12 Most Iconic Battles In Comics 

21 Totally Irrational Problems Only Comic Fans Will Understand‏

By their very nature, comic books are rife with conflict, often between adversarial forces of good and evil. While the genre has published its fair share of quiet, character-driven dramas that develop arcs over the span of months, or in some cases years, even these stories have a tendency to culminate in a “showdown:” a clash of super-powered titans that is used to resolve the conflict in the favor of either the hero (usually) or the villain (rarely).

Still, even with an abundance of good versus evil stories to choose from, there are a number of battles or fights that stand out from the rest of the pack for their iconography and influence on the industry. Because of how absolutely epic these battles are, they are frequently referenced in other comic book stories, or have been adapted for film and television. In some cases, because a decisive winner was not decided (or because the story was so well-received by readers the first time around), creators have revisited these showdowns two, three, four and five times over.

These battles have also had a lasting impact on the status quo for their respective series and universes. Significant characters have been killed off, or relationships between hero and villain, or hero and hero have been forever changed by the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.

So get set to revisit 12 of the biggest, most important battles in comic book history.

Walking Dead’s long-running “Prison Saga” came to a stunning conclusion when a number of characters were killed off during a battle between protagonist Rick Grime’s clan of survivors and the demented Governor’s army from Woodbury.

The battle between these two sides had been simmering for more than a dozen issues. The Governor had initially captured Rick and some members of his group, including the sword-wielding Michonne, a handful of issues earlier. While holding them captive, the Governor chopped off Rick’s hand and brutally raped and beat Michonne. Michonne would get her revenge, gouging out the Governor’s eye in the process, but Rick knew that a confrontation between both sides was inevitable.

After lulling Rick’s group into a false sense of security, the Governor storms the prison haven with tanks, breaking down the gates. During the battle, Rick’s wife Lori and infant daughter Judith are both killed by one of the Governor’s supporters, Lilly. Lilly is so dismayed by the fact that she killed a baby, turns her gun on the Governor, shooting him in the face and leaving his body to be devoured by a gang of zombies. Rick’s friend, Herschel is also killed off.

By the end of the arc, the Walking Dead’s status quo was thrown into so much upheaval, the series was practically starting from scratch, with only a handful of its original characters still around. Meanwhile, the “Prison Saga” storyline and subsequent battle was the primary focus of the most recent seasons of AMC’s The Walking Dead, by far the most successful comic book-turned-television show in history.

10 Terrible Mistakes That Almost Ruined Batman For Everyone

13 Inappropriate Moments That Prove Comics Are Made By Total Perverts

In this post: bane • Batman • featured • Features • Lists

This article was first posted on June 25, 2014

Mark is a professional writer living in Brooklyn and is the founder of the Chasing Amazing Blog, which documents his quest to collect every issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and the Superior Spider-Talk podcast. He also pens the "Gimmick or Good?" column at Comics Should Be Good blog.