Peter David, Legendary Comic Book Writer, Dead at Age 68

Peter David, a legendary comic book writer known for his work on The Incredible Hulk, X-Factor, Spider-Man, and more, has died at age 68. The news comes via his wife, who reported that he passed away during the night on May 24, 2025, after a lengthy illness.

David’s first work was in prose and journalism, before snagging a job in Marvel’s sales department in the 1980s. There, he managed to impress editors, and his first published comic book work was in 1985’s The Spectacular Spider-Man #103. From there, he wrote the classic “The Death of Jean DeWolff” storyline in Spectacular Spider-Man, before moving over to his signature work on The Incredible Hulk.

David’s run on the title lasted 12 years and defined the Green Goliath for an entire generation of fans, bringing depth and pathos to the Hulk in a way that hadn’t been seen before. He also added signature storylines, like fleshing out abuse from Bruce Banner’s father, something that gave a realistic grounding to the Hulk’s rage, introducing a smart hulk, and the grey Joe Fixit version of the character.

Other Marvel work included X-Factor and Spider-Man 2099, before he moved over to DC Comics in the ’90s. There, he took on Aquaman, giving the character a hook hand and bringing his humor and grounded take to the king of the seven seas. He also wrote Star Trek for DC while the license was there, and along with Ron Marz, was responsible for DC vs. Marvel, as well as lauded runs on Supergirl and Teen Titans.

Since then, David has written nearly every character in the DC and Marvel pantheon, as well as other comics, novels, and works throughout multiple publishers. Some highlights include the Dark Tower comics for Marvel, co-writing Stan Lee’s autobiography Amazing Fantastic Incredible, and a run on Star Trek novels, mostly focusing on the villain Q.

David has suffered from various health problems since 2012, when he had a stroke, losing portions of his vision and use of his right leg and arm. Then, in 2022, his wife Kathleen started a GoFundMe to help David out after more strokes, kidney failure, and a general decline in health. As of May 20, David was temporarily on a ventilator and on light sedation, though he had seemed to be doing better.

David is the winner of the 1992 Eisner Award, a 2011 GLAAD Media Award, and a 2016 Inkpot Award, among many other awards and nominations. His impact on the comic book industry and culture at large is undeniable, and he will be missed.

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