Off My Mind: Relatives of Super-villains

Just about every family has a bad sheep in it. But imagine if one of your family members was a super-villain. This is something that was sort of mentioned in Batman and Robin #21. The idea of famous villains actually having normal relatives got me thinking. We've seen some villains having family members like Green Goblin, Spencer Smythe, Magneto, Calculator and Deathstroke, but what about the other villains? 

This is a good article.For example-Joker has a kid from Harley.It will be cool.

Good article, man.

This makes me wonder if somewhere there's a person who knew the Joker in his previous life, and recognizes him now, but is too afraid to say anything.  Then again, perhaps the Joker has already killed his relatives and former friends.

Hi there I'd like you to meet my cousin... M.O.D.O.K

Yup, I've heard of a person with the Von Doom Name Dr. Bob Doom, distant relative of the Von Doom family :D

U knoes, Spoiler didn't seem to have a problem keeping herself out of trouble.

I bet their family reunions are horrible. Probably end up beating one another up or something of that manner. 

Being Lex Luthor's long distant cousin would be pretty awesome :P
 
But Killer Croc's nephew? Killer!

" Being Lex Luthor's long distant cousin would be pretty awesome :P  But Killer Croc's nephew? Killer! "

Good thing the Joker's parents don't have too worry about that:

Do villains like a certain breakfast cereal? xD

Lex Luthor's sister Lena changed her last name to Thorul when she realized her brother is a criminal.
 
That piece of comic lore seemed to be missing from the discussion, so far.

Sound article and reasoning.  I think that many of those super-villains have relatives chagne their names.  It only makes sense.  Then there is the converse of it, they embrace their relatives and try to redeem the family name, like Scarlet Witch or Quicksilver.  It's a very interesting plot point and story to talk about more.  Two Thumbs up on this one, G-Man!!  --Jim

I think it depends on the relative, maybe they are proud of their name and they are determined not to let one bad apple spoil it for everyone. I mean look at some of Hitler's distant relatives, they refused to change their name because of him and kept it in spite of him.

I may sound crazy but I'd love to meet my crazy super villain cousins.....Why not maybe they could get you in the business

Good article. I never think of it in that way.

I suppose it works like real life. Some people would cut them off and ignore them. Some would change their names. I actually have family members that are in prison. Mostly for drug dealing. But I have one cousin who kidnapped his girlfriend and raped, beat, and tortured her for a few days. At the end of the day what he did sickens me, but he's still family. 

Have you ever seen other characters with the last name Zsasz, Von Doom or Gargan? Did these villains become orphans before turning to a life of crime or did their relatives write them off as soon they became villains?

In Thunderbolts is shown how Atlas carrer as Power-man made his family parias at their town, and let to loss of their farm.

" @Eyz said:

" Being Lex Luthor's long distant cousin would be pretty awesome :P  But Killer Croc's nephew? Killer! "

that was a bad pun "

" @Billy Batson said:

" @Eyz said:

" Being Lex Luthor's long distant cousin would be pretty awesome :P  But Killer Croc's nephew? Killer! "

that was a bad pun "

Or a killer one!  Oh, c'me on! People nowadays do really hate puns :/ No joy anymore... "

" This makes me wonder if somewhere there's a person who knew the Joker in his previous life, and recognizes him now, but is too afraid to say anything.  Then again, perhaps the Joker has already killed his relatives and former friends. "

Depends if it was a rich villain than maybe I'd help.as long as he has good intentions. 

I think there was an issue of Legends of the dark knight that had the cousin of the Joker

i love this concept....relatives of super villians................................flash's cousin going home and there sits a super villian's cousin .........let's talk  and trade secrets or ideas.................. maybe not i will have to think about it at work more.....need more time

 
I would not mind if I was Megamind's brother, oh wait, he's a hero now... darn.

Finally, A topic I can seek my teeth into and call it my favorite... Evil does need a legacy...but not all children do NOT follow their parent's foot-steps... 
Best teams that fit this article: The Terror Titans, The Bastards of Evil, The Sons of Trigon, ....
I even have a list of characters who would become New Terror Titans, and I re-call a list of Superhero Daycare by CV User Ryonslaught.

There was a Gotham City sirens issue a while back that had Harley Quinn visiting her family including a nephew who asked if she had killed batman yet.  I thought it was amusing that this kid was rooting for his family member despite her being teamed with a killer like the Joker and how the kid would take it if he knew she was kind of a good guy now or if he knew about her adventures in countdown to final crisis, "did you kill batman yet" ,"no, auntie was busy with her roommate and a bunch of stranger defeating one of the greatest evils the universe has ever known, while I was blessed with the powers of a god"

I guess it would feel the same as it does to Hitler's cousins or any other real life psycho's family.

It would be interesting/funny to see a family of a major villain use their relatives bad name in order to get ahead. 
 
"I rented the deluxe hotel suite!" Don't make me get my brother Lex Luthor down here!"

This made me think of Cobalt Blue and Barry Allen 

It's funny that G Man brought this up,currently in Batman&Robin some light guy is killing all of the relatives of Arkham Inmates!!

I immediately thought of Vanessa Fisk. Something must've been wrong with her for marrying that fat slob but in her defense she didn't know he was up to no good. I suppose what was saddest is that she ended up being a pawn of Fisk's enemies most of the time which nearly did her in numerous times. Then she ended up killing her own son for trying to kill his father, her husband and ended up dying herself not long after. 
 
It's not unlike Magda, Magneto's wife, who was so in love with Magneto back when he was simply Magnus then their daughter died and he slaughtered several villagers. She ran away with Pietro & Wanda (pregnant) and ended up delivering them before they were put in suspended animation by the High Evolutionary. Still, she was so traumatized she ended up wandering off and letting herself die....
 
This article reminds me of Hitler's relatives and how they live in America, as matter in fact, one of them had the middle name Adolf I believe. They ended up changing their names and coming up with a pact to never reproduce so as to kill the bloodline completely, they've never even been interviewed or heavily researched because they just want to be forgotten....

what about being a neighbor of the Banners? D: (Hulk)

I bet Harry Osborn wishes he could distance himself from Norman Osborn

 I don't know-much like those related to Mafia bosses or terrorists(pace the Bin Laden clan), they probably try to keep as low a public profile and distance themselves from their infamous kinsman- God knows I would! Svetlana Alliluyeva( Stalin's daughter) prefers to use her mother's maiden name rather than her father's (presumably to distinguish herself from  Daddy not so Dearest) but the descendants of  Anthony "Joe Batters" Accardo and Sam "Mooney" Giancana, Chicago's Mafia dons, still use their family name( admittedly they are all law abiding but the odium associated with their ancestral name still sticks long after their death- case in point Katrin Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich, grandniece and great-grandson of the Nazi functionaries of the same name).
 
Terry
 
PS Although I am no blood relation of Denzel(any more than Michael Barrymore is of Drew), I have always maintained a pride and affection in him even though we're no more than black men with the same last name)

While it may be anti-climatic, I'd have the villians always escape & never be caught. It would solve that problem about why Batman hasnt killed Joker by now. Or at least, why the government hasnt. Also, you keep most of the villian idenites secret.

However, I assume its the same as our real life criminals. Manson has a son.