8 Comics That Almost Had Better Endings

Typically, when a comic book series, graphic novel, or book comes to an end, they have a solid conclusion. The characters and their storylines are all tied up in a nice, neat package, and the fans can go on to read something else, but every so often, other endings were written, but never used.

This happens all the time in movies, and thanks to the internet, it's not hard to find alternate endings to films like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Blade, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and more. Of course, movies based on comics are one thing, but comic books are something else entirely.

After all, they take a considerable amount of time to create, so when the artist takes their pen to paper, it's usually the final step, and while some pages may be swapped out for others, the ending tends to stand. Still, there are occasions where something changes between concept and creation, which necessitate moving in a different direction.

The comic books with alternate endings or endings that were never illustrated tend to live in a world of rumor before being confirmed, and often, the fans can't help but wonder if a series would have ended better had the creators stuck with their original plan.

One of the most impactful comic book stories to tear down Batman's world was 1989's "Batman: A Death in the Family." The story took place in Batman #426 through #429, and it told the tale of Jason Todd's quest to find his birth mother after Batman relieved him of his job as Robin.

While he's on his quest, he's kidnapped by the Joker, who tortures and kills the Boy Wonder. The death of Jason Todd rocked Batman's world, and it's something he never truly recovered from. When the books were published, they came with two 900 numbers fans could call and vote on Todd's fate.

One number would give a vote for Jason Todd's survival while the other would end in his death. More than 10,000 votes were cast during the 36 hours the lines were open on September 15, 1988, and lo and behold, Jason Todd earned a thumbs down from the fans (but not without some allegations of cheating).

The ending came with Batman holding the beaten and battered corpse of Jason Todd, but due to the fact that the vote could have gone either way, an alternate ending was also created. In the alternate ending, Batman was holding Todd's body, but he exclaims, "HE'S ALIVE!" Doubtless, some fans would have been happy with that outcome while others wouldn't, so whether or not it's better is different for every reader.