Legendary Writer Peter David Dead at 68
- Robert Marrujo
- May 28
- 2 min read
David's work on Hulk, Spider-Man 2099, Supergirl, Aquaman, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and more will be remembered for generations to come.
It's a sad day in the world of comic books, as word has come that writer Peter David has passed away. He was 68 years old. Peter's wife Kathleen O'Shea David shared the news on her Facebook page.
David was a force within the comic book industry. His Incredible Hulk run lasted 12 years, netting the writer an Eisner award in 1992. It's the Hulk that most think of when looking back at David's writing, as it was a transformative period for the character that redefined Bruce Banner and his relationship with the monster within. However, David's comic book work included a lot of other, memorable takes on characters including Aquaman, Supergirl, Spider-Man 2099 (which he co-created), Spider-Man (in particular his The Death of Jean DeWolff story), X-Factor, Young Justice, and more.
Beyond comics, David left his mark in the spheres of novels and television. David was truly prolific, He wrote numerous Star Trek novels, including beloved stories like Imzadi, Q-Squared, and The Captain's Daughter. David also had his own independent series and wrote renowned novelizations of movies (including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man) that were often revered as being better than the films they were based on. His television work included Babylon 5, Young Justice, and Ben 10. Finally, David's column "But I Digress..." ran in Comic Buyer's Guide for decades until the outlet's closing in 2013.
Sadly, David's health had been in decline over the past decade, with a stroke in 2012 and then again in 2022, as well as kidney failure and heart problems. Notably, David and his family had to turn to the public many, many times in recent years to seek crowdfunding to pay for his medical expenses. It makes this post from Marvel especially heartbreaking considering neither it nor DC (both of which are backed by enormous corporations) stepped in to pay for the creator's medical treatment:
DC Comics has yet to comment on the passing of David.
Peter David is survived by his wife and four children. We here at Bits & Bytes extend our condolences as well as thanks for the countless incredible stories that David created across his lifetime.
