Killing Cap didn't mean anything

[yoda510]

It just dawned on me how any character of any importance can be killed and it mean nothing. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Cap will be back. The problem is, Cap never really falls out of print. There are all kind of specials, and stories that happened before Civil War (Avengers/Transformers), the Ultimates, Marvel Comics Presents, Flashbacks, etc, etc. The only place Cap isn't in at the moment is the 616. He is everywhere else. So, it almost doesn't matter. Just think about any major character and their death? Would they really fall out of print? It is almost like when Cap does show back up it will be no big deal. Wouldn't it be cool if at the exact same time that 25 came out, he got killed in the Ultimates as well. A complete moritorium on Cap. Then we he does come back, people would really be excited.

[DaeJi]

Well yeah, of course Cap's death doesn't mean anything in the long run. He's too important a character to actually kill off for long. It's not will he come back, it's when he will come back.

[Samuraixsithlord]

The Death of Captain America is quite similar to the Death of Superman. You have all this media coverage, some on shots, a storyline following his death in his own comic, etc and in about a year Cap will be back.

I can fully see the Cap in Civil War being a skrull agent sowing desent in the Superhero community. with cap in some skrull mothership in stasis or some such

[Chiasm]

The death of any major character in the MU is meaningless anymore because no one stays dead. Any death now is viewed as a cheap publicity stunt by Marvel. So now fans are extremely cynical and no one cares when they kill off someone because we all know its only temporary.

Joe Quesada promised when he took over that "Dead means Dead."

Well since he took over we've seen the following:

Colossus come back to life.
Captain Marvel come back
Betty Ross come back
Jean Grey come die, come back, and seemingly die again but we all know she will be back
Thor do whatever it was he did
And many more.

I honestly cannot think of a single significant superhero Marvel character who died and stayed dead. I can think of some very short lived minor characters like Thunderbird from the X-men and I can certainly think of some non powered supporting cast like Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy.

[Maestro]

Some people really want to read more about Cap now that he's dead. So they have that option

[ACK!]

Some people really want to read more about Cap now that he's dead. So they have that option

Maybe that's why they did it in the first place. Media coverage generates interest and people start buying books, TPBs, etc.

I don't think Cap has ever been in the sales league of the X-Men and Spidey, so who knows...?:confused:

[Citizen V]

Cap will be back,like in my signature he will return..its all a matter of time.

[CaptainMech]

should start a betting sit on when he will be back

[Samuraixsithlord]

next summers big Skrull War. I can totally see Bendis making the "Cap" in Civil War be a Skrull

[bd2999]

Joe Quesada promised when he took over that "Dead means Dead."


I am no fan of Joe Q. ,but in the comic industry you cannot keep that promise. You just can't. The people who read comics want to see characters they know, not new ones, they want the ones the care about. Thats one of the reasons so many new series flop. The only way you can make a big spash in the universe, and have people care, is to kill a big character. If you kill off a more second tier character like She-Hulk or Deadpool, you will get the die hard fans ticked, but the more casual fan would be like "who cares". You have to deal with characters everyone knows.

At the same time you can't keep the character dead, because after the big impact sets in people want to see that character again. They want new stories with the character they know because they are tired of a world without them. So you can't just blame the company. I mean it is their call. Profits drive them above all things, but you do something shocking and fans will pick it up. Does not matter if they like or hate the move, but when its all said and done they want the character back. When demand gets high enough you can't ignore it and you give the people what they want, maybe not when but they will get it.

So fans are as much to blame as the industry itself. Its not just Marvel that does this sort of thing either. I agree that lasting deaths have more of an impact but the only deaths that have a chance at lasting would be more secondary characters. A hero can die as well but they would have to be lower on the totem pole and few would miss them. Sort of like how many characters were in comic limbo for a long while before they get new series again.

If Cap would have died fighting Red Skull with the two locked at each others throats, and in doing so he subverted some terrible world threatening scheme than bringing him back would seem to be somewhat pointless, but he was just sort of shot. It happens in the real world, and it sucks. Its not the noble death that a guy like Cap deserves, but what are you going to do. He will die another couple times before its all said and done. All you can hope for at this point in any major characters death is that the death has impact in the other titles. Make characters reflect and so on.

Caps death has done just that, it even gave Hulk pause in WWH. Yeah he is still around in other books, so he is not gone in one regard, but that is what people want. When something goes away is the time you realize you want it the most. So try to play the market.

[Red State Cap]

It just dawned on me how any character of any importance can be killed and it mean nothing. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Cap will be back. The problem is, Cap never really falls out of print. There are all kind of specials, and stories that happened before Civil War (Avengers/Transformers), the Ultimates, Marvel Comics Presents, Flashbacks, etc, etc. The only place Cap isn't in at the moment is the 616. He is everywhere else. So, it almost doesn't matter. Just think about any major character and their death? Would they really fall out of print? It is almost like when Cap does show back up it will be no big deal. Wouldn't it be cool if at the exact same time that 25 came out, he got killed in the Ultimates as well. A complete moritorium on Cap. Then we he does come back, people would really be excited.
$ee, I ju$t don't agree with thi$. There mo$t certainly wa$ a point to hi$ demi$e. Cap'$ death i$ an occa$ion to explore all $ort$ of $tories, ang$t, and characterization$ that otherwi$e would not be po$$ible.
$ure, we fan$ know that the $erie$ will not be $helved, if only for financial rea$on$$$$$. $o there might be a $ucce$$or, at $ome point in the $hort term. But Cap'$ return i$ ju$t a$ certain in the long run, $o ju$t $it back and $avor all the $pectacular $torie$.

RSC