10 Marvel Heroes With Surprisingly Tragic Origins

By rule of thumb, comics usually are quite transparent with which characters are going to get a dark backstory. Brooding, all-black wearing anti-hero? Probably going to have a rough time. The cheerful comic relief character? A wholesome, spotless upbringing.

But this isn't always the case. Often, some of the darkest backstories come from characters you wouldn't expect to have them, either for shock value, or as a handy reminder that not everyone with a sad origin story has to don a black leather trenchcoat.

And although it might seem jarring to have Frog Thor or Goldballs have heartbreaking moments in their storylines, it's also absolutely crucial, as it removes the predictability of comics that can make them seem so formulaic. Allowing characters to not be permanently soured by their history allows them to feel more like real people, who are nine times out of ten capable of overcoming bad experiences without it giving them a goth phase.

Although you wouldn't expect that maggots, children, and small kind aliens would all have backstories that could make Batman shudder, it's also darkly delightful to know that Gotham's protector doesn't have a complete monopoly on tragic origin stories.

Continuing a concerning trend of joke characters being given inordinately tragic backstories, Goldballs discovered his powers in the middle of someone trying to rob him. The whole thing looks exceedingly traumatic, not helped by the fact that after Fabio stops shooting balls, the police come to arrest him, having presumed that the young mutant is attempting to assault everyone he's hit with the golden orbs.

If you can't feel sorry for a screaming teen uncontrollably shooting magical eggs from himself, then there's likely few people you can feel sorry for, as Fabio's discovery of his powers literally couldn't get any worse if he tried.

The event showcases how even seemingly innocuous powers can be used in distressing ways, which is a solid reminder of why the X-Men are so important - because if Goldballs can cause a scene, so can literally anyone with powers.