Superhero comic books are, essentially, soap operas with superpowers. These are never-ending stories that are filled with intrigue, tension, drama, and romance. As such, there are a lot of characters who come into contact, and a lot more who for everlasting bonds in sometimes unexpected ways.
With so many heroes, villains, and supporting cast characters running around the DC Universe, it's no surprise that so many characters are related, but sometimes those relations are quite shocking, especially if they don't get discussed all that often. Some of DC's best-known characters are related to other heroes and villains who everyone tends to forget all about.
10 Green Lantern's Uncle Was Air Wave
Hal Jordan may be a famous Green Lantern, but he isn't the only member of the Jordan family to be a superhero. Hal's uncle, Lawrence Jordan, is the less famous Golden Age superhero Air Wave. Air Wave, who first appeared in Detective Comics #60 back in 1942 and used special skates to ride along telephone lines, was a member of the All-Star Squadron before. After his death at the hands of a criminal he once sent to prison, Lawrence's legacy was carried on first by his wife Helen, then by his son Harold.
9 Flash And Reverse-Flash Have Always Been Family
The timeless battle between Barry Allen, the second Flash, and Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash, is well known, but what many people don't realize is that the two archenemies are related in two different ways.
Barry Allen's twin brother was given to the Thawne family just after birth and grew up to be the villain Cobalt Blue, starting the Allen-Thawne rivalry. But even more than that, in the future Barry's son Don married Meloni Thawne and together they gave birth to Bart Allen aka Impulse. The Allens and the Thawnes have been sharing relations for hundreds of years.
8 Damage Is The Son Of A Whole Lot Of Heroes
Grant Emerson, the first hero to be known as Damage, discovered his powers when he was a teenager, and soon learned that he was actually the son of a member of the Justice Society of America. After a number of false leads and red herrings, Damage finally learned that his father was none other than Al Pratt, the Golden Age Atom, but there was even more to his heritage.
While Al was Grant's biological father, the young hero shared DNA with a number of superheroes, including almost every member of the JSA, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter, thanks to the experiments conducted on him by Vandal Savage and Project: Telemachus.
7 Jimmy Olsen And Lex Luthor Share Distant Relations
As recently revealed in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber, Jimmy Olsen happens to be cousins with Lex Luthor. Far back in the history of Metropolis, one of Jimmy's ancestors, Jimberly Olsen, fell in love with and married Hannah Alexandriah Luthor, connecting the two families forever. Thanks to this marriage, Jimmy has a say in the Luthor fortune, which he used to buy the Daily Planet and save it from going under. Now the young photographer isn't just Lex Luthor's cousin, he's also Superman's boss!
6 One Of Superboy's Dads Is Lex Luthor
Jimmy Olsen isn't the only family connection Lex Luthor has with Superman. When Project Cadmus created a clone of the Man of Steel, they combined Superman's DNA with human DNA, and Conner Kent - aka Superboy - was born.
It would be years before Conner would learn that his human DNA came from none other than Lex Luthor, leading the Boy of Steel down a dark path where he questioned if he was destined to turn evil. Thankfully, Conner has continued to be a hero, and continued to keep his hair.
5 Dream Is The Never Born Son Of Doctor Fate
At the end of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Morpheous is killed and replaced by Daniel Hall, a boy who was born and lived in the Dreaming. The new Dream, Daniel Hall is actually the son of Lyta and Hector Hall. Hector Hall is best known for being a previous version of Doctor Fate.
First introduced in 1983's All-Star Squadron #25, Hector Hall is himself the son of Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders, the original Hawkman and Hawkgirl. To say the least, the Hall family has had a long history in DC Comics.
4 Fury Was Wonder Woman's Daughter
Staying with the Hall family, Lyta Hall, also known as the hero Fury, was known as Hippolyta Trevor before she married Hector Hall. In the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths reality, Lyta was the Earth-Two daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. After Crisis, Lyta's past was changed so that she was no longer the daughter of Wonder Woman, but he adoptive father was Derek Trevor, who could be related to Steve Trevor. It is believed that Lyta's post-Crisis father was Iron Munro, a member of the Young All-Stars, while her mother was Helena Kosmatos, also a superhero known as Fury.
3 Booster Gold Is Rip Hunter's Dad
A time-traveling hero from the 25th century who used Rip Hunter's Time Sphere to travel back to the Age of Heroes, Booster Gold has made a name for himself as a salesman, a member of the Justice League International, and a screwup. Both alone and alongside his best pal Blue Beetle, Booster has managed to cause almost as many problems as he's helped solve. While Booster doesn't know it, the owner of the Time Sphere he used to go back in time just so happens to be his son. Who Rip Hunter's mother happens to be remains to be seen.
2 Green Lantern Was Married To Thorn And Harlequin
While it is well known that the Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott, has two children who are also superheroes - Obsidian and Jade - what often gets forgotten is that his first wife, and their mother, was Rose Canton, better known as the supervillain Thorn.
Clearly, before coming out as gay, Alan Scott had a thing for marrying his enemies. After Rose died, Alan married Molly Mayne, better known as the Golden Age villainess Harlequin. So far, DC has not explored Molly's reaction to her husband's coming out.
1 Captain Atom Married Plastique
Captain Nathaniel Adam, best known as Captain Atom, has been married twice. His first wife, Angela Adam, was the mother of Captain Atom's two children. Sadly Angela passed away while Captain Atom was lost in the time stream for 20 years.
Sometime later, Captain Atom married Bette Sans Souci, better known as the supervillain and sometimes member of the Suicide Squad, Plastique. Captain Atom and Plastique married during a period when Plastique had reformed, but the marriage seemingly fell apart when she returned to her evil ways.
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