10 Biggest DC Comics Controversies‏

5. The Death (And Resurrection) Of Jason Todd

You know you've got an unpopular character on your hands when fans are literally ringing up and begging you to kill him off. That was ultimately what sealed the fate of the second Robin, Jason Todd, filling in for Dick Grayson while he was off galavanting with the Teen Titans as Nightwing.

Jason was written as a the opposite of Dick: he ignored most of Batman's orders, was generally a whiny brat, and was responsible for the deaths of several villains. So, following an outpouring of correspondence from readers who hated, hated, hated this Robin, DC decided the best way to decide what happened to Jason was to take it to an X-Factor-style phone-in vote.

It actually ended up being pretty close, but regardless, A Death In The Family ended with Robin II being bludgeoned to death with a crowbar by The Joker. Frank Miller - no stranger to controversy himself - called it the ugliest and most cynical thing he'd seen in comics. This was 1988, though, so there was still plenty of time for DC to do worse. Like bringing Jason Todd back in recent years as The Red Hood. But that's a story for another day...