Marvel superheroes and their dark past have always been an emotional rollercoaster for the fans. Okay yes, they are not as heartbreaking as Snape from Harry Potter, but, it is still very sad. From Spider-Woman to Rocket Racoon, Marvel is filled with heroes with histories that can make you sob. Let’s take a look at the Top 10 Marvel heroes with dark and disturbing backstories.
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Top 10 Marvel Heroes With Cruel Origin Stories
10. Drax The Destroyer/Arthur Douglas
Arthur Douglas was a real estate agent. When his wife Yvette, and daughter Heather, were driving across the Mojave Desert from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, a spaceship carrying Thanos passed overhead on a surveillance mission to Earth. Thanos destroyed the automobile and then landed to make certain they were dead. Satisfied that they were, Thanos left. Mentor, the father of Thanos could no longer the cruelties of his son and wanted to create a being of sufficient power to defeat Thanos.
Mentor had Kronos seize the astral form of Arthur Douglas before it had completely fled from Douglas’s body. Kronos and Mentor then fashioned a humanoid body from the Earth’s soil, granted it superhuman powers, and cast Douglas’ spirit inside it. Thus they created the being who would become known as Drax the Destroyer. He was born with hatred in his heart. From the moment he was created to be Thanos’ nemesis, Drax became an Avatar of Life.
9. Zeitgeist/Axel Cluney
Axel was tormented by nightmares of the first time his mutant power manifested. When Axel was making out with a girl on the beach he ended up awakening his powers. The makeout session ended when he spewed acidic vomit, burning the girl’s face. Fortunately, She survived. But Axel wondered if the nightmares would stop if he ever remembered the girl’s name.
Axel became famous after getting his new powers. But, he secretly hated both the public who adored and cherished him and was dissatisfied with his high-profile mutant life.
8. U.S. Agent/John Walker
John Walker in Marvel cinematic universe has a pretty pitying back story to him. Everything was going great in his life till things finally took a turn for the worse. When two of his former army pals publicly revealed his identity it was the start. The villainous group the Watchdogs captured Walker’s parents and held them hostage.
While he tries to rescue them, they end up being killed by the group. Not only does Walker kill the Watchdogs, but, he also captures and nearly kills the two responsible for leaking his identity. He’s stripped of his role as Captain America. In a rather short span of time, he ended up losing both his job and his parents.
7. Black Bolt/Blackagar Boltagon
Black Bolt was born to two of Attilan’s top geneticists, Agon, head of the ruling Council of Genetics, and Rynda, director of the Prenatal Care Center. As an infant, he demonstrated certain energy-manipulative abilities which he could not yet control, particularly that of producing quasi-sonic energy of great destructive potential through his voice.
Later, in an attempt to stop the Kree ship before it escaped, Bolt used the forbidden power of his quasi-sonic voice to knock the ship out of the sky. When the ship crashed, it landed on the parliament, killing several key members of the Council of Genetics, including his parents, Agon and Rynda. Despite his guilt and silent protests, Black Bolt was obligated to accept the mantle of leadership of the Inhumans at age twenty.
6. Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew
life was good for Jessica Drew until she became ill, poisoned by her long-time exposure to uranium. Jonathan injected Jessica with an untested serum made with the blood of several uncommon species of spiders, in the hopes of stopping the tissue damage and immunizing the girl from the uranium radiation in her blood.
Drew was kept in stasis for decades, while the chamber holding her kept her aging greatly slowed until the treatments finally finished in recent years. During many of those years, Jess’s mother Miriam awaited her return, but due to age needed Wyndham to make a clone to continue her vigilance.
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5. Rocket Raccoon
‘Guardians of galaxy‘ famous and notorious Rocket Racoon also has a rather disturbing back story to him. The rocket was among the poor creatures that were given human awareness by the robots. They were then put in charge of an Asylum for the criminally insane.
The workers of the Asylum got tired of working there and created robots to replace themselves. The robots later replaced themselves with support animals one of which was Rocket.
4. Jessica Jones
Jessica Campbell Jones is a private investigator from New York City. She became orphaned at a young age., Jones was involved in a fatal car crash that took the lives of her parents. After being adopted, she discovered she possessed superhuman abilities and eventually decided to pursue a career as a superhero.
However, her encounter with Kilgrave, a man with mind-controlling powers, derailed her superhero career. She even spent some time as Kilgrave’s sex slave before finally breaking free of his control. The experience left Jones suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, prompting her to hang up her secret identity and open her own detective agency.
3. Deadpool/Wade Wilson
Deadpool‘s backstory is pretty tragic. Wilson didn’t have a happy childhood. He was not treated well by both his mother and father. He was then placed in foster care, but he was also mistreated by his foster mother. Apart from that, the people who have seen the movie and seen the face of Deadpool behind the mask, know that he is not conventionally “handsome”.
The reason behind this is that he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was subsequently offered a potential cure by joining the Weapon X program. However, when he was injected with a serum that did not rid him of his cancer. Instead, it gave him superpowers and made him immortal in all aspects.
2. Blade/Eric Brooks
Eric brook’s pregnant mother Tara was sent to England before his father was taken as a prisoner. Tara took shelter with brothel owner madam vanity and took the name of Vanessa Brooks.
Tara went to see Doctor Deacon Frost, who was actually a vampire who feasted on the woman as she gave birth. Passing on a series of enzymes that altered her baby. The enzymes entered the infant’s bloodstream, transforming him, but not completely.
In other words half-human, half-vampire also called a Dhampir. Frost was driven away before he could slay the child, but Tara perished, leaving the orphaned Eric Brooks to be raised at Madame Vanity’s brothel.
1. Wolverine/James “Logan” Howlett
Wolverine in Marvel is known for his immense rage, but this is somewhat justified if we look at his backstory. As a boy, James was frail, lean, and prone to bouts of allergic attacks.
He was largely neglected by his mother, who had been institutionalized for a time following the death of her first son. After he manifested his mutations he was forced into hiding, adopting the name Logan.
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