Category talk:Characters by Living Status

Scope
I really don't like these. With the multitude of continuities, different points in the timeline and the unclear point of view, splitting up people between living and dead - or rather, dead and not-explicitly-dying-on-panel - is a bit silly. Sure, Nox-El and Brian Kent and Arak Red-Hand would all be deceased by the 21st Century. But everyone from that century would also be deceased by the 853rd Century. However, listing them as living is silly too, as they obviously have passed away. But their explicit status would be unknown.

Add to that ghosts, zombies, Organge Lanterns and other undead. What would be their appearance of death? The death of their former self? It sould be weird to list [Random Ghost]'s first appearance, then an Secret Origins issue 20 years later as their "death". Especially as these could very well be destroyed later on - making it the character's actual death. But without a death appearance, they're categorized as both alive and death.

And this was all before the New 52.

I don't think we should get rid of these characters like for Existing/Destroyed etc. realities, but they need a change in scope. I don't think we need a Status Unknown, as technically anyone who hasn't been seen in a month or two is Unknown. Perhaps if we didn't autocat people as Living? And then changed the text of Deceased to stating it's only those who have been confirmed as deceased (but still link it to the Death= field). -- Tupka 217 18:28, November 3, 2018 (UTC)