All that being said, there are deaths that do make an impact. The impact could be on one character, many characters, or on an entire universe of characters. The deaths listed below are ones that are milestones in comic history. They range from the bizarre to the shocking. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed researching it.
Here is The Comic Whisperer’s List of Character Deaths That Made Quite An Impact (next to each death I have a picture of the ne’er do well who did the heinous crime):
10.) Alexandra DeWitt: Who remembers Alexandra? Anyone? Anyone at all? That’s correct! She was Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend during the time when Hal Jordan was Parallax. Remember, when Hal Jordan killed off the Green Lantern Corps Kyle Rayner was assigned as earth’s protector. Despite some rocky roads it appeared that Kyle and Alexandra were finally on their way to having a good life together. Then, one day, Major Force came looking for Kyle and found Alexandra instead. He, very rudely, killed her and stuffed her in their refrigerator. Unlike many of the characters who die Alexandra has not returned as of this writing.
9.) Sue Dibney: If you read “Identity Crisis” by Brad Meltzer you will find that Ralph and Sue are very happy and thriving on the fact that Sue if pregnant. During the story, however, she was given a fatal brain aneurism by The Atom’s ex-wife Jean Loring. Now, as if things weren’t bad enough for poor Sue, she was eulogized by having it revealed that she was once raped by Dr. Light in the JLA satellite (I actually had to read that part twice because it just didn’t seem real). The only other time we see Sue is with her then deceased husband Ralph as ghosts supposedly enjoying their bizarre afterlife. Ralph never made it back into the New 52 and Sue hasn’t been resurrected as of this writing.
8.) Lori Grimes: Remember, we’re talking all comic books. Lori is part of the now legendary Walking Dead comic series, or at least she was. The reason this makes the list is that she is the wife of the main character, Rick, and her gruesome death. I actually found her frightfully annoying in the TV show, but that’s just me. The scene is that the Grimes are in their stronghold and the Governor, from another town, overruns their prison/home with Lori being killed in the action. What made it so dreadful is how she died. Rick, Lori and Carl (their son) were running for cover. Lori had a baby in her arms (their daughter Judy) and Lori took a shotgun blast to the back killing her instantly. Everyone else, including Judy, survived. Her death warranted a full page to show the gory details. The governor, eyepatch and all, is also pictured below.
7.) Phoenix: You knew she would be on this list didn’t you? Yes, the infamous Phoenix from the X-Men. Let’s set the scene, shall we? In the final issue of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” the X-Men fought the Imperial Guard on the Blue Area of the moon (yes, our moon). This was to prevent them from executing Phoenix who they thought was a danger to the universe. Even though Professor X had installed some “circuit breakers” in Jean’s head to prevent her from becoming Dark Phoenix, everyone knew the writing was on the wall. Professor X and the X-Men tried to stop Jean and Colossus had the opportunity to deliver a death blow...but couldn’t. He did crack her in the jaw and that shook her up, but she ran and Cyclops followed. Freezing Scott with her powers she took her own life with the help of a Kree laser cannon so she couldn’t be a danger to anyone. This was a stunning moment for most who read this saga. Jean did return 5 years later but the death will always be remembered.
6.) Arthur Curry Jr.: This one was a game changer as it was the death of a child. Was a taboo broken here? I don’t know, but it sure shook people up. It wasn’t just the fact that a child died but it was also the way he died. The short version is that Black Manta took the baby and put him in a device that eventually suffocated him. Mera did her best to save him through extraordinary means, but she was too late. Arthur Curry Jr’s death pointed out the fact that no one is safe, regardless of age.
4.) Bucky Barnes: Bucky is not the first sidekick to take a dirt nap, but he certainly stayed dead the longest out of almost any character. If you remember, Bucky went down in flames during World War II. We didn’t actually see it happen except in a flashback, but you know the story. Captain America always made sure we didn’t forget about Bucky as he talked about him constantly. Now, however, after many many moons Bucky is back as one of the coolest characters in the DC Universe, The Winter Soldier. He looks cool, sounds cool, and has quite an impressive skill set. Who else can catch Caps shield at full speed? It’s apparent that Bucky is here to stay. I hope so because he’s become, easily, one of my favorites.
3.) Jor-El and Lara: There is no mystery here as to who they were or how they died. Nor is there a mystery as to their offspring. The thing that gets them in this list is that they were created with the specific purpose of dying. Where Arthur Curry Jr. lost his life, Jor-El and Lara gave their lives so their son could live. In their all to brief existence they have made an impact that has lasted for the life of Superman comics.
2.) Uncle Ben/Gwen Stacy: This one is a twofer. Let’s start with Uncle Ben. His death wasn’t caused by an enemy, it wasn’t self sacrifice, and it wasn’t designed to protect anyone, it was a death due to the inaction of a character. This death also proved to be a lasting foundation of strength for this character and a reminder that with great power comes great responsibility. Without Uncle Ben’s death the entire framework of Spider-Man’s psyche would be different. It’s also ironic how Gwen Stacy died as a result of Spider-Man’s actions. One death due to actions taken and another due to actions not taken and both critical in the life of Spider-Man.
1.) Thomas and Martha Wayne: Who else could it be? 75+ years ago the Dark Knight was born due to the death of his parents. It touched on the fear of suddenly losing your parents, suddenly being alone, having a hatred for guns, and the overwhelming need to protect people without killing the bad guy. This death, like Uncle Ben’s, served as an inspiration to fight crime, but in a different way. This is what makes it such a defining moment. A moment we are reminded of time and again throughout the Batman series.
Before we finish this up for the day let’s do a recap of the different deaths:
4 instances of bad guys killing a loved one: Alexandra Dewitt, Sue Dibney, Arthur Curry Jr. and Lori Grimes.
4 instances of characters taking their own lives for altruistic reasons: Jean Grey (Phoenix), Jor-El and Lara, and Barry Allen with Jean and Barry coming back to life.
1 instance of accidental death only to return as an entirely different persona: Bucky Barnes and his return as the Winter Soldier.
2 instances of death caused by the same character, one due to action one due to inaction: Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy who didn’t come back but served as the foundation for a belief system
2 instances of death due to a street robbery: Thomas and Martha Wayne whose death created one of the most popular DC characters.
No matter how you look at the death of a character there is no doubt that it can be shocking. This list represents events that defined a character, defined an era or even became a pop-culture milestone. Death has, no doubt, become part of the comic universe the only question is will we see those people again?
No comments:
Post a Comment