History Main / TheDeathOfDeath

* In the second arc of ''ComicBook/JaneFosterValkyrie'', Valkyrie has to team up with other medically-themed heroes to treat Death for a mysterious illness. Death is ailing because the Marvel universe has even more resurrections than usual in 2019-2020. Gamma mutates are all allowed to resurrect now (''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk''), and mutants also have a "get out of death free" card thanks to the Resurrection Protocols in ''ComicBook/DawnOfX''. And while curing Death, Valkyrie justifies it by deducing that the death of Death would lead to "a sort of Cancerverse" -- see the note on ''ComicBook/TheThanosImperative'' above.

** Upon resuming his duties, Death reabsorbs the many lesser Deaths - Death of Tortoises, Death of Trees, etc - which had manifested in his absence, effectively terminating their independent existence. With [[ComicRelief one notable exception]] ([=SQUEAK=]).

** Upon resuming his duties, Death reabsorbs the many lesser Deaths - Death of Tortoises, Death of Trees, etc - which had manifested in his absence, effectively terminating their independent existence. With one notable exception ([=SQUEAK=}).

* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': In the [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/end-of-death-hub End of Death Canon,]] during the research of [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-3448 SCP-3448]] (Halfterlife), Foundation agents visit the afterlife and accidentally kill Death. This causes an ΩK-Class ("End-of-Death") Scenario, which means "immortality is forced upon all life, without any other biological change".

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTimeDistantLands'': New Death got the job of TheGrimReaper thanks to his new "[[FalseFriend friend]]", [[BigBad the Lich]], goading him into [[{{Patricide}} biting his father]] and killing him. This is part of a scheme in manipulating the troubled New Death into ending the cycle of reincarnation, and eventually possessing him [[OmnicidalManiac in his crusade to end all life]]. New Death in turn is killed by Mr Fox thanks to help from Life, [[RelievingTheReaper and the job transfer to him]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In the ''WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror'' segment "Reaper Madness", Death comes to the Simpsons house to claim Bart. As the family runs to keep Death from taking him away, Homer hits him with a bowling ball, killing him and creating a world without death until Homer puts on his cloak and [[RelievingTheReaper becomes Death himself.]]

Not so much the case here. If this trope is in play, then death is just as capable of dying as everybody else. In some cases, the grim reaper getting killed off ends up [[TheProblemWithFightingDeath coming with some serious consequences]]. In other cases, death is simply reborn and continues his business. If somebody is responsible for the reaper dying, [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt they might be forced into]] [[RelievingTheReaper taking up the role]].

Spoilers will not be marked due to this being a DeathTrope.

Compare DeathTakesAHoliday, wherein Death is no longer doing his job. See also KillTheGod. If a mere mortal manages to take down the big guy, see DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu

* In the Season 1 finale of ''WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcGee'', The Chairman, the equivalent to [[TheGrimReaper The Grim Reaper]] in this universe, gets destroyed by Molly with her joy. [[RelievingTheReaper This later forces Scratch to take the role as the new Chairman]], since he is technically the one who vanquished the previous one (Molly doesn't count because she is a living person).

* In the Season 1 finale of ''WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcGee'', The Chairman, the equivalent to [[TheGrimReaper The Grim Reaper]] in this universe, gets destroyed by Molly McGee with her joy. [[RelievingTheReaper This later forces Scratch to take the role as the new Chairman]], since he is technically the one who vanquished the previous one (Molly doesn't count because she is a living person).

* The {{shinigami}} in ''Manga/DeathNote'', despite their jobs, are mortal. In fact, killing humans is how they stay alive in the first place: when they kill a human before their natural fated time of death, they get the years the human would've lived for added into their lifespan. Additionally, a shinigami can instantly die should they prevent a human's fated death: the shinigami Gelus saved Misa from being murdered, thus he is punished by being reduced to dust. [[spoiler:Light eventually forces Rem into a SadisticChoice - kill L and Watari to save Misa, which will kill her in turn, or let Misa be exposed as the second Kira and thus condemn her to execution. Rem chooses the former, thinking as she dies that Light is worse than a Shinigami.]]

Compare to DeathTakesAHoliday, wherein Death is no longer doing his job. See also KillTheGod. If a mere mortal manages to take down the big guy, see DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu

* Nekron, the Embodiment of Death in Franchise/TheDCU is the BigBad of the ZombieApocalypse CrisisCrossover event ''ComicBook/BlackestNight''. Being Death himself, it's impossible to kill him, even with Sinestro taking The Entity and converting himself into a White Lantern. But he was eventually defeated when [[Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] and the rest of the superheroes that had been revived, included [[Franchise/{{Superman}} The]] [[Franchise/{{Batman}} DC]] [[Franchise/WonderWoman Trinity]] take The Entity's power and all become White Lanterns and all of them aim at Black Hand (Nekron's avatar and connection to the Earth) with their rings and revive him as a White Lantern too, [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/63/72/2f/63722f6ca6d0a1f12d82838148789566.jpg causing Nekron to explode.]] He is later resurrected as part of a GodzillaThreshold to kill The First Lantern Volthoom, but is imprisoned a second time for good.

* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', Death himself met his demise at Dean's hands after [[TooDumbToLive handing him the only thing in existence that could kill him,]] his scythe. To elaborate, Dean was being corrupted by the Mark of Cain into becoming a bloodthirsty killing machine, couldn't be killed since the Mark would simply resurrect him, and couldn't have the Mark removed because it was the seal to an even ''more'' dangerous SealedEvilInACan. Death offered to lock him in a PrisonDimension where he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else, on the condition that he kill Sam, because he knew that as long as Sam was alive, he would tirelessly search for a way to get Dean back and eventually succeed, which would ruin the whole point of locking him away in the first place. Death handed Dean his scythe so he could do the deed, only to get a face full of it himself. Of course, since Death had plenty of Reapers working under him, his death didn't affect actual death that much, and one of them is eventually promoted to the new Death.

* In in the main ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games, the Fiends are a race of powerful demons that embody a different aspect of death, with the four HorsemenOfTheApocalypse being among the most powerful of them all. Yet, all of them can be slain and [[DefeatMeansPlayable be summoned]] as a [[ReforgedIntoAMinion minion]].
* ''VideoGame/Persona3'' uses The Reaper as a fearsome OptionalBoss that stalks you if you [[AntiGrinding remain on a floor for too long]], but with the right tactics and skills you can slay it for big rewards. Other embodiments of death are present as the FinalBoss, but this trope is averted with them -- You never truly defeat Nyx or Erebus, but instead just seal them away to prevent The Fall.

* ''VideoGame/Persona3'' uses The Reaper as a fearsome BonusBoss that stalks you if you [[AntiGrinding remain on a floor for too long]], but with the right tactics and skills you can slay it for big rewards. Other embodiments of death are present as the FinalBoss, but this trope is averted with them -- You never truly defeat Nyx or Erebus, but instead just seal them away to prevent The Fall.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': In the [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/end-of-death-hub End of Death Canon,]] during the research of [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-3448 SCP-3448]] (Halfterlife), Foundation agents visit the afterlife and accidentally kill Death. This causes an ΩK-Class ("End-of-Death") Scenario, which means "immortality is forced upon all life, without any other biological change".

[[folder:Film (Live-Action)]]

* The {{shinigami}} in ''Manga/DeathNote'', despite their jobs, are mortal. In fact, killing humans is how they stay alive in the first place: when they kill a human before their natural fated time of death, they get the years the human would've lived for added into their lifespan. Additionally, a shinigami can instantly die should they prevent a human's fated death: the shinigami Gelus saved Misa from being murdered, thus he is punished by being reduced to dust.

* In the first issue of ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' a magician attempts to summon and bind Death, only to get Dream instead. When he finally escapes over 70 years later he tells the magician's son that it was very fortunate for the planet that they snared Death's little brother instead of her.

* The {{shinigami}} in ''Manga/DeathNote'', despite their jobs, are mortal. In fact, killing people is how they stay alive in the first place: when they kill a person before their natural fated time of death, they get the years the person would've lived for added into their lifespan. Additionally, a shinigami can instantly die should they prevent a person's fated death: the shinigami Gelus saved Misa from being murdered, thus he is punished by being reduced to dust.

* The {{shinigami}} in ''Manga/DeathNote'', despite their jobs, are mortal. In fact, killing people is how they stay alive in the first place: when they kill a person before their natural fated time of death, they get the years the person would've lived for added into their lifespan. Additionally, a shinigami can instantly die should they interfere with a person's fated death: the shinigami Gelus saved Misa from being murdered, thus he is punished by being reduced to dust.

* The {{shinigami}} in ''Manga/DeathNote'', despite their jobs, are mortal. In fact, killing people is how they stay alive in the first place: when they kill a person before their natural fated time of death, they get the years the person would've lived added into their lifespan. Additionally, a shinigami can instantly die should they interfere with a person's fated death: the shinigami Gelus saved Misa from being murdered, thus he is punished by being reduced to dust.

* ''VideoGame/Persona3'' uses The Reaper as a fearsome BonusBoss that stalks you if you [[AntiGrinding remain on a floor for too long]], but with the right tactics and skills you can slay it for big rewards. [[spoiler:Other embodiments of death are present as bigger story antagonists, but this trope is averted with them -- You never truly defeat Nyx or Erebus, but instead just seal them away to prevent The Fall.]]