8 Comics That Almost Had Better Endings

8. Batman: A Death In The Family

One of the most impactful comic book stories to tear down Batman's world was 1989's "Batman: A Death in the Family." The story took place in Batman #426 through #429, and it told the tale of Jason Todd's quest to find his birth mother after Batman relieved him of his job as Robin.

While he's on his quest, he's kidnapped by the Joker, who tortures and kills the Boy Wonder. The death of Jason Todd rocked Batman's world, and it's something he never truly recovered from. When the books were published, they came with two 900 numbers fans could call and vote on Todd's fate.

One number would give a vote for Jason Todd's survival while the other would end in his death. More than 10,000 votes were cast during the 36 hours the lines were open on September 15, 1988, and lo and behold, Jason Todd earned a thumbs down from the fans (but not without some allegations of cheating).

The ending came with Batman holding the beaten and battered corpse of Jason Todd, but due to the fact that the vote could have gone either way, an alternate ending was also created. In the alternate ending, Batman was holding Todd's body, but he exclaims, "HE'S ALIVE!" Doubtless, some fans would have been happy with that outcome while others wouldn't, so whether or not it's better is different for every reader.