10 Controversial Comic Book Deaths Fans Hated

9. Spoiler - War Games

Stephanie Brown may not be as central a role in the Bat-Family as she used to, but when she did, the character was adored. Stephanie adopted the identity of Spoiler to put an end to her father's villainous ways. Being a vigilante in Gotham without Batman's oversight, Spoiler found herself in conflict with the Bat-Family and even developed a romance with Tim Drake, leading to a storyline where she temporarily assumed the Robin identity.

Unfortunately for Steph and her fans, the character was 'killed off' during the closing stages of the War Games event, where Black Mask brutally tortured her. Stephanie manages to escape, and falls into the care of Dr. Leslie Thompkins, who then intentionally decides to let her die.

Even at the time Stephanie's passing felt unnecessarily cruel, and Thompkins' involvement in her demise felt both sudden and jarring. It seems as though DC felt the same several years later, as the character was brought back from the dead (turns out she never died in the first place), and became the latest incarnation of Batgirl.

Oh, and that Batgirl series is definitely worth checking out.