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Sandy's Soapbox #203: Death be NOT thy name
Sandy's Soapbox
Meanwhile, all manner of would-be conquerers take the opposite path. Lord of Death, Deathbringer, Death's Angel, Deathstroke the Terminator, Kevin Who Brings Death, all of the variants in both fantasy and comic books seem to overuse the invocation of death. It's almost like they are compensating for something.
This leads into my theory on the four uses of Death as a name:
- Shyness. You are Death, so you soften your image with a synonym. Clearly you have nothing to prove, in fact, you may be a bit embarassed by all the fuss.
- Acceptance. You put 'death' in as a warning that despite your best wishes, you are bad news. In comics, Deadman, or Deadpool, or Deathlok, all pretty much are reflecting their origin moreso than threatening anyone. Dr. Kevorkian aka 'Doc Death' is in this vein (and hopefully not in yours).
- Wish fulfillment. The most common use, the various deathbringers and lords of death. They add the term in desperate hope that others will take them seriously. Common for comic book villains: Red Death, Deathbird, Deathbolt, Fatality. Like most bragging, however, if you have to state it yourself, it probably ain't true.
- Other. The only clear example in this category is Deathstroke the Terminiator, the lengthy and over-the-top name of comic book assassin Slade Wilson. He is quite capable, and thus a puzzle. Why would he use such an ornate term, especially as so many others add the use of death from sheer bravado?
Then it hit me. For his special case, his name is not a pose, but a test. Specifically, a calibration test so he can know how good he is doing on any particular day. Most of his targets barely have time to scream "urgle" before they are killed. His scale is:
- "Oh no, it's..." = most mundanes.
- "Oh no, Deathstro..." = either a superhero, or he is having an off day.
- "Oh no, Deathstroke the Termintor is..." = is facing a superhero AND having an off day
- "Oh no, Deathstroke the Terminator, aka Wilson Slade, what shall I do" = oh, Hi Robin, you again.
There you go, a handy guide to death (names).
Until next month,
Sandy the little death
