The Biggest Event Since The Last Biggest Event

...feeling as though I am still basking in the glow of Guardians Of The Galaxy, I found an interesting article this morning that we will discuss in greater length on the next episode of The Comic Roast Podcast. In the worlds of comic books, specifically those of superheroes, it is rare that anyone of particular importance meets their untimely demise. Granted, there are some deaths (Bruce Wayne's parents, Peter Parker's Uncle Ben, Hal Jordan's father) that are integral to the mythology. Beyond that, not too many important characters in these worlds die.

It can most certainly be argued that this discussion makes it seem as if people are yearning for the death of characters, fictional as they may be. I would state that while no one is necessarily rooting for such a thing, the topic is interesting based on how death has been handled in superhero stories in the past leading up to the present.

Off of the top of my head, comic book deaths that have occurred and then rendered moot include Superman, Robin, Batman, Captain America and soon Wolverine. As major publishers who rely on continuous arcs bleeding into the next, asking readers to invest emotion into these events are silly when everyone now knows that a time warp or magic spell will reverse the shocking moment a year down the road. As a fan, I find it best to just enjoy the stories and shrug off these attempts at grabbing a headline. If a character has to die in a story, I would prefer that it have weight and meaning.

Anyhow, the post I read earlier brought up the manner in which they are handling character death in the comic book movieverse, specifically Marvel. Marvel is in the midst of a global tidal wave of adoration that shows no sign of ever slowing down. Each film that they release is met with almost universal praise. They are trying new things while keeping everything firmly grounded within the Marvel framework. Most importantly, they are introducing new characters and worlds to the masses that were once relegated to comic shop exclusively.

Sprinkled throughout these films are the occasional character brush with death. Thus far, they are 0-for-whatever in terms of having any of these moments stick. Either the character did not die, were revived off screen or the death was part of a giant ruse. Until now, it was nothing I ever gave much thought to, but now it makes my eyebrow go up just a bit. Not in a way that will prevent me from feverishly awaiting Avengers: Age Of Ultron, but in a curious manner nonetheless.

The Comic Roast Podcast
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