Why “War of the Realms” is a must-read Marvel Comics event
By Mark Lynch
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Image Source: Comixology Digital Comics
Deaths means something
A lot of people die in comics. Sometimes the people die off panel or, even worse, their death adds nothing to the story. It frustrates comic book fans when deaths are pointless, and we’ve seen this time and time again. The series will end, the heroes will have a memorial service after the event, and they’ll move on to the next thing like nothing happened. It feels different in War of the Realms.
In the second issue, the Valkyries were slaughtered. Even their leader and most famous of them Brunhilde was killed by Malekith in a graphic scene. Then there’s the death of two major characters in the fourth issue. The visual was intense. Russell Dauterman drew that scene and made it impossible to not feel sad after watching her die.
If we’re going to be completely honest, a lot of the heroes and villains who die in this series will be back. It’s just the way comic books work. But that doesn’t mean the deaths weren’t meaningful. Going back to the idea of the story of war being written well, the heroes didn’t have time or the resources to collect the dead and give them a proper burial. However, in War of the Realms: Strike Force “Land of the Giants” the team charged with rescuing Thor made it a point to bury their dead allies. A moment that was unlike anything we’ve seen, especially considering who it was that died. Even though characters may come back to life after this series, their deaths weren’t pointless.