Which Hero Lost the Most Before Becoming a Superhero?

To be a superhero is there a story filled with tragedy. So let’s talk about who lost the most.

I’d say either Superman or Batman

2 Likes

Probably Batman

2 Likes

Supergirl. It’s one thing to lose your home planet, and another to actually know what you lost. And, for that matter, to arrive on Earth with your mission (in her case, “watch over baby Kal-El”) completely moot. She’s a young woman without home or purpose. There’s no reason for her to be a hero, and yet, there she is.

9 Likes

I will just copy this answer.

3 Likes

Deadman? He lost his life.

3 Likes

I’m a huge Superman fan but I have to agree with @HubCityQuestion Supergirl has lost a lot and is there anyone who has lost more than the girl of steel ?

2 Likes

martian manhunter

1 Like

That’s where my mind went as well!

Why’d you remove a post?

I accidentally replied to the entire thread instead of directly to someone else’s comment, why?

just curious

Yeah I’d agree with this. I can’t imagine living knowing that my entire planet is dead

1 Like

A lot of characters could be argued to have lost a lot. Batman, Superman, Supergirl, Deadman, etc. Heck, even my favorite character in a sense had lots of tragedy depending on which origin you go with. One version she was abandoned in a building not knowing who her parents even were, one origin had her as a mirror image of Diana living numerous lives to be ended by Dark Angel each time, and her most recent finding out she was created to be a villain literally to combat Diana and realizing this isn’t who she wants to be and having to work to be a hero. Yes, DONNA TROY lost a lot even while being a hero since she lost a husband and child during her adventures. Every character’s backstory seems laced with loss.

I’m gonna have to disagree with folks on Supergirl having lost more than Superman before becoming a superhero. I’ve seen this case made before and it’s a good pitch, but it’s not needed, nor do I think it is how her situation should be viewed. That because she was a teenager having grown up on Krypton, its destruction is more of a loss to her than Superman. It certainly gives her a different perspective of its loss, but I believe a better observation would be along the lines of Alfred Lord Tennyson “'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” The difference being, she had all those years and memories of Krypton. Superman “lost” or rather never even had the opportunity to have them. Would any of you feel it worse to have had loved ones in your life that you’ve lost over never having had them in your life? I imagine you’d cherish those memories and see them as a blessing. I feel this is an aspect people overlook when thinking about these two characters.

Also, I don’t see how the lesser degree of her need to watch over baby Kal-El is a loss. Would her father still not send her off in that pod if his protection was not needed? Yes he would, her safety was his main objective and the only downside was that she need not be a glorified babysitter. Being Clarks protector never should have been what defined her or her purpose and value as a character. It only forced her to discover what hers was and never should have been decided by another in the first place. I bailed on Supergirl comics around #13 of the New 52 and haven’t really read much of her Rebirth run, but if she is anything like the old Supergirl she will be there to protect and save Superman when he needs saving.

I think it depends on who you are as a person.

My father never met his real father, and he never missed him. For him, his father was the one he grew up with.

For me I switched nationality right after birth. Having no ties to the country I belonged to at birth I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything there.

While others have a different experience, my losses are counted among the things I have developed attachments to. It’s not about having loved and lost. I had other things instead of my real grandpa and the nation I was assigned with at birth.

I see Supermans experience through my own eyes. Superman isn’t a Kryptonian at heart, he is a Kansas boy. His parents are the Kents, not the El’s. I never feel a loss for things I never had so I assume that for Kal, he wouldn’t feel much loss either. He had other things instead.

Anyway that’s why Superman doesn’t rank high on my list. Martian manhunter as some mentioned is up there though.

3 Likes

I can understand where your coming from and how one can apply it in that manner. My point was not as to how the individual feels, but the matter of loss it self regardless of the individuals view on it. That it’s a greater loss never to have known it than having know it and losing it. As for Clark, I think the argument could be made that it is a significant loss for him. Though he was raised as a human he is not one of them and there will always be those who see him as an alien and a threat. He never had what Kara had, even if you want look at the New Krypton story. Kara also was there for it and Clark was put in the position where both sides at times didn’t accept him. MM is a stronger case I feel and my points for Kara and Clark do not amount to losing your world plus a child.

1 Like