Being a superhero can be incredibly time-consuming in addition to being dangerous, which means a lot of heroes just don’t have the time to raise a family. If they attempt to in the comics, it often turns out that their children grow up to be superheroes themselves, or they constantly end up in danger.
That’s evident with Marvel’s Fantastic Four comics and in DC’s Superman comics as those heroes all see their own children put in danger and learn what it means to be a hero themselves. There are quite a few DC heroes, however, that have had children over the years that comic book fans might not . That’s because those characters are often written out of storylines and never seen again, or they exist in alternate timelines.
Wonder Woman
In the Amazon mythology for DC Comics, the women of Themyscira have children, but only their female children are raised on the island. They also rarely seek out, adding to Themyscira’s population.
During DC’s Rebirth Justice League series, Wonder Woman is confronted by her future son Hunter, one who claims she abandoned him because she couldn’t raise him as an Amazon. It’s never made clear if that’s true, or simply the story he’s been told, but it certainly raises questions about the future Wonder Woman for comic book readers. Of course, the superhero also has a child with Steve Trevor in an alternate timeline as well as Superman in another alternate universe.
Aquaman
Though Aquaman has had plenty of sidekicks in the comics, they aren’t usually one of his children. He and Mera did have a son, often referenced in the comics as Aquababy instead of by his name, Arthur.
The baby, however, is killed during a stand-off with the villain Black Manta. His death causes Mera and Aquaman to go their separate ways for a while, and a later comic book story sees them have another son, AJ. Timeline resets in DC Comics, however, mean that they don’t always have children in the main continuity. Mera and Aquaman often have relationship issues in the comics, whether children are part of their storyline or not, and readers might question their compatibility even if they love storylines involving them together.
Starman
A classic Justice Society of America hero, Starman is seeing a slight resurgence in popularity thanks to the powerful fighters of CW’s Stargirl series. While the titular Stargirl might believe Starman to be her father for a while, that isn’t the case.
He actually has two sons. One of his sons, named Jack, actually becomes a superhero as well, wielding cosmic energy from the same staff that his father used in battle. The characters haven't been part of many mainstream DC comic book storylines in recent years though, so it's easy for fans to forget about them.
Wonder Girl
Though Wonder Girl has been a member of the Teen Titans and a hero in her own right who has used many code names, she started her time in comics as Wonder Woman’s sidekick. Donna Troy also, at one point in the comics, married and started a family.
She married a teacher, and they had a son named Robert. Donna even, like Wonder Woman, met a future version of her son who turned out to be a villain. Unfortunately for Donna though, both her husband and son were killed in a car crash. Given that Donna Troy's story is one of the most retconned and rewritten in DC comics, fans could be forgiven for not knowing she had a child at one point.
Nightwing
Other than being Batman’s best-known sidekick, Dick Grayson is the leader of the Titans and for having a pretty lengthy romantic history in comics. In the main continuity, none of those relationships ended up with Dick Grayson having children. On Earth-Two, that’s a different story.
In Earth-Two, Nightwing became Batman after the deaths of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. He also had a wife and a child, but had to raise his son alone after his wife's death. His wife was Batgirl’s Barbara Gordon. Though Dick has often been linked to Barbara in the main continuity, he's also often linked to Starfire, and fans of the Titans television series might wish to see he and Starfire end up together instead since the series has teased a future daughter for them as well.
Catwoman
Catwoman isn’t always thought of as a hero, but as a result of her relationship with the Bat Family, she tends to be more of an anti-hero than a villain. She allies with them so much that she’s an honorary member.
In one timeline, her relationship with Batman works out much better than it does in the main continuity. Instead of leaving him at the altar, the two have a daughter named Helena who goes on to become a hero in her own right. That story was the basis for the short-lived Birds Of Prey television series on the WB.
Batman
In addition to his daughter with Catwoman in another timeline, Batman is known for “adopting” young heroes into his Bat Family. Dick Grayson is his ward after the death of his parents, for example. Batman does have a biological son in the main timeline as well though.
Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul have Damian Wayne, though the two don’t stay together for long. Damian goes on to become Robin, and fans of the animated Batman movies will be more familiar with him. Of course, Bruce Wayne also has a son named Bruce Wayne Jr. in the 1960s comics, who created the Super Sons team with Clark Kent Jr. That team has been reinvented in the modern day for Damian Wayne and Jonathan Kent instead.
Power Girl
Power Girl is an alternate universe version of Supergirl, so the latter tends to get most of the comic book reader attention already. She does have a son in one “magical” storyline, though Equinox is mostly forgotten today.
The magic-s of Atlantis decide to create a child that is the perfect balance between light and dark. They use Power Girl as the vessel to carry the child, so most fans weren’t in love with the idea of a superhero having a magical pregnancy forced upon her.
The Flash
Arrowverse fans know that Barry Allen’s Flash has children in the future with his long-time love Iris West. His storyline is similar in the comics, but he’s not the only Flash. Usually, those heroes who take up the mantle don’t have children.
Wally, however, also has twins in the comics with his wife Linda Park. Their children, however, age rapidly thanks to a quirk of their power set. Fans of the television series might not even realize that Wally has kids since The Flash on the CW didn't explore Wally's character quite as much as the show.
Harley Quinn
Like Catwoman, fans might not initially think of Harley Quinn as a hero. Increasingly in modern comics, however, she’s gone from a Batman villain to an antihero for the citizens of Gotham.
While she bonded with Black Canary on the big screen in Birds of Prey, the two aren’t particularly close in the comics. They do find some common ground during her days as a villain though when she refuses to fight the Black Canary after discovering she’s pregnant. Harley explains to the other woman that she had to leave her own child with relatives to raise because she couldn’t trust “Mister J” around their child. She also shows up at the hospital to gift Black Canary with a gift for her baby after the birth. It’s one of the earliest moments in the comics to show that Harley has a soft spot for both women and children in her line of work.