10 Comic Book Characters Who Left Their Heroic Roles

Legacy characters are one of the most popular and important parts of comic book history. While some secret identities may be immutable for heroes, many others have passed their mantles on to protégés, friends, and even enemies. Some of the most famous heroes are part of long-standing heroic lineages. DC, for example, has Green Lantern and Flash, two of the most popular legacy heroes. Marvel has its fair share, too, with Spider-Man, Captain America, and even Iron Man.




While receiving a legacy mantle is usually a great honor, many heroes have turned down these gifts. Whether it's because the mantle isn't right, the editors want to move in a different direction, or it was meant to be a short storyline, there are many reasons why roles are turned down. While they don't have a greater impact on their respective universes, these stories can still be interesting as they reveal more of the unspoken depths of certain characters.


10 Old Laura has given up on Wolverine

Became known as Talon during the Krakoa era


The Krakoan Era was a time of great turmoil for mutants in the Marvel Universe. Many heroes came into their own, and many more chose to abandon active duty or forge a new path. Some, confusingly, managed to do all of the above. Wolverine is no stranger to legacy characters, but this is a true masterpiece.

During a mission to the Vault, Laura disappeared and was presumed dead. She was revived, with her memories of the Vault removed. A subsequent mission found the old Wolverine still alive. This elderly, wizened hero emerged from the vault and decided to continue living alongside his double. He willingly gave up the mantle and took on a new moniker, Talon.

9 Everyone keeps avoiding fate

Nabu's helmet of fate is a real problem

In Young Justice: Phantoms, Zatanna and Doctor Fate have a training room more sinister than the X-Men's Danger Room.


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Several DC heroes have incredibly sad and tragic lives, and even the most staunch members of the Justice League wallow in traumatic events.

THE Young Justice The universe is no stranger to new legacies. Longtime companions like Aqualad have even taken their mentor's place. But a legacy title has been rejected multiple times throughout the many seasons and comics of this universe. Doctor Fate is one of the strongest magical beings in the DC Universe and a powerful instrument for good. However, this blessing is also a curse.

In the Young Justice universe, becoming Dr. Fate means giving up your identity. However, the helmet's power makes it too tempting for most young heroes. Many fan favorites like Aqualad and Zatanna have taken up the mantle, only to later abandon it.


8 The original Radiant Black took a step back

A new hero has risen in his place

Radiant Black, ready to unleash his explosion of energy, on the cover of issue 26.5 of Radiant Black.

Radiant Black by Kyle Higgins is one of the coolest indie comics on the shelves. The story follows a young hero, Radiant Black, who is a homage/parody of the Tokusatsu genres of times past. However, despite only being a couple dozen issues old, this hero has already changed identities… and he might do it again!

At the beginning of the book, Radiant Black's powers were used by Nathan Burnett, a struggling writer who lived with his parents. During his first major fight, Nathan was injured and fell into a coma. His friend Marshall took over and became Radiant Black. When Nathan returned, he rejected his old powers, claiming that his friend had done a much better job.


7 Shazam Has Given Up on the Biggest Heroic Role Ever

Future's End briefly introduced a new Masked Man of Steel

Billy Batson as Superman in New 52 Future's End.

In the upside-down world of DC The End of the FutureMany well-known heroes are not who they seem. For example, Superman now wears a mask that covers his entire face and hides his identity. Some speculate that this is to cover up the terrible scars he has sustained in battle. The real reason is much darker.

Superman has been dead for a long time The End of the Futureand Shazam has taken on the mantle of the Kryptonian. However, during a terrible battle, Shazam is forced to summon his magic lightning, revealing his true identity. He must give up the mantle of Superman, leaving Earth's greatest hero to die forever.


6 Kitty Pryde Lost “Star-Lord” in Breakup

Kitty had more code names than anyone else

Kitty Pryde with Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy comics

Kitty Pryde is one of the most famous X-Men. She has been with the team since she was a teenager and has served in various incarnations of the group. But she has not only been an X-Man. At some point, she joined the Guardians of the Galaxy and became a true space hero.

Kitty joined the Guardians while in a relationship with Peter Quill. Since Peter needed to serve as the emperor of his home planet, Kitty took on the role of Star-Lord. As nice as this was, Kitty's time among the stars was short-lived. After a few adventures, Kitty left Quill, her new team, and the title of Star-Lord behind.

5 Nightwing has left Batman behind several times

Dick Grayson will never definitively take Bruce's place


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Bruce Wayne has a few red flags, like evil former sidekicks and issues that could make a date with him or his costumed Batman alter ego a nightmare.

Nightwing is Gotham's Bright Knight and has had to don the Batman mantle several times. Sometimes, it's a temporary replacement. Other times, the job is more permanent. He even used the identity regularly after Bruce's death. However, it wasn't meant to last.

Nightwing has said on multiple occasions that he can't be Batman long-term. Unlike Bruce, he isn't driven by a desire for revenge against the concept of crime. Dick feels a humanitarian need to help people, more so than most other heroes. As such, he feels uncomfortable in a role that requires so much darkness and internal conflict.


4 Cyclops never wanted to be Captain Krakoa

Luckily it didn't last long.

Captain Krakoa flies away from a massive attack.

The Krakoan era saw major changes for the X-Men. The most notable was that they could no longer die. The mutants created a sustainable resurrection machine, which meant that the X-Men were now immortal. However, they did not want the world to know about their new power. Naturally, this caused problems when deaths occurred in public.

When Cyclops, the most famous of the X-Men, died in the line of duty, he had to adopt the new identity of Captain Krakoa. Cyclops, of course, hated the secrecy that this required. However, he was barred from active service unless he hid his identity. Scott left the Captain behind as soon as he was able, as he had never wanted it in the first place. The villainous Captain America Grant Rogers later took over the role in an attempt to turn public perception against the X-Men.


3 Batman and Superman have given up along with Green Lantern

Here they really dodged the confusing codename bullet.

Batman and Superman merged with Green Lantern ring

The Incredible Mark Waid and Dan Mora Batman/Superman: The Best in the World It's classic comic book weirdness at its finest, leading to a lot of interesting scenarios. One moment comes when the devil Nezha corrupts Green Lantern Hal Jordan. Left with little choice, Batman and Superman fight him.

However, the heroes fail to defeat the most powerful weapon in the universe. Superman and Batman combine their willpower and overpower Jordan to take the ring for themselves. This unites the two into one hero with the powers of all three men. While this is a fantastic moment, it is short-lived and Bruce and Clark appear uninterested in repeating the feat.


2 Otto Octavius ​​​​gave up the Spider-Man mantle by choice

Superior Spider-Man knew that only one hero could truly save the day.

Peter Parker Becomes the Superior Spider-Man

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Peter Parker may seem like easy prey for girlfriends like Mary Jane and Black Cat, but Spider-Man's warning signs almost always spell doom for romance.

Doctor Otto Octavius ​​once tricked Peter Parker into switching bodies with him. This led to the longtime villain taking over as Spider-Man. Styling himself as the superior hero, the former Doc Ock battled Spider-Man's rogues' gallery, improving Peter's life in numerous ways.


However, the return of the Green Goblin made Otto realize that Peter was the only one who could truly be Spidey. Despite success, love, and his ego, Otto willingly gave up control of Peter's body to its original inhabitant. Otto gave up the mantle to save innocent lives, a great moment for a complicated character.

1 Hawkeye was once approached to become Captain America

The shield would look strange if painted purple

The superhero community was in turmoil after the events of Marvel Civil war. Captain America was dead and most of the heroes were scattered. The government needed a new face for its protectors, and Iron Man decided that only one person was right for the job: the resurrected Hawkeye.


Strange as it may seem, Hawkeye was the first Captain America after Steve's death. Iron Man even convinced Clint to don the suit and wield the shield. However, a run-in with some anti-registration heroes made Clint realize the mistake he had made. He immediately resigned and returned the shield to Iron Man. Hawkeye then used the alter ego Ronin until he reclaimed his Hawkeye mantle.

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