Did Edwin Actually Ever Die In Dead Boy Detectives?

Spoilers are ahead for Dead Boy Detectives season 1.

Summary Dead Boy Detectives season 1 on Netflix delves into the ghostly investigations of Charles and Edwin in a darkly humorous and teen angst-filled way.

Edwin's unconventional death in 1916 raises questions about potential resurrection loopholes that could defy typical afterlife rules in the Sandman universe.

Since Edwin's soul was taken to Hell by a demon, he didn't die in the traditional sense.

Based on Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner's DC Comics characters, Dead Boy Detectives season 1 dropped on Netflix to near-universal acclaim. Initially, the supernatural detective series was ordered by HBO Max, the home of most DC Comics projects like Dead Boy Detectives, but made the jump to the streamer's competitor. It's a fitting home for the series, which expands upon Gaiman's beloved Sandman universe. As the title implies, Dead Boy Detectives chronicles the misadventures of Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) and Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew), who decide to forego the afterlife and remain on Earth to investigate supernatural crimes.

When it comes to Charles and Edwin's backstories, viewers may still have a thing or two to learn.

Dead Boy Detectives' cast of characters also includes Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson), a psychic who's able to see ghosts; Jenny Green (Briana Cuoco), a butcher who rents out rooms; Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), an anime-lover who had a near-death experience; and Esther Finch (Jenn Lyon), a revenge-seeking immortal witch. Infused with horror tropes, dark humor, and teen angst, Dead Boy Detectives straddles several fan-favorite genres. As such, the series is also full of thrilling twists and world-building lore, especially where Charles and Edwin's ghosts are concerned.

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Related Every Supernatural Creature In Dead Boy Detectives Season 1 Dead Boy Detectives season 1 introduced a variety of monsters and creatures from the worlds of the living and the dead for the boys to help and fight.

Edwin's Soul Was Taken To Hell In Dead Boy Detectives On A Technicality

Dead Boy Detectives' Edwin Went To Hell Without Really Dying

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When it comes to Charles and Edwin's backstories, viewers may still have a thing or two to learn about the ghostly detectives at the show's center. In fact, the murky circumstances surrounding Edwin's apparent demise have Dead Boy Detectives' viewers wondering if the character really died at all. The show confirms that Charles had a very definitive, straight-forward death: the character succumbed to hypothermia and internal bleeding in 1989. By Dead Boy Detectives season 1's ending, audiences learn that Edwin was killed in 1916 as the result of a prank.

It's unclear if Edwin's strange demise has the same rules as a conventional death.

According to the show, Edwin's classmates performed a supposedly mock-sacrifice ritual that resulted in the character's ghost-detective fate. While Edwin's peers intended to scare him, they accidentally summoned a demon, Sa'al, who took Edwin's soul to Hell. That said, when Edwin went to Hell, he did not die in a traditional sense. Since Sa'al took his soul to the afterlife realm, it's unclear if Edwin's strange demise has the same rules as a conventional death. While he is dead enough to be one of Dead Boy Detectives' titular investigators, Edwin didn't technically die.

Related Every Deity & God In Dead Boy Detectives Season 1 Netflix's supernatural series Dead Boy Detectives includes cameos from two of the Endless and introduces many more deities that help shape the series.

It's Unclear If Edwin's Fate Is The Same As A Traditional Death

There May Be Some Loophole That Makes Way For Edwin's Resurrection

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As established, Edwin's unconventional demise may not have the same "rules" as other clear-cut deaths in Dead Boy Detectives. It's possible that if he had been able to escape Hell sooner, Edwin's soul could have been restored to his body. The show doesn't necessarily delve into that element of how Hell works in Dead Boy Detectives, but there's a strong potential that Edwin could be resurrected thanks to some kind of loophole. In the Sandman universe, stranger things have been known to happen, and there's no reason to think Dead Boy Detectives would be any different.

Dead Boy Detectives season 1 is streaming on Netflix.