Notable novelist and writer for comics such as The Incredible Hulk, Young Justice, and X-Factor, Peter David, has died at 68.
Widely recognized novelist and comics writer Peter David died at the age of 68. The self-described “writer of stuff” is best known for his revitalization of The Incredible Hulk’s 12-year run and his two runs for X-Factor. David is also immortalized for expanding and refreshing iconic comic characters, including Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, and Aquaman—picking up an Eisner Award for his work on The Incredible Hulk. Following years of health issues, his wife, Kathleen O’Shea David, confirmed David died on Saturday, May 24.
David’s long and prolific career at Marvel and DC spanned decades. David’s take on Bruce Banner highlighted his inner struggles, making the Banner/Hulk divide more explicitly a super-powered version of dissociative identity disorder. His take on the character was integral to Ang Lee’s 2003 film. As Frank Miller is regarded as the definitive Daredevil writer/artist and Chris Claremont the quintessential X-Men writer, David is widely regarded as the most important and influential Hulk writer of all time.
David’s work on co-creating Spider-Man 2099 and his dual X-Factor run also gained major popularity with Marvel comics fans. David’s original X-Factor run saw the team, which was originally a reunion of the original five X-Men, remade into a government-sanctioned mutant strike force. His second X-Factor run again reinvented the team, this time as a detective agency led by Madrox the Multiple Man. David’s many fans noted how his work on X-Factor contained lots of humour, but most importantly, compelling and nuanced characters.
At DC, David enjoyed successful and influential stints on books like Aquaman, Supergirl, and Young Justice. David also regularly worked on the Star Trek franchise in both comic book and prose form, with his best-known Trek work being the 1994 novel Q-Squared.
Outside of books and comics, David worked on television shows like Babylon 5, Young Justice, and Ben 10: Alien Force. Additionally, David co-created Nickelodeon’s Space Cases, an early vehicle for Firefly and Family Law Jewel Staite. He also wrote video games like Shadow Complex and Spider-Man: Edge of Time.
As reported via AVClub, David’s health began to decline over the last 15 years. Following back surgery for a herniated disc in 2010, David had a stroke in 2012. Three years later, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. In 2022, a GoFundMe was launched on behalf of the writer, who suffered a series of strokes, kidney failure, and a mild heart attack. On May 20, 2025, his wife Kathleen relaunched the GoFundMe, reporting that David had been in recovery for three years, “but Medicaid, which had been taking care of his Long Term Disability, has just dropped him.”
Peter David is survived by his wife, Kathleen O’Shea David, and his four children.
