Deaths in Spiderman and the X-Men, Why Not To Worry
Fans have been talking recently about how some film franchises, X-men and Spiderman can go on with so many characters dead. Well I have given it a lot of thought and study, and I may be able to help ease those worries. I have compiled information about some notable movie and comic deaths that may help. I felt that this was something that needed to be done. It's not that long, there are some large pictures. And some of these deaths are quite humorous.
The Spiderman Film Series:
A year back Sam Raimi mentioned that they may bring back a dead villain in Spiderman 4 or 5. This caused uproar in the fan community. The dead villains are Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Venom, and Harry the nameless Goblin we’ll call him Gobby jr. People should not worry about how bringing these characters back would negatively impact the films or the comics, because they have come back in the comics.
I’ll start on the first major death in this series, The Green Goblin. I admit it was good, but it was a little early. He died by his Glider in the film, as he did in the comics. He came back from the dead in the comics, and could do so in the movie. Here's what they do in the next movie. First they do like they did in the comics, they bring the Green Goblin back from the dead, like in the comics. He died form his glider in the comics, he came back from the dead because of his healing factor. He hid out in Europe manipulating Harry and others into attacking Spidey. And eventually he came back. This could easily be translated into the movies, all it would take is one line of dialogue about his healing factor and bam done, we can move on to Gobby killing Gwen Stacey.
I will branch off from talking about how characters can be brought back, and I will tell you how and why one should die.
I am ok with the series except for one major thing. GWEN STACEY COMES FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!! The only reason they brought MJ out first, is because she was in that stupid cartoon. Don't get me wrong, the cartoon was good and al but it was too heavily censored, thats why Gwen wasn't in it they couldn't kill a character off. I mean Gwen got one episode in an alternate reality.
The movie should have introduced Gwen first. It should have been her in the first movie on the bridge, and she should have died! But no they bring Red in and she wrecks the Goblins death. And now they bring Gwen Stacey in Spiderman 3, I was like WHAT THE HELL their doing it backwards!
Don't get me wrong, I like Mary Jane, I have Mary Jane around when I watch the Wall or listen to Pink Floyds the Wall record. But seriously the comic character is not bad, I like her a lot, she has had some awesome storylines. But she does not come first.
I don't hate Gwen, I don't want her to be thrown off of the George Washington Bridge and have her neck broken, but that’s what happens in the Comics in Amazing Spider-Man #121-122 Gwen dies. That historical event marked the end of the Silver Age. I mean come on respect the source material.
If they do decide to bring Goblin back and finally kill Gwen here’s how they could easily do it. In between the 3rd and 4th movies, Peter and MJ break up, yes it can happen they aren’t attached at the hip, so Peter and Gwen Stacey get together. They work together in the labs of Kurt Conners and Miles Warren (Lizard, and Jackal). Goblin (Norman) comes back from Europe, Spidey finds out, Gobby’s healing factor is revealed. Goblin comes back to take his revenge. So eventually he kidnaps Gwen and takes her back to the bridge. He throws Gwen, Spiderman snags her with his web line, and the impact from the web stopping her abruptly snaps her neck, and she dies.
Doc Ock “Died” in Spiderman 2. In reality all you see is a guy sinking in the water. He had a similar “death” in the comics, he came back a few issues later. He can easily say that the tentacles pulled him out of the water.
Venom, unfortunately is a different matter. If you freeze the frame in Spiderman 3 you can see Brocks skeleton, so he is dead. Unless they alter the laws of physics, or introduce a clone, Venom is gone sorry.
Harry has the same healing factor as dear old dad, so he can come back from the dead to!
And now I get to the comeback kings and queens, the X-Men.
I’ll start off with Cyclops. Did you see a body, did you see anything except for his glasses? Remember the old saying, “Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear” Unless I saw his corpse I don’t believe he is dead. If they made a new film, that would be a perfect way to introduce Mr. Sinister. Sinister has an obsession with the Summers family, so it could easily be believed that he found Scott after Jean freaked out, and smuggled him away. Sinister could reveal that he had Cykes the whole time.
And Jean Grey, do I really have to? Okay, were to begin. Its best to think of Jean Grey as the Kenny of the X-Men, I know she is the Phoenix, which means death/ rebirth, but god its gotten redundant. I can count FOURTEEN DEATHS off the top of my head. And people are worried about her not coming ack in a new X-Men.
Here is a list and desricption of these cannon deaths, yes there are more.
1. Dies Piloting a Crashing Space Shuttle
Uncanny X-Men #101 (October 1976)
This is the first, brief death of Jean Grey. Jean emerges but its not Jean, Jean “died” This Jean is a “clone”.
2.Commits Suicide on the Moon
Uncanny X-Men #137 (September 1980)
This is after Dark phoenix destroy a star system, and Jean was placed on trial by the Shi’ar. Her friends fight to save her, she kills herself.
3. Erased from existence by Thanos
Infinity Gauntlet #1 (July 1991)
Using the Infinity Gems, Thanos erases half of the life in the Universe to impress Death. Jean doesn’t even get the honor of being killed on panel, she is just wiped out of existence.
4. Killed by Fitzroy’s Sentinels
Uncanny X-Men #281 (October 1991)
Sentinels kill the Hellions, and of course Jean Grey, who had managed to transfer her mind into Emma Frost just before her body dies. Jean of course, is transferred back into her own body by Xavier a few issues later. Though they never answer the question of how you can transfer a living mind into a dead body.
5.Jean murdered by Havok
X-Men: Omega (June 1995)
Even though it was the Age Of Apocalypse it is still counted as a cannon death.
6. Stabbed by Wolverine on remains of Asteroid M,
New X-Men #148 (October 2003)
Basically Magneto infiltrated the X-Men under the guise of Xorn. He trapped Wolverine and Phoenix on the remains of Asteroid M. Which he then plunged the into the sun. Wolverine got the bright idea to spare Jean the suffering of being burnt alive. So he stabbed her with his claws.
Jean died, and came back as Phoenix and flew them back to Earth to fight Magneto.
7. Murdered by “Xorn” (Magneto)
New X-Men #150 (December 2003)
Unfortunately, this did not end well for Jean, of course. He killed Jean with a magnetic pulse that caused a stroke.
8-13. Fatally stabbed SIX SEPERATE TIMES by Wolverine
Phoenix: Endsong #3 (April 2005)
This could actually be counted as six separate deaths.
Basically an injured Phoenix force makes it way to earth, it brings Jean back to life to heal itself, because naturally she is the least likely Marvel character to die. Jean asks Wolverine to keep killing her to weaken the Phoenix, great plan and sacrifice. He does so, disembowelling her six times. Each time she dies the Phoenix resurrects Jean.
14. Submerges herself in glacier
Phoenix: Endsong #3 (April 2005)
Jean submerges herself in a glacier. The end for now.
There are more Jean deaths that are not considered cannon, many more.
It’s gotten so bad that Marvel itself makes fun of it in the comics and in video games. In the credits after Marvel Ultimate Alliance, you can listen to recording sessions for the game, were the characters record their voices. You get Mephisto, Doom, Iceman etc. But eventually you listen to Jean’s session. She is told to act very emotional because this is scene where she dies, her response is “Wait, I die, why is it I always have to die. (Turns into evil sounding Phoenix) Maybe its time I had a little talk with the producers!” Other characters in the comics have made fun of her deaths some notable examples are
-In Astonishing X-Men- Cyclops says "Jean Grey is dead" Agent Brand replies "Yeah, that'll last”
-Another one “Jean Grey died”. Another character responds “What, again?”
Deaths are made fun of in comics all the time! The West Coast Avengers even had a character named Mr. Immortal who’s power is to come back from the dead, and guess what he did, he died in every single issue. Resurection Man in DC has the same power.
Mutants never seem to die. Professor Xavier commented on that in X-Force "In mutant heaven there are no pearly gates, but instead revolving doors."
In one comic two characters are talking about the X-Men Magik died one of them said "So what? The X-Men come back to life more than Jesus".
Other notable deaths include
Jason Todd. This boy was a punk and hated by everyone. So he was voted to die by THE FANS! The Joker killed him. Somehow he came back, and is still a hated punk.
Bucky was killed by Baron Zemo, when a plane blew up. But he was later revealed to be thw Winter Soldier, and is now Captain America.
Superman died fighting Doomsday, but came back.
Batman recently died in Final Crisis, but is revealed to not actually be dead, but had his soul stripped from his body and launched across time and space.
So there is no real need to worry about your favorite characters coming back as long as you remember one very important rule No one stays dead except Bucky, Jason Todd and Uncle Ben" Oh wait Bucky is the new Captain America, and Jason is the new Red Hood and next possible Batman….. Well at least Uncle Ben is still dead.
So you see now, Gwen Stacey, Uncle Ben and the Wayne’s are the only ones who stay dead. And it looks like soon you can scratch Thomas and Martha Wayne off the list because rumor has it they are coming back as Black Lanterns.