Superheroes we lost in 2017

Did you know Captain America is a bad guy in the comics? Seriously, he's actually an agent of Hydra now. However, it wasn't a conscious decision on his behalf. He was saved from death by a 7-year-old girl named Kobik, who is actually a Cosmic Cube—basically, an extremely powerful Marvel Universe-based wish-fulfillment device—and had his wires scrambled to think the fascistic organization was all rainbows and unicorns. Comics. Anyhow, since then, Steve Rogers has toiled steadily to undermine the world for the glory of Hydra. Good times. In any case, you might be reasonably wondering, what does this have to do with Jack Flag?

Flag, otherwise known as Jack Harrison, first hoisted his banner in 1994's Marc Gruenwald-penned, Dale Hoover-drawn Captain America #434. Originally a member of Cap's see-some-bad-stuff-report-it computer hotline (the Star-Spangled Avenger was ahead of the curve), he and his brother Drake formed a citizen's patrol group. When they fought to take down the Serpent Society in Arizona, he picked the code name Jack Flag. Initially, Flag was just a really buff dude with some serious butt-whooping skills until he was accidentally drenched with superpower juice during a brawl with archfiend Mr. Hyde. Although never an extremely prominent player, Flag popped in and out of the Marvel Universe, even keeping the cosmos safe as a member of Guardians of the Galaxy for a time.

Upon his return to Earth, Steve recruited him to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and work alongside his on-again, off-again cohort and Captain America protege Cathy Webster, aka Free Spirit. Unfortunately, the patriotic protagonist didn't realize that Cap was playing for the bad guys now. While tracking down longtime antagonist Baron Helmut Zemo, Flag disobeyed Rogers' orders and whipped the supervillain. As he and Steve soared off into the presumable happy-ending sunset, Cap revealed his true Hydra loyalties, before tossing his former friend and colleague out of the plane to his death. Flag managed to survive the fall, but sadly, remained braindead on life support, until his former partner Cathy (and his family) decided to pull the plug—that is, just before Steve could slip poison in his i.v.—in Captain America: Steve Rogers #10.

Oh Cap, you've been retconned into such a bad, bad man.

As the founder of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Charles Xavier first appeared in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's The X-Men #1 way back in 1963. Although confined to a wheelchair, Professor X is anything but limited, as he's instilled with incredible hope and mind-blowing telepathic powers, which he uses promote peace and understanding throughout the Marvel Universe. His genius-level intellect also allowed him to invent Cerebro, a computerized helmet that enhances his already off-the-chain psychic skills. Under his tutelage, countless X-Men have honed their superhuman abilities for the benefit of humanity and mutantkind.

Patrick Stewart may not have chalked up as many X-Films as his longtime costar Hugh Jackman, but he's been killing it as Charles Xavier for just as long, ever since Bryan Singer's 2000 franchise-starter X-Men. Since then, Stewart retained the role throughout X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, as well as returning for the tongue-twister timeline of X-Men: Days of Future Past. Although Stewart was later replaced by younger actor James McAvoy—even if no one can truly "replace" Stewart—during the X-Men: First Class trilogy, Stewart remains the definitive Professor X for many fans. After Days, though, Stewart agreed to (at least) one more definitive outing for classic Professor X. That outing came in Logan.

In Logan, Xavier is far removed from the proud, headstrong, and powerful mutant leader from previous outings. This version is old and infirm, suffering from a degenerative disease that causes him to lose control of his mental telepathy—which at his power levels, can cause some serious damage. Now, Logan watches out for his former mentor like a son would a father, something that makes his final end all the more heartbreaking. While running from cyborg antagonist Donald Pierce and his Reavers, Xavier and his crew flee to the sparse countryside. Holed up with a farm family, Wolverine's clone X-24 catches up to the group. Mistaking X-24 for Logan, an easy mistake to make for the ailing professor, Xavier confesses to causing a telepathic incident—one that may have killed numerous X-Men. Unfortunately, the mutant clone has no interest in an old man's dark anecdotes and stabs Xavier through the chest. Logan returns as his longtime friend succumbs to his injuries, and, despite the tragic nature of his death, there's something appropriate about the Professor passing in the arms of his prodigal pupil.

Footnote: Although his comic book counterpart has been deceased for half a decade, a portion of his brain lived on in Red Skull's now-telepathic mind. In Uncanny Avengers #22, though, the X-Men extracted Xavier's brain and cremated it. Rest in pieces and in peace, chunks of Charles' brain.

In the world of comic books, death is as inevitable as it is in the real world. On the other hand, comic deaths are also often presaged by a couple dozen promos and even a news feature or three—at least, if you're a bigwig like the Hulk or Superman. Lower-level superheroes, on the other hand, usually find themselves introduced only to fade into obscurity or get chuffed off like a red shirt on Star Trek. Perhaps it hurts far less to lose someone you've just met. In either case, Hack, we hardly knew ye.

First introduced in the second issue of the Suicide Squad "Rebirth," Zalika, aka Hack, was a tech-savvy metahuman, also pithily referred to as a technopath. The young woman grew up in the Korogocho slums on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, and was forced to work for gangs as a hacker, at least until discovering her burgeoning abilities. Her unique powers allowed her to surf the web without any devices, teleport through the internet, and download or upload files directly from her own mind. Eventually, she's captured and sent to the super-secret Temho-Metya Prison, which is where the Skwad finds her.

She helps Task Force X escape their metahuman prison and return to their other prison/home base at Belle Reve. A fast favorite, she signs on, eventually finding a compatriot in the unstable if charming Harley Quinn. Her high-tech hijinks help the team break into the Black Vault, where they find the brooding Kryptonian General Zod. She also gives them a leg up against their anti-establishment foe (and one-time leader) Rustam. Hack discovers a traitor in their midst, but unfortunately, turncoats Captain Boomerang and Agent Harcourt are one step ahead of her. With a smidgeon of regret, Boomerang stabs the young techie through the heart, killing her before she can fully emerge from her heroic chrysalis.

While Hack may have been a member of the Suicide Squad, technically made up of villains, she more than proved herself a hero—even being christened as such by the morally ambiguous Ms. Quinn, for what it's worth. And just like that, Zalika (which means well-born in Swahili) is gone forever. (OK, "forever" is probably a stretch.)

To most people, Yondu was the gruff if honorable—for space pirates, anyway—blue alien from the movie with the talking raccoon and the adorable, monosyllabic tree-beast. Guardians of the Galaxy introduced the world to Peter Quill's abductor, the craggy, drawling Ravager who taught Star-Lord everything he knows about conniving and swiping stuff, who's also a wizard with that deadly, whistling spear-thingy (it's called a Yaka Arrow, by the way). As somewhat obscurely revealed in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Yondu Udonta's history is deeper than we suspected.

Comic book fans, on the other hand, know his true background as a core member of the original team. Yondu got his start in the first appearance of the team in 1969, in Marvel Super-Heroes #18. Created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, he was a member of a "primitive" band of Alpha Centauri IV natives. After his home world was razed by the Badoon, Yondu sought revenge and a way to escape his lonely existence as the last of the Zatoan tribe. Befriending the appropriately named, time-displaced rocketeer Vance Astro, Yondu helped rid the space lanes of alien riffraff, co-founding the cosmic defenders alongside Astro, Stakar and Aleta Ogord (Starhawk(s), it's complicated), Charlie-27, and Martinex.

For the first volume of Guardians, Yondu was repurposed as one of the film's primary antagonists. Betrayed at the end by Peter, over the blatantly monikered Power Stone, a.k.a. "The Orb," he had a change of heart in the sequel. Unfortunately, his choice to show Star-Lord mercy kicks off the Ravager mutiny which frames the action in GotG2. Eventually, he reveals himself as a pirate softie, teaming up with Pete and crew to defeat Ego the Living Planet. While escaping the evil planet's demise, the former Ravager gives the last spacesuit to his surrogate son, sacrificing himself for Star-Lord while redeeming himself in the eyes of his former Ravager colleagues. To quote Peter's "moving" eulogy:

"Yondu didn't have a talking car, but he did have a flying arrow. He didn't have a beautiful voice of an angel, but he did have the whistle of one. Both Yondu and David Hasselhoff went on kickass adventures and hooked up with hot women, and fought robots. I guess David Hasselhoff did kinda end up being my dad after all, only it was you, Yondu…I had a pretty cool dad."

Kyle Richmond began life as a Batman knockoff known as Nighthawk. Previously a wealthy dilettante, Kyle jumped at the chance to superhero out when the Grandmaster assembled a team to take on the Avengers. He and the Squadron Sinister first battled Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers #69. Later, he broke into the world of solo crimefighting, occasionally reuniting with his fellow DC ringers on the team now called the Squadron Supreme.

When Marvel's multiverse collapsed during Secret Wars in 2015, an alternate version of Richmond—developed in the mature-audience Max series, Supreme Power—escaped his home universe's destruction. To avoid confusion with his Prime Earth counterpart, he changed his name to Raymond Kyle. Eventually, he landed a standalone series from acclaimed writer David F. Walker, which offered an unflinching look at urban violence in Chicago. After its cancellation, Nighthawk also dropped by Walker's Occupy Avengers book on occasion.

Occupy Avengers #8 reveals that his longtime colleague, Tilda Johnson, is carrying on his name (and owlish gear). In the issue, she laments his passing, noting that he was shot and killed during an out-of-uniform scuffle with Hydra's goons. Of course, since the events of Secret Empire themselves could wind up magically erased thanks to a Cosmic Cube, Nighthawk may yet don his distinctive garb in the not-too-distant future.

We haven't seen DC's take on Hercules—also known as Heracles—for a while. In fact, the son of Zeus (and, therefore, Wonder Woman's half-brother) hasn't been seen since DC took a hatchet to its complicated, labyrinthian continuity in series like Flashpoint, DC Rebirth, and The New 52. Previously, Hercules had the singular honor of being the first man to set foot on Themyscira, briefly dated Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons, adopted the name "Harold Champions" for his human secret identity, and helped Wonder Woman capture her arch-nemesis, Circe.

Before all of that happened, of course, Hercules captured and raped Hippolyta (as per the original Greek myths), and in his last appearance he teamed up with the Female Furies to take out Wonder Girl. In other words, Hercules was a complicated guy. Let's leave it at that.

Not that any of it matters, of course. In Wonder Woman #31, Hercules' first appearance in the post-Flashpoint timeline, the demigod makes his big debut—again—as a god-in-hiding. Posing as a lumberjack in the Pacific Northwest, Hercules is trying to live a regular, human life. Darkseid's daughter, Grail, has other plans for him. After a prolonged battle, Grail kills Hercules and steals his power, which she uses to help her father, who was recently reincarnated as a child, to grow up a little faster. Hercules leaves his fortune to Wonder Woman and shuffles off the mortal coil—at least for now.

After nearly 150 issues, Robert Kirkman's (The Walking Dead, Outcast) breakout title Invincible is quickly winding down—and if you've been reading along this whole time, then you know that things are going to get very, very bloody before the end. In fact, they already have. Mark Grayson, the half-human half-Viltrumite hero better known as Invincible, has led the galaxy's superheroes in an all-out battle against Thragg, the power-hungry leader of a rogue Viltrum army. After a prolonged battle, Mark and Thragg duke it out inside of a burning sun, and while Mark emerges victorious, his side doesn't escape without some major losses. Mark's brother, Oliver, dies during the conflict. In Invincible #141, Mark's father, Nolan, succumbs to injuries that he suffered during the fight.

The death of Nolan is a big loss for Mark, Earth, and Invincible itself. When Invincible launched way, way back in 2003, Nolan—known at the time as Omni-Man—was the cornerstone of the book. Initially Invincible asked the question, "What would happen if Superman had a son?," and followed that up with a series of fun and light adventure stories that showed Mark embracing his newfound powers and fighting crime alongside his old man.

After a year, Invincible changed. Omni-Man turned out to be a traitor with plans for conquering Earth, and Invincible had to stop him. That wasn't the end of Omni-Man's story. Thanks to Mark's influence, Nolan went from a pretend hero to a real one. After a long, hard road, Omni-Man reemerged as a force for good and took the reigns of a newly formed, much more peaceful Viltrumite Empire. With Omni-Man's redemption and death, Invincible's first and most important conflict is finally over—although, with two issues left, Invincible still has a few problems to sort out before the end.

Any Legends of Tomorrow fan who was paying attention knew that Dr. Martin Stein, better known as Firestorm's older half, was on the way out. In October, right before Legends returned for its third season, Deadline announced that actor Victor Garber, who plays Stein, would be leaving the show so he could replace David Hyde Pierce in Broadway's Hello, Dolly! revival.

Legends started planting the seeds for Garber's departure immediately. Early on, Stein's daughter gives birth, and the genius scientist decides he wants to stop adventuring and spend more time with his family. A running subplot during the first half of the season chronicles Stein's attempts to devise a way to separate himself from Jefferson Jackson, the young man he's bonded to thanks to the Firestorm matrix.

In the four-part crossover special Crisis on Earth X, it looks like Martin's found his way out. Some of his peers help to devise a serum that'll separate Stein and Jackson, leaving them both powerless but free of responsibilities. By all indications, Stein is set for both a graceful exit and a happy ending.

And then, Nazis happen. While trapped on an alternate Earth where the Third Reich conquered the world, Martin sacrifices his body to open a portal that'll send his friends home. As Martin succumbs to gunshot wounds, Jackson merges with him, creating Firestorm. That keeps Stein alive for a little while, but also puts Jackson in harm's way. In order to save his protégé's life, Stein forces Jackson to give him the serum, severing their psychic link. Martin dies a few minutes later, leaving Jackson with one last heroic task to perform: delivering the news to Stein's distraught family.

Rick Jones (Secret Empire #1) May 3, 2017

First drawn up in 1962, Rick Jones started life as a rogue teen on the wrong end of a Gamma bomb—he was effectively the man who inadvertently turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk in Incredible Hulk #1. His adventures continued in the pages of Marvel, galvanizing the Avengers into action in Avengers #1—thanks to his Teen Brigade ham radio broadcast—as well as sidekicking for Captain America (as a legacy Bucky Barnes), with the male Captain Marvel, and of course the Hulk. Aside from becoming an honorary Avenger and working for S.H.I.E.L.D., Rick became gamma radiation-powered hero A-Bomb for a time as well.

At the dawn of Captain America's fascist state, Rick was captured for hacking into Hydra computers—using an iPhone, no less. The information he swiped has the power to possibly reverse Cap's transformation and aid the resistance in their fight against the terrorist takeover. Unfortunately, it also cost Jones his life. Despite Cap's waffling, Jones is executed via firing squad in Secret Empire #1, as the first casualty of the event. Rick goes out as the true hero he is, though, yelling "Avengers Assemble" before his death.

Stick (The Defenders) August 18, 2017

Without Stick, there'd be no Daredevil. First introduced in Daredevil during Frank Miller's legendary run, Stick—like Matt Murdock—developed heightened senses in order to compensate for his missing eyesight. Next, he climbed through the ranks of the Chaste, a band of accomplished martial artists, and led the battle against the gang of evil assassins known as The Hand. When young Mr. Murdock was blinded in a freak accident, Stick took him in and showed him how to fight. Later, when Murdock's girlfriend, Elektra, needed help, Stick taught her too.

Stick's story made its way into Netflix's Daredevil series, too—in this version, Stick (played by veteran actor Scott Glenn) trained Elektra when she was a child, and saved her when other members of the Chaste wanted her dead. She returned the favor by killing him.

In The Defenders, Stick enlists Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage to help defeat The Hand once and for all. It doesn't go well. When Stick learns that Iron Fist plays a crucial role in The Hand's plans, he sets out to kill Danny Rand—but doesn't manage to succeed before Elektra stabs him in the chest, ending his mission prematurely.