Along with Marvel Comics, DC Comics is one of the most successful and iconic comic book publishers of all time. The publisher is known for introducing some of the most iconic comic book characters, with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman all belonging to DC Comics.
That being said, as DC Comics has been around for 86 years, the company has certainly been on the receiving end of some controversies during its time.
10 Batman's Bat-Dong
Comic book publishers are always trying to stay relevant. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are characters who've been around for decades, so subtle changes will always be necessary in order to adapt these characters for a modern audience.
However, one controversial addition to the Batman mythology came from their Black Label run. In the first issue of Batman: Damned, Batman is seen to be exhausted after a night of detective work, standing naked in the Bat-Cave will his Bat-penis on full show. Fans were certainly surprised and the inclusion of Batman's manhood sparked headlines around the world, with DC editing future editions to remove the penis.
9 New 52
Comic book continuity is one of the most confusing areas for new fans of the medium. Some characters have different origin stories depending upon the continuity and others have entirely different powers. This makes it difficult to remember for established fans, never mind for new fans.
One of the most recent continuity reboots came in the form of the New 52, which picked up from the events of the Flashpoint storyline and reset the DC continuity.
8 Bob Kane And Bill Finger
For years, Bob Kane had been credited as the sole creator of Batman. This creator credit also led to a scheduled cameo in Tim Burton's Batman, but the comic book artist was unable to appear. However, fans had been clamoring for years that Bill Finger deserves equal (if not more) credit for the creation of Batman.
Bill Finger helped design the Batman costume into what audiences recognize the world over, as well as helping to write some of the most iconic Batman villains. It's a travesty that Finger didn't get his recognition earlier.
7 Harley Quinn Art Contest
Harley Quinn is one of the most popular comic book characters in the last few years. The character initially appeared in the seminal Batman: The Animated Series before then going on to break into the DC Comics universe and its tie in movies.
It makes sense, then, that DC Comics hold an art competition around the character. However, Suicide Prevention groups took issue with the competition, as the scenarios that DC asked fans to draw the character appeared to be reminiscent of suicide attempts.
6 Starfire
While Starfire may not be the most popular DC Comics character, after the success of the Teen Titans show, the character has built up a cult following among the DC Comics fan base and Starfire’s fans were incensed at her character in the New 52.
The New 52 came under heavy fire for its portrayal of Starfire, with the character spending a lot of time in a bathing suit, posing unnaturally, and having sex with Jason Todd and Roy Harper. Some fans criticized this interpretation for making Starfire less of an actual character.
5 Hong Kong Protests
The Hong Kong protests were one of the most talked-about events in 2019. The protests concerned clashes between Hong Kong citizens who saw increasing Chinese influence as a danger to Hong Kong independence.
This also, strangely, affected DC Comics. The publisher had to pull an image from their social media as fans in China believed it was supporting the Hong Kong protest. The poster in question showed Batwoman throwing a Molotov cocktail.
4 Batwoman's Marriage
Marriages between iconic DC characters have been fairly hyped of late, with Batman and Catwoman’s marriage taking center stage in most of DC Comics’ advertising over the past several months.
However, this wasn’t always the case. In 2013, Batwoman authors J.H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman quit after DC Comics executives stopped them from allowing Batwoman’s Kate Kane from marrying her long time fiancée.
3 Changing Barbara Gordon's Disability
One of the main elements of comics is the muscled, costumed superheroes. For many, these characters present an ideal that kids can strive towards. For some disability activists, the inclusion of Barbara Gordon’s Oracle was fantastic as it provided some representation for disabled children and fans.
However, recently DC decided that they would give Barbara Gordon a miracle cure so that she could return to being Batgirl. This was met with criticism from many disability charities and fans, as Oracle was a unique and intriguing character.
2 Death Of Superman
Some characters are so iconic that any change to the character is destined to result in outrage from across the world. Outside of the comic book world, one of the best examples of this would be James Bond.
DC Comics, however, ran a storyline in the 90s that ultimately resulted in the death of Superman, with the Man of Steel being defeated by Doomsday. While the character would ultimately return from the dead, this didn't stop news outlets around the world running the story.
1 Death In The Family
The 90s were a strange and unique time for comics. There was a new fan clamor that, perhaps as a result of gritty and dark comic book movies, led comic book writers to try and write comics that were shocking and dark.
The result was Death in the Family. This iconic storyline gave fans the opportunity to vote on whether or not Jason Todd’s Robin would live or die, ultimately resulting in the death of Robin. News stations across the world passed judgment on DC Comics at the time.