History NinetiesAntiHero / TheDCU

** Aquaman became a version of this in TheNineties and lasting until ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. He grew his beard out to adopt a FatherNeptune look, and lost one of his hands and had it replaced first by a hook and then by a form-changing magical water-hand. He also adopted a more aggressive attitude on behalf of Atlantis. These changes were actually very well-received by much of the DCU's fanbase, and is considered an implementation of this trope that actually worked, as the goal of Peter David's revamp was to essentially [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescue Aquaman from the scrappy heap]] that ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' had [[AudienceColoringAdaptation left him in]]. Unfortunately, until the release of the [[Film/Aquaman2018 movie]], much of the general public was ''still'' unaware of the revamp, and [[AdaptationalWimp still pictured poor Arthur as he was in Superfriends]]. One thing that saved Aquaman from the negative qualities of the 90s anti-hero is that the book was often ''funny'', and while he might have had more of an edge, he didn't take himself too seriously either. Because, you know, Peter David.

* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'': The series by Mark Waid and Alex Ross was in part a savage denouncement of Nineties Anti-Heroes, and was one of the things that caused the changeover from UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|of Comic Books}} to UsefulNotes/{{the Modern Age|of Comic Books}}. One of the themes of the comic was the classic generation of superheroes fighting the violent "modern" heroes. Of course, the "classic" heroes shared some of the blame as well; many became just-as-violent {{Knight Templar}}s attempting to deal with it. The "face" of the anti-heroes, Magog, is practically every [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] stereotype rolled into one cybernetic, sacrilegious package (though Waid and Ross admitted a certain fondness for him due to how over-the-top he was). [[spoiler:In a brilliant twist of idealism, Magog realizes how screwed up he is, turns himself in, renounces violence, and is one of the people left alive at the end; in the prose novelization of the story, he becomes the Dean of Students at Paradise Island!]]

''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':

* Rorschach and The Comedian of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' are probably the joint {{Trope Codifier}}s. Unfortunately, [[MisaimedFandom nearly everyone failed to realize that they weren't supposed to be sympathetic characters,]] and things just deteriorated from there. This may have been a natural progression; in his history of superheroes/autobiography ''Supergods'', Creator/GrantMorrison says:
--> At the time, it was a dreadful setback for the idea of "grown-up" superhero comics. In hindsight, it was America's inevitable reaction to ''Watchmen'', and the only response that could possibly be effective: Fuck realism, we just want our superheroes to look cool and kick ten thousand kinds of ass.
* Franchise/{{Superman}}
** During Creator/GrantMorrison's run on ''ComicBook/ActionComics'', in one alternate universe ComicBook/LoisLane, Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen created a device that would allow the user to create a super-powered {{Tulpa}}. They wanted to create TheCape, however the executives thought this trope would have more wide-market appeal, and deliberately attempted to invoke it.
** During ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman, Franchise/{{Superman}} had an AntiHeroSubstitute in the form of the Eradicator, one of the four replacement Supermen who appear after he dies. He's portrayed as a negative version of the trope, finding himself being lauded by Guy Gardner, [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame which makes him question things]], and chewed out by Lois Lane and ComicBook/{{Steel}} for using the S-Shield and causing death and destruction in its name.
** At the climax of the story Superman briefly becomes a NinetiesAntiHero following his resurrection. Since his powers are taking longer to regenerate than the rest of him, Superman storms the villain's lair with two large guns and bandoliers, an all black suit, and a mullet. Thankfully it doesn't last, except unfortunately the mullet.
** In the ElseWorld story ''ComicBook/SupermanAtEarthsEnd'', Superman is portrayed as this, being depowered and having to rely on huge guns, being a lot more willing to kill, and drawn to be overtly muscular and with huge pouches.
* After having his back broken in ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}, Batman is replaced by Jean-Paul Valley a.k.a. ComicBook/{{Azrael}}, a character with no compunctions about killing. Azrael is chosen by Bruce, who is then chewed out by Nightwing over it, and Bruce himself admits it was one of his worst mistakes. Azrael, especially his time as Batman, was written as a TakeThat towards those who wanted Batman to act more like ComicBook/ThePunisher, though he was still written as a sympathetic deconstruction, in that he is shown to suffer from mental illness from his [[DarkAndTroubledPast brutal upbringing]] by the Order of St. Dumas' Program rather than being a TautologicalTemplar {{Jerkass}} like many other examples of this archetype were. From the moment after he meets and befriends psychiatrist Brian Bryan, Valley becomes more of reconstruction of the trope.
* By late '94, the ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' office had [[FollowTheLeader decided]] they ''also'' wanted in on that action. Enter ComicBook/{{Artemis}} of Bana-Mighdall, the [[TokenHeroicOrc kindest and most open-minded member]] of a splinter tribe of Amazons... which meant she was ''still'' a HotBlooded {{Jerkass}} several magnitudes more violent than Diana on her worst day. Artemis' tenure as Diana's AntiHeroSubstitute was a lot shorter, lasting only about six issues (and a handful of cameos in Justice League titles and the like) before she was killed off. A while later, she was resurrected, become a part-time demon slayer, and ultimately mellowed out into a regular member of Diana's supporting cast.
* ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} became a version of this in TheNineties and lasting until ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. He grew his beard out to adopt a FatherNeptune look, and lost one of his hands and had it replaced first by a hook and then by a form-changing magical water-hand. He also adopted a more aggressive attitude on behalf of Atlantis. These changes were actually very well-received by much of the DCU's fanbase, and is considered an implementation of this trope that actually worked, as the goal of Peter David's revamp was to essentially [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescue Aquaman from the scrappy heap]] that ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' had [[AudienceColoringAdaptation left him in]]. Unfortunately, until the release of the [[Film/Aquaman2018 movie]], much of the general public was ''still'' unaware of the revamp, and [[AdaptationalWimp still pictured poor Arthur as he was in Superfriends]]. One thing that saved Aquaman from the negative qualities of the 90s anti-hero is that the book was often ''funny'', and while he might have had more of an edge, he didn't take himself too seriously either. Because, you know, Peter David.

* ComicBook/TheAuthority represent an entire Justice League of Nineties Anti-Heroes. They are, however, unusually idealistic for their kind, as part of their remit is to "make the world a better place". [[KnightTemplar Their methods,]] however, seem to involve copious amounts of ultra-graphic violence (no ThouShaltNotKill for them), ruthless cynicism towards their enemies, and disdain for opposing points of view -- they once overthrew the government of the United States.
* ComicBook/BlackAdam: He was never this in the original Fawcett owned [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] comics, but under DC's revival has [[DependingOnTheWriter sometimes portrayed as this archetype]], being someone [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor who has joined and fought alongside the Justice League as many times as joining battles against the league]], depending on whether which side benefits his own goal to regain the power of Shazam from Billy Batson [[KnightTemplar to enact justice as he sees fit]].
* In 1994, DC turned ComicBook/DoctorFate into an Anti-Hero named Fate who was a grave robber and had melted Dr. Fate's helmet into a knife. Despite [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/79/Fatejaredstevens.jpg his appearance]], however, [[SubvertedTrope he didn't act like a 90s Anti-Hero at all]], and was lauded by fans in the letters column for having a certain "Franchise/IndianaJones" charm to him.
* Around 1994, Guy Gardner, a roughnecked, "macho" member of the Franchise/GreenLantern Corps, was reinvented as "Warrior," with ridiculously huge muscles, tattoos all over his body, and the ability to form his arms into any kind of weapon he could think of, mainly gargantuan guns. Rumor has it that the reinvention was the result of writer Beau Smith writing the pitch as a joke and accidentally having it approved. He eventually reverted to his old (but still roughnecked) Green Lantern persona after the fad played itself out.
** WordOfGod in the letter column was that after Guy lost his briefly-used Qwardian ring, Beau wanted to reinvent Guy as an Indiana Jones/Race Bannon type globe-trotting adventurer, no powers had or required. This did not get approved.
* Jack T. Chance, who first appeared in 1992, was the PsychoPartyMember for the Green Lantern Corps. He was the only Green Lantern allowed to kill, and confined to his homeworld, which was a WretchedHive so horrible that every Lantern that was sent there was killed within a week.
* Purposely averted with the Chuck Dixon run of ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'', Connor Hawke is a passive martial artist who has lived at a monastery for 2 years by the time that his father dies and he becomes Green Arrow. In fact, he is so resigned that he actually becomes the peace breaker in the Flash-Lantern-Arrow trio (He has to break up the senior Wally West from the junior Kyle Rayner). The trope is also played with with thr supporting character of Eddie Fyers, an espionage officer who has no qualms against killing or other dirty deeds, and is only held back from doing so by Connor as a promise to his father, Oliver Queen.
* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, was in part a savage denouncement of Nineties Anti-Heroes, and was one of the things that caused the changeover from UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|of Comic Books}} to UsefulNotes/{{the Modern Age|of Comic Books}}. One of the themes of the comic was the classic generation of superheroes fighting the violent "modern" heroes. Of course, the "classic" heroes shared some of the blame as well; many became just-as-violent {{Knight Templar}}s attempting to deal with it. The "face" of the anti-heroes, Magog, is practically every [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] stereotype rolled into one cybernetic, sacrilegious package (though Waid and Ross admitted a certain fondness for him due to how over-the-top he was). [[spoiler:In a brilliant twist of idealism, Magog realizes how screwed up he is, turns himself in, renounces violence, and is one of the people left alive at the end; in the prose novelization of the story, he becomes the Dean of Students at Paradise Island!]]

* ComicBook/{{Lobo}} was [[WordOfGod created to parody]] this sort of character, even though he came out of the early 80s. Later played straight at times after he got a lot of MisaimedFandom popularity.
* Likewise, in Franchise/TheDCU, Jason Todd (Batman's second Robin) has been a Nineties Anti-Hero type ever since he came BackFromTheDead. Amusingly, he was absent for the entire decade.
* Every number one issue of a Creator/MilestoneComics (Defunct and now owned by DC) book was written like one... and then every issue from then on subverted it. Unfortunately, this had the effect of painting the comics as "me too" and never caught a foothold (save ComicBook/{{Static}}, who had his own [[WesternAnimation/StaticShock animated series]].)
* The Chase Lawlyer version of ''ComicBook/{{Manhunter}}'' from DC and ''Nightwatch'' from Marvel, both of whom were [[FollowTheLeader rather shameless rip-offs]] of ''Spawn''.

* The Chase Lawlyer version of ''Comicbook/{{Manhunter}}'' from DC and ''Nightwatch'' from Marvel, both of whom were [[FollowTheLeader rather shameless rip-offs]] of ''Spawn''.

** Koryak, Aquaman's son with an Inuit woman named Kako was a straighter example of this. He was arrogant, hot-tempered, prone to violence and was a rival/foil to Garth, the original Aqualad. Koryak did mellow out later on after he unwittingly caused a war between Atlantis and the sea god Triton and was banished from Atlantis by his father. Koryak could be considered a deconstruction of the 90s anti-hero given that his aggressive and antisocial tendencies are frequently criticized and often lead to disaster and it is not until he becomes a nicer person that he is accepted by his father.

* In 1994, DC turned ComicBook/DoctorFate into an Anti-Hero named Fate who was a grave robber and had melted Dr. Fate's helmet into a knife. Despite his appearance, however, [[SubvertedTrope he didn't act like a 90s Anti-Hero at all]], and was lauded by fans in the letters column for having a certain "Franchise/IndianaJones" charm to him.

* In 1994, DC turned ComicBook/DoctorFate into an Anti-Hero named Fate who was a grave robber and had melted Dr. Fate's helmet into a knife.

* The Chase Lawlyer version of ''Comicbook/{{Manhunter}}'' from DC and ''Nightwatch'' from Marvel, both of whom were [[FollowTheLeader rather shameless rip-offs]] of ''Spawn''.

* SelfDemonstrating/{{Lobo}} was [[WordOfGod created to parody]] this sort of character, even though he came out of the early 80s. Later played straight at times after he got a lot of MisaimedFandom popularity.

* The late eighties and early nineties had the ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' sister team, the "Team Titans," who were this to the point that one of them took to calling himself Deathwing.
** Though that probably doesn't count since adopting the Deathwing identity marked the character's descent into villainy.