DC Showcase: Death

DC Showcase: Death

Year: 2019

Runtime: 19 mins

Language: English

Director: Sam Liu

Echo Score: 93
DramaFantasyAnimation

Vincent, an artist with unresolved inner demons, meets a mysterious girl who helps him come to terms with his creative legacy… and eventual death.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen DC Showcase: Death yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline – DC Showcase: Death (2019)

Trace every key event in DC Showcase: Death (2019) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Dreams planted on the bedroom floor

As a boy, Vincent spends hours lying on his bedroom floor drawing, dreaming of becoming an artist. Time seems to stop when he creates, giving him a sense of purpose and escape. This early spark will haunt him through adulthood.

childhood Vincent's childhood home, his bedroom
2

Gotham University setback

At Gotham University, a cruel professor tells him he is not talented enough and suggests dentistry as a safer career. Embarrassed and discouraged, he drops out and returns to practicing art at his home studio. The rejection plants the seed of doubt that follows him into adulthood.

early adulthood Gotham University; Vincent's home studio
3

Charlotte leaves after six years

Over the years, his relationship with Charlotte deteriorates as his art remains unrealized and his life frays at the edges. After six years together, Charlotte walks out, taking his hope with her. Her departure deepens his isolation.

years in the past Vincent's home
4

Years of dead-end work and dwindling health

His stubborn pursuit of art yields no real success as he takes a string of dead-end jobs, always returning to the easel in his apartment. The constant failure gnaws at his mental health and fuels his smoking habit. He becomes increasingly isolated from any real future.

years in the past Various jobs; Vincent's apartment
5

Arkham gates and the firing

Now a groundskeeper, Vincent spends his days painting Arkham Asylum's gates, hoping for meaning in a routine that never satisfies him. He is fired for his slow pace and defiant attitude, throwing his fragile sense of purpose into chaos. The setback pushes him further toward seclusion.

present Arkham Asylum grounds
6

Bar solace and haunted by the past

Seeking solace, he drinks at a bar where fiery demons—his father, the art professor, Charlotte, and his former boss—haunt him with memories of his failures. They taunt and magnify his insecurities, making him feel small and trapped. The bar becomes a corridor to his memories rather than a refuge.

present night Bar in Gotham City
7

The pale woman appears

A pale woman in black clothes and gothic makeup sits across from him, instantly drawing his fascination. He says he wants to paint her portrait, but she explains she must go and leaves the bar. She heads out to meet Pedro, an employee who has collapsed nearby.

present Bar, Gotham City
8

Crash outside his apartment

Vincent staggers home to a decrepit apartment and, after a heroin-fueled sleep, wakes to a crash outside his window. He sees the pale woman being yelled at by two strangers, then goes outside to help and discovers the two people are victims of the crash. The woman offers to see his work, and he brings her up to his apartment.

present night Vincent's apartment; street outside
9

A spark missing and a portrait planned

Inside, Vincent is shy about his unfinished canvases, and his demons ridicule him. The woman remarks that he is gifted, but there is a spark missing from his work. Vincent recounts his childhood on the bedroom floor and tells her he sees something special in her, so she agrees to pose for him.

present Vincent's apartment
10

The painting, demons die, and time stops

As Vincent paints, the demons burn away one by one. When he finishes, time seems to stop and the world around him freezes. It dawns on him that the pale woman is Death and that he died hours ago.

evening Vincent's apartment
11

The fire and the destiny revelation

Time resumes and ash from the cigarette in Vincent's corpse's hand falls onto loose papers, igniting the apartment. He tries to save the painting, but his ghostly body cannot touch it. Death explains that the end of his life story was written in the book of Destiny long before he was born.

immediate aftermath of death Vincent's apartment
12

Acceptance and the afterlife

Vincent morphs into his younger self and thanks Death, who reveals she was the spark behind his childhood drawings. She leads him by the hand toward the afterlife, suggesting his art mattered beyond the living world.

immediate aftermath of death Threshold of the afterlife
13

The fate of the apartment and the portrait survives

Firefighters extinguish the blaze and find the apartment ruined, yet the portrait stands intact among the ashes. The painting becomes Vincent's lasting legacy, finally given purpose by the events that preceded his death.

aftermath Vincent's apartment

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 16:00

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Unlock the Full Story of DC Showcase: Death

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DC Showcase: Death Summary

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DC Showcase: Death Summary

Characters, Settings & Themes in DC Showcase: Death

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Characters, Settings & Themes in DC Showcase: Death

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DC Showcase: Death Spoiler-Free Summary

More About DC Showcase: Death

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