10 Comic Book Deaths You Never Saw Coming
4. Iris West - Flash #276-283 (1979)
No matter how many times Eobard Thawne AKA Reverse-Flash squared off against the Flash, the Scarlet Speedster always triumphed. Refusing to accept defeat, Thawne devised a new way to destroy Barry Allen's life - though his wife, Iris West. Thawne had been in love with Iris for years and decided that if he couldn't have her, neither could Barry.
After confronting Iris, Thawne gave her an ultimatum, stating he would kill her within 24 hours if she didn't leave her husband for him. While at a masquerade party the following night, Thawne asked Iris if she considered his proposal. Iris told the deranged criminal that she would never be with him, even if she wasn't with Barry. In a rage, Reverse-Flash used his superspeed to vibrate his fingers through Iris' skull, shredding the molecules in her brain.
Even though it's horrific when a beloved superhero dies, you can understand why it happens since they constantly put themselves in danger. But that wasn't the case with Iris. She didn't interfere with Thawne's plans for world domination. Thawne killed her purely out of spite, which makes her death so much more horrific.