Daredevil Message Board

[Ash-n-Bone]

When Smith killed off Karen, were fans angry? And if so, why?

[theunrealstudios]

Fans were angry because the character had been in the comics since issue 2 and felt that for years she was a vital character to matts problems (most significantly after born again). Smith will argue that it was okay for the purpose of story since she was barely used in the 90's, fans stopped caring to make her relevant and she just "left town" more than he could count (point made that we the fans stopped caring for Karen). Beyond the death this made people angry because he was a guest writer and people say it was not in his rights to do this. I actually find the suicide issue of issue 6 after her death a personal favorite and the after math of that one story decision made Daredevil interesting for years to come. So in my mind it all worked out for the best because the next 10 years were awesome

[Ash-n-Bone]

hmmm? I'm surprised people were so angered by it. Like you said, she left so many times. I do really like the fact that they killed her because of the drama it created. Simultaneously, I think she was the best in DD's world (next to Foggy of course) and sometimes wish she'd never died. Im sure there would have been a way to make her significant again without killing her.

[Pete]

I think some people at the time just hated Smith and Guardian Devil anyway. For them, the killing off of such a central character seemed a rather opportune way for a guest writer who wasn't going to hang around long anyway generate sales and publicity for himself as the man who killed off Karen Page.

I've seen an interview with Smith where he expressed genuine surprise at the reaction as he believed 'nobody cared for the character anymore anyway'. He was completely wrong about that because many, including myself, cared about the character a lot. She'd been 'around' on and off, for a long time.

However, I liked Guardian Devil, and am glad that the death of Karen, if it had to happen, seemed to me to be handled with genuine respect and gravitas by the team at the time.

I'm not comparing the long term impact of the characters on the title for a minute, but I also liked the character of another of Matt's ex's, Glorianna, and the way HER death was handled was a real disgrace!

[dsugar]

Karen was an important character who has been around since the beginning. Smith is wrong if he thinks nobody cares, all characters disappear and come back. So, the fact that she was gone for awhile isn't a valid arguement to kill her off. However, I enjoyed Smith's run and have no complaints (now if it was a terrible run I might be complaining lol). Other characters have and will continue to fill in.

[theunrealstudios]

the only significance i could have seen in her progression is if Matt had proposed to her and they actually got married. She was his one true love for years and in many ways the second most important woman in his life. They could've been married, had a kid and had a spider man style marriage but i think the character ran her course and was losing growth. Keep in mind that DD is a tragedy book so she was bound to die sooner or later. It's her and Gwen Stacy that mean so much to their respective characters and help them grow as men who have faced loss and yet keep going. it was handled with respect, care and honestly her death is up there with Elektra's death in terms of shock and significance value. i can't stress how easily i would drop the book if she was simply brought back to life out of nostalgia and i say that out of appreciation for what she brings to the book and the hero over the years. Matt didn't get a Mephisto "one more day" bullshit redo when his identity was revealed and i don't believe that he gets second chance at that love because it's a realistic loss that's relateable to readers. I don't like what Smith did because i liked her character but i love the circumstances he created for the next decade.

[Ash-n-Bone]

It seems like we all feel the same way. The character was great, so to see her exit the book in such a way that prevents her from returning is sad indeed. However, the stories that came out of the death were great, so you cant complain too much. I do miss her in the series, which is why some of the old stories are some of the best. The whole dynamic between her Matt and Foggy was really enjoyable to read.

And I agree, it is just like Gwen Stacy. Actually, I think that whole conversation between Matt and Peter is the best part of Guardian Devil. Did anyone read Spiderman:Blue?

And yes, Glorianna's death was abit crappy. I did like Heather's though. She was a complete mess lol

[Sewersaint]

I came into the DD world with Guardian Angel so I didn't really have any reason to be angry at Karen's death. However, now that I think about it, I don't think Matt's on again, off again relationship would have stopped any of the relationship stories Matt has had since her death because all of these stories could have taken place during one of their off again moments. Still she's been dead for over 10 years, it's nice to see that some comic book characters can stay dead.

[Daredevil24]

He didn't need to kill her.

[Darkdevil]

Unless Smith flat out said in some interview that he killed her to generate sales, I really can't complain over Karen's death. Her death lead to some great stories which should be the prime motivation for killing off a(ny) character.

The similarities between Karen and Gwen are obvious but I also think they share another trait, the writers didn't know what do with them. Murder seems to be the only option in a scenario such as this but I wish it wasn't. They seem to think we readers don't like to read of our heroes being in a serious relationship of any kind.

I beg to differ. I think such a relationship would help humanize such a hero, give him/her another personal cause to go out and fight like they do and something stable to return home to at the end of the night.

But tragedy sells books and no one exemplifies tragedy quite like Matt. So on the one hand, I can understand Karen's death and the other hand, I don't like it.