Which characters had a satisfying ending?

[Jim Kelly]

The frustration for me with DC is that the characters don't get anywhere, they don't arrive at the end of their story and they usually get rebooted or retconned before that, so it's like the myth of Sisyphus. It's very frustrating for a long time reader.

Sure some characters marry, have kids and even die, but their story is really about fighting for big moral imperatives and they never arrive at a point where the job is done and there's a sense of accomplishment. Batman doesn't leave Gotham better off for all his efforts, Superman doesn't cure the world's ills, Wonder Woman doesn't achieve peace and understanding. Maybe the big goals can never be accomplished, but it would be nice to see these hard working heroes get a little ahead on what they started.

The characters I always think of that got to the end of their story are: James Robinson's Starman; Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson's Manhunter; and Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Who else?

I suppose in what-if Elseworlds imaginary stories there might be a few others like All-Star Superman. But which other characters arrived at a satisfying conclusion to their story, from any of the DC books and imprints?

[j9ac9k]

Wesley Dodds Sandman? It seemed he and Dian lived a long, adventure-filled life together and birthed a great heroic legacy.

While they've each been rebooted since, I think Supergirl and Flash would have had a great heroic send-off in the original Crisis. That was a definite endpoint and saving the universe seems a satisfying way to go.

The Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter I would put in a different category since his story was always meant to end. He's like Ferro Lad in that way.

[Frontier]

I think the end of Johns' Green Lantern run was probably as good and conclusive of an end for the GL franchise as we may ever get.

[Jekyll]

Waids run for Wally would’ve been a great ending to the character. He was happily married with kids, his uncle that he admired returned. DC could have retired him and given him a happy ending if they didn’t care to use him, but instead we have this garbage they’ve given us throughout Rebirth and HIC.

[CaptCleghorn]

I'm mentioning Jim Corrigan in John Ostander's Spectre series. That was planned to be a finish when written and published and I'm sticking with that interpretation.

[Lee Stone]

While I disliked the actual journey of Breakdowns for various reasons, the end of JLI was pretty satisfying and I'm glad Giffen & DeMatteis were given the opportunity to give it a good conclusion.

[Ishmael]

I'm mentioning Jim Corrigan in John Ostander's Spectre series. That was planned to be a finish when written and published and I'm sticking with that interpretation.

This. Ostrander's ending for the Spectre was perfect.

And I'll also add Jack Knight's ending in Starman. Glad we've never seen him again, because his story ended perfectly.

[Dred]

Waids run for Wally would’ve been a great ending to the character. He was happily married with kids, his uncle that he admired returned. DC could have retired him and given him a happy ending if they didn’t care to use him, but instead we have this garbage they’ve given us throughout Rebirth and HIC.

That's not how Waid's run ended. Waid's run ended with Wally's marriage. Johns' run ended with his kids. Waid's super short second bit was six issues and there were a dozen more fill ins before Barry came back.

Barry coming back is like the worst possible closure for Wally. Undercut everything he ever did.

[charliehustle415]

I think the end of Johns' Green Lantern run was probably as good and conclusive of an end for the GL franchise as we may ever get.

Absolutely, I also think Morrison's Batman Inc ending was pretty good too. Bruce loses everything again and he continues his crusade against crime forever more.

[Paradox_Nihil]

The Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter I would put in a different category since his story was always meant to end.

Actually, it wasn't. They finished it because Goodwin was going to leave DC and return to Warren. He didn't know that during the early episodes. Maybe they would have finished it anyway, but it would surely have been longer.

But, regardless, I judge only art, not intentions.

[Jim Kelly]

Although it’s regarded as an imaginary tale, “The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue” was presented in SUPERMAN No. 162 (July 1963) as a possible future for the Man of Tomorrow. To the reader of the day, there was nothing to contradict the existing continuity of the time. And it attempts to check all the boxes on a super-fan’s wishlist for the best possible outcome that the characters could enjoy.

One day, the people of Kandor call Superman on his empty promises and issue an ultimatum: If he doesn’t accomplish certain super-deeds in six months, then they will replace him with a Kandorian in his stead as the World’s Greatest Super-Hero.

It turns out Superman already has a to-do list that has vexed him for some time, which he shows to Supergirl. This list includes:

1. RESTORE KANDOR TO NORMAL SIZE
2. FIND ANTIDOTE TO GREEN KRYPTONITE
3. WIPE OUT CRIME

Solving these challenges has proved too much even for his super-brain, so he has constructed a cabinet powered by the various forms of Kryptonite--and the upshot is he’s split in two, Superman-Red and Superman-Blue.

The twin Supermen set about creating a New Krypton--drawing all the fragments of Kryptonite together to form a planet, thus changing Kryptonite back into the original harmless elements of Krypton. The Kandorians are restored to normal size to live on the planet--and super-powered under our yellow sun, they are able to reform the planet so it replicates Krypton’s environment. But they choose to return the entire planet back to the Rao star system where they will lose their powers.

Lori Lemaris asks Blue and Red to make another planet for the Atlantean mer-people and the Super-Twins, along with Krypto and Supergirl, use their heat vision to melt the polar ice caps of a planet, creating a water world. The Atlanteans then embark on a mass exodus to their new homeworld of Hydra.

Blue and Red now create a system of satellites around the Earth that emit rays to counter any evil instincts and make everyone good. The world’s super-powers give up their nuclear armaments and begin peace talks. Castro frees the political prisoners in Cuba. The Superman-Revenge Squad and Brainiac cancel their invasion of Earth when they come under the influence of the anti-evil rays. Lex Luthor turns good and invents a serum that cures all the ailments of the world and he’s reunited with his sister Lena.

Supergirl frees all the Kryptonian criminals from the Phantom Zone who immediately turn good and she goes with them to join their people on New Krypton.

Next Blue and Red want to marry and settle down with the woman they love. It turns out they are different enough in mind that Blue loves Lana Lang, while Red loves Lois Lane. And when they decide to have a double wedding, Jimmy and Lucy make it a triple wedding. Red longs to be on New Krypton, so he and Lois leave the Earth, while Blue has a fondness for his adopted planet, so he remains with Lana here. But Blue retires from the job of Superman--which is now a lot easier than before--and he leaves it to his super-robots to do things like combatting Earth’s natural disasters. Instead Blue devotes his life to science and raising his twins (a girl and a boy) with Lana. Meanwhile, on New Krypton, Red has taken the name Kal-El and has twins with Lois (also a boy and a girl).

At the end of the tale, as Jimmy supposes that Blue and Red have each found the happiness they were looking for, Lucy can’t help but remark, “Hm! I wonder!”

[ChaosIncarnate]

Although it isn’t necessarily an end, more of an evolution to the character, I always loved having Renee Montoya become the question after Vic Sage’s passing. Obviously he had to come back eventually, but I hate that we regressed her back to her Pre-52 characterization.

[hareluyafan1]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't "Saga of the Swamp Thing" end with Swamp Thing and his beloved wife quite literally walking off into the sunset together?

You can't get more satisfying than that.

[dancj]

Although it isn’t necessarily an end, more of an evolution to the character, I always loved having Renee Montoya become the question after Vic Sage’s passing. Obviously he had to come back eventually, but I hate that we regressed her back to her Pre-52 characterization.

I thought turning her into The Question was a step in the wrong direction for a great character. Not Crispus Allen bad, but still wrong. Why can't people be around superheroes without becoming them?

[Sandy Hausler]

The Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter I would put in a different category since his story was always meant to end. He's like Ferro Lad in that way.

Ferro Lad was always meant to die? Interesting. I never heard that.

Sandy Hausler