101 Things that Precipitate a Character's Death

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1. Marriage
http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/1296/400/1296_4_128.jpg

― Huk-L, Friday, 25 February 2005 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

2. Appearance and speaking part in a team comic for the first time in several years, said comic with a cover screaming "This issue - an Avenger* dies!"

*X-Man/Legionnaire/Super-Pet

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

3. Other characters stressing what a great guy you are and how much you mean to them.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:30 (twenty-one years ago)

4. Extraneous flashback to your early years / first mission.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:30 (twenty-one years ago)

5. Getting shot.

― Huk-L, Friday, 25 February 2005 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

6. A suspicious lack of recent run-ins with supervillains, starting to enjoy the downtime

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

7. Expressing desire to retire/break-up with a superhero spouse/"leave all this behind"

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

8. Cancellation of your book.

8a. Coincidence of the cancellation of your book with enormous company-wide crossover.

8a(a). Coincidence of the cancellation of your book, enormous company-wide crossover, and leak to fandom of original 'surprise ending' causing editors to look frantically around for sacrificial lamb.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:34 (twenty-one years ago)

9. Learning someone's earth shattering secret (cf. YOU ARE PETER PARKER / NOT STRAIGHT / NOT MY MOTHER / AN ALIEN)

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

10. Getting pregnant (the comic version of the "having sex = DEAD" slasher flick trope)

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

11. Mark Millar takes over your book

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

12. Grant Morrison takes over your book

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

(BTW is that Black Lois in the crowd of mourners? Methinks I have guessed the plot twist!)

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:39 (twenty-one years ago)

13. Performing above and beyond the call of duty against super-tough adversary, and getting congratulated by peers for said effort whilst the supposedly-vanquished adversary plays possum / comes to and musters up enough strength to get off ONE LAST SHOT...BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT!

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:41 (twenty-one years ago)

14. You are an icon and DC is publishing your book in the mid-90s

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:41 (twenty-one years ago)

15. Team up w/ Batman.
15a. Fall in love w/ Batman.
15b. Double dip & do both w/ Batman.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

16. Being the villain in a comic that says "and one WILL die" on the cover.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

17. Go against type. (Sometimes precedes #13.)

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:43 (twenty-one years ago)

18. Attend the Xavier Institute

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

19. Give your only child a name that rhymes with Loose Pain.

― Huk-L, Friday, 25 February 2005 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

20. Be a sidekick

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

21. Have a sidekick/named successor to don your mantle in the event of an untimely demise

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:46 (twenty-one years ago)

22. Decide to take short cut down street called Crime Alley.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:46 (twenty-one years ago)

23. Time travel to the past to help your past self avoid some great catastrophe

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

24. Give birth to son/daughter destined to have their own title and in need of tragic childhood

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

25. Being born.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

26. Try to impress someone who's never impressed.

― Huk-L, Friday, 25 February 2005 19:51 (twenty-one years ago)

26. Telling someone you'll always be there for them.

― Austin (Austin), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

28. Visiting hotbed of super-activity (Metropolis, Marvel's NYC, the Negative Zone) for the very first time.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

28. Coming out of retirement for "one last mission"

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 19:54 (twenty-one years ago)

30. Joining the Teen Titans after the first issue.

― Huk-L, Friday, 25 February 2005 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

31. Being introduced in a summer event that proceeds to tank dismally.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 25 February 2005 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

32. Pissing off the Phantom Stranger.
http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/1449/400/1449_4_103.jpg

― Huk-L, Friday, 25 February 2005 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

33. Being the beloved character of a current / former editor / creator, and being written by someone that's beefing w/ said editor / creator.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 February 2005 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

34. Being Elektra.

― Leeeter van den Hoogenband (Leee), Friday, 25 February 2005 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

35. BEING JEAN GREY

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 February 2005 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

36. Being a character created by the NEW WRITER on a long running team book, followed by the news that said writer is leaving the book. Your days will be numbered.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 28 February 2005 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

37. Everybody on the message board thinks you suck.

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 28 February 2005 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

38. So others may live! Oh pathos! Such sacrifice!

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 28 February 2005 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

39. Appearing in the first few pages of a big company-wide crossover, despite not having had your own series since Millennium.

― Huk-L, Monday, 28 February 2005 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

39. You are really hard to draw.

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 28 February 2005 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

41. Your name is Jim Corrigan and the Spectre just parted ways with Hal Jordan.

― Huk-L, Monday, 28 February 2005 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 28 February 2005 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Somebody photoshop the Wrath of God on to that!

― Huk-L, Monday, 28 February 2005 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

42. Having a touching reunion with a long lost relative

43. Having multiple bodies (Maddrox/Triplicate Lass/Duo Damsel/Mono Maid)

43a. Having messed up continuity/back story so there are multiple versions of yourself running round (Psylocke or Hourman)

― Mark C (Markco), Monday, 28 February 2005 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

43b. Being a clone

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 February 2005 20:44 (twenty-one years ago)

43c. Being Supergirl.

― Huk-L, Monday, 28 February 2005 20:46 (twenty-one years ago)

44. Appearing in a Lobo comic

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 February 2005 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

45. being a ninja sent to fight Wolverine

― Mark C (Markco), Monday, 28 February 2005 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

46. Pushing a teammate out of the way of a bullet.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 28 February 2005 21:51 (twenty-one years ago)

47. Being a dealer of drugs or a runner of guns in a Punisher book

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 February 2005 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

48. Being gay and/or German in a Garth Ennis comic

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 February 2005 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

49. You are a female mutant being written by Chris Claremont.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 28 February 2005 21:57 (twenty-one years ago)

50. You are a cute animal or someone's beloved pet in a Grant Morrison comic (and will be subsequently killed in order to make the reader cry)

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 February 2005 22:12 (twenty-one years ago)

51. you are an inept minion and the supervillain needs to make an example/demonstrate heinous supervillainry

― Mark C (Markco), Monday, 28 February 2005 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

52. You are a completely ordinary person in an 80s comic who is introduced by a third-person narrative panel, which curiously opts to give your full name and an entirely unrelated, yet strangely poignant detail about your life.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 28 February 2005 23:47 (twenty-one years ago)

53. Being anyone other than a regular member of the supporting cast in "Tomb of Dracula" (actually a lot of these fall under #52 also, except a bit earlier).

54. Being a creator-owned character who appears in a team book, and then not having your option picked up by the company that publishes the book. (This is why Christopher Priest abruptly shoved Mystek out an airlock in Justice League Task Force.)

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 08:22 (twenty-one years ago)

55. You are in Hellblazer and are not John Constantine.

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

56. Your name and/or your backstory has some connection (literary / linguistic / historical / literal) to death or dying or growing old (cf. Thanos, Phoenix, Stiffy Coffinbones)

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 22:40 (twenty-one years ago)

57. You are J-walking in Mega-City One.

― Cool Bananas, Thursday, 3 March 2005 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

five months pass...

58. You are a PRISONER OF THE PURPLE DEMON!
http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/791/400/791_4_154.jpg

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Sunday, 28 August 2005 01:37 (twenty years ago)

59. Finally achieving true happiness

― Laura H. (laurah), Sunday, 28 August 2005 01:47 (twenty years ago)

Shouldn't there be a counter thread "101 Things that Precipitate a Character's Resurrection"?

― the food has a top snake of 1 (ex machina), Sunday, 28 August 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

60. You are a beloved character in a "What If..." book

― Laura H. (laurah), Sunday, 28 August 2005 04:15 (twenty years ago)

61. You are a cocksure young rookie/senior judge accompanying Judge Dredd on a mission into the Cursed Earth and haven't previously been introduced. Bonus points if you are named after another writer or artist - "Judge Bisley! Watch out for that enormous falling boulder! Oh...drokk."

62. The artist hasn't bothered to draw a name on your Judge-badge.

― Philip Alderman (Phil A), Sunday, 28 August 2005 17:39 (twenty years ago)

One of the previously unknown judges who snuffs it in the Cursed Earth is actually called Judge Fodder. Good old Pat mills.

― chap who would dare to thwart the revolution (chap), Sunday, 28 August 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

63: You have just discovered Batman's secret identity.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 30 August 2005 11:51 (twenty years ago)

64. You are in Lone Wolf & Cub but are neither Lone Wolf nor Cub.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 30 August 2005 13:26 (twenty years ago)

65. you call groo a "mendicant."

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 08:39 (twenty years ago)

five months pass...

66. Narrative Captions replaced by WWI poetry.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 20 February 2006 18:39 (twenty years ago)

67. Running into yr ex-boyfriend in outerspace.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 20 February 2006 18:42 (twenty years ago)

68. Running into Superboy's fist.

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 20 February 2006 18:43 (twenty years ago)

69. Your eyeball was just eaten by a vampire.

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 20 February 2006 18:46 (twenty years ago)

70. Not wearing your Chemo-Proof raincoat on the daytrip to Bludhaven.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 20 February 2006 18:50 (twenty years ago)

71. Being an Amazon that Wonder Woman never talks to.

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 20 February 2006 18:55 (twenty years ago)

72. Telling Wonder Woman she's so beautiful it makes your head spin.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 20 February 2006 18:57 (twenty years ago)

73. Appearing in a scene at the beginning of a crossover populated entirely by minor villains, or characters who haven't had their own series since the '70s.

― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 20 February 2006 19:42 (twenty years ago)

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