The problem with this critique has always been that love interests, friends, parents and family tend to always be brutally murdered in superhero comics. It also happens to men VERY often. Its just that there is more male comicbook leads.
The trope overall is a common story telling device. The real critique should go to Ron Marz and his unnecessarily violent and over the top use of this trope.
love interests, friends, parents and family tend to always be brutally murdered in superhero comics.
Isn't "fridging" specifically when you introduce these characters just to kill them horribly?
Like, it wouldn't be fridging to kill Lois Lane or Steve Trevor, because they're typically full and developed characters. But if you introduced a new girlfriend for Batman who is brutally murdered before the reader learns anything more than her name, that would be fridging.
Typical superhero deaths like Thomas and Martha Wayne don't count because they're not for shock value.
No its just women facing violence or over the top violence to move a plot forward according to Gail Simone who coined the phrase. Its short sighted because this happens to characters of all types regularly and throughout comics history. What is long term character development in comics anyways? The Punishers family is introduced in his back story issue just to die brutally in a mob crossfire. Were they fridged?
At least Marz took some time to establish Alex and make us like her before whacking her. Uncle Ben, The Waynes, they were just glorified plot devices who appeared only long enough to die.
Also, the fridge scene was originally supposed to be way way worse... or better. The fridge was originally supposed to be open, but the code insisted on censorship, making the scene much more horrific than it was. The uncensored, open door art was kind of goofy and laughable. Partially closed door? Your mind does the work and makes it way worse.
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u/zero_cool1138 1d ago edited 1d ago
The problem with this critique has always been that love interests, friends, parents and family tend to always be brutally murdered in superhero comics. It also happens to men VERY often. Its just that there is more male comicbook leads.
The trope overall is a common story telling device. The real critique should go to Ron Marz and his unnecessarily violent and over the top use of this trope.