History HeroicBSOD / Comicbooks

* In ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'', Buddy Baker has a BSOD lasting at least several days when [[spoiler:an assassin murders his wife and children]]. This subverts [[spoiler:temporarily]] the normal tendency of [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] superheroes to immediately go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. The storyline was a subversion of the Dark Age itself, and the [[TraumaCongaLine constant string of murder and humiliation]] its heroes were forced by their writers to endure.

-->"How many have you left lying in alleyways these past two years, skull fractured, lung punctured? How many internal injuries? Did they all get medical attention? Did they all ''live?'' DID THEY?"

-->'''Ivy:''' "I need to know...Julie, I woke up and I couldn't remember..."\\
'''Julie:''' "Remember what?"\\
'''Ivy:''' "''Anything''! I didn't know where I was, how I got here...I've been telling myself these changes to our bodies are just external but, I don't know. What if it's affecting our minds, too?"

** The eponymous hero suffers an extended one due to the course of events over the "Blitz" story arc. A good friend turns nemesis Zoom, hospitalizing Flash's wife and killing his unborn children. The villain's permanently faster than Flash, exhausting the hero just trying to keep up. Three of the Flash family lose their powers trying to help, one permanently. At the end, the Flash stops Zoom, only to fall to his knees in horror at the realization that all he's gained from "saving the day" is a lost friend, weakened allies, and an uncertain future with his wife. Meanwhile, the next villain to come along gets to pick up where Zoom left off.

* In New X-Men, all of the students have one when a bus full of depowered mutants is blown up right in front of them. Especially evident in Hellion, Elixer and Surge.

** Actually the same plotline occurred years earlier in the main series event ''Countdown'', with Bullseye having killed a family of tourists in the same way. Unlike the MAX one which lasted a single issue this BSOD (after a short buildup period where he went on one last rampage) had Frank fall into a complete catatonic state which he was pulled out of by [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashing]] in another event called ''Over the Edge'', which sent him on a after ComicBook/NickFury. He then fell back into it and plead guilty to the murders, not breaking out until Bullseye revealed the ruse to him on the eve of his execution.

** In ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'', accidentally blowing up a planet three billions of sentient beings during a "drunk with power" moment is more than ComicBook/JeanGrey can bear, so she offs herself to ensure it never happens again.
** ''ComicBook/TheBroodSaga'': The X-Men suffer this at several levels once they learn that they are doomed to die a excruciating death and become hosts for the Brood that range from "Angst? What Angst?" to "Dying as Yourself". Xavier's suffering of this on Earth is what leads Moira to telling him about new young mutants in need of his assistance, spurring him to form the New Mutants.

* The image for the page comes from ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW''. After Whisper the Wolf learns of her HeterosexualLifePartner Tangle becoming infected by the Metal Virus wreaking havoc at the time the [[TheQuietOne normally quiet]] Whisper [[SayMyName screams her name]], tries to rush back to get her and in the end has to be pulled back by her own Wisps. The image is the aftermath of this with Cream and the Wisps comforting her, made even more poignant as Cream is [[BreaktheCutie also in shock]] after losing her mother to the same virus.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':

** He has a much more grievous one in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' as the Society assaults every hero worldwide, and realizes that to make it worse, his rogue creation Brother Eye has dispatched an army to annihilate the Amazons, starting with Franchise/WonderWoman.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'':

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':

* ''Franchise/XMen'':

** ComicBook/{{X 23}} is constantly slipping in and out of these. When first introduced in ''ComicBook/{{NYX}}'' she's virtually mute, and in her first few panels she seems as if she's barely aware of what's going on around her. Then we learn in ''ComicBook/InnocenceLost'' and ''Target: X'' just ''what'' [[BreakTheCutie put her into that state]]. In fact, in the latter book she's broken so completely she's gone outright DeathSeeker, intending to kill ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} and herself. She goes into another in the third arc of her solo series when she accidentally attacks Gambit, and spends the rest of the day and well into the night curled up in bed staring at her claws with Gambit sitting vigil over her. By the time she turns up in ''ComicBook/AllNewXMen'' she's in yet ''another'' one, due to the 1-2 punch of what happened to her on [[ComicBook/AvengersArena Murderworld]] and shortly after being captured and tortured by the Purifiers, leaving her wandering the streets of Miami in an amnesiac state.

** Dick Grayson has an enormous BSOD after a series of events [[spoiler:including an attack on Oracle, who proceeds to dump him; his circus, which was burned down; his apartment building being bombed]] that culminates in the death of a certain villain, and he plunges further into mind breakage when [[spoiler:he's subsequently raped by his [[AntiHero particularly]] [[FemmeFatale disturbed]] accessory to the death of said villain.]]

** Billy Batson goes through one in DC Comics' ''[[ComicBook/LegendsDC Legends]]'', during the time that he believed that he as Captain Marvel killed Magno-Man. He gets over it when he realizes that [[FakingTheDead it was a hoax]].

** Sally suffered one following her watching Sonic pull off a seeming HeroicSacrifice. It got worse after Sonic came back and he was STILL fighting Eggman. This lead to the infamous slap.\\\
She suffered another one shortly after the comic's ContinuityReboot. After her memories of the old timeline were restored and she remembered what she did as Mecha Sally, she breaks down into tears and, when the Freedom Fighters have to save Station Square, NICOLE and Cream help shake her out of the funk.

* Following the CosmicRetcon of ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide'', [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Antoine, Bunnie and Sally]] suffer these after they have the memories of the old Mobius restored. Thankfully, it's brief, but it shakes them up ''badly'', especially Sally, who now remembers her time as Mecha Sally.

** ''ComicBook/TheBroodSaga'': The X-Men suffer this at several levels once they learn that they are doomed to die and excruciating death and become hosts for the Brood that range from "Angst? What Angst?" to "Dying as Yourself". Xavier's suffering of this on Earth is what leads Moira to telling him about new young mutants in need of his assistance, spurring him to form the New Mutants.
** ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}, in Creator/JossWhedon's ''Astonishing ComicBook/XMen'' run, has a severe one of these when [[spoiler:Emma Frost reveals to him that his inability to control his powers is the result of a complex he developed about self-control as teenager, rather than a brain injury resulting from a concussion, as he had previously believed.]] He spends and issue or two in a completely catatonic state, his powers not functioning. He soon recovers enough to move around and lead the team (perhaps even more effectively than usual, with his self-control issues out of the way) and later [[spoiler:surprises everyone by revealing (with a point blank blast in the face of his interrogator) that his powers still work, and that he now has full control over them. At the end of the arc, this control fades as the "clarity" he got from Emma's intervention wears off. See StatusQuoIsGod.]]

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

* Downplayed with ComicBook/SwampThing. He has a brief one in the first arc of Alan Moore's run, after he learns that [[spoiler: he isn't Alec Holland turned into a plant, but a plant that absorbed the deceased Alec Holland's memories]]. His BSOD lasts one issue and ends with him accepting his true nature, so as to ensure that the series didn't bog itself down in the Wangst of Swamp Thing (already a serial moper) moping about because he was a literal monster and never Alec Holland to begin with.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel

** Superman suffered one early in his Post-Crisis career. After being dragged into another dimension to deal with three alternate universe Kryptonian criminals who had practically wiped all life from Earth, Superman is forced to execute them as there would be no other way to bring them to justice on his world. The decision causes him to have a breakdown and start sleepwalking... well, sleep''vigilante'' as Gangbuster until the Guardian snapped him out of it. Supes was so horrified by what he had done, he exiled himself from the Earth and stayed that way until he could confront his demons.

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HeroicBSOD - If this is your superpower, you're in trouble.

** ''ComicBook/WhoIsSuperwoman'': As Supergirl and Superwoman are fighting, the former tears the former's power costume apart, causing it to malfunction. Superwoman's body quickly falls apart and explodes due to the energies unleashed, and Kara falls down to her knees and cries, thinking she has just killed someone.