History AssholeVictim / ComicBooks

* In the start of ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' story ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', a crime lord is gunned down by one of the dancers whom he used to abuse sexually. No one sheds a single tear.

* As bad as Doctor Doom is, King Vladimir Vassily Gonereo Tristian Mangegi Fortunov, the former ruler of Latveria, whom Doom deposed and killed, was a far worse tyrant by most accounts. The same goes for anybody who successfully overthrows him; every time it happens and he later seizes back his power, the citizens are always glad to have him back.
* ThePunisher usually goes after some rather nasty people. The people he kills tend to be even worse. At least one (if not two) exception was the Punisher being unwillingly wacked out of his skull on drugs.

* In the backstory of ''Comicbook/KingdomCome'', [[NinetiesAntiHero Magog]] kills the Joker while he's in police custody. This is '''[[MonsterClown The Joker]]''', and he was arrested because he went on a rampage in the ''Daily Planet'' offices and killed 75 people -- including Lois Lane. When Superman protests, the public sides with Magog for this very reason. This kind of mindset is gradually deconstructed, however. The public deciding that it's okay for heroes to kill someone just because people think they're an asshole eventually leads to an entire generation of out-of-control and reckless heroes who don't hold back for anything -- including innocent bystanders. [[KickTheSonOfABitch But still...]]
* Speaking of the Joker, he kills Sheila Haywood, Jason Todd's mother in ''ComicBook/{{A Death in the Family}}''. She'd lost her medical license for performing back-alley abortions (one of which killed a patient) and was embezzling from her aid agency. She turned over her son to the Joker to save herself ([[IdiotBall instead of using her gun]]), who decided to kill both of them anyway.

* Subverted in ''ComicBook/TheMask'' comics: the fates "Big Head" inflicts on people are often [[DisproportionateRetribution so extreme]] that even when the victims are assholes, it's usually more horrific than cathartic.

* [[ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} Deathstroke's]] bastard [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]] went up against these types of villains on most of their missions, including a crime syndicate that manufactured a highly addictive drug literally made from children, a serial child molester with an hypnotic voice, the man who remorselessly murdered Tattooed Man's son, and the leader of an organization of underground human death matches where the fighters are experimented on and mutilated before they fight. This was on part of writer Eric Wallace's attempt to make the team of self-admitted villains seem better in comparison and thus earn sympathy from the readers. For a variety of reasons, it didn't work and fans hated the Titans just as much as their enemies.

* [[ComicBook/DeathstrokeTheTerminator Deathstroke's]] bastard [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]] went up against these types of villains on most of their missions, including a crime syndicate that manufactured a highly addictive drug literally made from children, a serial child molester with an hypnotic voice, the man who remorselessly murdered Tattooed Man's son, and the leader of an organization of underground human death matches where the fighters are experimented on and mutilated before they fight. This was on part of writer Eric Wallace's attempt to make the team of self-admitted villains seem better in comparison and thus earn sympathy from the readers. For a variety of reasons, it didn't work and fans hated the Titans just as much as their enemies.

* ''{{ComicBook/Arawn}}'': Math and Engus were two vicious and bloodthirsty warlords that betrayed their own kin for ultimate power, murdered several innocents and were depraved rapists (the former raped his brother's wife and the latter was a pedophile). When Arawn finally becomes King of Hell, inflicts eternal torture upon them by having Math to be quartered forever and Engus beheaded and forced to look to a mirror for all time with his eyes stitched open. Even with such brutal punishments, Arawn feels they got off too easy.

** Various members of an {{Ancient Conspiracy}} and their henchmen.

** The Comedian, although that had nothing to do with the (primary) motivation behind his murder. By the end, some readers feel some sympathy for him. But he's still an asshole.

* In the backstory of ''Comicbook/KingdomCome'', [[NinetiesAntiHero Magog]] kills the Joker while he's in police custody. This is '''[[MonsterClown The Joker]]''', and he was arrested because he went on a rampage in the ''Daily Planet'' offices and killed 75 people -- including Lois Lane. When Superman protests, the public sides with Magog for this very reason.
** This kind of mindset is gradually deconstructed, however. The public deciding that it's okay for heroes to kill someone just because people think they're an asshole eventually leads to an entire generation of out-of-control and reckless heroes who don't hold back for anything -- including innocent bystanders. [[KickTheSonOfABitch But still...]]

* When ComicBook/{{X 23}} kills Zander Rice, she puts away the claws and beats him for ''ten minutes'' in a truly brutal NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. Rice tortured and both physically and emotionally abused Laura ''all her life'' to that point,[[note]]Forcibly activating her HealingFactor at ''age seven'' with fatal dosages of radiation, removing her claws one at a time for coating in adamantium ''without anasthesia'', torturing her into responding to an olfactory trigger that sends her into a berserker rage whenever she smells it and using it to force her to murder the only two people at the Facility who cared about her, intentionally leaving her behind to be killed on a mission out of spite, and placing her in the "care" of the sadistic Kimura, among other things. And he only did this because Wolverine killed his father and Laura was created using his genetic material.[[/note]] so it makes the scene ''far'' more satisfying to read than watching someone get pounded into an unrecognizable pulp would normally be.
** Martin Sutter, as well. Although he didn't take a direct hand in her brutal upbringing that Rice did, he fostered the environment which enabled him to do so. Sutter summarily rejected every suggestion or warning Sarah Kinney made, and his entire motivation for the project was sheer greed. He never ''once'' had misgivings about what he and Rice were doing, and it's hard to feel a shred of sympathy for him when [[spoiler: Rice manipulates him into turning over full control to him, and then sends X-23 to kill him]].

* The ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' story, ''ComicBook/DarkVictory'' involves a CopKiller called the Hangman. Among the victims are the {{Corrupt Cop}}s from ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'': former commissioner Gillian Loeb, Gordon's former partner Aronld Flass, SWAT Lt. Branden, and SWAT officer Pratt. While Flass and Branden only appear in the mini as corpses, both Loeb and Pratt each get a moment to further cement their asshole behavior before they die: Loeb swings by recently promoted commissioner Gordon's office to gloat about Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face and [[Series/{{Batman}} Chief O'Hara]] being the first victim of the Hangman (and not-subtly imply he's gunning to get his job as police commissioner back) and Pratt tries to shoot Batman in retaliation for Batman punching him through a wall.

* ''ComicBook/CaballisticsInc'': Demon Jenny hits the bars a few times in search of fresh victims, one of whom was apparently a serial rapist and another one a child molester.

** This kind of mindset is gradually deconstructed, however. The public deciding that it's okay for heroes to kill someone just because people think they're an asshole eventually leads to an entire generation of out-of-control and reckless heroes who don't hold back for anything -- including innocent bystanders. [[KickTheSonOfTheBitch But still...]]

** This kind of mindset is gradually deconstructed, however. The public deciding that it's okay for heroes to kill someone just because people think they're an asshole eventually leads to an entire generation of out-of-control and reckless heroes who don't hold back for anything -- including innocent bystanders.

* Happens in quite a few ECComics, as often someone invokes a KarmicDeath by driving another person to kill them.

* Several of the heroines in ''ComicBook/{{Misty}}'' were unpleasant {{Jerk Ass}}es or {{Alpha Bitch}}es, in order to justify the many {{Downer Ending}}s of the stories.

* As bad as DoctorDoom is, King Vladimir Vassily Gonereo Tristian Mangegi Fortunov, the former ruler of Latveria, whom Doom deposed and killed, was a far worse tyrant by most accounts. The same goes for anybody who successfully overthrows him; every time it happens and he later seizes back his power, the citizens are always glad to have him back.

* Several of the heroines in ''ComicBook/{{Misty}}'' were unpleasant [[Jerk Ass]]es or [[Alpha Bitch]]es, in order to justify the many [[Downer Ending]]s of the stories.

* Several of the heroines in ''ComicBook/{{Misty}}'' were unpleasant [[JerkAss]]es or [[AlphaBitch]]es, in order to justify the many [[DownerEnding]]s of the stories.

* The ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' story, ''ComicBook/DarkVictory'' involves a CopKiller called the Hangman. Among the victims are the {{Corrupt Cop}}s from ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'': former commissioner Gillian Loeb, Gordon's former partner Aronld Flass, SWAT Lt. Branden, and SWAT officer Pratt. While Flass and Branden only appear in the mini as corpses, both Loeb and Pratt each get a moment to further cement their asshole behavior before they die: Loeb swings by recently promoted commissioner Gordon's office to gloat about Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face and [[Series/{{Batman}} Chief O'Hara]] being the first victim of the Hangman (and not-subtly imply he's gunning to get his job as police commissioner back) and Pratt tries to shoot Batman in retaliation for Batman punching him through a wall.

* The ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' story, ''ComicBook/DarkVictory'' involves a CopKiller called the Hangman. Among his victims are the {{Corrupt Cop}}s from ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'': former commissioner Gillian Loeb, Gordon's former partner Aronld Flass, SWAT Lt. Branden, and SWAT officer Pratt. While Flass and Branden only appear in the mini as corpses, both Loeb and Pratt each get a moment to further cement their asshole behavior before they die: Loeb swings by recently promoted commissioner Gordon's office to gloat about Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face and [[Series/{{Batman}} Chief O'Hara]] being the first victim of the Hangman (and not-subtly imply he's gunning to get his job as police commissioner back) and Pratt tries to shoot Batman in retaliation for Batman punching him through a wall.

* The ''Franchise/{{Batman}} story, ''ComicBook/DarkVictory'' involves a CopKiller called the Hangman. Among his victims are the {{Corrupt Cop}}s from ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'': former commissioner Gillian Loeb, Gordon's former partner Aronld Flass, SWAT Lt. Branden, and SWAT officer Pratt. While Flass and Branden only appear in the mini as corpses, both Loeb and Pratt get a moment to further cement their asshole behavior: Loeb swings by recently promoted commissioner Gordon's office to gloat about Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face and [[Series/{{Batman}} Chief O'Hara]] being the first victim of the Hangman (and not-subtly imply he's gunning to get his job as police commissioner back) and Pratt tries to shoot Batman in retaliation for Batman punching him through a wall.

* Happens in quite a few ECComics, as often someone invokes a KarmicDeath by driving another person to kill them.

* Most people who get beat up by [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]] usually have it coming.

** This kind of mindset is gradually deconstructed, however; when the new generation of heroes sees the public approve of heroes willing to kill, they decide not to pull any punches whatsoever. Increasingly faced with a generation of reckless, out of control 'heroes' who spend as much time fighting each other as they do villains and see no reason to hold back on lethal intent or to worry about protecting innocent bystanders, the public soon realises that giving superheroes license to kill is a "be careful what you wish for" situation.

* When {{X-23}} kills Zander Rice, she puts away the claws and beats him for ''ten minutes'' in a truly brutal NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. Rice tortured and both physically and emotionally abused Laura ''all her life'' to that point,[[note]]Forcibly activating her HealingFactor at ''age seven'' with fatal dosages of radiation, removing her claws one at a time for coating in adamantium ''without anasthesia'', torturing her into responding to an olfactory trigger that sends her into a berserker rage whenever she smells it and using it to force her to murder the only two people at the Facility who cared about her, intentionally leaving her behind to be killed on a mission out of spite, and placing her in the "care" of the sadistic Kimura, among other things. And he only did this because Wolverine killed his father and Laura was created using his genetic material.[[/note]] so it makes the scene ''far'' more satisfying to read than watching someone get pounded into an unrecognizable pulp would normally be.

* From ''DarkTimes'', Dezono Qua.

* When {{X-23}} kills Zander Rice, she puts away the claws and beats him for ''ten minutes'' in a truly brutal NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. Rice tortured and both physically and emotionally abused Laura ''all her life'' to that point,[[note]]Forcibly activating her HealingFactor at ''age seven'' with fatal dosages of radiation, removing her claws one at a time for coating in adamantium ''without anasthesia'', torturing her into responding to an olfactory trigger that sends her into a berserker rage whenever she smells it and using it to force her to murder the only two people at the Facility who cared about her, intentionally leaving her behind to be killed on a mission out of spite, and placing her in the "care" of the sadistic Kimura, among other things. And he only did this because Wolverine killed his father and Laura was created using his genetic material.[[/note]] so it makes the scene ''far'' more satisfying to read than watching someone get pounded into an unrecognizable pulp would normally be.