10 Superheroes Who Have Committed Murder

After killing dozens, hundreds, or thousands, when does a hero stop being a hero?

Batman Kills A Man
DC

The biggest killing spree by a superhero is often misattributed to Jean Grey. When she was possessed by the Phoenix, she destroyed a star, obliterating a nearby planet teeming with life.

It was later revealed this act wasn't carried out by Jean Grey. The star was annihilated by a duplicate body of Jean, which was inhabited by the Phoenix. The real Jean was found years later.

At first, readers were like, "Of course Jean didn't kill anyone! The writers wouldn't depict such a beloved character as a mass murderer, right?"

Wrong. Superheroes kill. And I'm not referring to parallel universes where Wolverine slaughtered the X-Men or Superman committed genocide. I'm talking about comics that are considered canon.

To prove this, this list will only look at the times when a superhero took a life in the official comics. No "What If" scenarios. No alternate realities. No Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe stories.

Don't worry. There are plenty of examples of a superhero taking a life in the canonical comics. Cyclops has killed repeatedly despite desiring peace between mutants and humankind. Spider-Man has unnecessarily murdered criminals without suffering any consequences or remorse.

Some heroes have killed thousands. Others have killed millions. And there are those who have killed so many, they have more in common with the villains they face than the heroes they claim to be.

10. Spider-Man

Batman Kills A Man
Marvel Comics

It's common knowledge that Superman and Batman have a No Kill Rule. Because Spider-Man was only a teenager when he obtained his powers and his life was turned upside down by his uncle's murder, readers assume he has a similar philosophy.

However, Spidey has slaughtered crooks and supervillains without showing any regret on multiple occasions. Sometimes, he makes a quip or a pun while taking a life, which makes him come across as heartless rather than charming or funny. When an assassin called the Finisher fired missiles at Spider-Man, he deflected them back at the supervillain without hesitation, killing him.

He used the henchman, Whisper, as a human shield against another baddie called Pulse. Pulse stabbed Whisper to death and Spider-Man tossed him aside unfazed. What a guy.

Spider-Man killed a vampire called Morlun by... eating him... That was a weird issue...

He murdered Backwards Man by turning him into a baby (as you do) and he forced Moondark to plummet to his death.

Wow, Spider-Man has killed a quite a few! How come people go berserk when Batman or Superman snuff someone out but nobody makes a peep about Spidey’s murder streak?

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James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85