WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the entirety of ‘HEROES IN CRISIS’.
DC’s latest event has been very scrutinized by fans due to its handling of certain characters and storylines. Today, we will be discussing why ‘HEROES IN CRISIS’ was such a disappointment to many fans.
The Hype
‘HEROES IN CRISIS’, when first announced, had a lot of potential. A story focused on PTSD and its effects on some of our favorite DC characters? What a great idea. Getting to see DC characters dealing with their inner demons and struggles sounds like an awesome storyline. Plus, a mystery that our characters have to solve? Sounds great, right? Right? Well, all of that came crashing down in the first issue due to one certain moment.
The Deaths
In ‘HEROES IN CRISIS’ #1, we are given the offscreen deaths of multiple DC characters, the biggest of which are obviously that of Roy Harper, AKA Arsenal, and Wally West, AKA The Flash. Seeing these two characters that have been around for decades get unceremoniously murdered offscreen left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans. However, it was only a taste of what was to come.
Wally West is the Killer
In issue 8 of the event, it is revealed that Wally West didn’t actually die in the massacre at Sanctuary. In fact, Wally was the one who committed the murders, due to accidentally losing control of his powers. This came at a shock to very few people due to Wally being the killer having been a very popular theory online even before the series began. However, fans were still very disappointed in how out of character Wally’s malicious and scheming actions were in the 8th issue. These actions include framing two other DC heroes for the murders, staging the bodies of his friends, and attempting to kill his past self. All of this ties into the biggest problem of ‘HEROES IN CRISIS’…
Out of Character Writing
Many of the characters in ‘HEROES IN CRISIS’ act so out of character compared to previous appearances. The story’s five main characters, which are Harley Quinn, Booster Gold, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Ted Kord/Blue Beetle, and Wally West, of course, all say and do things they wouldn’t normally. This can be seen most with Wally West, as previously stated, and Barbara Gordon.
All of this combined turned what could have been a very good storyline about PTSD into a badly thought out murder mystery with a very disappointing conclusion. Sorry, ‘HEROES IN CRISIS’, but you’re not gonna be joining the ranks of great DC events anytime soon.
