10 Controversial Comic Book Deaths Fans Hated

2. Poison Ivy - Heroes In Crisis (Teased)

Poison Ivy Heroes in Crisis
DC Comics

Poison Ivy fans, much like those who've come to love Wally West over the years, haven't been having the best couple of years. DC Editorial rarely seems to know what to do with the character, with the figure being depicted as an environmental anti-hero in some comics, and an out and out ruthless villain in others. It's been frustrating, and when Clay Mann's cover for Heroes in Crisis #6 leaked online last December, the backlash was palpable.

Pictured above is the 're-drawn' cover DC released following the backlash, and though the original was slightly worse, it feels as though the actual criticism of the image has been completely overlooked. The main problem is that it depicts Ivy in a suggestive light even when she's laying on the floor dying. Sexing up a tragic event this way is pretty bizarre no matter which way you look at it, and though Mann has been doing some incredible work on DC's latest Crisis comic, this cover felt and still does feel like something of a miss-step.

There's still a pretty good chance that there's a bit of deception going on here, with Ivy's death having been telegraphed since the beginning of the series, but either way it's still hard not to feel for Pamela's fans. The character's been tossed back and forth to suit various different roles since the New 52 and Rebirth commenced, and it's high time DC defined which one she'll fill sooner, rather than later.

Also don't kill her off. Please.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.