Johnny Smith wrote:Marvel better not bring back Johnny Storm. His death DID matter.
Deaths should matter and NO-ONE should be bought back to life.
This better not be another case of comics standing still and re-embracing the status quo. It's costing the industry readers, and it's boring to read the same stories where nothing changes.
According to interviews, Johnny's death did matter to Hickman, but only really in the sense that it provides a context for the stories Hickman really wants to tell about the Fantastic Four after they're reunited. Basically, Johnny's death was set-up rather than payoff. Hickman knew he was going to bring the character back, and he knew that readers knew that he was going to bring the character back. Whether he's gonna be back from "death" or some other state, I dunno. My guess is that Johnny isn't technically dead.