his American identity. he pleads that America has lost its way and Superman is not just about the United States anymore. Fox news had a field day on this particular issue. DC was forced to apologize. So easy to get people riled up.
Jason Todd’s Death
The peculiarity of Jason Todd‘s death still astounds the fans. DC wanted to kill the character off but gave the final choice to the fans. After a poll was conducted, his fate was sealed. Todd was kidnapped and brutally beaten to death by the Joker.
Quicksilver And Scarlet Witch’s Incestuous Relationship
Incest is a topic we avoid like the Black Plague. And for good reason. It is taboo and it should always be like that. In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Quicksilver and Scarlet witch did not think so. They did not just share love for each other. They also lusted for each other and it felt wrong. The readers were not ready for that.
Literally All Of The Killing Joke
Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke started a revolution in the comic book industry. It showed the world comic books are not just a children’s medium. It could also have intense and graphic scenes. The Killing Joke had many such scenes – Barbara’s rape and the public humiliation of Jim Gordon being the highlights.
The New 52
The New 52 reboot is the most controversial DC event of the 21st Century. After the success of 2008’s Iron Man, people were starting to pick up comic books. DC decided to have a head start on Marvel be rebooting the DC Universe and making it accessible to all readers, even for the people who had never picked up a comic book. But in doing so they made a fatal error. They eliminated many legacy events. The Superboy prime effect never happened. Barbara Gordon never became Oracle. The existing DC fan base was pissed.
Batman’s Violation Of The No Guns Rule
Despite a tough exterior, Batman is actually a pacifist. But this was not the case when the Dark Knight first graced the issues of a comic book. During the 1940’s, Batman used guns to address criminal elements many times. He even used the Bat-Plane to hang a criminal once.
