History TheBadGuyWins / TheDCU

* Surprising for UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}}, but this and a side order of HeroicSacrifice was the fate of the original ComicBook/DoomPatrol. The bad guys gave them a chance of saving their own lives or 14 lives in a fishing village, and the Patrol told them "Bring it on!" So Captain Zahl and Madame Rouge murdered every member of the Doom Patrol and got away. While this was definitely a case of PyrrhicVictory for Rouge, who lost the man she loved and what little remained of her sanity, it was a flat-out victory for Zahl, a victory that stood unchallenged until 1982, and was never fully undone in his lifetime (only Robotman had returned from the dead at the time of Zahl's own death).

* In ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' Vol. 1 #71 "And So My World Ends", one of several stories that is often viewed as marking the line between UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} and [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]], a blue flame is engulfing Mars and burning everything away. The Justice League arrive on the scene only to discover that ComicBook/MartianManhunter adversary Commander Blanx has essentially already won, leaving Mars a dead planet that only a handful of survivors manage to escape. In the end, J'onn punches him to his death and mourns his lost people.

* ''ComicBook/JLAEarth2'' reveals that on the Antimatter Earth, this trope is the universal rule. TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin on the main Earth, but ''here'', the villains are the ones who always come out on top. The Justice League try to save this world with the help of its Lex Luthor and start a global humanitarian effort... but fail even when they have it right in the palm of their hand, not so different from the countless times their evil enemies failed when they were so close to winning. To successfully prevent both worlds from being destroyed (the Crime Syndicate are now in the main Earth where they cannot win), the League needs to do deliberate evil and return this horrid world to the despotism of the Crime Syndicate. The comic ends with both the Syndicate and the Antimatter civilians sighing in relief that the natural order to cruelty and injustice has been restored.

* In ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' Vol. 1 #71 "And So My World Ends", one of several stories that is often viewed as marking the line between UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} and [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]], the Justice League arrive on the scene only to discover that ComicBook/MartianManhunter adversary Commander Blanx has ''already'' won, exterminating the whole Martian race, save himself and J'onn. In the end, the most the League can do is bring him to justice for his crimes.

* ''ComicBook/CosmicBoy'': Rokk and Lydda do figure out who is altering the timeline, but they can't do anything about it and barely escape from them alive, and even their escape was facilitated and controlled by the villain who intended for them to do so. Rokk and Lydda did nothing to hamper the in progress plot to erase history so that all that's left is the entropy that exists at the end of time, instead they're sent to wait to be erased along with everyone else they love when [[spoiler:Time Trapper]] reaches their time period.

** ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'' ends with ComicBook/TheJoker [[spoiler:successfully bringing about the metaphorical death of the Bat-Family, breaking or greatly hurting most of Batman's allies' trust in him]].

** But continuing with said deconstruction, it's not nearly so pat (Dr. Manhattan even points it out before he leaves). The plan was ''unnecessary'' if you pay attention to the background information, and documents that could cause the entire edifice to collapse are in the hands of people who can expose them. It all comes down to whether one man picks up one diary. [[spoiler:''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' ultimately proves this true.]]

* Surprising for UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}}, but this and a side order of HeroicSacrifice was the fate of the original ComicBook/DoomPatrol. The bad guys gave them a chance of saving their own lives or 14 lives in a fishing village, and the Patrol told them "Bring it on!" So Captain Zahl and Madame Rouge murdered every member of the Doom Patrol and got away. While this was definitely a case of PyrrhicVillainy for Rouge, who lost the man she loved and what little remained of her sanity, it was a flat-out victory for Zahl, a victory that stood unchallenged until 1982, and was never fully undone in his lifetime (only Robotman had returned from the dead at the time of Zahl's own death).

** But continuing with said deconstruction, it's not nearly so pat (Dr. Manhattan even points it out before he leaves). The plan was ''unnecessary'' if you pay attention to the background information, and documents that could cause the entire edifice to collapse are in the hands of people who can expose them. It all comes down to whether one man picks up one diary. [[spoiler:''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' ultimately proves this true.]]

** [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke The crippling of Barbara Gordon]].

* In "And So My World Ends", one of several stories that is often viewed as marking the line between UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} and [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]], the Franchise/JusticeLeague arrive on the scene only to discover that ComicBook/MartianManhunter adversary Commander Blanx has ''already'' won, exterminating the whole Martian race, save himself and J'onn. In the end, the most the League can do is bring him to justice for his crimes.
* ''ComicBook/NewKrypton'' sees General Sam Lane and ComicBook/LexLuthor successfully trigger a war between New Krypton and Earth, and in the process, render the Kryptonians all but extinct. While Lane commits suicide in the aftermath, Luthor [[KarmaHoudini is not even punished]], and is hailed as a hero for his actions, regaining control of [=LexCorp=] and being pardoned for all his sins in the process.