Ariana Grande Teases the Death of a Popular 'SNL' Character

In February 2013, I was sent the same link from the NY Post several times in one day. The outlet had learned that DC Comics would be killing off the character of Damien Wayne (the then-new Robin, and Bruce Wayne’s son), and many people I knew (rightfully) assumed that I would be interested in that info. I wasn’t the only one. Damien had quickly become a popular character, and news of his demise did not sit well with folks.

This was one of those rare instances where the early announcement may have helped sales, but primarily welcomed backlash. Fans and comic book creators alike were not pleased with DC’s decision to kill off the child hero, and, after a little over a year, he returned. He’s since remained one of the most popular characters in the company, with people like me celebrating the fact that he made a triumphant return. Could the same thing work for Domingo?

I’ll be honest, I don’t love the Domingo sketches on Saturday Night Live. They involve the aforementioned character appearing at a wedding reception to reveal, with the bridesmaids, that he has slept with the bride. It was kind of funny at first, and has presented diminishing returns ever since. Now, Ariana Grande, who was in the first sketch featuring the Marcello Hernández-played character, claims he is no more.

Grande stopped by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to promote her new film Wicked: For Good. There, she revealed how excited she was to return to host SNL in December. When Jimmy asked about Domingo, Grande quickly brushes the character off. “Oh, I think … he’s been really busy,” Grande explained to Fallon, “I think Domingo is … I think Domingo is dead.”

What’s funny about this interaction is that she might be joking and trying to be polite. I don’t gather from this that she likes the character very much. She could also be teasing a shocking return. Grande doesn’t host the show until December 20th, so there likely isn’t anything written for it just yet. But, Domingo’s sudden appearance during a scene that starts off announcing his death… sounds like a surprise.

It’s more likely, however, that she’s tempering expectations. Instead of being revived by a Chaos Shard from Apokalypse like our dearly departed Damien Wayne, Domingo could just be kept out of the show, and Grande could be politely setting everyone’s expectations. That said, if she didn’t want him in there, she shouldn’t have mentioned him at all. This story caught fire pretty quickly, and if the SNL brass sees that, we could see Domingo ruin another wedding reception come December.