10 Most Devastating Comic Book Endings

Death is no stranger to superhero comics. Half of all superheroes are born in response to a traumatic death, most superheroes have died themselves at one point or another, and their primary motivation almost always boils down to wanting to keep people from dying. So death in comic books, by murder, natural causes, or freak accidents, are not uncommon. However, there has only been one notable incident of direct infanticide.

After Aquaman is voted out of power, he discovers his ousting was part of a political conspiracy by Karshon the Shark and Black Manta. When he undoes this subterfuge, however, he abdicates his throne to his adviser Vulko so he can be a full-time hero. This enrages Black Manta who kidnaps Aquaman's infant son and holds him hostage, forcing Aquaman and Aqualad to fight to the death. While they battle, the "Aquababy" drowns in a bubble of oxygen right in front of his father's eyes.

What resulted was continuous heartbreak for the King of Atlantis. His wife, Queen Mera, blamed their son's death on him and, even though she admitted she still loved him, their marriage ultimately couldn't survive the tragedy and they fell apart. It didn't help that while all this was going on, Aquaman was kept busy by his hero work, still mourning his newborn child.