DC Comics are full of dynastic families stretching across time and space. From the New Gods of Apokolips to the House of El of Krypton, some of the greatest superhero families and most notorious supervillain ones call the greater DC universe home.
Thanks to continuity erasing events like Crisis On Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis, not all of DC's family trees still stand in current comics canon, but throughout the company's history, many of its major characters have been at the center of remarkable family units.
10 Superhero Family: The Frees
Scott Free, AKA Mister Miracle, is one of the most significant members of the New Gods characters that Jack Kirby created for DC Comics in the 1970s. One of his most defining traits is his longstanding romance with the powerful Big Barda, now his wife and mother to his child. The family was the subject of the outstanding Eisner Award-winning limited series by writer Tom King and artist Mitch Gerads that explored depression and trauma in unique ways.
9 Supervillain Family: The New Gods
The New Gods writ large are a very complicated family. Mister Miracle was raised on Apokolips after being swapped in a truce for the son of Darkseid, Orion. Orion grew up as a hero while his father, perhaps the best DC villain, pursued his mad ambition to acquire the Anti-Life Equation. Darkseid wasn't exactly familial with the rest of his brood, either. Born Uxas, he killed his own father after triggering a war between the Old Gods so he could take control of his world.
8 Superhero Family: The Trevors
One thing fans may not know about Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor's relationship in the comics is that they were actually married and had a child. At least in one world. On Earth-Two, and in continuity long since erased, the two married and had a daughter Lyta Trevor. She was named after Diana's mother, Queen Hippolyta. The young Trevor eventually grew up to become a superhero herself, taking the name Fury after The Furies of mythology. Alternate versions of Fury do exist in the comics today.
7 Supervillain Family: Harley Quinn And Poison Ivy
Family is a complicated and diverse thing. Not all families are connected by blood or marriage and one of the most unique in DC media today exists between two unlikely characters: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. The two form a strong found family that provides love and support outside of their own messy biological families.
In both the comic books and the Harley Quinn animated series, the pair are a power couple in every sense of the word. Their relationship - and status as villains - may continue to grow and evolve over time, perhaps even becoming a more traditional family in the future.
6 Superhero Family: The Wests
The Flash is the centerpiece of an extended family that crosses time and space. Wally West, the third Flash, is the father of twins Iris and Jai with Linda Park. Both of them inherited their father's superspeed in various incarnations of continuity. Iris first appeared as Kid Flash in Kingdom Come, the iconic 1990s limited series by writer Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross, and has since entered mainstream continuity with her brother at different points.
5 Supervillain Family: House of Zod
General Zod is one of Superman's greatest rivals. And he's only one member of a powerful and dangerous family. The House of Zod is one of the oldest and strongest clans on the former planet Krypton. Zod's survival in the Phantom Zone ensured its legacy would continue and it has, in the comic books and in the movies. The comic books are where the House of Zod has developed the most, with Faora as his wife and their son causing havoc for Superman and his family.
4 Superhero Family: The Kents
The House of El is another powerful Kryptonian dynasty and one that has spawned an equally powerful one on Earth. Superman, Lois Lane, and their son, Jonathan Kent, AKA Superboy, form a powerful superhero family. Lois Lane has had powers of her own at times, making them even more powerful than they are currently. Between the immense strength and inherent goodness of this close and loving family unit, they represent one of the best families in DC.
3 Supervillain Family: The Luthors
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the Luthors. Lex and Lena Luthor are siblings, but their connection is largely in name only. Lena Luthor has long existed in the shadow of Lex Luthor's ambitions and depending on which version of continuity she exists in, she's either an afterthought or disavowed completely.
The two also share a contentious relationship on the Supergirl CW television series, where Lena is the friend of Kara Zor-El, at least for the moment.
2 Superhero Family: The Waynes
One of the most complicated superhero families in comics is the Waynes. Depending on continuity, Batman has different children with different villains. He and Catwoman are the parents of Helena Wayne, the first Huntress who may or may not find her way back into continuity soon. He is also the father of Damien Wayne, his child with Talia al Ghul. Damien is currently Robin and walks a fine, thin line between the heroism of his father and the darkness of his mother's side of the family.
1 Supervillain Family: The al Ghuls
Talia al Ghul is the daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Together, they're one of the oldest and most powerful supervillain families in DC Comics. They're also as complicated as the Waynes. Talia is often at odds with her father, nowhere more evident than in her relationship with Batman. Nevertheless, she has ambitions of her own. Ra's al Ghul casts a long shadow over his daughter and grandson, with his eternal ambitions always coming into conflict with Batman and the rest of the world.