Best character deaths

**TROUBLEZ** · 01-30-2007, 12:48 PM

After seeing so many characters get killed off from Marvel and DC recently, what comic characters deaths have actually been good, or been an important part of the mythos or story?

1. Kravens Last Hunt-I don't know why they killed him off, because Spider-man has lots of goofy villains, and he was never that silly of a villain. I always took his threat in the comics seriously. Anyway, everything about the story was great. Kravens narration, his back story of Russia, his fears etc.

2. Green Goblin/Death of Gwen Stacy-Another good story. Goblin kills the love of Peters life and in the end he dies trying to kill Spider-man. It seemed like the whole Spidey/ Goblin fight had reached it's peak with this story and the outcome just made sense.

3. Elektra- Miller retconned Elektra in to Daredevils back story (which I'm sure everyone, including me would be bitching about if it happened today) but she was just an ingredient to the great stories Miller was writing about DD. When she died, it was a little sad, and it too, made sense. She was an assasssin who went deeper and deeper into becoming evil, but she relented at the last minute when she was going to kill Foggy. It didn't matter though, because she had done too much to go on and too much to turn back.

**brundlefly** · 01-30-2007, 01:19 PM

You already listed two of my faves (KLH and Goblin getting impaled on his glider in what should have been his final fight with Spidey). To stay on the Spider-Man topic, I'll add Aunt May's death in Amazing Spider-Man #400, "The Gift." It was a moving and dignified end for such an important cast member of the Spidey books. But, like with Norman, soulless editorial edicts resurrected her under very hokey circumstances.

Jean Grey sacrifices herself to save Scott Summers and the X-Men, committing suicide during a lull in their battle with the Imperial Guard. The death of one of the original five X-Men and the love of Scott's life, it was one of the high-points of Claremont/Byrne's X-run. And then another haphazard resurrection years later.

Magneto's "death" at the end of X-MEN #3 was a pretty good one, too, as he went out with nobility and a cool closing monologue. Even if nobody reading it believed that it was really the last time we'd see him. But it was the end of CC's X-Men run (and hence, him writing Magneto), so it still had an air of importance and "end of an era" to it, more fully realized when Mags returned as a cartoonish maniac in FATAL ATTRACTIONS under new writers.

I'm curious as to how many deaths that get listed here actually "stuck." Of the six mentioned thus far, only Kraven is still actually dead.

**TROUBLEZ** · 01-30-2007, 01:27 PM

I didn't remember Magneto dying in X-Men #3. I have to buy that issue again. I do remember when he was sealing himself off from Xavier and Xavier screaming not to do this. Good stuff.

I didn't like the idea of Aunt May dying but reading it, and realizing she knew all along but acted like she hated Spider-man, because she knew how dangerous being Spider-man was for peter, damn that was a good story.

**brundlefly** · 01-30-2007, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by TROUBLEZ

I didn't remember Magneto dying in X-Men #3. I have to buy that issue again. I do remember when he was sealing himself off from Xavier and Xavier screaming not to do this. Good stuff.

The insinuation was that he and the remaining Acolytes died in the explosive reentry of Asteroid M into Earth's atmosphere (by sealing off Xavier, he forced him to leave with the X-Men, so that they wouldn't share his fate). Then from that point on, everybody talked about him like he was dead and Fabian Cortez's catchphrase became "I'm the man who murdered Magneto," but, yeah, the readers knew it was just a temporary state of affairs, given that they didn't show the body. Still a great 'death' scene, though. Like Angel said at the end of #3, "the man knows how to make an exit."

**Omar Karindu** · 01-30-2007, 02:34 PM

Among major characters' deaths, I'd have to rate the demise of the Red Skull in Captain America #300 as almost perfect, depicting him as a used-up bit of nostalgia while at the same time actually trying to examine what it would be like to be a character defined utterly by a targeted hatred. Whatever Mark Gruenwald later achieved by having the Red Skull resurrected and (at least initially) operating as the dark side of the American Dream, Cap #300 was a high water mark. Heck, even Ed Brubaker's good use of the Skull as been predicated on literally and figuratively turning him into a different character altogether by bonding him to Lukin (another "dark side of the dream" image).

Iconic as it is, I suppose the death of Barry Allen is right up there as well. Whatever was wrong with Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry's poignant demise, literally flickering in and out of the past in front of old friends and acquaintances, is a pretty good way to do things.

I've also always liked the death of the original Kangaroo, in a story of no consequence from ASM v.1 #126. For an oafish henchvillain, it was an absolutely perfect way to go: sent under penalty of intense pain to steal rare isotopes, the Kangaroo simply barges into a room full of lethal radioactive materials, burning to death in seconds. You just can't top that, really; how many villains and heroes have died entirely as a result of their own sheer stupidity before or since?

**Berkey** · 01-30-2007, 05:55 PM

supermans death I mean a true hero giving his life blow for blow to the end classic

**Reptisaurus!** · 01-30-2007, 06:30 PM

The death of Speedy from Jaime's Love and Rockets wasn't that great. But the aftermath of the death was really spooky and sad all at once.

And then there's that thing in Hate that I don't want to spoil, but I've never been more shocked reading a comic.

**StrikeForce Albert** · 01-30-2007, 06:35 PM

Ultra Man's death in CoIE

Barry's death in CoIE

Sue me, I'm a fan of Blue Beetle's death. Never compromised his position, even to the bitter end

Sue Dibney and Jack Drake in IC. Very emotional

Captain Mar-vell dying of cancer

Ch'p--Didn't he get run over by a yellow truck? THAT'S AWESOME!

**StrikeForce Albert** · 01-30-2007, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by Reptisaurus!

The death of Speedy from Jaime's Love and Rockets wasn't that great. But the aftermath of the death was really spooky and sad all at once.

And then there's that thing in Hate that I don't want to spoil, but I've never been more shocked reading a comic.

Looks like I gotta pick up Hate now.

**Deep_Sleeper** · 01-30-2007, 08:30 PM

I loved Magneto's "end" in X-Men 3. I couldn't have thought of a better exit for a great character.

Felt really disappointed when Magneto came back. When the character died, they should have ended him after having told everything there was to tell with the character.

After that, the only deaths that I gave a damn about were all on TV. Like all the death scenes in Angel and Firefly.

**John Nowak** · 01-31-2007, 05:36 PM

Kraven's death, absolutely. Unfortunately, I don't have the Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel, but that one is very highly regarded.

**dancj** · 02-01-2007, 05:04 AM

The death of Monsoir Mallah and The Brain in Morrison's Doom Patrol run was great!

**Karl H** · 02-01-2007, 05:07 AM

Originally Posted by Deep_Sleeper

I loved Magneto's "end" in X-Men 3. I couldn't have thought of a better exit for a great character.

As I have said numerous times. Greatest comic ever. Greatest death ever. Still cuts me up when I read it.

Illyana Rasputin's death in UXM #300 was another great one for me... I remember Jean Gray's final words to her reducing me to tears.