DC Comics has a plethora of heinous supervillains who seek wealth, power, or anarchy. However, there are instances where these villains choose to pass their evil to the next generation. As one can imagine, being the child of a supervillain can be highly unpleasant. With such twisted and abusive parents, these kids can develop in a myriad of different ways. Some of these kids decide that they want to continue their parents’ legacy of villainy and become some of the greatest threats the DC Universe has ever seen. Other kids, however, don’t let their past define them; instead, they dedicate their lives to battling their parents as superheroes.
These are the most iconic superheroes and supervillains who can trace their roots to some of DC Comics’ most notorious evildoers.
Hailing from the planet Korugar, Soranik Natu is the daughter of Thaal Sinestro, the fallen Green Lantern who had enslaved her people years ago. Despite her heritage and her protests, Soranik was deemed worthy of joining the Green Lantern Corps, which she accepted begrudgingly. She quickly rose through the ranks of the Corps and battled Sinestro. Sadly, Soranik couldn’t escape her destiny because Sinestro stripped her of her Green Lantern ring, forcing her to join the Sinestro Corps. Initially resistant to the Corps’ evil, Soranik sought to transform the Sinestro Corps into a genuine force for good. However, their violent and cruel tendencies exerted a strong influence on her. Seeming to embrace her inheritance of fear and violence, she renamed herself “Soranik Sinestro.”
Jennie-Lynn Haden, aka Jade, and Todd Rice, aka Obsidian, are the twin children of the Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott. Their mother, however, was the notorious plant-based villain Rose Canton, aka Thorn. Rose suffered from a severe case of dissociative identity disorder, with the evil Thorn personality acting as a supervillain. Jennie-Lynn and Todd were separated at birth and only reunited when they grew up. Jennie-Lynn can naturally create Green-Lantern-like light constructs, while Todd can manipulate shadows. The two became heroes and reconnected with their parents. Tragically, Rose sacrificed her life so that her Thorn personality wouldn’t harm her children. Jennie-Lynn and Todd mourned her passing but continued to fight evil alongside their father as members of the Justice Society.
The children of the assassin known as Deathstroke have a long and complicated history, often straddling the line between hero and villain. Rose Wilson, the youngest in the family, took the mantle of her older deceased brother, Grant Wilson, aka Ravager. She was brainwashed to be Deathstroke’s lackey, but she soon broke free and joined the Teen Titans to rebel against her father. Joseph Wilson, aka Jericho, was unique among his family because he could control people through eye contact. Joseph lost the ability to talk after an assassin cut his throat to hurt Deathstroke. Like Rose, Joseph rebelled against his father and joined the Teen Titans, but he’s turned to the dark side on multiple occasions.
Stephanie Brown grew up resenting her estranged father, the C-List supervillain known as Cluemaster. Eventually, Stephanie decided to “spoil” Cluemaster’s schemes by donning a costume and calling herself Spoiler. With knowledge of her father’s plans, Stephanie would leave clues for Batman and Robin to find so that they could catch Cluemaster. Stephanie’s heroics led her to team up with and eventually date the third Robin, Tim Drake. Over the years, Stephanie has been a long-time member of the Bat Family, assuming the mantles of Batgirl and Robin at different times. Now, she’s returned to her Spoiler mantle and continues to protect Gotham from criminals, especially her father.
The sons of Darkseid, Orion and Kalibak, epitomize the nature vs nurture debate. As a child, Orion was raised by the benevolent ruler of New Genesis, Highfather, as part of a peace treaty between New Gensis and Apokolips. With a loving family, Orion grew into a strong and honorable warrior who fights for justice. However, he still retains remnants of his savage and brutal instincts passed down from Darkseid. Kalibak, in contrast, is Darkseid’s firstborn and known as the Scourge of Apokolips. He was raised by his father to be a vicious brute who only lives to serve Darkseid. On opposite ends of the New Genesis/Apokolips conflict, Orion and Kalibak are heated rivals who seek to prove their superiority over the other.
Cassandra Cain was raised to be a killer, just like her parents, the assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva. Focusing all their time on transforming Cassandra into a perfect weapon, her parents didn’t even bother teaching her how to read or speak. When Cassandra took her first life at eight years old, she ran away in disgust and horror. The young girl was homeless for many years until she stopped her father from assassinating Commissioner Gordon. Barbara Gordon, aka Oracle, took Cassandra in and taught her how to read, write, and speak. Cassandra then became the second Batgirl and joined the Bat Family, with Batman adopting her. To sever any ties to her birth parents, Cassandra took on the alias of Orphan.
Aquaman and Black Manta are among DC Comics’ fiercest rivals, which makes it particularly ironic that Black Manta’s son, Jackson Hyde, became the new Aqualad — and sidekick to the King of Atlantis. Jackson’s mother, an Atlantean, sought to protect him from his Atlantean and villainous heritage by raising him in secret on land. Once Jackson’s Atlantean physiology and hydrokinetic powers began to develop, he joined the Teen Titans to become a hero. However, he eventually discovered that Black Manta was his father, and the reveal shook him to his very core. To learn how to control his powers and to distance himself further from Black Manta, Jackson became Aquaman’s protégé and trusted friend.
Talia al Ghul is the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, the centuries-old leader of the League of Assassins. Talia is a merciless and deadly warrior, proficient in all manner of fighting styles and weapons. For many years, she has been torn between her loyalty to her father and her love for Batman. She even had Batman’s child, Damian, whom she raised in secret. However, despite caring for Batman and Damian in her own twisted way, both take a backseat to Talia’s ambitions for power. She has, on numerous occasions, tried to kill her beloved and her son to further her schemes. While she may claim to love Batman and Damian, her actions show what she really is: a cold-hearted monster, just like her father.
The son of Batman and Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne was raised by his mother and grandfather in secret for ten years. Training him to be a killer, Talia desired for Damian to grow up to become the new leader of the League of Assassins and take over the world. Talia’s plan never came to fruition, as Damian came under the care of Batman. Although Damian was initially resistant to his father’s non-lethal methods, Batman’s tutelage caused Damian to mature into a true hero. Damian became the new Robin, fighting alongside his father to protect Gotham, even from his own mother and grandfather.
While many Teen Titans have family issues, none of them face anything quite like Raven’s relationship with her father, the demonic overlord Trigon. He created Raven to act as a gateway for him to invade Earth. As a half-human, half-demon, Raven is a mighty sorceress who must constantly struggle to keep her evil urges in check, or else she risks hurting the people she loves. Raised by her mother in the peaceful land of Azeroth, Raven fled to Earth upon discovering that Trigon was her father and that he planned to conquer Earth. To combat her father, Raven founded the second incarnation of the Teen Titans, who became her found family. Despite originating from one of the most evil entities in existence, Raven has forged her own path, becoming one of DC’s greatest heroes.
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