10 Most Heartbreaking Moments In The DC Animated Universe

10. Solomon Grundy's (Final) Death - Justice League Unlimited

Justice League Unlimited Solomon Grundy Death
Warner Bros.

Justice League Unlimited is one of the smartest superhero series you'll ever get to watch, and that goes for all mediums, not just animation.

The show was spearheaded by numerous DCAU veterans but in particular the late, great Dwayne McDuffie, a creator who was not only instrumental in developing the character of Static for comics and television, but who also constantly managed to cut to the core of what made comics, superheroes and supervillains, ultimately so human.

"Wake the Dead" is one such example of McDuffie's talents, with the story having been co-developed by Bruce Timm. In it, we get to see how Hawkgirl has been coping since the events of "Starcrossed", where she left the Justice League and broke John Stewart's heart (and all ours too). Turns out she's been hanging out with Doctor Fate, Amazo and Aquaman in the sorcerer's tower.

The group soon learn that an incantation gone awry has once again resurrected Solomon Grundy, that loveable monster who had previously died in Hawkgirl's arms on another supernatural mission, so already there's an added level of emotion to consider.

Sadly, the ritual has rendered Grundy mindless and violent - he isn't the loveable zombie we once knew. The combined forces of the Justice League struggle to reason with him, and then to stop him with force, which prompts Hawkgirl to try and reach him. She manages to break through for a second, but both herself and Grundy are resigned to what happens next. After one last moment of comfort, Shayera grants her old friend peace.

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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.