Charlie Brownand the entirePeanutsgang are some of the most iconic comic strip characters in history, with a grip on popular culture that’s still incredibly influential to this day. However, noteveryPeanutscharacteris as popular as the likes of Linus, Lucy, Sally, Snoopy, and Charlie Brown himself, especially one character in particular: Charlotte Braun - or, as many fans remember her, the ‘female Charlie Brown’. Not only has Charlotte become aforgotten member of thePeanutsgang, but Charles M. Schulz actually killed her off (no, seriously).
Charlotte Braun made her first appearance in thePeanutsstrip published August 20, 2025, and right from the start, it was clear what her role was in the comic strip. Charlotte Braun was meant to be the female counterpart to Charlie Brown, something that was made immediately apparent when she introduced herself as “Good ol’ Charlotte Braun”, not to mention the obvious similarities between her name and Charlie Brown’s. Interestingly, however, Charlotte also seemed to act as the tonal opposite of Charlie Brown, as she was loud and brazen, whileCharlie Brown is usually quiet and reserved.
Most of the comic strips starring Charlotte featured jokes that highlighted her loud personality, with the joke usually being that the other Peanuts characters couldn’t stand her - including and especially Charlie Brown. In fact, thePeanutsgang weren’t the only ones who didn’t like Charlotte, as readers couldn’t stand her either. Charles M. Schulz actually received fan mail begging him to remove Charlotte Braun from the strip, and eventually, Schulz did just that. Indeed,Peanuts' Charlotte Braun got the ax… literally.
Charlotte Braun’s Fate was Revealed in Schulz’s Response to a Fan Letter
In a letter that is now in the United States Library of Congress, Charles M. Schulz responded to a fan who wanted him to get rid of Charlotte Braun. Schulz assured the fan that they’d never see Charlotte again, and if they did, it would be as a result of comic strips he’d already completed being published following his decision to never draw her again. Schulz then offered a rather grim note, telling the fan that they had “the death of an innocent child” on their conscience, before asking them, “Are you prepared to accept such responsibility?”.
The full letter reads as follows:
“Dear Miss Swaim, I am taking your suggestion regarding Charlotte Braun and will eventually discard her. If she appears anymore it will be in strips that were already completed before I got your letter or because someone writes in saying that they like her. Remember, however, that you and your friends will have the death of an innocent child on your conscience. Are you prepared to accept such responsibility? Thanks for writing, and I hope that future releases will please you. Sincerely, Charles M. Schulz.”
What’s more striking than the words Schulz used in this letter was the illustration depicting just how serious he was that no one would ever be seeing Charlotte Braun again. In the bottom left corner is an image of Charlotte with an ax driven into her skull, which is a clever visual pun indicating that Schulz literally gave her ‘the ax’. However, the fact that she never appears again inPeanutscomic strips implies that this quick sketch in a fan letter is actuallyPeanutscanon, and that Charlotte really was killed by an ax to the head.
Snoopy’s Brother Has a Surprisingly Tragic Backstory
Snoopy has a number of family members that make regular appearances in Peanuts canon, including a brother, one whose backstory is shockingly tragic.
That’s kind of a fun idea (in the most morbid way possible), as it implies that someone murdered Charlotte Braun with an ax - and that person was never caught. Could thePeanutsuniverse have a literal child-killing ax-murderer? It wouldn’t be the only time a light-hearted comic strip got uncharacteristically dark (seeGarfield: His 9 Lives), and it would explain why Charlotte was never seen again, while also making Schulz’s drawing canon. Plus, it adds a layer of eerie mystery to thePeanutsworld, as if an ax murderer is lurking behind every classic comic strip.
Charlotte Braun is Actually Resurrected 60 Years After Her Death
Snoopy’s Town Tale
While Charles Schulz effectively killed Charlotte Braun with an ax, she didn’t actually stay dead when considering the larger world ofPeanuts- one that exists beyond the comic strip alone. In the mobile video gameSnoopy’s Town Tale, Charlotte Braun is featured as one of the characters players can interact with as they traverse the town inPeanuts. That means Charlotte wasn’t killed after all, and she even still lived in town. It seems thePeanutsgang just stopped hanging out with her, and that Schulz’s morbid drawing was nothing more than a non-canonical sketch.
Peanuts Once Revealed That Snoopy Had An Owner Before Charlie Brown (In A Storyline That Inspired the Animated Film “Snoopy Come Home”)
Peanuts fans know Snoopy is Charlie Brown’s dog, but what they may not know is that Snoopy had another owner, inspiring the film “Snoopy, Come Home!”.
However, just because Charlotte Braun made an appearance in a 2015 video game doesn’t mean her comic strip fate was any less sealed the moment Charles M. Schulz wrote that letter. Maybe an in-world ax-murderer didn’t get her, but Charles M. Schulz certainly did, as he effectively killed offPeanuts’ ‘femaleCharlie Brown’.
Peanuts
Created by Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts is a multimedia franchise that began as a comic strip in the 1950s and eventually expanded to include films and a television series. Peanuts follows the daily adventures of the Peanuts gang, with Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy at the center of them. Aside from the film released in 2015, the franchise also has several Holiday specials that air regularly on U.S. Television during their appropriate seasons.
