10 Heartbreaking Moments Comic Book Characters Realised THEY Were The Villain
You either die a hero, or live long enough to realise you were the villain.
Comic books at their core have always been about the unending struggle between good and evil, hero versus villain, how far someone will go to protect their loved ones, or sometimes the whole universe.
Not all characters across the world of comics conform to these ideas of right and wrong with some often finding themselves somewhere in the middle. Anti-heroes and otherwise sympathetic villains have become increasingly popular, not just in DC and Marvel, but across the whole landscape of comic books.
Despite an increase in the morally ambiguous category of "heroes" there has always been a hunger for what-if scenarios regarding those heroes who hold themselves to a higher standard. Countless times have creators pulled the old "what if Superman bad" in an attempt to shock audiences by having their favourite boy scout tear the DC universe in two.
But some writers took that idea one step further, what if those who perceived themselves as heroes were to turn over to the dark side without even realising it.
Delving deep into comics past and present, here are some of the most shocking moments when characters realised they were the villain.
10. Captain Marvel - Civil War 2
During the build-up to the MCU's Captain America: Civil War film release, Marvel released a rather controversial comic series simply called Civil War II.
Tony Stark was yet again pitted against another stubborn Captain, only this time it was Carol Danvers. The squabble erupted over the appearance of a new superpowered being called Ulysses Cain.
Cain had the unique ability to see the future before it happened, often predicting supervillain attacks or doomsday events. Danvers decided that this power was too good to simply let him go away with the Inhumans and tried to recruit Cain into joining her Ultimates team. Her goal was to use these precognitive abilities to arrest potential threats before they had a chance to act.
Stark was immediately against the idea, warning her that it would lead down a slippery slope. The argument split the hero community down the middle for the second time.
During one of the escalated fights, Cain had a vision that Miles Morales would kill Captain America. Danvers immediately wanted to arrest the teen but Stark vouched that there must be more to it. The ongoing grudge matches eventually concluded when Danvers used excessive force and almost killed Stark.
In an attempt to stop Captian Marvel from doing any further damage, Cain projected his visions to the other and explained he cannot see the definite future but ALL possible futures.
With Tony in a coma, Danvers was left to hand Cain over to the Celestials, and ponder what she had done.