If there’s one thing we’ve learned from our years on the Internet, it’s that there’s no aspect of comics that can’t be broken down and quantified in a single definitive list, preferably in amounts of five or ten. And since there’s no more definitive authority than ComicsAlliance, we’re taking it upon ourselves to compile Top Five lists of everything you could ever want to know about comics.

Complementing our countdown of the Five Best Face Turns from a few weeks ago, this week we're counting down the five best (or, to be honest, sometimes worst), most shocking, and most devastating instances of a character turning bad or revealing themselves to have been bad all along. Superheroes have a long history of being corrupted or disillusioned, and so this video takes a look at five of the most notable instances of this particular trope.

Show notes:

  • As usual, vague links to avoid spoiling the video for those who read this part first.
  • Books from the honorable mentions can be found here, here, here, here, and here.
  • Number five is not available in a collected print edition or digitally, because why would it be?
  • Number four is strangely not available in print, given the significance of the story, but it is available digitally.
  • Number three is also out of print, but I suspect that won't last long, as that whole series has been getting new printings lately. In the meantime, here it is digitally.
  • Number two is available, though, so if you haven't read one of the most seminal stories in superhero history yet for some reason, probably get on that.
  • I'm not going to link to number one, because it is terrible and I wouldn't want you encouraging such behavior with your dollars or even accidentally looking at or thinking about it.

 

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