Who Is Lady Death? Origin, Powers and Key Facts

Lady Death is a Coffin Comics comic book character, the alter ego of Hope, with over 413 comic issue appearances. Once a mortal woman, Hope became a powerful queen of Hell after making a desperate deal with a demon to escape being burned at the stake. Despite her infernal nature, she retained the heroism she had in her former life and strives to use her arcane powers for good. Lady Death is one of the most popular and recognizable of the modern comic book "bad girls."

Who is Lady Death?

Origin Originally the antagonist of the Evil Ernie comics, Lady Death is the impetus that sent Ernie on his quest to achieve Megadeath--that is, to kill every human being on Earth. Initially, Lady Death appeared to be nothing more than a figment of Ernie's imagination, but as his story continued on, it became clear she was more than that. In reality, Lady Death is the sovereign ruler of Hell. She seeks an avatar to carry out her will in the mortal realm and selects Ernie for the task of spreading death and destruction. Before becoming Hell's queen, Lady Death was an ordinary young woman named Hope in medieval Europe. Her father, Matthias, was a demon-worshipping warlord and practitioner of witchcraft, whose crimes against his people caused them to turn against his daughter. She was falsely accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake, but before the flames consumed her, she recited an incantation she overheard her father use, calling forth a demon. She brokered a deal with it to enter hell in exchange for her willing renouncement of her humanity.

Key facts

Lady Death is of god/eternal origin and first appeared in "Evil Ernie". The character is published by Coffin Comics. With 413 recorded issue appearances, Lady Death ranks among the most featured characters in comics.