Off My Mind: Is it Good For Comic Characters to Die?

Comic book deaths...something that has become an annoyance to readers today. It used to be a character would die and it would be surprising. How could the publisher actually kill off a popular character?

How many times have we seen beloved characters finally make that ultimate sacrifice in trying to vanquish evil?

What makes it bothersome today is the death rarely means anything. We have had some well-written stories involving a character's death but they're not as shocking as they used to be.

Often we'll see the emotional fallout when the those closed to the deceased try to cope with their loss. They just shouldn't be too sad. We all know the character will return someday.

It may seem sad for those characters close to the dying hero and it might be unfortunate if the character on the chopping block is a favorite of yours but dying is actually good for comic book characters?

"What? Are you serious?"

I know, I may be risking the ire of many readers that have become exhausted with all the deaths and comeback but hear me out. What still happens when a character, especially a major one, dies? These days, comic book deaths are getting more and more attention in the news and other media. When Jean Grey first died, readers were shocked but that was about it. She never made national news over any of the sacrifices she made.

When Captain America and Batmandied, there was a little more coverage. The death of Johnny Storm and upcoming death of Ultimate Spider-Man have received more coverage than I would have thought possible.

Simply put, comic book deaths are good for the characters reputation and standing among readers. Unless they die an embarrassing death, they will be commended for their sacrifice. They will gain the attention of people that might never have read a single comic. Johnny Storm could be a cool character but there wasn't much depth to his character. Reed had his brains and desire to try to fix everything, Sue is the most powerful member of the team and mother to Franklin and Valeria and Ben is just way too cool to be killed off. With Johnny being the one that died in Fantastic Four #588, he's gained a new level of respect. He took the bullet so Ben and the FF kids could live. He was always the immature member of the team that rarely showed any growth. Now he has a noble death to add to his resume.

Let's not forget how much attention Superman got back in 1993.

The problem with a character dying and gaining appeal is they are out of the picture for a little while. Writers and editors have to plan each death and return carefully. Publishers aren't looking to kill off characters that could be potential franchises in their own right. In order for a death to be meaningful, there has to be the right amount of time until their return. Coming back too soon will only make readers angrier. Taking a longer time will make readers long for their return but could also make the character lose some popularity. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Captain America and Batman were dead for close to two years and that worked. Readers were ready for them to come back. Jean Grey has been dead for seven years now. Isn't she overdue to return? Mockingbird's life is currently on the line in the pages of New Avengers. Could she possibly be facing another death? She just came back from the dead in the pages of 2008's Secret Invasion and another death might be a bit much. But it could get people talking if she does die.

I would like to make it clear that I am not a fan of the comic book death. Yes, there can be some really great stories involving death and the repercussions afterwards. I don't need any more death issues. I would like to see other things happen if a shake up is needed for a character or title. A dead character is bound to return but it took Barry Allen 23 years to come back. There are better ways to have a character get popular besides a big death event. A comic book death will put them in the spotlight but if they continue to happen so frequently, even the mass media will get tired of reporting them. Unless it's the death of a character that's really lame. Then I would okay with them disappearing.

Can't say that i'm a fan of the comic book death either, especially if its a series that'll continue on without them. 

The only death i'm invested in is Ultimate Spiderman's. and thats only because US was the first comic series i picked up on my own.

If they stay dead, it means something...otherwise nope.

so mostly no. lol

They should die because we have to get more interesting story and more dramatic.But if they die they should stay dead

Yes. And death should be part of comics as other subjects are part of "life". And for the sake of common sense, and despite the commercial "copyrights & trademark" mentality some companies have of their comics, they should allow characters to die & retire for good. Want to use them for a younger generation, tell stories with them? Tell a story taking place when he was alive WITHOUT bringing them back!! Or reprints!

If character's couldn't die what would be the point? Without that possibility there woulsn't seem to be any risk or fun/adventure

I prefer that characters don't die, but IF they HAVE to be killed off, I'm fine so long as the story is engaging and the death is meaningful.

The main problem with Comic Deaths Optimus Prime Syndrome, ie the constant deaths and resurrections.

Another problem with killing off comic characters is that the character's death can be their biggest selling story. Captain Mar-vell was a bargain bucket hero who was eventually killed off. The Death of Captain Marvel was a big success for Marvel that they had to find a way of continuing the legacy without bring back Mar-Vell.

depends on the content of the story, how and why they died. The most important part is that is how they impact their world marvel, DC, and Image.  ex. killing goliath even though he wasn't a huge character cause a turning point in the marvel civil war event for some of the characters like spiderman joining cap's side instead of ironman

Death only means something if they stay dead. </brokenrecord>

one word...

The main problem with comic deaths is the dumb ways in witch the characters are ressurected but with deaths like Torch, Black Bolt, Nova, Star-Lord, Vulcan etc we didnt' actually see the character die they're just MIA and that makes it easier for them to return but with people like Barry Allen, Hal, Batman, Superman, Cap etc where we have a dead body in a coffin and a funeral and all that their return just devalues their sacrifice especially in the case of Barry also Jean Grey should stay dead forever we already have Rachel and Emma we dont' need her anymore and Marvel should just focus on Ultimate Jean. 

Death in comics as become meaningless, I've seen the legion bring back people like the case of Superboy and Kid Flash... but for big events and boosting sales it works so I get for a corporation point of view.
And don't bring Jean back having Rachel as the last living Grey is cool besides she also as the phoenix powers

Often leads to some pretty interesting story arcs, before their untimely ressurection. So yeah why not?

The deaths that occur in the comic “Invincible” — sans resurrection — is one of the reasons I read it. 

Death of ForbushMan made me cry

I liked the death of Superman, not that it happened, but how it happened. Proves that it can be justified and sometimes liked if they do it properly.

So, yes, it's good.

Depends on the death. Some are good, make ya actually feel. Some are too much, make ya actually hate or stop carin, an some are just pointless. Plus, in comics, how long do mains actually stay dead anymore?

They ( the wirters ) have used the character death shock factor to much that it's turned on itslef and become a joke. sure sometimes they write good stories invollving a characters death which really do bring us,  the readers, into their world. But then you have deaths which just read like "we have to many characters flying around. So lets get rid of some for the time being untill we need them later" or "we already have a character with that name, so it;s alright to get rid of one of them".
As far as the resurection are concerned, i agree that some of them should come back (but not necessaraly have to), but if they do come back they have to be done correctly, and have to have a certain amount of time pass before they can properly do it. Also it they have to be a sertain few only. There's no point in marvel and DC saying "ok, last year we killed off ## chacters, so lets bring back ## this year". Otherwise death in comic books is irrelavlent. The ressurections are better when you are allowed to think that "so and so" character was brought back, but sot "and so and". It also gets rid of the idea that all characters come back to life, as only a hand full do while the majority remain dead.

well if you could understand that, thats what i think. :p

Death has become a dead horse trope in comics.  Bucky's resurrection was one of very few that worked because it was handled with care and took place decades after his death.  I love Jean Grey, but she should remain dead because the only thing the writers seem to be able to do with her is to kill her again.  Basically, if you are going to kill a character, be willing to let them sit in limbo for twenty to forty years.  If you cannot, do not kill the character.  Or quit writing.

Deaths can be great thing for a comic book, but it requires careful handling a great deal of preparation and pathos to work.

Lets take Skurge the Executioner for example. For years he was just Thor's personal punching bag, too strong to written out as a simple jobber, too dumb to be a credible nemesis. Then Walt Simonson gave him one of the most badass death sequences in the history of comics.

" Simply put, comic book deaths are good for the characters reputation and standing among readers."

I have to argue that it's not that ti's good for the characters, it's good for the companies looking to make money. There's a difference. Also to even state that there WILL be a return completely negates the imapct of the character's death in the first place.
Why doesn't Marvel or DC to the the most shocking thing possible: KILL A CHARACTER FOREVER!? If you want notoriety (and back issue sales) why not eliminate a beloved character from their comic world completely? Just remove them from all the different story arcs and from all "elsewhere / elsewhen" style stories.

I am personally sick of hearing this person and that person "dying" only to hear about their miraculous (and sometimes incredibly cheesy) return. It's scam people, do not buy (literally buy) into it.

i think its good...in comics you can always bring somebody back somehow...it just depends on which character the writers choose to kill off that depends on how its taken...

It's an overused tactic to be sure. I would be interested in seeing characters die and stay dead. Create new characters to replace them. Move things forward instead of the constantly repeating loop we have now. I understand that the most iconic characters can't just be killed off the way things are now. But that's mainly because there's no other icon to replace them. Fresh characters and life cycles that actually mean something would make comics much more alive. 

If they stay dead, it means something...otherwise nope.so mostly no. lol

Let's just all agree and get it out there that the comic book death is an over-used story-telling tool.

That said, there have been some instances where the death of a character really felt important. The prime example that I always think of is Superboy. Maybe it was because I grew up with characters like Superboy and Tim Drake, maybe it was because Superboy made the ultimate heroic sacrfice -- I don't know. What I do know is that when Superboy died, I was upset. I remember being so shocked, because the whole time I was reading the brawl I had this confidence that there was no way that Conner could die, and yet, he did.

The aftermath was very touching, also. Watching what became of Tim and Cassie in the months that followed, how Superman reacted, etc. made it really feel like I lost someone that I knew. And the last words? Come on... If those weren't THE best last words for Conner, I don't know what was.

Compare that to, say, Batman's death in Final Crisis; I just wasn't moved the way I was when Conner died. Yeah, the story was good and all, and Batman did make a sacrifice, but it just felt like a cheap, predictable plot element. Maybe it's because I knew it was coming, or because I knew -- with 100% certainty -- that Bruce would be back very soon... Whatever the case, it didn't really have much of an impact on me.

I can remember all the non-comic readers in my life hearing about the death of Batman and saying to me something along the lines of "...did Batman really die?" and it was the hardest task ever to try and explain to them how comic book deaths worked. And at the end of the explanation, puzzled looks were cast aside for a simple "...that's stupid". Quite a telling experience.

Death is absolutely necessary if you want to tell a great story... it's even more impressive if they stay dead!  

My only real   issue with death in comics is that it seems to be the only way to bring new people into comic stores it’s unfortunate that a medium that contributes so much to the pop-culture landscape has to resort to cheap gimmicks in order to get people to take notice.   But it seems that as in our lives death is the only thing to snap us out of apathy at times.   How many of us only see family members when another family member dies?   Same seems to be the case for comics, imagine if everyone who went to see “The Dark Knight” picked up comics every week.   I further think that as a gimmick it really lacks because it doesn’t hold readers anymore then the promises to keep in touch at the funeral.   People may try at first but eventually the urge falls away for most.   Death in comics remind me of taking away Pluto’s planet status, sure they may have their reasons from a astrophysical perspective but in the end they wanted people to pay attention.    People don’t think of space like they did.   Space is boring in a world that is made ever smaller by hand-held gadgets and computers .   Sadly the world is the new space, people who get out and take a walk are the new astronauts.  Death in comics also has another effect it creates more continuity, it makes things that much more complicated when they bring the hero back.    A lot of people read about the death of Superman, but have you ever run   into someone who says “Didn’t he die? How is he alive?”   and then watched their eyes glaze over as you try to simplify his return and how it happened.  I know I long ago resigned myself to saying “He got better.”  So in the end death in mainstream comics stinks, it is pointless,   the argument that death is a part of life and so should be dealt with in comics doesn’t hold water when age means nothing.   It’s artificial,   death and aging are part of life they illustrate our frailty.  They go hand in hand we are motivated to do great things until we run out of time.    At this point death doesn’t make us see our characters as more vulnerable and relate able because we know it doesn’t stick.   We know they’re not weak like us, that’s why we read about them.

Death has no meaning in the DC or Marvel universes anymore.

character deaths are usually interesting, as is the return. When they kill major characters, you know they'll come back, which is almost part of the fun. I know for DC, after Blackest Night we might not have characters returning from the dead.

Wrong question, young padawan, It's rather :

 Is it good that comic character come back to life ?

If they stay dead, it means something...otherwise nope.so mostly no. lol

Can't over do it, but I think it can be appropriate.

Its happens to much, these days, its true its almost a joke at this point, when everyone just expects the character to come back in a year or two. Some deaths work, and some reserections work, Bucky Barns worked amazing coming back, to the point that i didnt want captain america to return, same thing with batman, i enjoyed dick greyson as batman so much i couldnt care less if bruce returned felt like for once marvel comics and dc were actually growing. but no more they again went backwards.

There are only a few comic book deaths that I've liked. I think one of the problems with it is that it's announced beforehand or sources will be leaked beforehand. In the time we're living in, instead of calling it, "The Death of  [Insert Character name]", they should label it as, "The character that is taking a vacation for a while".

of course!!!! There not gods....well......YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME THAT EASILY!!!!

Death is not one of my favorite plots for comics, I'm more into cameo's and returns of long forgotten heroes/villains/characters, but death is needed it would be weird for heroes go through all sorts adventures and there be no casualties. Like the whole "Going to Hell" scenario, its no wonder characters die and come back so commonly "comic Hell" is a joke characters can go there trash talk its current ruler and be back in time to enjoy "House M.D." Heroes are suppose to put themselves in life threatening situations without death its not really that life threatening 

What's the point of killing the characters if the readers know that they are going to return?

NIGHTCRAWLER.... *tear drop trickles down my cheek*

Can't say that i'm a fan of the comic book death either, especially if its a series that'll continue on without them. 

Has anything really good come from the deaths of Superman, Johnny Storm, Captain America & the like?

Leave these characters dead.  Let their stories end.  For god's sakes, this medium is such a joke when handling death. 

They're always either going to be resurrected, revived, replaced, cloned, or some other b.s. explanation, all to avoid potentially alienating any segment of their fanbase that maybe was a fan of the character.  Y'know what?  I thought Hamlet was a great character.  It doesn't mean he needs to get brought back to life. 

What's the point of killing the characters if the readers know that they are going to return?

I think it'd be more drastic if there was a loss of limbs which would put the hero out of commission. 

It gives the characters a sense of realism but like a few people I agree if they die they should stay dead unless there is a plausible method to revive them.

I regard comic book deaths as a holiday for the character.
They're not special and i think some characters should stay dead like Steve Rogers, how plausible is the whole stuck in time thing?? I belived it more when Bats died because it was Darkseid who is an alien and has that tech. Steves time travel crap just wasnt fitting and I think after 70 odd years he deserves some rest and Bucky was a good replacement and a breath of fresh air