But it’s not an origin story; Penny’s death is the beginning of Dr. Horrible’s end. Yes, he’s famous and evil, but he’s depressed and gives up his evil doctor persona at the end – in the last scene, we see him out of costume because he’s given up.

Dr. Horrible’s tragic flaw ultimately consumes him and ruins him. He gets everything that he thought he wanted, and he’s damned to a life of misery, his victory turning to ashes.

I think this is the point. Penny’s death wasn’t used as a springboard for DH’s future revenge/victories/etc; he got the fame, but it didn’t give him happiness. At the end, he gives up. Generally, that isn’t part of the WiR storyline because the “hero” is given the motivation to keep going.

And for those who say that Dr. Horrible isn’t crushed by Penny’s death, watch that final second one more time.

Sure, it hurts him, but its not the pain of a lost love, but of a lost fantasy. Dr. Horrible loses his chance to be a good guy when Penny dies, but thats because he has tied up all sorts salvation fantasies in her. I don’t think its a coincidence that when Captain Hammer scampers off crying he screams for “someone maternal.” I have no doubt that he’s crushed by the events of the day as well, I just don’t think it has much to do with the death of Penny. Hammer is crushed because her death (and his pain) are a blow to his ego, confirmation that he isn’t what he thinks he is, a loss of his sense of self. Dr. Horrible is crushed for the same reason. It isn’t about her, even if he thinks it is.

In order to believe that Dr. Horrible is crushed by Penny’s death you have to believe that somehow he love her, not the idealized object he projected onto her. Dr. Horrible isn’t responding to the death of a human being he genuinely cares about. All of his pain over her death is ultimately narcissistic, its about him. When she dies he seems broken for a moment then goes on to sing a victory song, leaving her corpse for the paramedics. “I feel nothing” is his response to her death. At most her death means he loses the opportunity to have a counterbalance, it means that the worst in him is free to come out, it gives him a reason to hate the world even more. But it is never about her.

Anyway, the way I see it, Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer both have their flaws, so why can’t Penny? Really, it’s silly to demand that all Joss Whedon’s female characters be confident and strong. Some people kick asses, and some fight a quieter fight.

Remember that Dr. Horrible is the protagonist, here. Penny’s character is developed just as well as Captain Hammer’s: For both we get hints of their depths, but this isn’t their story.

What gets me most is the concern over Penny’s final words. Personally, I think that the way that she’s so out of it is far more accurate and real than in some other films, where the character with shrapnel in their chest manages to spew a completely coherent death speech.

And for those who say that Dr. Horrible isn’t crushed by Penny’s death, watch that final second one more time.

Langley Air Force Base, Va.: I’ve been reading some criticism (insert audible gasp here!) of “Dr. Horrible” about the lack of a strong, empowered female lead. They claim that Penny is merely a prop for Dr Horrible and Captain Hammer to fight over.

What are your thoughts on that?

Joss Whedon: Hi! Here goes Typomania! If I don’t get to a question, forgive. There are many, and I’m dodging the tough ones.

But, yeah, Penny is not the feminist icon of our age. And yes, she does exist in the narrative as part of Doc’s fate — but everyone in the story is there to move the story. Is she less real than Hammer? (Is ANYTHING?) We gave her a cause so she wouldn’t JUST be the Pretty Girl but the fact is, neither Doc nor Hammer gives her the attention she deserves — Doc’s crush comes before he has the slightest idea what she cares about. Which is not uncommon. It reminds me of “Sweeney Todd,” the Judge and Sweeney singing “Pretty Women” — a beautiful duet with no insight whatsoever. Just images.

But we shoulda gave her more jokes.

Personally, I thought one of the more subtle indicators was during the first song of Act II. When he’s stalking them at the park, he sings something to the effect of “The dark is every where and Penny doesn’t seem to care that soon the dark in me is all that will remain”

I think that strikes to the core of the issue of needing validation in others, or in putting the obligation on her to speak up, rather than take the initiative on his own part or actually treat her as a person.

I was quite unsatisfied with the ending and where it left us, but since reading the comment in here I can see some of the artistic reasonings for them, even if I disagree with it.