From Green Arrow to Sandman: All Comic Book Characters’ Sad Backstories

You might find it hard to believe, but not all comic book characters have the most optimistic Backstories. Most characters’ origin stories tend to be pretty tragic. Although the characters in question often find themselves gifted with impenetrable strengths and power, these unique features typically come at an uncontrollable cost. Here are the top comic book characters’ most tragic backstories.

Spawn

No other character origin is as dark or emotionally disturbing as Frank Simmons, a highly skilled CIA agent, and a former military contract killer. He becomes the bearer of one of the saddest superhero origin stories.

Simmons’ best friend betrays and double-crosses him when they are working on a deal. He had been increasingly doubting his superiors’ morals in the brief period before this fatal setback. Yet, upon dying, his soul was still consigned to hell. Frank is granted permission to return to earth due to a deal with a demon. Still, he has been transformed into Spawn, a pretty solid but deformed demonic creature. Even worse, he has been absent for five years; his wife remarried to none other than the man who murdered him, and they had a child.

Eric Draven

It is one of the saddest character origin tales, and the author also remembers his late wife. The latter tragically died in a drunk driving accident. The protagonist of James O’Barr’s comic book series The Crow, Eric Draven, experiences a similar incident to the author. He and his girlfriend, Shelley, witness their car break down in the middle of a getaway.

A violent group appears to carry out the evil of disproportional dimensions while they wait for help. After shooting Eric in the head, the group of thugs forces him to watch as Shelley is raped and killed as Eric is dying slowly but surely a few hours later. Eric hunts the goons and executes them one at a time after being raised from the dead, given immortality among other powers, and led by a supernatural Crow.

Rocket Raccoon

Rocket Raccoon, also known as “Rocket,” is one of the coolest and furriest characters. Since the release of the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, which have risen in popularity with audiences, fans, and even critics, Rocket has gained recognition. However, his birth as a brazen space merc with remarkable powers isn’t as joyful as the movies have us believe.

Rocket was the subject that broke a hundred separate laws against the treatment of animals and the testing of living beings. Whoever abducted him from his home world is still unknown. Still, after implanting him with improved cybernetics and mental consciousness, he developed into a self-aware, ruthless space pirate known only as 89P1. It might not sound like one of the worst character origin stories. To call it inhumane is an understatement.

Rorschach

The question of which Watchmen had the saddest superhero origin story is more difficult to answer than which Watchmen was the worst. The only one with one of the most tragic superhero origin tales is Rorschach. For a man who bears (and wears) a psychiatric experiment as his calling card, you’d think everything would be all fine in the head.

Walter Kovacs was raised in a chaotic environment and was never permitted to perceive the world as anything but evil. Although Walter was a reasonably intelligent boy with high aspirations for religious instruction, his mother was a prostitute, and his father was a drinker who frequently battered Walter into giving up on his schooling. Unfortunately, Walter turned into Rorschach due to his brutal childhood.