11 Comic Book Characters Who Killed Their Loved Ones
X-Men and Superman are amongst those Marvel and DC names carrying out the unthinkable.
Given that the very nature of so many comic books are based around the tried and trusted Good vs. Evil formula, that means battles and bloodshed can often be the order of the day. Across the pages of these funny books, death can be a scarily frequent occurrence - and such demises have led to some of the most impactful, emotional moments in comic book history.
It goes without saying, mind, that death in comics isn't always a particularly finite arrangement. There was a running joke for decades that the only people who ever really stay dead in comics are Uncle Ben, Jason Todd and Bucky Barnes. But even that long-standing statement was made redundant, with both Jason and Bucky rising from their respective graves in the 2000s.
While any comic book death - even if only temporary - is a big deal, there have been hard-hitting panels that have seen certain characters having to kill off their own loved ones. Whether that's family, partners or near and dear friends, some of comics' biggest heroes (and villains) have had to make the ultimate heartbreaking decision to end the life of someone special to them.
Granted, this article could've consisted purely of names associated with the X-Men, but there are far more characters than just Xavier's mutants who have had to kill those closest to them - and with certain X-faces included here, here are 11 comic book figures who've had to do the unthinkable.
11. Iron Man
While 2006's Civil War arc saw a whole multitude of casualties across the heroes and villains of Marvel Comics, one of the first people to lose their life during this battle was Happy Hogan. And in Iron Man Vol. 4 #14, it's implied that Tony Stark was ultimately responsible for ending the life of his long-time friend.
The majority of Civil War's deaths involved grand spectacle and brutal action, yet Happy's was a far more sombre affair.
In an attempt to lure Stark out into his crosshairs, the Spymaster ambushes a dinner date of Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts, with the rogue threatening to kill both of Tony's close pals. Not taking too kindly to this, Happy lashes out at Spymaster - which unfortunately results in the pair falling several stories to an unhappy landing.
Following this fall, Hogan is left in a coma. In one of the more poignant parts of the larger Civil War arc, we see Tony and Pepper struggle with the reality that is now in front of them.
Appealing to Tony to use his Extremis-based abilities to put Happy out of his misery, Pepper regales Stark with a story about a boxer named Cobra McCoyle. After a career of being hit in the head, McCoyle was unable to look after himself or even feed himself - something which Pepper says Happy specifically said he never wanted to be like.
Shortly after, Happy Hogan passes away, with it implied that Stark used his tech to end his dear friend's suffering and shutdown Happy's life support.