As The Dark Knight opined, either you perish the hero, or you live long enough to become the villain. That's about the truest statement for a superhero there is. No matter how hard a hero tries, someone is going to see them as a villain for their actions. Are they too unthinking in their doling out of punishment or do they simply cross the line to accomplish their goals? Whatever their intentions, some superheroes go too far and eventually get to the point where they either need to hang it up and let someone else handle the business of busting up criminals or they should finally turn themselves in for their life of brutal vigilantism.

Don't get us wrong, we aren't suggesting the publishers actually go forward with any of these suggestions. Consider this article more of a "What if?" examination of these superheroes' lives and where they stand currently on film or in the books. We decided to take a look at some of the most popular characters in comics and came up with the 10 we think have had enough from their life of crimefighting and 10 whose actions throughout the years place them more on the side of criminal than crimefighter. Granted, there are many more we could have chosen to represent so if you don't see someone you think we should have covered, please sound off in the comments and let us know! Also, don't forget to mention your favorite from this list of 10 superheroes who should retire (and 10 who should turn themselves in).

20 RETIRE: BATMAN

Batman is one of those heroes who has always skirted the line between vigilante and outright criminal. In the beginning of his career, long before he became a member of the Justice League, Batman was constantly pursued by police and was considered a criminal himself. His tactics were brutal and he didn't care about things like probable cause and the Fourth Amendment.

Over the years, he became less of a beater of punks and more of a superhero, but he's been at it a long time. After having his back broken and more injuries than anyone can count, it's time for Bruce Wayne to enjoy his riches and leave the crimefighting to the next generation of superheroes. Nobody would blame him if he left Gotham in the hands of the many members of the "Bat-Family."

19 TURN IN: PUNISHER

Unlike other vigilantes without powers (like Batman), Frank Castle's methods are anything but passive. As the Punisher, Castle has absolutely no qualms about ending someone's existence at the barrel of his many, many many guns. He travels with an arsenal and while he has taken on the occasional super-powered villain (and hero), he tends to keep his business in the "regular person" realm.

Castle has been in and out of prison across various stories and media, and if anyone needs to lay down their arms and turn themselves in, it's him. He not only breaks the law time and time again, he does so in as brutal and terminal a manner as humanly possible. His methods make him dangerous and unpredictable, which is why he belongs behind bars.

18 RETIRE: SPAWN

Al Simmons has been through a lot. Since he first debuted as the superhero Spawn, he has lost his wife (she married his best friend), was betrayed by the government he served and sold his soul to a devil. Throughout his first few years as Spawn, he battled a wide variety of enemies as well, including the mob, crazed supervillains and the denizens of Hell.

He later went on to battle both Heaven and Hell and lost his powers, regained his powers and lost them again. He's been through the ringer, so if anyone has reached the point of hanging up their cape for good, it's Al Simmons. He did end up taking a break from the series for a spell, but eventually came back depowered and somewhat human again... so it may be time to call it a day.

17 TURN IN: DEADPOOL

Everybody loves Deadpool... especially now that Ryan Reynolds has brought the character to life on the big screen. He's one of the more entertaining characters in the Marvel Universe, but like the Punisher, he tends to act with total disregard for the law or the lives of the people he removes from existence.

If your only knowledge of the character comes from the films, think back to the number of people he dispatched and the manner in which he did so. He's truly a menace on the streets whose casual disregard for his own teammates led to the demise of his entire team in Deadpool 2. The man belongs behind bars and should seriously consider turning himself into the authorities.

16 RETIRE: SPIDER-MAN

Spider-Man has been an active superhero since he was just a kid. At the age of 15, Peter Parker acquired the superpowers that placed him on the same level as many of the Avengers, and over the years, he built up quite the rogues gallery as well. Spider-Man has his fair share of enemies, all of whom would love to see him go.

Along the way, he has also had to endure quite a lot of pain. His beloved Gwen Stacey died in his arms and it was pretty much his fault, he lost others over the years and was even replaced by one of his greatest enemies... in his own body. After so much trouble, it wouldn't surprise anyone were Parker to hang up his tights and let any of the others from the Spider-Verse take over.

15 TURN IN: CATWOMAN

For most of her career, Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, has been a career criminal. In recent years, she has turned away from her villainous ways and has taken up crimefighting in a sort of anti-hero sort of way. She even almost got hitched to one of the DC Universe's greatest crimefighters: Batman. This is the culmination of a number of changes the character has made over the years, but it's hard to forget her past.

If you put it all together, Kyle has been a criminal for over 70 years and throughout that time, she committed a plethora of crimes. If she really seeks redemption and wants to follow the path of the hero, she should turn herself in and be judged for her past misdeeds. It's the right thing to do.

14 RETIRE: IRON-MAN

Tony Stark got his start in the superhero business thanks to being taken captive. As a hostage, he was able to build a suit of armor and escape, which is certainly impressive; however, since that time, he has only developed his technology further. These days, he has sported armor able to fly in space, has been covered by the same metal Thor's hammer is made of, and has had armor composed of nanites.

Stark has been through a lot and in the MCU, he seems to be suffering more than his comic book counterpart. His relationship with Pepper indicates he needs to stop putting on the armor and leave crimefighting to someone else. Seeing as RDJ may not continue in the role much longer, this may actually come to pass.

13 TURN IN: ELEKTRA

Elektra Natchios is a lot of things, but chief among them all, she's an assassin... and a ninja who can die and come back to life whenever the writers think she needs to make a showing. Granted, that's an oversimplification of the character, but to put it plainly, she's a ninja and, at one time at least, a member of the Hand.

Throughout her career, she has racked up her fair share of bodies, making her one of the deadliest women in the Marvel Universe. After all this time, her violence and adherence to the life of a mercenary has surely pushed her into a position where she needs to hang it up and turn herself in. She's one of those good bad guys who should really put herself behind bars.

12 RETIRE: WINTER SOLDIER

Bucky Barnes was an all American kid back in the day and even went on to become Captain America's kid sidekick (since that's something they did back in the '40s). In the MCU, he followed suit somewhat and was believed dead following World War II. It turned out he was captured and turned into the Winter Soldier.

As the Winter Soldier, Barnes has taken out a lot of people... including Howard and Maria Stark. He has gone through redemption and ultimately became a modern day superhero, but he definitely deserves to enjoy his twilight years a little bit. Chronologically, the guy is over 90 years old. He has served his country and deserves to retire.

11 TURN IN: RORSCHACH

You may already know that Rorschach ended up getting blasted to bits by Dr. Manhattan at the end of Watchmen (comic and film), but for years prior to his end, he was a brutal vigilante who was so violent, he would have made Batman feel uncomfortable. Not that he didn't have every reason to become the brutal brawler he was, but there are limits.

Because he had no regard for the law, people's bones or their desire to continue living, Rorschach should have turned himself in long before the events of Watchmen. Even his former teammate felt uncomfortable being around him and it likely had nothing to do with the mask — the guy was deranged and homicidal, and his replacement in Doomsday Clock isn't much better.

10 RETIRE: WOLVERINE

James Howlett has been involved in the superhero game since the 19th century. As Wolverine, the guy has been through hell. He was finally "allowed to die" in the movies thanks to Logan, but his time in the comics is still ongoing. That is, of course, after he died for a while but was resurrected. Wolverine has been fighting for so long, Marvel even came out with an older version of him called Old Man Logan.

While he is one of the best known and certainly a fan favorite, the man deserves to take some time off... and not just a temporary death. He's been fighting crime and supervillains for longer than most other heroes in the Marvel Universe, given his longevity, so it's time for the man to let his claws stay un-popped and just take it easy.

9 TURN IN: LOBO

Lobo, the Last Czarnian, is the DC Universe answer to Wolverine... but way worse. He tops the Mutant in every way possible thanks to his brutal nature, unforgiving temperament and crazy levels of power. Lobo once eliminated every other member of his species for a science project (he gave himself an A). He has since flown through the cosmos destroying anyone or anything that got in his way... except space dolphins. He's got a thing for space dolphins.

The folks who read his books certainly love him, but the Main Man's actions need to be judged! Granted, he died and went to Heaven and Hell (where he beat everyone up) and cannot be judged in the afterlife... which of course begs the question: if God can't even judge Lobo, who can? Himself, that's who! He needs to lock himself in a hole far, far away from everything... but we don't see that happening anytime soon!

8 RETIRE: GREEN ARROW

Oliver Queen is another one of DC's superheroes who has been at it for longer than most people could manage. His origin story is comparably more difficult than most and while he may have come out of it stronger and able to shoot anything with a bow and arrow, he's been working hard for a very long time.

Granted, if you are only familiar with the hit DC show Arrow, you might think Queen was new to crimefighting, but over in the comics, he has been shooting at bad guys since 1941. He retired at one point only to come back, but it's high time he put down the bow and let another archer take up the game in Star City.

7 TURN IN: BILLY BUTCHER

You may not be familiar with Billy Butcher if you've never read The Boys. He's one of those characters who is about as over the top as anyone on this list... and then some... but his violent tendencies and penchant for some slight cannibalism earns him a place of (dis)honor. Butcher is the leader of "The Boys," and probably the most violent member of the gang.

He enjoys beating superheroes to a pulp with whatever he has handy — usually a crowbar -- and is responsible for removing several people from having to continue living. His methods and past crimes make him an easy choice as someone who should put down his crowbar and turn himself into the authorities... even though, in his universe -- populated as it is by irresponsible, hedonistic supers... he may have very good reasons for his particular brand of mayhem.

6 RETIRE: JOHN CONSTANTINE

You don't get to a point where you are one of the most hated people in Hell by being nice. John Constantine has been scamming, wheeling and dealing his way through various demonic threats while watching just about everyone close to him fall victim to his activities. He's put up with a lot and even hacked off a thumb in the process.

Constantine has been rebooted in the New 52 and beyond, but his Hellblazer origins suggest he could really use a rest. Throughout the series' 300 issues, he aged and went through hell... literally. The guy has done more than the mortal world will ever know and he deserves to retire. Like the Hulk, this guy really does just want to be left alone, especially after all he's been through.

5 TURN IN: BLADE

Blade may be on a mission to rid the world of vampires, but he doesn't limit his homicidal tendencies to just bloodsuckers. Over the years, he has taken out plenty of humans who either worked for or with the vampires, and doing so doesn't phase him one bit. If you have only ever seen him in film, you know this to be true.

Blade has been skewering vampires since he first appeared in The Tomb of Dracula #10 back in 1973 and since that time, he has racked up an impressive body count. He may be doing good work by taking out the bloodsuckers, but he's certainly a danger to society who should turn himself in and face judgement.

4 RETIRE: CAPTAIN AMERICA

Let's face it, Captain America should have been promoted to a higher station by this point. The guy was active back in World War II, and thanks to being cryogenically frozen in the ice for decades, he doesn't look a day over his peak. Despite this, the man has no qualms about standing up for what he believes is right and fighting the good fight.

After all this time, good ol' Steve Rogers has earned his retirement (and a hefty pension to boot), so he should go ahead and hand the shield over to someone else, but for good this time. Sure, Bucky and Sam have both taken on the mantle at different points, but it's time Steve takes the long rest he deserves.

3 TURN IN: GHOST RIDER

Ghost Rider is the Spirit of Vengeance and he doesn't get involved in anything that would cause harm to innocents. He may be a hellspawn infecting a human, but when you get right down to it, he's one of the good guys. That being said, his methods leave a lot to be desired in a society that praises a system of justice that decrees everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Without allowing for his victims to face a legal judgement, he is depriving them of their Constitutional rights! His Penance Stare may take care of things by forcing a toxic sort of empathy on its victims, but it doesn't follow the law of any land (of the living, anyway). For this, he needs to turn himself in and face the judgement he has denied so many.

2 RETIRE: INVINCIBLE

Mark Grayson is one of those kids who grew up in a nice home with a superhero father. Soon after his own superpowers developed, his father revealed he was an alien spy and the two battled throughout the city, resulting in the demise of thousands of people... you know, that old chestnut. He later went on to become a superhero who battled threats from all over the cosmos.

Eventually, he got married and had a kid... but then got thrown out of time for several years. He's had it rough, to say the least, and while there may still be some work to do, Mark should seriously consider hanging up his tights and letting someone else take on the burden of being a superhero.

1 TURN IN: JEAN GREY

Jean Grey may have started out as Marvel Girl, one of the founding members of the X-Men, but she later became something much more. After being taken over by the Phoenix Force, Jean became known as the Dark Phoenix, and while she was in this form, she did some really bad stuff. In one instance, she "removed" an entire planet's population of people from existence.

Now, it wasn't her fault and she died soon after. Later, she was resurrected and all was well for the most part, but she never really answered for her crimes, despite the best efforts of some. Even though she wasn't in control, she did some bad stuff and it's high time she turned herself in and paid for the crimes she committed as the Dark Phoenix.