DC Superhero Equals Dead Parent(s)

Art by Alex Ross

Many kids grow up with lofty aspirations of what they want to be when they grow up. Everything from being a rock star to being a sports star are often goals the youth of America aspire to achieve. Some kids, especially when they are too young to know better, state they want to be a superhero when they grow up. Watching TV, movies, and reading the stories of their favorite comic book characters, kids often pretend to be their favorite heroes while they play. One of the most popular groups of superheroes that kids emulate is DC's Justice League. Unfortunately, what most kids don't realize, if you want to be a Justice League member, one if not both your parents have to have passed away.

Now there have been many Justice League members over the years, so of course many of them probably still have living parents, but if you look at most of the core members over the years, you'll notice a trend.

Batman: This is probably the most obvious one since the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne basically created the desire in Bruce to become something more than your average kid. Without their death, he would probably resemble something closer to his playboy image he pretends to be when he's Bruce Wayne, rather than the Dark Knight. Without the act of Joe Chill, the world itself might have been destroyed several times over because there would be no Batman to save it.

On a side note, though not a core member of the Justice League, the various Robins have been victim of parental deaths as well. Dick Grayson (Nightwing), the first Robin, was orphaned after his parents were killed while performing. Jason Todd (Red Hood), the second Robin, was originally an acrobat himself and his parents were killed by Killer Croc. This storyline was retconned though and Todd became an orphan who tried to steal the tires off the Batmobile. The third Robin, Tim Drake (Red Robin), started his superhero career after the death of his mother and the crippling of his father. His father would eventually be killed by Captain Boomerang. This story was later retconned as well and Tim Drake's parents would go into hiding in the Witness Protection Program.

Superman: Although raised by the Kents, Superman was originally orphaned when his home planet of Krypton explodes, taking the lives of his parents. Raised by the wholesome Kansas farmers, Superman is more of an alter-ego for Superman, as opposed to Bruce Wayne is the alter-ego to Batman. Not personally knowing his biological parents, Clark is less influenced by their death than he is by the boy scout like demeanor that the Kents instilled in him.

Aquaman: In the Golden Age version of Aquaman's backstory his mother dies while giving birth to Arthur.

The Flash: Barry Allen's family is torn apart when his mother is murdered after he comes home from a spelling bee. Making matters worse, his father is arrested and sent to prison for the death of Allen's mother, despite his father's innocence. Proving this becomes one of Allen's priorities in life and the likely inspiration for his career choice in forensics for the police department.

Green Lantern: Hal Jordan was the son of a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft. Idolizing his father, Hal unfortunately watched his father die right before his eyes when he crashed his plane. Despite witnessing such a traumatic event, Hal eventually became a pilot himself before the ring found him, turning Jordan into the first human Green Lantern.

Green Arrow: The child of millionaires, Oliver Queen learned how to shoot a bow and arrow to emulate Robin Hood. After accidentally killing a small animal, Queen was mildly traumatized. Later on, while on an African safari, Queen witnessed his parents being mauled by lions. He could have saved them, but his hesitation to shoot the lions leads to their death.

Shazam: Billy Batson is a teenager who bounces around from foster home to foster home before acquiring the powers of the Wizard who passed his powers onto Batson.

The Martian Manhunter: While technically not the victim of an early parental death, J'onn J'onzz was a loving father and husband until his family and just about all the other Martians died off from a contagious virus that fed off the telepathic energy that Martians had.