The being known as Death, or the Spirit of Death, was the physical manifestation of the universal phenomenon marking the end of physical life collecting the souls of the deceased and escorting them to the afterlife.
Silent and enigmatic, it is arguably the overarching antagonist of the Monster of the Week episode "Tithonus".
Biography[]
Death was present during the 1793-1804 epidemic Yellow Fever epidemic that struck New York City collecting the souls of those who succumbed to the disease. One such man, then known as L. H. Rice, was dying in a hospital bed being taken care of in his final moments by a kind young Nurse. When Death came for him, L. H. Rice grew terrified having reached the point where he could physically see the specter.
Realizing that his time was almost over and fearing what may or may not come after, he looked away from the face of Death and mentally pleaded that it take the young nurse instead, when he finally opened his eyes again, he was shocked to discover that Death had seemingly accepted his request having left taking the soul of the Nurse with it.
Though initially relieved by the outcome, his happiness was short-lived as he realized that looking away from Death had somehow made it so that he would forever remain young and alive effectively becoming immortal. He also gained the ability to see or sense when a person was about to die, with them turning a monochrome-like color. When his wife eventually died of old age, he was left behind doomed to live forever. Realizing that immortality was a fate worse than death, he spent the next 200 years searching for Death hoping that the entity would undo whatever it had done to him so that he could move on. To this end, he would start carrying around a camera and taking pictures near people who he could see were about to die hoping to draw it out though he was largely unsuccessful.
In 1999, Rice, now going by the identity of Alfred Fellig, was a forensic photographer having taken a job where he knew he could take photos of people who were about to die without attracting suspicion. He inadvertently ended up in the crosshairs of FBI agent Peyton Ritter realized that many of the photos he made at crime scenes preceded police arrival and took place almost immediately after the time of death leading him to believe that Fellig was a serial killer who had been orchestrating his victims' deaths and then taking photos of them as a way to cover up his grisly crimes. While investigating him, Dana Scully discovered his ability to see the dead. Fellig showed his photographs of Death to Scully. In the photographs he took, a part of Death was visible as it took the souls of the dead. He was later shot by Peyton Ritter, who also shot Scully in the process. Knowing that Scully was predetermined to die, he allowed himself to die and gave his power to Scully, implying that she had become immortal through his intervention. (TXF: "Tithonus")
Trivia[]
- Though usually invisible to most mortals, it seems that Death can be physically seen by people who are either near or at the point of dying.