The Grim Reaper is an immortal god-like entity.
Description[]
The Grim Reaper is mysterious, timeless entity resembling a talking skeleton in black robes, often seen holding a scythe. He embodies the concept of death, and supposedly visits every mortal upon their death to take them away to the Afterlife. Though he has demonstrated a sadistic streak at times when scaring future "victims", the Reaper is also capable of having fun, in his own weird fashion, such as by visiting Halloween Town.
In 1992, the Reaper was seen also attending to the task of collecting mortal souls who had escaped the Afterlife, as seen with Drake Mallard. The veracity of this encounter is somewhat ambiguous, given that Mallard later awoke from what appeared to be a trauma-induced nightmare, only for the Devil to make an appearance outside the dream as well.
Behind the scenes[]
The Grim Reaper's earliest known appearance in Disney media is the 1935 cartoon The Golden Touch, with the caveat that a very similar-looking ghost appears in The Haunted House.
It is unknown what relationship this basic Grim Reaper has with the similar, but ultimately separate Tuoni, from Finnish mythology, observed to exist in Quest for Kalevala.
In 1996, the Halloween event at Disneyland included a newwalkaround character in the Haunted Mansion. Although referred to by the actor who portrayed him as "the Phantom", the ghost looked identical to classic depictions of the Grim Reaper.
Voice actors[]
- Tony Jay (Darkwing Duck)