10 Most Violent Comic Book Heroes Ever
The violence that we need, but don't deserve.
Being a hero comes with certain rules and responsibilities. As the good guy in whatever film, book, comic or show they're found in, heroes have a duty to be the opposite of their respective baddie, standing for all that is good and just and defending innocents from harm.
There's a strict moral code that superheroes must stick to, with the bulk of the rulebook concerning the lack of violence employed by the good guys. Heroes rarely ever attack their enemies first; their first moves usually involving stopping their criminal acts or saving any innocents nearby, and even their choice of weaponry or fighting style is usually depicted as being more peaceful or defensive in comparison to the baddie they come up against.
However, comic books also have an amazing history of making superheroes more grounded, fierce and less than perfect. With that in mind, readers have seen some pretty brutal moments come from the side of good over the years.
Whether it's through a tragic backstory altering their perceptions, or their powers unlocking a darker side of their character, here are the most violent superheroes across comic book history.
10. Red Hood - DC Comics
Even as the boy wonder partner of Batman, Jason Todd was a brash and morally complex individual. Unlike his mentor, Jason was far more relaxed about the idea of dispensing justice however means necessary, and is even teased to have pushed a serial rapist off a balcony in 'Batman' #422.
His death at the hands of the Joker remains one of the most brutal and infamous moments in all of comic book history, and without a doubt pushed Jason much further towards being a violent anti-hero once he was resurrected.
Though he still remains fixated on bringing the wrongdoers in society to justice and has proved to be a valuable ally to Bruce Wayne on more than one instance, there's no denying that Red Hood's means of dispensing said justice is a little on the grey side. He uses a whole range of weaponry rarely ever seen with Batman and, crucially, breaks Bruce Wayne's one rule of not killing anyone quite happily.
The years of emotional trauma and living in the shadow of the Bat for so long might be an understandable reason, however Red Hood's instabilities and lack of moral code do really make for one violent good guy.