One of Johnny Depp’s most memorable and beloved roles is that of Edward Scissorhands in the movie of the same name, but how old was this iconic character and is he meant to live forever? Tim Burton has become widely successful and popular thanks to his unique style that mixes gothic elements, bright colors, and family-friendly touches of horror, granting it the name “Burtonesque style”. Burton’s career in film began in 1985 with Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, but it was with Beetlejuice, in 1988, when he finally showed what his filmmaking style was all about.

After sharing his vision of Gotham City in Batman, in 1989, Burton returned to original stories with Edward Scissorhands in 1990, a story written by him and Caroline Thompson. Edward Scissorhands tells the story of the title character (played by Depp), a man created by a lonely inventor (Vincent Price) but who wasn’t finished as his creator passed away unexpectedly, leaving him with scissors instead of hands and living all alone in an old, Gothic mansion on the hill. Edward was found years later by Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest), who takes him in and does her best to help him fit into society. As Edward develops feelings for Peg’s daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder), the town’s residents start to see him as a threat due to countless rumors about him.

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Edward Scissorhands was a critical and commercial success, and it’s considered as one of Burton’s best works. Burton has also called Edward Scissorhands his most personal work and it continues to be a favorite among fans, and even though many years have passed since its release, viewers still have a couple of questions about the story and the character. Two of the biggest questions around Edward Scissorhands are about his age and his life span, as he looks the same in different years throughout the movie.

Edward Scissorhands looks the exact same in three different phases throughout the movie: before he was completed, when Peggy found him, and when Kim told his story to her granddaughter, many years after the events of the movie. Edward Scissorhands is an ageless being and was made to look the same way for as long as he lives, and as Johnny Depp was 26 years old when filming, it would be fair to say that Edward was made to look like a young man in his 20s. Now, another question about Edward Scissorhands is whether he’s immortal or not, as it’s shown that he’s an artificial being but it’s not clear what he’s made of. Edward can feel if he’s hurt, but he doesn’t bleed, and it looks like he can survive without food (it’s unlikely he had enough food in the mansion following his creator’s death, but while living with the Boggs, he ate like a normal person), so Edward is most likely immortal.

The answer to that second question could change depending on what Edward Scissorhands is made of, because if he’s a robot like many viewers suggest, he could die if his gears or other parts of his internal system fail. Edward Scissorhands being an ageless, artificial being and quite possibly immortal adds to the tragedy of his story, as he will most likely continue to be alone for many more years to keep himself safe after the residents of the town turned against him and Kim had to fake his death.

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