Which characters had a satisfying ending?

[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.

[married guy]

The two that spring to mind are:

Starman - Jack Knight
Hitman - Tommy Monaghan

Both GREAT series too!

[Vakanai]

Jason Todd, beaten and broken with a crowbar and finally killed in an explosion, democracy in action! (Never did believe that one guy rigged a way to call continuously and unfairly affected the end result.)

And like most good endings, it was also later revealed to be a great beginning and we got a pretty good story with Under the Red Hood.

Actually another favorite of mine is The Dark Knight Returns, which again is an ending that is also kind of a beginning. Shame that beginning led to Strikes Again which is kind of all over the place and out there (although I love the Batcave's self destruct function). Haven't read Master Race yet, maybe it picks up again.

[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.

[The Kid]

Satisfying endings can be very subjective.

For Batman i would say Dark Knight Returns. That's the best ending for Batman. Bruce's career as Batman ends, but there is more. Its like that never ending battle which actually has an ending which is quite satisfying.

One can make a case for the recent Annual by Tom King. That sort of ending where Bruce and Selina age together and finally die is among the cheeriest ending for Batman. That was an excellent issue.

I have read somewhere that Batman is a sort of character who can't ever succeed in his mission. Only a child can imagine something like this. To end crime. Bruce was at just the age when he can make a lifelong vow and yet be so naive. The most sensible ending appears to be that he dies during his career as Batman. 'Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?' could have been satisfying. But the meta route while making some sense does not work for me. Its exactly sisyphean. He keeps taking birth with each retelling(read reboots/reimaginings etc) and his actual life begins after the murder of his parents. And it ends with his death somewhere during his career as Batman and the cycle repeats.

That's why Dark Knight Returns is triumphant. He has outlived almost all of his villains. And he has even outlived Batman. Its a very satisfying ending imo.


Superman has a number of satisfying endings imo. Milleage may vary for each of my instances.

I see almost no love for 'The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue' from Superman #162. Its an excellent issue. Superman retires. But not because he has been forced to. But because his mission is complete. I have never seen such a comprehensive victory for any hero. My only nitpick is that the resolution of the love triangle was a bit too convenient. But otherwise i love it.

Right at the other side of this is the original 'Death of Superman' from Superman #149. Hero dying while fighting for his mission is not a lesser ending. They could die anyday. Its shocking. But it leads to Luthor being put away for good and Superman's backup, Supergirl takes the place of the fallen hero.

'Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow?' will get a mention. Just because its a brilliant story. In some ways i prefer this over All Star or DC One Million. Frankly speaking i find the long alive almost immortal Superman boring. Like Dark Knight Returns he outlives his villains. Hangs up the Superman mantle and settles down with his love. Instead of taking the grand route Moore settles for a more humanistic ending. And it works.

Only Morrison got the grand ending right imo. All Star Superman and its spiritual sequel DC One Million are fantastic. In my head canon that's how the story ends. Tom King's short in Action Comics #1000 can be taken as a companion piece.

Secret Identity has an immensely satisfying ending. Its nothing grand. Simply a quiet ending. Beautiful like the sunsets he enjoys.

Agreed with both Batman and Superman. Morrison and Moore to me both gave very different yet equally powerful endings to Superman. And your explanation of The Dark Knight Returns is why I love the ending of that story

[byrd156]

Barry's end in CoIE. Saving all of existence is the best way for any hero to go out.

[Dred]

While this will have some repeats, I'll list the characters I think truly got great endings/sendoffs/deaths:

Barry Allen in COIE is the greatest death in comics history. There isn't an argument here, it is THE comic book death. It is important and is one of the biggest symbolic pieces DC ever had -- an era ending with the death of the man who ushered it in, in the most heroic act of all time. That it is no longer relevant is one of DC's greatest mistakes.

Jack Knight and The Shade. Starman in general was a masterpiece and there is a very good reason DC has agreed with Robinson to not do anything with those characters without his permission.

While he is not a DC character, I would be remiss not to mention Captain Marvel, Mar-vell for clarity's sake. It doesn't have the grandiosity or impact on the medium of Barry's death, but it is a superb series of character moments. A great ushering out of a great character.

Tommy and Natt dying in Hitman is right up there with Mar-vell. I don't think the entire series leading up to that point had been as good as it was in the past, but the deaths themselves are perfectly poignant. Couldn't have had a better last page.

Sandman, Morpheus. Maybe the best written death to a character of all time. The entire series, all its ins and outs, all its weirdness, everything established about the character was built to this climactic moment: Change or Die. Arguably the greatest big two comic series ever and the entire thing structured around this character coming to grips with, and accepting, his end due to all his mistakes and all of his failures. It's so beautifully built in the lore of the story itself, between the mentions of the past Despair, to Destruction's urging him to do what he did (as it might be his last chance), to the creation of Daniel, to the entire plotline with Orpheus carrying all the way through etc etc. In retrospect you could see it coming a mile away, but when you first read through it's one of the most shocking things you've ever seen. That procession scene is one of the greatest scenes in comics, period, and this stands atop the list of great deaths in comic history.

Darkseid in Final Crisis. No one's written the New Gods as well as Morrison since Kirby and the build up to and finale of Final Crisis is wonderful. While not as climactic or meta important as Barry's death (odd, considering this is Morrison), it's still a mindbending treat.

[Buried Alien]

Barry Allen in COIE is the greatest death in comics history. There isn't an argument here, it is THE comic book death. It is important and is one of the biggest symbolic pieces DC ever had -- an era ending with the death of the man who ushered it in, in the most heroic act of all time. That it is no longer relevant is one of DC's greatest mistakes.

Heartily disagree. I've had enough "dead" Barry to last me a lifetime.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jim Kelly]

Stories that end tragically can be satisfying, but this seems to be the goto option when DC brings characters to an end. The end of THE FLASH (issue 350) was an upbeat ending, Barry and Iris are back together, they go off to live in the future--good for them, hurray. But next thing we know, in COIE, Barry didn't get to live happily ever after with Iris, he didn't even get to see his kids being born, he goes off to die and dies in a horrific way. Yes, he saves the universe, but Barry started out as such a positive character, to see him end up in such a tragic scenario doesn't really befit his character arc.

[Dred]

Heartily disagree. I've had enough "dead" Barry to last me a lifetime.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Barely anything good has come out of undoing it and a lot of good came out of doing it. I know you like the character but history is what it is. Like, even comics featuring Barry were better while he was dead than the ones that came out after and during his revival. Barry Allen, the one we know, never really came back moreso than a name, anyhow. We lost all of the value of his death and gained none of the quality of his life with his return. It'd be laughable if it weren't so stupid. This also ignores the value of legacy and forevermore focusing on Barry Allen squandering all of that.

That said, even if you don't like his sacrifice in COIE because of your personal love of the character and favoring him being alive above any and everything else, it is undeniably one of the greatest moments and greatest deaths ever, correct? If that does not deserve to stand than nothing in comics does.

Stories that end tragically can be satisfying, but this seems to be the goto option when DC brings characters to an end. The end of THE FLASH (issue 350) was an upbeat ending, Barry and Iris are back together, they go off to live in the future--good for them, hurray. But next thing we know, in COIE, Barry didn't get to live happily ever after with Iris, he didn't even get to see his kids being born, he goes off to die and dies in a horrific way. Yes, he saves the universe, but Barry started out as such a positive character, to see him end up in such a tragic scenario doesn't really befit his character arc.

Dying with the words "There's always hope," on your lips is not negative. It is literally staring the greatest darkness the multiverse had ever seen and telling it it's not going to win, not on his watch. It might not be a friendly and subdued happy goodbye like 350. It might not be the end Barry wanted, but it was the greatest ending. And I mean that not from a "I think it was great!" but in that sense of how important of a moment it was -- there is no moment greater in cape comics besides the cover of AC #1. That's saying a lot.

[Frontier]

When I think of Barry I think of Final Crisis where he reunited with Iris, Wally, and everybody.

It wasn't really much of an ending but it left off better before Rebirth and Flashpoint happened and everything went to heck for him.

[HandofPrometheus]

Linda Danvers in Peter David's Supergirl run. Simply beautiful.

[TheMaker1610]

Linda Danvers in Peter David's Supergirl run. Simply beautiful.

I cried a lot when I read her farewell letter, and seeing her skateboard..
It was a great send-off for the character, and as you said, simply beautiful

[TheBatman]

Heartily disagree. I've had enough "dead" Barry to last me a lifetime.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

This. Whether people like it or not, Barry is an iconic character, and at some point, it became silly that every other major hero got to come back from iconic deaths, but not him.

That Crisis issue still exists, is still a great comic, and Barry's revival doesn't change that.

[Zero Hunter]

When I think great ending it is the Kingdom Come Superman. Not the mini itself but the added on pages Ross did at the end of JSA story "Thy Kingdom Come" showing what happened to KC Superman afterwards. That final page of a very old Clark walking down the street looking up at the Legion of Superheroes flying by over head and him smiling to me will always be the best Superman ending.