# How Do We Know If Theyre Actually Dead Or Just Pretending
How Do We Know If They're Actually Dead Or Just Pretending is a 4-panel exploitable webcomic by artist spaceboycantlol, first posted in May 2019. The comic shows two Roman soldiers over a field of bodies whose supposedly dead extras give themselves away by laughing at a swapped punchline in the second panel.
## Overview
How Do We Know If They're Actually Dead Or Just Pretending is a 4-panel webcomic that shows two Roman soldiers surveying a battlefield covered in bodies[1]. One soldier asks how they can tell if their enemies are truly dead or faking, and the second answers with an unrelated line about going to the gym starting tomorrow[2]. The supposedly dead soldiers on the ground burst into laughter, give themselves away, and get stabbed in the fourth panel[4].
The comic works as an exploitable because the second panel's line is a swappable slot[4]. Editors replace the gym line with any joke, opinion, or in-group reference embarrassing enough that the corpses would supposedly react out loud, and the fourth-panel stabbing lands as the punchline[5]. That structure lets creators target niche subcultures, hobbies, or political camps while keeping the visual gag intact[7].
## How It Spread
Exploited versions appeared within a day. On May 28th, 2019, iFunny user Calculon swapped the gym line for 'Say HAHAHA or you're gay,' and that edit collected over 40,000 smiles on the app[5]. Also on May 28th, iFunny user Agnarak_The_Jailor uploaded a variation that rewrote both the second panel and the dialogue from the soldiers lying in the field, pushing the format beyond a single-slot swap[6].
By May 29th, the comic had jumped to more platforms. Imgur user crazy3 posted a version whose punchline read 'History is a legitimate college major,' and that upload cleared 92,000 views with roughly 280 comments[7]. Twitter user imBagsy shared a similar edit that same day[8]. On May 30th, an account that has since been deleted uploaded a clean template with the second speech bubble left blank, which made the format easier for anyone to remix[9].
## How to Use
Creators typically start with the blank second-panel template and drop in any statement absurd or embarrassing enough that a specific group would react out loud[9]. Common edits swap the gym line for hot-button opinions about hobbies, fandoms, professions, or political camps whose members would supposedly laugh, then let the fourth-panel stabbing act as the payoff[7]. The joke often lands harder when the replacement line targets a narrow subculture rather than a broad crowd, since the humor depends on recognizing who exactly is giving themselves away[5].
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is How Do We Know If Theyre Actually Dead Or Just Pretending?
It is a 4-panel exploitable webcomic where two Roman soldiers stand over a field of bodies, and swapping the second panel's punchline makes the supposedly dead soldiers laugh and get stabbed[4].
### Where did How Do We Know If Theyre Actually Dead Or Just Pretending come from?
Artist spaceboycantlol posted the original comic to Facebook[2] and Instagram[3] on May 27th, 2019, captioned 'Ancient problems require modern solutions too.'
### What does How Do We Know If Theyre Actually Dead Or Just Pretending mean?
The joke uses the swapped second panel as bait, so the corpses that laugh are the ones the editor wants to mock for their taste, opinion, or subculture[6].
### How do you use How Do We Know If Theyre Actually Dead Or Just Pretending?
Take the blank template and replace the second soldier's reply with a statement your target group would react to out loud, keeping the other three panels unchanged[9].
### Is How Do We Know If Theyre Actually Dead Or Just Pretending still popular?
The exploitable had its peak run in the weeks after May 2019 across Reddit, iFunny, Imgur, and Twitter[1][5], and is still recognized as a classic swappable-panel comic template[4].
## References
1. [https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/]()
2. [https://www.facebook.com/spaceboycantlol]()
3. [https://www.instagram.com/spaceboycantlol/]()
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/how-do-we-know-if-theyre-actually-dead-or-just-pretending]()
5. [https://ifunny.co/user/Calculon]()
6. [https://ifunny.co/user/Agnarak_The_Jailor]()
7. [https://imgur.com/user/crazy3]()
8. [https://twitter.com/imBagsy]()
9. [https://www.reddit.com/r/MemeTemplatesOfficial/]()
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