Since the success of Frank Miller and Klaus Janson’sBatman: The Dark Knight Returns, the comic book industry has made the trope of older heroes coming out of retirement a staple of the industry. These stories are often riddled with powerful fan service that explains why a hero is great to begin with, and shows how, even in old age, they’ve still got it. Naturally, these tales have risen to the top of what many regard as the finest superhero stories ever told.
The Modern Age of Comics has seen a groundswell of stories devoted to following the exploits of superheroes in their golden years, from Batman to Wonder Woman, and more than one “Old Man” in Marvel’s frim apocalyptic future. Whoever the star might be, readers continue to make it clear that they love seeing older, grizzled versions of their favorite heroes coming back for one last ride.These are the best “Old Man” (and Woman) comic stories of all time.
Daniel Warren Johnson
Thealternate future ofWonder Woman: Dead Earthbegins with Diana waking up from stasis in a post-apocalyptic future, where only a handful of humans remain. With the world full of monsters, she takes the survivors into her care, carving a path through the monsters in the hopes of taking refuge on Paradise Island. However, when she makes the grim discovery that the creatures are mutated versions of her Amazon sisters, Wonder Woman is forced to make an epic stand for the fate of her new companions.
Wonder Woman: Dead Earthstands out as one of the Amazon princess' best stories since the New 52 series, bringing her to the edge of apocalypse to prove why she’s such a great hero.A classic tale of the old hero defending the helpless against monsters, the miniseries is a blend of dark fantasy and horror, even seeing the heroine take on the Man of Steel himself.While Diana has technically been “old” for as long as she’s been a League member, this story adds the tropes of the old man trope to her final adventure.
9Old Man Hawkeye
Ethan Sacks and Marco Chechetto
A prequel to Millar and Steve McNiven’s “Old Man Logan” story,Old Man Hawkeyefollows an aged Clint Barton on a mission of revenge. Suffering from glaucoma that’s causing rapidly declining vision, the hero resolves to hunt down his old Thunderbolts team, who participated in the massacre of the world’s heroes decades prior. Coming face to face with the villains who now rule America, the expert marksman hunts down his targets one by one.
Old Man Hawkeyedelivers both a thrilling prequel and a fantastic Hawkeye adventure, setting the stage for his road trip with Logan.The story adds context to its world, and reminds readers that, when the chips are down, Clint Barton is a genuine force to be reckoned with, even in ailing health.
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8Frontiersman
Patrick Kindlon and Marco Ferrari
Frontiersmantells the story of its titular hero, a retired, environmentally-conscious superhero who has become a reclusive hermit, living in the deep woods. When he’s approached by an activist to aid in their attempt to save the redwoods from destruction. However, after setting up camp atop one of the trees, he is attacked by a slew of villains from his past, forcing an epic last stand.
Frontiersmaneffectively serves asThe Dark Knight Returnsfor environmentalism, a concept that may sound strange but has brilliant execution.The hero doesn’t need any established backstory for this adventure to be enjoyed, instead using flashbacks and exposition to fill in the details. Not only is the miniseries one of the best comics of the last decade, it shows a brilliant understanding of its core trope.
7Swamp Thing: Green Hell
Jeff Lemire and Doug Mahnke
Swamp Thing: Green Helltakes place in a future where, due to extreme climate change, the world’s surface is almost entirely underwater, creating a Waterworld-inspired dystopia. The different forces of nature, from the Green to the Rot, vy for power over the new world. As John Constantine seeks the aid of his old friend, the Swamp Thing makes his return, though is torn between doing the right thing and giving the Green dominion over a new world.
Swamp Thing: Green Helltakes the flawed friendship between Constantine and Alec Holland to the next level, with the occult detective pulling out all the stops to try and protect the innocent.The story places horror front and center, showing readers just how terrifying a Swamp Thing disconnected from his humanity can be.
6The Maestro Trilogy
Peter David, German Peralta, Dale Keown, Javier Pina and Pasqual Ferry
During his seminal run onThe Incredible Hulk, Peter David took the Green Behemoth into the apocalypse, telling the story of old man Hulk in the aftermath of an apocalypse. After escaping an artificial reality constructed to keep him subdued, the antihero ventures out into the wastelands, where he finds that Hercules is now ruler over a small city of survivors. After dethroning the demigod, Banner declares himself new ruler over the remnants of civilization, but incurs the wrath of Doctor Doom, Abomination and Namor.
TheMaestrotrilogy reunites one of Marvel’s greatest characters with his signature writer, delivering non-stop Kaiju-level action as Banner takes on sea monsters and old enemies.For readers who want to enjoy a good monster-driven adventure that honors some of the universe’s best and oldest characters, this story is a great place to start.Bruce’s moral ambiguity and cynicism brings him to one of the darkest points in his life – and it makes for one of his greatest sagas.
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5Spider-Man: Reign
Kaare Andrews
Spider-Man Reigntakes a lot of cues fromDark Knight Returns, telling the story of an aged Peter Parker in a future dystopian version of New York City. When the city is taken over by a ruthless new regime called the Reign, it’s down to an older Peter, haunted by the death of Mary Jane, to get back in the saddle and defend the oppressed.
Spider-Man Reignis a fun inversion of the themes ofDark Knight Returns. Where Miller’s story is all about bringing order to the city, Andrews' miniseries focuses more on justice and freedom, as Peter Parker defends the helpless from a totalitarian authority. When the Sinister Six are deployed as agents of the new government, Peter spars with his classic foes one last time.
4Kingdom Come
Mark Waid and Alex Ross
Kingdom Cometakes place in a future DCU where, after the retirement of classic heroes, a new generation of young and reckless antiheroes fight villainy. However, as their methods become too dangerous for the innocents caught in the crossfire, a cynical Clark Kent returns to the role of Superman to bring back order and justice. Seeing how out of control the situation has become, he reforms the Justice League and gives metahumans a choice: join the team or face imprisonment.
Kingdom Comeserves as one big love letter to Golden Age heroes, and a rebuke of the ’90s style of comics, pushing back against the ultraviolence and moral ambiguity of the new wave of antiheroes. Here, Waid and Ross honor DC’s iconic past by reminding readers what Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Shazam bring to the table. It’s no coincidence that the miniseries preceded a return to form during the 2000s, with the Big Two getting back to a more optimistic tone for their stories.
3Old Man Logan
Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
“Old Man Logan” takes place in a dystopian future, where America has been carved up into various territories controlled by super villains. The story focuses on an aging and retired Logan, who has settled down on a farm with his new family. In a bid to come up with the money to pay the Hulk Gang, who run the land he lives on, he takes a job to escort a blind Hawkeye across America, to deliver a sensitive package to the remnants of SHIELD.
The original “Old Man Logan” story line brings Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven to the world of Marvel, casting Logan as a tragic hero full of regret, after having been tricked by Mysterio into killing the X-Men.The story is full of heartbreak, shocking twists and tragedy as its hero is forced to seek revenge when the unthinkable happens. Millar and McNiven’s seminal tale excels as both a road trip adventure and neo-Western adaptation.
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2Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin
Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz and Esau & Isaac Escorza
Since the 1980s, theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleshave been one of the most iconic indie comics properties in print, aided by their success in Saturday-morning cartoon format. In 2020, their creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, reunited to tell the story of the fate of the heroes, taking place in a world where all the brothers except Michelangelo have been killed.
TMNT: The Last Roninset a new standard for superhero comics going into the 2020s, bringing the concept behind the series full circle by ending how it began: as a parody of Frank Miller’s comics.The story blends cyberpunk with dystopia, following Mikey as he fights the Foot Clan for the last time, avenging his fallen brothers and proving himself the greatest of the Turtles.
1Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley
In 1986, Frank Miller and Klaus Janson introduced the world to Gotham City, decades after the retirement of Bruce Wayne as Batman. Now riddled with crime and faced with the increasing brutality of the Mutant gang, Wayne decides to don the cape and cowl once again to bring order to his city. He is joined by Carrie Kelly, a young girl seeking adventure, who declares herself the new Robin to aid the hero in his mission. At the same time, the Caped Crusader must contend with an adversarial new commissioner, the return of his key villains and the wrath of Superman himself.
The Dark Knight Returnsset the stage for decades of new stories following in a similar vein, perfecting the old man trope right from the start.Even today, many readers consider Miller’s iconic story to be thefinest Batman story ever told, with some holding it up as the greatest superhero tale of all time. Considering just how much it has contributed to the genre, it’s not hard to see why.
