Good Deaths in comics

Thinking about deaths in MU comics... I think a death scene can be realy good. not in a ghoulish way, but as an essential, powerful bit of the story. That's why marvellous resurrections are so often cop-outs; they rob the original story of its impact.

So can anyone remember any deaths that they thought were well handled, moving, final, effective, that should never be undone (or should never have been undone)? Ones that spring to mind are the original death of the original Green Goblin (that 'thus do the proud men die...' line), Elektra crawling to Matt's house to die on his doorstep, and Uncle Ben in USM. On the other hand, that one where the Owl turned over a new leaf in the SM/DD crossover was pretty pointless, and I'm glad it got ignored.

Captain Marvel Korvac Phoenix Syzygy Darklock

Every time I hear this, it amazes me (but not in a good way). It doesn't take anything away from the original story. The original story still happened.

Take Phoenix, for instance: despite Jean's resurrection, the events on the moon still happened, and they are just as impressive storywise.

Furthermore, superheroes are just the heroes and gods of the modern-day. It's nothing new that heroes and gods cheated death in the past, and it's not bad that they did.

-=very time I hear this, it amazes me (but not in a good way). It doesn't take anything away from the original story. The original story still happened.

Take Phoenix, for instance: despite Jean's resurrection, the events on the moon still happened, and they are just as impressive storywise.

Furthermore, superheroes are just the heroes and gods of the modern-day. It's nothing new that heroes and gods cheated death in the past, and it's not bad that they did.

-=[ The BlakGard ]=- 'Somewhere there's danger; somewhere there's injustice, and somewhere else the tea is getting cold!'

They were good in X-Men 137. Since then, they've been cheapened. Now we know it wasn't really Jean and that she wasn't shot by the cannon, she caused it to go off in order to commit 'suicide'. We also know that she didn't really die, the phoenix force simply allowed the physical shell to be destroyed and went off to invade Rachel.

Not much of a death, now that we know all the retconned crap.

Funny, this was the only part of that story I didn't like. It's a merger of the 'God's judgement' (if the hero can't kill the bad guy something else will, as long as the bad guy *will* be dead) and the lynch mob cliche. I've seen it too many times in american movies that I cheer every time when this doesn't happen.

How about Gwen's death?

Michael Lehmeier

I always thought of Gwen's death as the big death in this story line. She was the one the hero couldn't save. It also is an influence on Peter's/Spidey's actions to this day.

Aunt May's death was also, I thought, handled fairly well. Retconned into oblivion, but the issue as it was is still strong.

I'd go with Guardian's death in Alpha Flight v1 #12. As much as I enjoy Fabian's stuff, he should never have brought him back.

Cheers,

Captain Marvel.

What about Thunderbird, somewhere around Uncanny #94 - 100. Maybe they only created him to kill him off, but the way the characters dealt with it... They didn't just say 'Oh, we must avenge his death' kick some ass and that was the end of it. They kept thinking about him for years after, just like you or I would if we lost someone close to us.

Carson) spake unto us thusly:

The death of Skurge the Executioner in Thor, sacrificing himself and battling a horde of demons to give his allies time to escape in a scene that still gives me chills when I reread it.