Welcome back nerd squad, my name is Roya Destroyaa and this is Top 10 Nerd.
As one notable villain loves to remind us, being born in the dark and molded by the dark
may make the light blinding.
But Bane isnÕt the only one to have a dark past shape who he is; many on the good side
also have dark backstories, even more so than the famous mom-and-dad were gunned down in
front of me story.
So letÕs take a look at the top 10 SUPERHEROES WITH DARK PASTS.
In the number 10 spot WE HAVE SPIDERMAN.
But not the way youÕre thinking of it.
We all know Peter ParkerÕs apathy to burglary lead to the death of his beloved uncle ben,
and thatÕs enough to scar anyone for a lifetime.
But it gets worse.
It is revealed in 1984 in a one-off comic in partnership with the national committee
for the prevention of child abuse, that peter himself was a victim of molestation at the
hands of an older boy he befriends.
So his crime fighting may be fueled by his uncle, but perhaps he imagines his abuser
every time heÕs punching out the hobgoblin.
Coming in at number 9 IS THE PUNISHER.
ThereÕs gotta be a reason behind this guyÕs extreme violence right?
But of course.
When Frank Castle was on leave from the marines, he took his wife and 2 kids to central park
for some quality family bonding time.
But instead of a nice picnic, they happened upon a mob killing.
Fearing them as witnesses, the mob murdered his family right before his eyes, and though
Frank was the sole survivor, he couldnÕt even testify against the mobsters because
they were in cahoots with the NYPD.
I love central park, but talk about wrong time wrong place.
Next, at number 8 we got DR MANHATTAN.
Jon oysterman had a variety of events in his life that culminate into one cluster of misery.
His mother was killed while the family tried to smuggle away during world war 2.
His father, who had gifted him with his first clock, then had a fit and threw JonÕs clocks
away to urge him toward a new profession.
And then he gets himself locked inside an experiment test chamber of said new profession,
only to have his colleagues watch helplessly rather than risk their own lives trying to
save him, while he is vaporized.
Yeah he got some cool powers out of it, but really guys??
In the number 7 spot, Is THE HULK.
He doesnÕt smash because heÕs the hulk, he smashes because heÕs hurt.
Bruce Banner was born to an alcoholic dad who hated his living guts.
Not only would he beat Bruce, but he would grow angrier still whenever BruceÕs mom showed
the child any affection.
So much so that he murdered mama rebecca banner when she tried to escape with the kid.
Why even have a child if youÕre just gonna use it as a punching bag?
You can buy a real punching bag for much less.
ItÕs no surprise that once he was exposed to the radiation that made him the hulk, his
powers manifested in such monstrous ways.
Coming in at number 6 we got ASTRO BOY.
Taking a little trip into manga here, astro boy may appear as markeed to kids, but his
past story is a bit too adult for them to fully grasp.
Astro boy was created as a substitute for roboticist Dr. TenmaÕs son, who passed away
in an accident.
Dr Tenma then comes to the amazing conclusion that a robot cannot replace a human life,
and he abandons the robot to a circus.
Here, astro boy is forced into robotic servitude and made to fight other robots for entertainment,
until his eventual rescue.
Think about that next time you pop on that movie for your little cousins.
Next up, at number 5, we have MARTIAN MANHUNTER.
A lot of heroes will lose a loved one here and there, and itÕll drive them bonkers for
a while.
But how about losing everyone in one fell swoop all at the hands of your brother?
JÕonn JÕonez twin brother was born a jaded mutant to the martian race, and released a
genocidal virus that used the martiansÕ fear of fire against them.
Eventually JÕonzz wife and kid succumbed to this, dying before his very eyes in a blaze
of self-inflicted flames.
My brother may be annoying but at least heÕs not hell bent on genocide.
Up next at number 4, WE HAVE SPEEDY.
Roy HarperÕs dark struggles actually made for an award winning story, so thereÕs that
at least!
The young sidekick of Green Arrow fell into a deep depression when the teen titans disbanded
and green arrow lost his fortune.
To take the edge off, Harper turned to heroin.
Once green arrow finally paid attention, he threw speedy out and it was up to black canary
to help the poor kid through his withdrawal.
Hugs, not drugs kids.
In the number 3 spot, is SPEEDY.
The other one this time!
The moniker seems to carry some dark undertones.
The second speedy, Mia Dearden, has her own shadowy past.
She was born to an abusive father and ran away from home when she could no longer take
it.
On the streets she met a man named Richard who seemed to provide her everything she neededÑfood,
shelter, and of course the love she never knew.
But there was a catch: she would work for him as a child prostitute.
Because of this past she is also HIV positive, a rarity in comic books.
Coming in at number 2, we have WOLVERINE.
If youÕre wondering why this guy is always so angry, hereÕs why.
When James was a kid, he lived with his estateÕs groundskeeper Thomas LoganÕs son Dog, who
Thomas abused and turned into a bit of a monster.
Dog killed JamesÕ real dog, which caused the Logans to be expelled from the property.
Feeling really cheesed, Thomas broke into the Howlett estate and killed JamesÕ dad,
which caused James to pull out his claws for the first time and murder the groundskeeper.
This whole ordeal caused JamesÕ mom Elizabeth to shoot herself in the head.
Just a whole lot of tragic for one fuzzy guy to handle.
And finally, in the number 1 spot, WE got THE CROW.
The day before his Halloween wedding, Eric DravenÕs world ended.
Literally.
He was on his way home with his girlfriend Shelley when their car broke down.
They were then attacked by a gang and he is forced to watch Shelley being raped and beaten
to death right before he is shot in the head himself.
As if this wasnÕt disturbing enough, the whole story was formulated by writer James
OÕBarrÕs real experience of his girlfriend being killed by a drunk driver.
So those were the top 10 heroes with dark pasts.
Let me know in the comment section down below whose story is the most compelling.
My name is Roya Destroyaa, thanks for watching, and donÕt forget to subscribe so you never
miss another nerdy list!