Having existed the better part of a century, it’s not too difficult to think of the DC Comics Multiverse as the world’s longest soap opera. After all, considering its myriad retcons and revelations regarding the World’s Greatest Heroes, there are few comparisons more apt.
But every good soap opera has its share of shocking family secrets, and the world of DC Comics is no different. In fact, there are more than a few surprising familial relations scattered throughout the family trees of DC’s most iconic heroes that even the characters themselves don’t fully realize who they’re related to.
10
Booster Gold and Rip Hunter: Father and Son
Revealed in Booster Gold #21 by Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Hi-Fi Design, and Sal Cipriano
A washed-up college athlete from the 25th Century, there are many who see Booster Gold as little more than a time-traveling huckster looking to hit the big time in the past, but those closest to him realize that he’s a true hero. And nobody is more aware of Booster’s heroism than his chronal crimefighting partner, and secret son, Rip Hunter, the Master of Time.
It was Rip who first inspired Booster’s mission to protect the timestream while maintaining a reputation as a doofus among the do-gooder community, and in so doing, he became as much of a mentor to his father as his father would later be to him. Outside of Rip himself, only a handful of people know his true connection to Booster that even the Justice League alum himself doesn’t realize. And should anyone, even Booster Gold himself, realize the truth behind their relationship, Hunter’s foes would have one more avenue through which to strike.
9
Aquaman and Zatanna: Cousins
Revealed in 52 #34 by Mark Waid, Brian Bolland, and Travis Lanham
Aquaman and Zatanna have been Justice League allies for years, but the two Satellite Era staples of the League actually share a distant relative in the form of the ancient Atlantean sorcerer, Arion. Lord High Mage of Atlantis, Arion is one of the aquatic culture’s greatest historical figures and rulers, as well as an exceedingly powerful magic user to whom Zatanna Zatarra was confirmed to be related in pre-Flashpoint continuity through her mother, Sindella.
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In DC’s current status quo, Arion is also the ancestor of Atlantis’ royal family, including Aquaman, Ocean Master, and Arthur’s daughter. Assuming that Zatanna’s previous relation to Arion is still canon, this makes Arthur and Zee cousins as well as allies, even if their specific family tree has more than a few branches that span millennia.
8
Vandal Savage and Roy Harper: Distant Descendant
Revealed in Arsenal #3 by Devin Grayson, Rick Mays, Sean Parsons, and Jason Martin
Vandal Savage is one of DC’s most enduring villains, and given his long lifespan, it’s no surprise that he’s got more than his fair share of distant descendants running around the DC Universe. One such descendant is the Teen Titans icon, Roy Harper, alternatively known as Speedy, Arsenal, or Red Arrow depending on the continuity. Confirmed by Savage himself to be his descendant in Arsenal #3, Roy is no stranger to felonious family members, considering the mother of his child is the world-class assassin, Cheshire.
On the other hand, while Roy may be Savage’s most notable superhero descendant, other popular and less heroic characters, like Vandal’s daughter, Scandal Savage, have more direct ties than Roy to the immortal villain, considering how Arsenal’s relationship with the Cro-Magnon conqueror is rarely acknowledged.
7
Hawkman and Dr. Fate: Father and Son
Revealed in JSA #3 by David S. Goyer, James Robinson, Stephen Sadowski, Michael Bair, John Kalisz, and Ken Lopez
Another one of DC’s most long-lived icons, the Winged Wonder called Hawkman has spent countless lifetimes reincarnated throughout history, and one of those lifetimes saw his son, Hector Hall, take up the golden helm of his Justice Society ally, Dr. Fate. Hector Hall, the son of Carter and Shiera Hall, began his crimefighting career as the Silver Scarab, a staple member of a sort of JSA-in-training team known as Infinity Inc.
Tied to his parents’ never-ending reincarnation cycle, Hector himself would reincarnate into the body of the child of Hank Hall and Dawn Granger, otherwise known as fellow DC heroes, Hawk and Dove, after falling prey to the ancient schemes of his parents’ foe, Hath-Set, and a brief stint as Sandman in the Dreaming before becoming the new Dr. Fate in JSA #3. Naturally attuned to magic, this lifetime saw Hector take up the mantle of Fate, fighting alongside his father in the JSA until the Spectre’s rampage against all magic.
6
Green Lantern and Air Wave: Cousins
Revealed in Green Lantern #100 by Denny O’Neil, Alex Saviuk, Frank Giacoia, and Vince Colleta
The name “Hal Jordan” is most closely associated with the Green Lantern identity, but the Emerald Gladiator is far from the only superhero in the family thanks to his cousin, Air Wave. The son of the original Air Wave, Green Lantern’s uncle Larry Jordan, Air Wave II was actually also named Hal after his older cousin, and raised by the Green Lantern’s older brother, Jack Jordan, following the deaths of his parents.
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The “Hals” have teamed up more than once, with Hal the younger even proposing a partnership resembling that of Batman and Robin, but they’ve never made their duo official. Now, Air Wave’s involvement with the current Justice League Unlimited gives Green Lantern time to reconnect with his baby cousin, assuming he can pry him from the clutches of Gorilla Grodd.
5
Impulse and Captain Boomerang II: Half-Brothers
Revealed in The Flash #225 by Geoff Johns, Howard Porter, John Livesay, James Sinclair, and Rob Leigh
The Flash Family is one of DC’s most iconic superhero groups, but the legacy of the Scarlet Speedster shares a few shocking links to some of DC’s greatest Rogues. One such connection is that of Impulse Bart Allen and the second Captain Boomerang, Owen Mercer, son of the original Boomerang, Digger Harkness: an unwitting pair of half-brothers thanks to their mutual mother, Meloni Thawne.
With the parentage of both was steeped in mystery for years and mired in all sorts of time-travel shenanigans, the relationship between Bart and Owen has never been fully explored, with both brothers being dead at one time or another and never crossing paths. And though a reformed Captain Boomerang II still lives in current continuity, he hasn’t been active and in costume since the events of Blackest Night nearly twenty years ago, so the odds are high that Impulse will never meet his brother.
4
Lex Luthor and Jimmy Olsen: Cousins
Revealed in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #12 by Matt Fraction, Steve Lieber, and Nathan Fairbairn
Arguably the two most important supporting characters in the Superman mythos, Lex Luthor and Jimmy Olsen couldn’t be more different, thus making their distant familial relationship as cousins all the more shocking. Known for his bald hair, many would not see Lex Luthor’s resemblance to the ginger locks of Superman’s Pal, but Lex is often portrayed as red-headed prior to his follicular fallout.
Revealed in the Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen maxiseries by Matt Fraction, Steve Lieber, and Nathan Fairbairn, Lex’s long-lost red hair is the result of a Romeo and Juliet-style love affair between Lex and Jimmy’s ancestors, Alexandria Luthor and Jimberly Jimmington Olsen, leading to a crew of red-headed descendants and earning Jimmy a portion of Lex Luthor’s fortune so long as he doesn’t directly interfere with Lex’s various plots and schemes.
3
Raven and Etrigan: Aunt and Nephew
Revealed in The Demon: Hell is Earth #3 by Andrew Constant, Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, Chris Sotomayor, and Tom Napolitano
Raven of Teen Titans fame and the infamous Etrigan the Demon are two of DC’s most well-known occult characters, but their own familial ties are far from common knowledge. The daughter of the demon lord known as Trigon, Raven is also the half-sister of Trigon’s other demon spawn, Belial: the father of Etrigan and Merlin to boot.
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This means that the Teen Titans’ resident empath is actually the aunt of one of DC’s most famous hellraisers in an unexplored bond that has the potential to be one of the most unique dynamics among DC’s magical heroes. After all, Raven frequently struggles with her own demonic tendencies, tendencies that Etrigan willingly embraces. With such differing methodologies, Raven and Etrigan could learn a lot from one another if the Titan can manage to tolerate her nephew’s constant rhyming.
2
Hawkman and Superman: Ancestor Via Adoption
Revealed in The Brave and the Bold #10 by Mark Waid, George Pérez, Bob Wiaceck, Tom Smith, and Rob Leigh
Superman and Hawkman have been allies for quite some time, but the two heroes were destined to be connected with or without their shared Justice League membership. Cursed to fulfill a cycle of reincarnation, Hawkman has been a hero in countless lives, including a stint as the Arthurian folk hero called Silent Knight, otherwise known as Brian Kent, the distant ancestor of Superman’s adoptive father, Jonathan Kent.
Hawkman has been a hero in more than a few lives, and the Kents are almost always portrayed as coming from noble, morally forthright stock, so it’s not shocking that there would be a bit of overlap in their shared history. And considering that another one of Carter’s past lives, Catar-Ol, was a colleague of Jor-El’s on Krypton and a teacher to a young Kara Zor-El, the future Supergirl, it’s clear that Superman and Hawkman are meant to be part of each other’s histories.
1
The Flash and Reverse Flash: Distant Descendant
Revealed in The Flash #144 by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Pop Mhan, Chris Ivy, Tom McCraw, and Gaspar Saladino
Few DC Comics rivalries are as intense and longstanding as that of the second Flash, Barry Allen, and his archfoe, Reverse Flash, Eobard Thawne. After all, Thawne has made it his mission to ruin the life of his one-time idol, but these two speedsters are linked by genetics as much as they are by hatred.
Descended from the villainous Malcolm Thawne, otherwise known as Cobalt Blue, Reverse Flash isn’t the first villain in his family. But, in actuality, Malcolm Thawne is the long-lost twin brother of Barry Allen himself, meaning that the Flash’s greatest enemy is really his nephew removed to the nth degree. This distant relation adds yet another wrinkle to a blood feud that has spanned centuries and may change the way that some fans view the Scarlet Speedster’s dynamic with his greatest opponent. With that in mind, it’s safe to say that the Flash and Reverse Flash share one of DC Comics’ most surprising familial relationships.