Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of dead comic book characters


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.  

The result was keep, no valid reason for deletion given. The deletion of the categories are not at all a precedent, because lists are utterly different from categories; they are more easily maintained, annotated, etc. This is precisely the reason why lists and categories are seperate. The article needs strident criteria for inclusion, etc. but that is outside the scope of this deletion discussion, and is being hashed out on the talk page, just as it should be.--SB | T 22:36, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

List of dead comic book characters
We've already gone through several rounds of killing categories about dead comic book characters. We need to delete the List of dead comic book characters. The list is not maintainable. I found too many errors. Some will point out that the article says they could all come back. Fine. However, there are at least a quarter million dead characters in the history of comics! A few of those who were listed have been shown to be alive now (Dead Moira was an imposter) and other information was inaccurate (Captain Boomerang survived Identity Crisis to die in a different comic). So the article is wrong and, in fact, can never be right. Too many debatable deaths will be listed, thereby invoking POV. Wryspy 21:04, 2 September 2006 (UTC) P.S. Please pardon me if I missed a step, even with someone else helping me post this. I've never nominated an article for deletion before. Wryspy 21:10, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep - I voted for deletion of the categories, but I believe this is maintainable and useful as a list. To the best of my knowledge, for instance, Mysterio (Quentin Beck) is still dead -- he was replaced by his protege. -HKMarks 21:22, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep - Very useful list, accurate, and meets criteria for WP:NOTABLE. Hello32020 21:24, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep and expand - seems like a reasonable list. Artw 21:27, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep per HelenKmarks. Erechtheus 22:04, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep. As I argued during the recent Chuck Cunningham and Fonzie debates, material like this can be WP-worthy if someone is willing to watchlist it and stay on its back. I would support renaming to "List of notable dead comic book characters," but this is a list we should have. Daniel Case 23:50, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment - I don't think renaming is necessary, and it's a long title already. There is currently discussion in Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Comics on merging a lot of non-notable character pages. We could change the criteria for inclusion to characters with pages.  As the page stands now, there are none on it who don't have their own article (unless they're sharing it with other characters by the same name). -HKMarks 00:48, 3 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Delete - I may be in the minority, but this list could be endless. And what's next - a list of short characters?  Non-human characters? Characters with blue hair? Brianyoumans 00:53, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment - Non-humans are adequately served by Category:Fictional characters by nature. -HKMarks 01:27, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Re: the comment. A lot of fictional characters by nature lists have been purged for being subjective, biased, or just plain messes. (I can't believe it still has an effeminate characters listing.) Doczilla 12:17, 3 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Delete based on precedent and policy. As http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Categories_for_deletion/Log/2006_June_9#Category:Deceased_fictional_characters and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Categories_for_deletion/Log/2006_June_25#Category:Deceased_X-Men show, there is clear precedent for avoiding lists/categories on dead comic book characters, for many reasons. Is everyone posting in this discussion really a serious comic buyer? I've been reading comics since the Sixties, and my brain hurts to imagine how ridiculously long, muddled, and inaccurate that list will get. Also, tory details are supposed to be written in the present tense in Wikipedia, also for numerous reasons. Doczilla 12:14, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment: I'm not convinced there are that many notable dead characters yet. There are currently 53 characters on the list, and only 2 have stayed dead since the 1950s-1960s.  The only problem with this list seems to be that it's not comprehensive, and might theoretically become long.  It isn't yet.  The lists on Comic book death (of characters who returned) are 115-strong, just counting Marvel and DC examples.  I specifically voted for deletion of those categories because I felt list page did the job more elegantly and was more manageable. -HKMarks 13:27, 3 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Delete. Comic book deaths is good enough. --DrBat 12:38, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep. Merge Comic book deaths into this list, as it's a list, and lists should start with "List."  Lists can have commentary, too.  Mugaliens 14:50, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep. - I've changed my mind based on a renewed effort to improve the article. --Chris Griswold (  ☎  ☓  )  16:18, 5 September 2006 (UTC) Delete - I'm the one who split this off from the comic book deaths article. If it's not being maintained properly, it needs to go. --Chris Griswold  (  ☎  ☓  )  00:45, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment: I've also done some light work on this article (mostly looking to provide notability after it was split from Comic book death). I'm not attached to the article or anything but I'll note that when it was split there was discussion about changing the list chart to focus on the significance and/or impact of each character's death, improving notability and making it a genuine sub-article of Comic book death.  That said, this has not yet been done, although it might still happen -Markeer 14:48, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

style="color:red">☎ ]] ☓ )  16:20, 5 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment - Is that what you think should happen? Will you be voting? --Chris Griswold ( [[User talk:ChrisGriswold|<span
 * Weak Keep heh, fair question and I hadn't voted yet. I'm still mostly undecided.  While I think notability is certainly attainable, my main concern is about ongoing maintenance.  This kind of list  has the potential to expand exponentially over time.  That said, I suppose I wouldn't vote to delete based on a 'maybe' problem. -Markeer 12:27, 6 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep - The article needs work, but it could work very well with added notability and more defined rules. That said, I think the list should be limited to characters who have, at one point or another, starred in their own ongoing or limited series.  This would keep entries like Superboy (Kon-El) and [[Jean Grey while eliminating others.  That said, however, we'd have to find some sort of compromise for villains. King Zeal 18:40, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Agreed, we need some criteria for inclusion/exclusion. Own series seems a little too strict (what about team members?  villains?  Major supporting characters with years of history?).  I think own article will do it.  If truly obscure characters pop up, we can use that as a cue to clear out/merge those pages.  Alternate universes are excluded de facto already, but that could be made clearer.  Probability of return is a useless criterion.  Who ever expected Aunt May to come back? -HKMarks 18:58, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
 * The problem with own article is that it's easily rectified. If someone wants to have an alternate future version of the Hulk on the list for whatever reason, he would have free reign too as long as he made his own article for that character and added whatever content he deemed as "significant".


 * But you have a point. Therefore, I suggest we split the criteria amongst character types:


 * Major characters - Must have held own ongoing/limited series. (ex: Superboy (Kon-El))
 * Villains - Must be recurring ("recurring" being defined as having faced opposing hero(es) at LEAST three times). (ex: Captain Cold


 * Supporting character - Must be one of the following at time of death.
 * The hero/villain's love interest. (ex: Gwen Stacey)
 * The hero/villain's "sidekick/aide/protege". (ex: Stephanie Brown)
 * The hero/villain's "mentor". (ex: Max Mercury)  (Note:  Parents/guardians should NOT count.  No one cares if Batman's parents, Peter Parker's uncle, or Superman's home planet are still dead.)


 * Would this suffice? King Zeal 05:24, 5 September 2006 (UTC)
 * I also suggest explicitly excluding alternate universes (Ultimate, What If, Elseworlds, and so on), and characters in worlds where people just Don't Come Back. I've added some tentative criteria to the talk page -HKMarks 06:17, 5 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Keep per aboveJoe 02:51, 5 September 2006 (UTC)


 * delete It should be zero hour for days of future listcruff. More seriously based upon the precendent listed above. --Charlesknight 06:51, 5 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep per the above comments. RFerreira 19:25, 5 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep. It's fine as it is. Wiki-newbie 16:55, 9 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep -ryan-d 14:51, 10 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment Having nominated this for deletion, I now feel much better because I see that my having brought this to people's attention means the article, which will surely continue to exist, will be better maintained and monitored. Wryspy 03:59, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.