11 Brutal Comics Insults That Ruined Characters

For once destroying villains with words, instead of punches.

By Zoë Miskelly /

Quips, ribs and insults are all prime weapons in the comic arsenal of engaging conversations. Without these, a lot of comic writing becomes exceedingly bland, as witty jabs are the prime way to show two characters as either best buds affectionately picking on one another, or hated rivals who can't resist sharpening their words into sharp, deadly points.

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While the difference between friendly banter and spiteful snark can sometimes be a thin line, it’s one that is crucial in terms of giving characters some extra dimension.

Similarly, we can learn quite a lot about characters from the way they insult each other. For example, seeing the Spider-Man write a full diss track on Kingpin, and seeing Robotman simply request that his enemies 'eat s**t' highlights their differences pretty well. Different characters insult people in different ways - and that's why it feels so good when you see the perfect, brutal insult pop up in page.

Proving that comic writers get out all their worst insults via the medium of writing scripts, these insults prove that the world's worst insults really do exist outside of the YouTube comments section.

11. Cliff's Menu

While it may not be the most sophisticated humour, anyone who doesn't react to the sentence "I hope you creeps are hungry, because you're going to be eating a lot of my s**t", has officially had the section of their brain dedicated to comedy removed in a tragic scientific experiment. Or, well, also possibly because they are grown adults - one or the other.

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It's also a really good way to introduce the type of person Cliff is early without getting too deep into the upsetting events of what made him a human brain in a robot's body - by focusing on the fact that he is equally hilarious and violent instead.

Indeed, these punchy and totally unusual lines go as far as to set up the entire tone of the Doom patrol comic itself, and the whimsy, delight and turmoil that the series is comprised of.

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