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It's easy to get upset at or annoyed by Pyro's death. After all, he's a popular character (especially with the crowd that might tend to visit this site), and very likable. He has also suffered quite a bit through the last decade; the Legacy Virus managed to turn him into a walking plot device with very little characterization of his own, and it often seemed that he existed solely for the purpose of pushing the plot along. And Marvel kept him alive for over seven years in real-life time---almost the entire duration of the Legacy story. Of course, we've known for a while that Legacy will be dealt with and probably cured in January 2001, so the timing of Pyro's death is ironic (and possibly intentional) and a bit difficult to take.
I freely admit to feeling upset and distressed by St. John's death, because he was my favourite character in all of comicdom (believe it or not). It's annoying that the plotline was dragged out for all these years, only to have him killed off right at the end of it. If he had to die, I would have preferred that he died years ago, rather than go through this drawn-out angstfest that only made me wonder and worry if he was going to survive. I know other people who feel the same way. It's frustrating to me that a well-established (he's been around for twenty years) and well-defined character had to die, when there are so many other X-characters which could have served the same purpose. And why does Legacy and its ilk rarely affect the X-Men? So far, only villains and extraneous characters have died from Legacy, even though the disease was created by a man intent on striking back at the X-Men, and the Summers family in particular.
However, this was a good death (as comic deaths go). If he had to die---and obviously he did---I couldn't really ask for a better death. It was dignified and he was lucid, which is a nice departure from the insanity-filled characterizations seen in certain previous issues. Firstly, it was the kind of death he wanted for himself; he'd made it clear in Daredevil 355 that he wanted to die on his feet, rather than wasting away in bed. Secondly, it was meaningful. There was a purpose served, from both a story point of view, and his point of view. He saved the life of Senator Kelly (despite their previous enmity), a man he saw as important for saving other human and mutant lives. Kelly now has first-hand experience that mutants are willing to die for peace, which should hopefully change his worldview for the better. With his influence, a difference can be made in human-mutant relations. And even Cable, who was questioning why he bothered to save Kelly's life, may now have a different perspective after witnessing another person's sacrifice. Pyro's actions may have helped make the world better, even if he had to take extreme measures to do it---something I don't personally agree with, but my philosophy isn't important here.
Unfortunately, Kelly was assassinated by a random human shortly after Pyro's rescue.
Thirdly, his death was good because it enabled him to be the hero that he's sought to become over the years. In the past he was often side-tracked from it, but Legacy had definitely shaped his intentions back to the direction of heroism. X-Factor 129 had him expressing a desire to atone for past misdeeds, and UXM 338 hinted at good intentions, though he's been interested in being a good guy since at least UXM 206. It was clear from several Freedom Force appearances (and some beyond) that he enjoyed playing the hero, for a variety of reasons. Villainy simply proved to be a greater attraction at times. But in Cable 87, he decided on what he felt was right and wrong, and took action on it, even though it resulted in his death. He defied his closest friends to stand up for his principles (which must have been very important to him, since he has always been so loyal and dedicated to his comrades). It was a noble death.
Ultimately, a noble death is still a death, and I shall miss seeing further adventures of my favourite character, especially now that he'd moved firmly in a new direction. It seems like a wasted opportunity to see him do new things (especially since we know that he was slated for a stint on an X-team some years ago, which eventually fell through), and explore a new relationship with his friends. But I don't support the resurrection of dead characters, and it would cheapen his death to bring him back, so I hope they don't do it. I just wish they hadn't killed him in the first place.
Pyro had a total of 67 appearances over a span of twenty years.
