Death (Puss in Boots)

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Character
Name: Death
Occupation: Death
Relationships:
Fandom: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Shrek
Other:
Death (Mar 2023) by VinMania
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Death, also known as the Wolf, the Big Bad Wolf, or Lobo, is a character from the 2022 Dreamworks film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, part of the Shrek franchise. In the film, he is an anthropomorphic wolf and the personification of death, and seeks to kill Puss for failing to value his previous eight lives.

After the film's release, Death gained popularity among the furry fandom, the Shrek fandom, and wider social media. In particular, Death became a popular subject of mature and explicit fanworks and "thirsty" posts. Such posts have led a portion of users online to consider him to be a Tumblr sexyman.

In fanworks featuring Death, common elements include mild horror theming and crossovers. The largest ships with Death are with Puss in Boots and the reader.

Canon

Prior to the film's release, he was referred to as the Big Bad Wolf in order to keep his true identity a secret, though he is unrelated to the first Big Bad Wolf seen in the mainline Shrek films.

Throughout the film, Death is persuing the titular character of Puss in Boots in an attempt to kill him. Puss is on his final life, out of nine, and didn't value any of his previous ones, something Death takes great issue with. Once Puss starts to value his life, Death stops trying to attack him.

His design is reminiscent of the Grim Reaper, wearing a dark cloak and using sickles - weapons similiar to a scythe. He has grey fur, and red glowing eyes.

Fandom

DreamWorks Wolves (Jan 2023) by AnimatedAndrew, featuring Death with Mr. Wolf from The Bad Guys
That fucking wolf was terrifying(ly hot)[1]

Letterboxd user alor - Referenced in Love Letters From Letterboxd

Interest in the character began to arise soon after his appearance in the trailer, with fans at the time usually referring to him as the Big Bad Wolf, given his true identity is only revealed in the film itself, and considered him furrybait. Upon the film's release, his popularity skyrocketed further, and fans began to refer to him as Death the Wolf, especially in the tags on social media sites, as a means of differentiating him from other death characters or the concept of death itself.

He is frequently drawn with his sickles, and fanart with him will sometimes emphasise themes of the macabre, often featuring blood or skeletons.[2][3][4] Other fanart will portray him cuter, focusing on more dog-like behaviour, or cooler, or hotter. Most fanart will feature him in his typical garb from the film, often in the final fight scene with Puss.

He's sometimes compared, and drawn, with Mr. Wolf from The Bad Guys, another Dreamworks animated film featuring anthro animals that came out earlier that same year. Other anthro wolf characters he is occasionally drawn or compared with include Legoshi from BEASTARS and Loona from Helluva Boss.[5]

Shipping

His most popular ship is Death/Puss, with Puss in Boots himself. There is also a steady stream of selfshipping fics with him, often on Tumblr.

Common Tropes & Themes

  • Death - Unsurprisingly, the concept of death is a fairly common theme in fanworks featuring him. Many of these are angsty, and many involve elements of the macabre. Some of these will involve him taking people to the afterlife upon their death, akin to other representative forms of death such as the Black Rabbit of Inlé in Watership Down or Death in The Sandman.
  • Horror - His appearances in the film itself uses several horror conventions, and the fear of death is a big theme. This also often shows up in fanworks, especially in fanart.
  • uwu - Alternatively, some fans, especially furries, will sometimes portray him as cute and fluffy, emphasising his canine features and behaviours, such as a waggy tail, and affinity towards fetching sticks.[6]
  • Sexy - Of course, his sex appeal has lead to many fanworks portraying him as being hot, especially those created by furries.[7]
  • Use of Spanish - Several of the characters speak Spanish during the film, including Death, and this is sometimes reflected in fanworks.
  • Crossovers - Crossovers involving Death often involve him appearing to and following characters from other fandoms. He usually does so alone, without other Puss in Boots characters appearing.[8]

Fanworks

Fanfiction

Fanart

Links

Gallery

Fan Songs

Fanvids

Resources & External Links

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ death
  3. ^ Death
  4. ^ La Muerte es un Lobo
  5. ^ [2]
  6. ^ Finished the movie and love it. Puss is so cute 😭🤲💕
  7. ^ [3]
  8. ^ Life’s flashing through your eyes ?
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