# Has there ever been a comic character properly killed off? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417 "2010-07-03T12:55:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/21 "2010-07-03T22:22:52Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Uncle Ben? Yeah, that’s a good one. Other than ghosts, or alternate timelines, or silly shit like that, he’s stayed pretty dead. Jor-El and Lara over in the DC universe, pretty similar. Thomas and Martha Wayne as well. Obviously, if you undeaden Uncle Ben or Jor-El, you pretty much fuck with iconic origin stories, so that’s why they’re pretty well left alone. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/22 "2010-07-03T22:27:12Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Jor-El and Lara over in the DC universe, pretty similar. Thomas and Martha Wayne as well. I’ve wondered about this: if they were never alive when the story started, could they be considered “killed off?” Would you consider the Penguin’s psychotic mother who always made him carry an umbrella who then died of natural causes "killed off"if she only appears in flashbacks after the Penguin is an adult? Magneto’s parents were killed in a Nazi concentration camp and appear only during flashbacks. Killed off? ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/23 "2010-07-03T22:31:34Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Mimic? He’s one of the Dark X-Men. Nice. I read his wikipedia entry. In the original X-men, Xavier’s death was retconned to be Mimic…an example of the infamous Double-Dirty-Body-Double-Non-Death. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/24 "2010-07-04T00:21:42Z")
What about the original Morpheus? He died and another person became Dream. Has the original ever reappeared? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/25 "2010-07-04T00:23:59Z")
Fritz The Cat. Robert Crumb decided that he hated the Fritz The Cat film. So he had Fritz stabbed to death by a woman. AFAIK, Fritz stayed dead. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/26 "2010-07-04T03:11:35Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Robert Crumb decided that he hated the Fritz The Cat film. So he had Fritz stabbed to death by a woman. Well, a woman ostrich. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/27 "2010-07-04T06:05:10Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > DC: Hopefully, Maxwell Lord will stay dead (July 2010) > Dammit, he was brought back earlier this year. > > In the Blackest Night series, nearly all dead superheroes have been resurrected. I dunno how many will stay dead. > > Ferro Lad is still dead. > > I think Braniac is theoretically dead, but his mind lives on in a robot construct. > > In Marvel, the list is long: > Spiderman: Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacey and her father > Captain America: ~200 or so villains killed by Scourge > X-Men: Thunderbird, Pheonix (hopefully), Mimic > Civil War: Some minor heroes > > In both universes, generational (Black Panther’s ancestors) or time-period (WW2, Old West) heroes are presumed dead, but a few (Unknown Soldier) have been retconned at some point to have supernatural powers that made them immortal. Even these have problems with the OP’s criteria, as no alternative form is allowed. Gwen is still alive Spectacular Spider-Man and the movies. And Ben is alive in one of the alternate universes. I suspect the others will run into this problem, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/28 "2010-07-04T06:13:16Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Yeah, that’s a good one. Other than ghosts, or alternate timelines, or silly shit like that, he’s stayed pretty dead. The fact that there **was** an (seriously ill-advised IMO) alternative reality Uncle Ben counts as being brought back for me. Just like Gwen Stacy’s clones, identical cousin Jill or identical secret daughter counts as bringing back Gwen do. Even Captain Stacy had an identical brother who was pretty much the same but with a goatee. Some writers just can’t help themselves… ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/29 "2010-07-04T11:28:41Z")
I think [Johnny Alpha](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_Dog#Johnny_Alpha) from 2000AD stayed dead after sacrificing his life force to open a portal for his fellow mutants out of a hell dimension. There have been a number of stories set before his death though. Also his sidekick Wulf Sternhammer. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/30 "2010-07-04T12:30:25Z")
Blue Beetle I and II. Each had his own series, each published by at least two companies. There is a Blue Beetle III. Meatball of the [Little Wise Guys](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Wise_Guys) (kid sidekicks to [the 1940s Daredevil](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daredevil_%28Lev_Gleason_Publications%29)) died in **Daredevil** #15 (Dec. 1942) and was replaced by another kid, Curly. If this sounds a little obscure, the 1940s Daredevil regularly sold over a million copies a month; Marvel’s character of the same name seldom sold more than 150,000 copies, even when Frank Miller was drawing it. And the Little Wise Guys gradually pushed Daredevil out of the series, relegating him to a narrator around 1946 and ousting him completely from the book named for him in 1950. They continued in print until 1956, unlike virtually every superhero except for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Blackhawk; 1956 is when the Silver-Age Flash was introduced, for sake of perspective. [Gary Concorde, the Ultra-Man](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-Man), debuted in **All-American Comics** #8 and died in the same story. His son, Gary Jr., picked up the baton in issue 9. His last Golden Age appearance was in issue 19 the following year; he turned up twice since **Crisis on Infinite Earths** , once in a **Superman** story and once in a **Legion of Superheroes** story. Gary Sr. never reappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/31 "2010-07-04T12:40:46Z")
[The Toprpedo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_%28Marvel_Comics%29), a 70s Marvel character who briefly headlined **Marvel Premiere** , died in an issue of **Rom: Spaceknight**. He has not reappeared, although his costume popped up a couple times in **New Warriors**. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/32 "2010-07-04T21:20:06Z")
Lots of long term supporting characters in \*Judge Dredd \*have been killed off, and never come back. Examples include: Chief Judges Goodman, Griffin, McGruder, Silver and Volt, and some other characters such as Maria and Otto Sump. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/33 "2010-07-04T21:28:38Z")
An endless number in creator-owned books. Hell, Cerebus the Aardvark. It could be argued that the entire 300 issue run was designed to get to the point where he died. Then the series ended and he’s never coming back. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/34 "2010-07-05T01:59:02Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Yeah, that’s a good one. Other than ghosts, or alternate timelines, or silly shit like that, he’s stayed pretty dead. > > Jor-El and Lara over in the DC universe, pretty similar. Thomas and Martha Wayne as well. > > Obviously, if you undeaden Uncle Ben or Jor-El, you pretty much fuck with iconic origin stories, so that’s why they’re pretty well left alone. Astonishingly, there was a canonical Superboy story that revealed Jor-El and Lara were already doomed to die excruciatingly painful deaths from radiation poisoning contracted during the research that convinced him Krypton was about to blow up. So despite humoring a persistent life-support expert who put 'em in suspended animation, they left a message patiently explaining that anyone who found 'em should please not resuscitate their bodies – since, again, only an excruciatingly painful death awaits. Superboy found their bodies and honored their wishes. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/35 "2010-07-05T03:11:00Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Astonishingly, there was a canonical Superboy story… That sounds truly awful. At least [this much later effort](http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/action-comics/582-2.jpg) in what is arguably the last pre-Crisis issue of _Action Comics_ took a somewhat less stupid approach. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/36 "2010-07-05T06:01:40Z")
The [Crimson Avenger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Avenger_(Lee_Travis)) was terminally ill when he took over the helm of a burning tanker full of explosives and guided it out of the city. He was presumably still there when it blew and hasn’t been seen since. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/37 "2010-07-06T16:30:23Z")
So… does ANYBODY in comics die of “old age”? The closest I can come up with is “The Death of Captain Marvel”. Jim Steranko did a brilliant job of showing a hero facing … cancer. And losing. Long, protracted, painful death with a crowd of heroes around his hospital bed. Anyone else die of Natural Causes? I guess that would include Darkseid suddenly having a heart attack (“Hey, fellow minions… anyone know CPR?” “Uh, do any of us _want_ to save him?”). Can you imagine a writer giving Batman a stroke? Hmm… would it include Speedball or The Whizzer\* or Elongated Man OD’ing? Naah, probably not. I’ll keep my question to “Natural Non-Drug Causes”. \*_early Golden-Age Flash-type who got his powers from drinking mongoose blood. Eeew._ ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/38 "2010-07-06T16:40:55Z")
> [@digs](#): > > The closest I can come up with is “The Death of Captain Marvel”. Jim Steranko did a brilliant job of showing a hero facing … cancer. > > And losing. > > Long, protracted, painful death with a crowd of heroes around his hospital bed.\* Yep, that’s the one I came in here to mention. I haven’t read it for years, but I remember finding it quite moving. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/39 "2010-07-06T16:48:27Z")
Abin Sur is still dead, isn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417/40 "2010-07-06T17:10:11Z")
Hey, did Abin Sur die naturally? I’m imagining him having a heart attack and flying to earth to find a test pilot with no (or a less than adequate amount of) fear… Although that whole Crash Landing A Space Ship can’t be good for your health. Maybe I\* “should ask my doctor if not Crash Landing A Space Ship is right for me”\*… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-comic-character-properly-killed-off/545417.md?page=3)