by L.A. Mood Comics and Games

By Dan Brown

I’m not a regular reader of the Batman titles, so it was news to me that in the current DC continuity, Alfred – the Dark Knight’s butler ally – is dead. 

And has been dead since Bane killed him in 2019.

That’s why, in a recent issue over the summer, Alfred was replaced by his blond great-niece, Verity.

Which got me thinking. 

Not about the finer points of butlering in Gotham City, but about death.

Alfred being unalive for so many real years is an exceptionally long span for a comic character to spend in the afterlife.

Death is a constant in comics. As is its inevitable reversal.

“O death, where is thy sting?” was a question posed in the Bible, and in comic books death is usually treated like a wasp sting – momentarily painful, but hardly insurmountable.

So while dying may be permanent for us mortals, it’s a passing phase to most comic heroes.

Just look at the most consequential death in my time as a comic reader: In 1980, the creative team of John Byrne and Chris Claremont killed off the X-Men’s Phoenix/Jean Grey after the dark side of her nature took control. 

Realizing she was a threat of universal proportions, she zapped herself with a ray gun. 

Then, six years later, she was resurrected (due to internal Marvel politics, not in the pages of The Uncanny X-Men) and has been killed and reborn regularly since then. I guess that’s to be expected of a character named after a mythical bird whose superpower is to rise from the dead.

But here’s the thing: When they brought Phoenix back the first time, I was so disillusioned. Her death held meaning for teen readers like me. 

We bought into it. She was toast. She was gone. Never to be seen again. Or so we thought.

I remember a panel maybe two issues after her death in which one of her teammates, Nightcrawler, works through his grief for Phoenix. Having limited experience with death as a 13-year-old, it was a moving moment.

So when Marvel brought Jean Grey back, it cheapened her sacrifice. I was so distraught, I gave up reading Marvel comics for a couple years.

Since then, a long list of superheroes have temporarily died, like Superman in 1992, Captain America in 2007, and the Human Torch in 2011.

The other problem is, when these characters inevitably do come back, it’s usually in a ham-fisted way.

Granted, having a character expire is an interesting storytelling tool. There wouldn’t even be a Batman if Bruce Wayne’s parents hadn’t been shot dead. Thomas and Martha Wayne are on the short list of deceased comic characters who have stayed that way.

Portraying the grief of the remaining survivors is also a fantastic opportunity for a writer looking for a meaty challenge, but I’ve yet to see a hero brought back from the grave in a “realistic” way – likely because coming back from death is not a real thing. There’s just no good way to explain why your favourite hero is no longer six feet under.

Yet it must be nice to live in a world knowing that if someone you know dies, they can come back, and they likely WILL come back.

I just wish the other heroes would acknowledge this.

Why doesn’t Robin or Wonder Woman or one of Batman’s other friends turn to him and say,  “I know you’re missing Alfred, buddy, but there’s no need to fret – I’m sure he’ll be back among the living one day soon.”

Does anyone doubt it?

If you have any thoughts about the topic, I'd love to read them in the comments!

Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 34 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly Graphic-Novel Group book club.