Comic book death: Difference between revisions

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{{About|the deaths of characters in comic books|the personification of death in comic books|Death (comics)}}

[[Image:XMEN42.jpg|right|frame|The dramatic cover of ''[[X-Men]]'' #42 (October 1968<!--the cover date of the image above is different because it is a reprint cover-->) advertises the "death" of [[Professor X]]. The character would return less than two years later.]]

{{Short description|Term for a non-permanent character death}}

:''This article is about the deaths of characters in comic books. For the personification of death in comic books, see [[Death (comics)]].''

[[Image:Uncanny136.jpg|thumb|right|Cover to ''Uncanny X-Men'' #136 (August 1980, art by [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]]), the penultimate issue of "[[The Dark Phoenix Saga]]". [[Jean Grey]] would sacrifice herself in the following issue, but [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] later had the story [[Retroactive continuity|retconned]] to allow Jean to appear in the new ''[[X-Factor (comics)|X-Factor]]'' series.]]

'''''Comic book death''''' is a term used somewhat cynically in the [[comic book]] fan community to refer to the killing off and subsequent return of a long-running character. A synonymous term is '''''Marvel Death''''', because [[Marvel Comics]] supposedly engages in this gimmick more frequently than other publishers.

In the [[comic book]] fan community, the apparent [[death]] and subsequent return of a long-running [[Character (arts)|character]] is often called a '''comic book death'''. A comic book death is generally not taken seriously by readers and is rarely permanent or meaningful other than for story or thematic purposes. The term is usually not applied to characters who have the ability to return from the dead as an established power or ability, such as [[Solomon Grundy (comics)|Solomon Grundy]] or [[Ra's al Ghul]].

==Context==

Comic book writers often kill off characters to gather [[publicity]] and dramatic [[Suspense (narratology)|tension]]. Occasionally, a writer will allow readers to think a character has died and conceive of a complex way to reveal that the character is actually alive within a single storyline. More often, however, the publishing house intends to permanently kill off a long-running character but fans pressure the company to bring the character back or writers are once again in need of publicity and dramatic tension and the character returns in a subsequent storyline through [[retcon]]ning. Even characters that stay permanently dead are often replaced by characters who assume their personas (such as [[Wally West]] taking over for [[Barry Allen]] as [[The Flash]]).

Commenting on the impact and role of comic book character deaths, writer [[Geoff Johns]] said:<ref>IGN Geoff Johns: Inside Blackest Night</ref> "Death in superhero comics is cyclical in its nature, and that's for a lot of reasons, whether they are story reasons, copyright reasons, or fan reasons". The phenomenon of comic book death is particularly common for superhero characters. Writer [[Danny Fingeroth]] suggests that the nature of superheroes requires that they be both ageless and [[immortality|immortal]].<ref>James R. Fleming, [http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v2_2/reviews/fleming.shtml Review of ''Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society''], ''ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies'', vol. 2, no. 2, Winter 2006.</ref>

A common expression regarding comic book death was once "No one stays dead except [[Bucky Barnes|Bucky]], [[Jason Todd]], and [[Uncle Ben]]",<ref name="opinionjournal2007">{{Cite web |title=Opinion & Reviews - Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/opinion |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Isaak |first=Joshua |date=2021-10-31 |title=The Longest Time A Comic Book Hero Stayed Dead (Until They Got Better) |url=https://screenrant.com/comic-hero-stayed-dead-supergirl-bucky-barnes-flash/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> referring to the seminal importance of those characters' deaths to the title character: [[Captain America]]'s [[sidekick]] (retconned dead in 1964),<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Donahue |first=Casey |date=2020-12-19 |title=Captain America: Bucky Never Actually Died In Marvel Comics |url=https://screenrant.com/captain-america-bucky-never-died-marvel-comics/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> Batman's second [[Robin (character)|Robin]] (dead in 1988),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Epps |first=Justin |date=2023-12-19 |title=After 35 Years, DC Finally Confirms Robin's Fate If Jason Todd Had Lived |url=https://screenrant.com/robin-jason-todd-death-family-fate-confirmed/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Polo |first=Susana |date=2020-03-10 |title=The most tragic moment in Batman's history almost looked like this |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/10/21168055/batman-robin-jason-todd-die-poll-live-unpublished-pages |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[Spider-Man]]'s uncle (dead since 1962),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jung |first=Michael |date=2021-12-15 |title=Every Villain Who's Killed Spider-Man's Uncle Ben |url=https://www.looper.com/707546/every-villain-whos-killed-spider-mans-uncle-ben/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Looper |language=en-US}}</ref> respectively. This long-held tenet was broken in 2005, when Jason Todd returned to life as the [[Red Hood#Jason Todd|Red Hood]]<ref name=":1" /> and Bucky was retconned to have survived the accident that seemingly killed him, and brought back as the [[Winter Soldier (comics)|Winter Soldier]] who had remained in the shadows for decades.<ref name=":0" /> Uncle Ben also reappeared briefly thanks to Doctor Strange, as a way to reward to Peter Parker for helping stop Dormammu's revival, but he disappeared after speaking with Parker.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Straczynski |first=Joseph |title=Amazing Spider-Man #500 |date=October 22, 2003 |publisher=Marvel}}</ref>

{{spoilers}}

The two most famous comic deaths are arguably the [[1980]] "death" of [[Jean Grey]] in Marvel's ''[[Dark Phoenix Saga]]'' and that of [[Superman]] in [[DC Comics|DC]]'s highly-publicized [[1993]] ''[[Death of Superman]]'' storyline (although of the two, only Jean's was actually intended to be a true, permanent death). Since the ''Dark Phoenix Saga,'' comic book deaths have been particularly common in [[X-Men]]-related series.

Because death in American super-hero comics is so often temporary, readers rarely take the death of a character seriously; when a character dies, readers feel very little sense of loss, and are simply left wondering how long it will be before they return to life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/comic-book-deaths/|title=No One Stays Dead In Comics: 16 Superhero Deaths And How Long They Lasted|date=September 5, 2014|website=Empire}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/the-most-memorable-shocking-comic-book-deaths/|title=The Most Memorable & Shocking Comic Book Deaths|date=September 23, 2014|website=CBR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/logan-how-handled-death-comic-books-981835|title='Logan': The Film's Ending vs. the Comics|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=5 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=raV6qalYZKwC&pg=PA194|title=The Already Dead: The New Time of Politics, Culture, and Illness|first=Eric|last=Cazdyn|date=April 16, 2012|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0822352280|via=Google Books}}</ref>

The prominence of comic book deaths has lead to a common piece of comic shop wisdom: "No one in comics stays dead, except [[Bucky]], [[Jason Todd]] and [[Uncle Ben]]," referring to [[Captain America]]'s [[sidekick]] (dead since [[1964]]), Batman's second [[Robin (comics)|Robin]] (dead since [[1989]] and killed-off as a result of a fan poll) and [[Spider-Man]]'s uncle (dead since [[1962]]), respectively. With the return of Bucky and Jason Todd in [[2005]] and the apparent return of Uncle Ben in 2006, this saying has been sarcastically amended to "Absolutely no one in comics stays dead"{{citation needed}}. Note that sometimes a character can be dead in the mainstream continuity, but alive in an alternate reality, such as the aged Bucky in the [[Ultimate Marvel]] universe, or Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy's return in the [[House of M]] storyline.

==Notable examples==

Comic book deaths have been [[parody|parodied]] by [[Peter Milligan]] in ''[[X-Statix]],'' in which all the characters had died by the end of the series, and by [[Dan Slott]] in his 2005 miniseries ''[[Great Lakes Avengers]],'' in which some characters have lasted only a single issue.

Although several comic book deaths are well-known, two of the best-known are the 1980 "death" of [[Jean Grey]] in Marvel's "[[The Dark Phoenix Saga|Dark Phoenix Saga]]" and that of [[Superman]] in [[DC Comics|DC]]'s highly publicized 1993 "[[The Death of Superman|Death of Superman]]" storyline. There is one major distinction between the two, however—whereas it was never intended that Superman's death be permanent, but rather that he would return to life at the conclusion of the story,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/03/29/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-96/|title = Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #96|author = Brian Cronin|date = March 29, 2007|publisher = Comic Book Resources|access-date = April 19, 2011|archive-date = January 2, 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100102150315/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/03/29/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-96/|url-status = dead}}</ref> Jean's passing was intended to be permanent, as the editor [[Jim Shooter]] felt that would be the only satisfactory outcome given that she had committed mass murder.<ref>"The Dark Phoenix Tapes", ''Phoenix: The Untold Story'' #1 (April 1984)</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Ginocchio|first=Mark|title=10 Amazing Storylines Derailed by Editorial Politics|url=http://whatculture.com/comics/10-amazing-comic-storylines-derailed-editorial-politics.php/8|work=What Culture|access-date=13 May 2014|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225049/http://whatculture.com/comics/10-amazing-comic-storylines-derailed-editorial-politics.php/8|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite this, the story was [[Retroactive continuity|retconned]] a few years later to facilitate Jean's return.

In 2007, the death of [[Captain America]] made real-world headlines<ref name="opinionjournal2007"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/comics-captain-america-1941-2007-95787|title=Comics: Captain America, 1941-2007|first=Samantha Henig On 3/8/07 at 7:00 PM|last=EST|date=March 8, 2007|website=Newsweek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US|title=U.S.|website=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/08/books/08capt.html|title=Captain America Is Dead; National Hero Since 1941|first=George Gene|last=Gustines|work=The New York Times|date=March 8, 2007|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/mar/08/usa.arts|title=Wham! bang! Marvel kills off Captain America|first=Dan|last=Glaister|newspaper=The Guardian|date=March 8, 2007|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18520433|title=Captain America, Back from the Dead (Sort Of)|website=NPR.org}}</ref> when he met his apparent end, but Steve Rogers returned in ''[[Captain America: Reborn]]'' two years later in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/06/15/captain.america/index.html|title=Captain America, thought dead, comes back to life - CNN.com|website=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/captain-america-steve-rogers-coming-back-life-years-marvel-comics-killed-article-1.376815|title=Captain America, a.k.a. Steve Rogers is coming back to life two years after Marvel Comics killed him|first=Ethan|last=Sacks|website=nydailynews.com}}</ref>

''[[The Simpsons]]'' also parodied comic book deaths in the episode "[[Radioactive Man (The Simpsons episode)|Radioactive Man]]" in which [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] mentions an issue of ''[[Radioactive Man (The Simpsons character)|Radioactive Man]]'' in which the eponymous character and his sidekick Fallout Boy die on every page.

[[Planters]] cited comic book deaths (particularly those adapted in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]]) as the inspiration for a storyline killing off its century-old mascot [[Mr. Peanut]] in January 2020 and having him reborn as a baby the next month.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/23/planters-ad-agency-vaynermedia-explains-why-they-killed-off-mr-peanut.html|title=Planters ad agency VaynerMedia explains why they killed off Mr. Peanut|work=[[CNBC]]|date=January 23, 2020|access-date=February 3, 2020}}</ref>

==Characters who have experienced a comic book death==

===DC Comics===

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!Character

!Died in

!Returned in

|-

|[[Iris Allen]]

|''[[Flash (comics)|Flash]]'' #275 (1979)

|''Flash'' #350 (1985)

|-

|[[Batman]]

|Comic book deaths were [[parody|parodied]] in the "Batman dies!!!" crossover [http://www2.cinescape.com/0/editorial.asp?aff_id=0&this_cat=Comics&action=page&type_id=&cat_id=&obj_id=26411]

|

|-

| [[Black Mask (comics)|Black Mask]]

|''[[Catwoman]]'' (2nd series) #16 (April 2003)

|''[[Robin (comics)|Robin]]'' #130 (November 2004), part of the ''[[War Games (comics)|War Games]]'' Batman crossover

|-

|[[Captain Atom]]

|''[[Superman/Batman]]'' #6 (January 2004)

|''Superman/Batman'' #20 (June 2005)

|-

|[[Spectre (comics)|Jim Corrigan]]

|''[[More Fun Comics]]'' #52 (February 1940)

|''More Fun Comics'' #52 (February 1940)

|-

|[[The Creeper]]

|''[[Eclipso]]'' #13 (1993)

|''The Creeper'' #1 (1997)

|-

|[[Crispus Allen]]

|''[[Gotham Central]] #38 (2005)

|as the new host of the [[Spectre]] - ''[[Infinite Crisis]] #4 (2006)Though he is technically still dead.

|-

|[[Doomsday (comics)|Doomsday]]

|''Superman'' #75 (1993)

|''Superman/Doomsday'' (1994)

|-

|[[Eradicator (comics)|Eradicator]]

|''[[Action Comics]]'' #687 (June 1993)

|''Action Comics'' #693 (November 1993)

|-

|[[Firestorm (comics)|Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond)]]

|''[[Identity Crisis (comics)|Identity Crisis]]'' #5 (December 2004)

|''Firestorm'' (3rd series) #9 (March 2005)

|-

|[[Jason Rusch|Firestorm (Jason Rusch)]]

|''[[Infinite Crisis]]'' #4 (March 2006)

|''Firestorm'' (3rd series) #22 (April 2006)

<!--|- What issues?

|[[General Glory]]

|

|-->

|-

|[[Green Arrow|Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)]]

|''Green Arrow'' #101 (October 1995)

|''Green Arrow'' (3rd series) #1 (April 2001)

|-

|[[Hal Jordan|Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)]]

|''Final Night'' #4 (November 1996)

|''Green Lantern: Rebirth'' #4 (March 2005)

|-

<!--|- What issues?

|[[Kilowog]]

|

|

|-

|[[Lex Luthor]] II

|

|-->

|-

| rowspan="2" |[[Metamorpho]]

|''[[Outsiders (comics)|Outsiders]]'' #27 (January 1988)

|''Invasion'' #3 (1988)

|-

|''JLA'' #2 (January 1997)

|''JLA/JSA Secret Files'' #1 (January 2003)

|-

|[[Resurrection Man]]

|numerous times, comes back immediately after being killed (with a new power every time)

|

|-

|[[Jason Todd]]

|as [[Robin (comics)|Robin]] - ''Batman'' #428 (January 1989)

|as the [[Red Hood]] - ''Batman'' #635 (March 2005), though his face was not seen until ''Batman'' #638 (May 2005)

<!--|- What issues?

|[[The Sandman (DC Comics Golden Age)|Sandman]]

|

|-->

|-

|[[Donna Troy]]

|''[[Titans (comics)|Titans]]/[[Young Justice]]: Graduation Day'' #3 (August 2003)

||''DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy'' #1 (August 2005)

|-

|[[Superman]]

|''Superman'' (2nd series) #75 (January 1993), in the [[Death of Superman]]

|''Superman'' #500, ''Action Comics'' #687

|-

<!--|- What issues?

|Jonathan and Martha Kent

|

|-->

<!--|- What issues?

|[[Uncle Sam (comics)|Uncle Sam]]

|

|-->

|}

An early [[prime time]] television version of this plot trope is in the 1970s original superhero series ''[[The Six Million Dollar Man]]'' after the 2-part episode "The Bionic Woman" produced spectacular ratings. With that unexpected success, the producers wanted to produce a [[spin-off (media)|spinoff]] series featuring the character despite the fact that [[Jaime Sommers (The Bionic Woman)|Jaime Sommers]] was killed off on the operating table from bionic rejection at the story's conclusion. To do so, a story in the next season, "Return of the Bionic Woman," was produced where Steve Austin discovers that Jaime had been placed in [[cryogenic freezing]] at another doctor's insistence after she was declared dead, which allowed her medical condition to be successfully treated enough to revive her, albeit without her memory of Steve Austin.<ref>{{cite web |last1=French |first1=Isabel K. |title=THE BIONIC WOMAN - CROSSOVER EPISODE 3 |url=https://www.televisionofyore.com/recaps-of-the-bionic-woman/the-bionic-woman-crossover-episode-3 |website=TelevisionofYore.com |access-date=27 March 2023}}</ref>

===Marvel Comics===

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!Character

!Died in

!Returned in

|-

|[[Archangel (comics)|Archangel]] (Warren Worthington III)

|''[[X-Factor]]'' (vol. 1) #16 (May 1987)

|''X-Factor'' (vol. 1) #24 (January 1988)

|-

| rowspan="2" |[[Apocalypse (comics)|Apocalypse]]

|''[[X-Men]]'' (vol. 2) #16 (January 1993)

|''[[Uncanny X-Men]]'' #335 (August 1996)

|-

|''X-Men: The Search for Cyclops'' #4 (March 2001)

|''X-Men'' (vol. 2) #182 (April 2006)

|-

|[[Aunt May]]

|''[[Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (vol. 1) #400 (April 1995)

|''Peter Parker: Spider-Man'' (vol. 1) #97 (September 1998)

|-

|[[Baron Mordo]]

|''[[Doctor Strange]], Sorcerer Supreme'' #87 (March 1996)

|''Amazing Spider-Man'' #500 (December 2003)

|-

|[[Baron Strucker]]

|''Strange Tales'' (vol. 1) #158

|''[[Nick Fury]], Agent of [[SHIELD]]'' (vol. 2) #21

|-

|[[Bucky (comics)|Bucky]]

|''[[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]]'' (vol. 1) #4 (March 1964)

|''[[Captain America]]'' (vol. 5) #1 (January 2005), though he was not identified as such until ''Captain America'' (vol. 5) #6 (June 2005)

|-

|[[Cable (comics)|Cable]]

|''[[X-Force]]'' (vol. 1) #18, (January 1993, at the end of [[X-Cutioner's Song]])

|''Cable'' (vol. 2) #1 (May 1993)

|-

|[[Colossus (comics)|Colossus]]

|''Uncanny X-Men'' #390 (February 2001), to cure the [[Legacy Virus]]

|''Astonishing X-Men'' (vol. 3) #4 (October 2004)

|-

|[[Cyclops (comics)|Cyclops]]

|''X-Men'' (vol. 2) #97 (February 2000), at the end of [[Apocalypse: The Twelve]]

|''X-Men: The Search for Cyclops'' #1 (October 2000)

|-

|[[Deadpool]]

|''Deadpool'' (vol. 3) #69 (September 2002)

|''[[Agent X]]'' #13 (November 2003)

|-

|[[Doctor Doom]]

|''[[Fantastic Four]]'' (vol. 1) #387 (April 1994)

|''Fantastic Four'' (vol. 1) #406 (November 1995)

|-

|[[Great Lakes Avengers|Doorman]]

|''Great Lakes Avengers'' #4 (September 2005)

|''Great Lakes Avengers'' #4 (September 2005)

|-

| rowspan="2" |[[Dracula (Marvel Comics)|Dracula]]

|''Dr. Strange'' (vol. 2) #62

|''Tomb of Dracula'' (vol. 3) #1

|-

|''Tomb of Dracula'' (vol. 3) #4

|''Blade: The Vampire Hunter'' (vol. 1) #1

|-

|[[Elektra (comics)|Elektra]]

|''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics)|Daredevil]]'' (vol. 1) #181 (April 1982)

|''Daredevil'' (vol. 1) #190 (January 1983)

|-

|[[Nick Fury]]

|''Double Edge: Omega''

|''Fury/Agent 13'' #1

|-

|[[Gamora]]

|''Marvel Two-in-One Annual'' #2

|''[[Infinity Gauntlet]]'' #1

|-

|[[Gargoyle (comics)|Gargoyle]]

|''Defenders'' v1 #152

|''Solo Avengers'' #16

|-

|[[Ghost Rider]] (Dan Ketch)

|''Spirits of Vengeance'' #17

|''Morbius: The Living Vampire'' #29

|-

|[[Green Goblin]] (Norman Osborn)

|''Amazing Spider-Man'' (vol. 1) #122 (July 1973)

|''Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 1) #240 (November 1996), face shown in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' (vol. 1) #418 (December 1996)

|-

| rowspan="2" |[[Jean Grey]]

|''X-Men'' (vol. 1) #137 (September 1980), at the end of the [[Dark Phoenix Saga]]

|''Fantastic Four'' (vol. 1) #286 (January 1986)

|-

|''New X-Men'' (vol. 1) #150 (February 2004)

|temporarily revived for the duration of the ''[[List of X-Men limited series|X-Men: Phoenix: Endsong]]'' miniseries, resurrected then killed twice in the miniseries (2005)

|-

|[[Guardian (Marvel Comics)|Guardian]] (James MacDonald Hudson)

|''[[Alpha Flight]]'' (vol. 1) #12 (July 1984)

|''Alpha Flight'' (vol. 1) #88 (September 1990)

|-

|[[Agatha Harkness]]

|''Vision and Scarlet Witch'' (vol. 2) #2

|''Avengers West Coast'' #51

|-

|[[Havok]]

|''X-Factor'' (vol. 1) #149 (September 1998)

|''[[Mutant X]]'' (vol. 1) #1 (October 1998)

|-

|[[Hawkeye (comics)|Hawkeye]]

|''Avengers'' #502 (November 2004), during [[Avengers Disassembled]]

|''House of M'' #3 (2005) (alternate reality)

|-

|[[Hellcat (comics)|Hellcat]]

|''Hellstorm: Prince of Lies'' #14

|''Thunderbolts Annual 2000''

|-

|[[Human Torch (Golden Age)|Human Torch]] (Jim Hammond)

|''Fantastic Four Annual'' #4 (November 1966)

|''Avengers West Coast'' #50

|-

| rowspan="2" |[[Hulk (comics)|Hulk]]

|''Incredible Hulk'' #345 (July 1988)

|''Incredible Hulk'' #347 (September 1988)

|-

|''Incredible Hulk'' #440 (April 1996)

|''Incredible Hulk'' #443 (July 1996)

|-

|[[Iron Fist]]

|''Power Man and Iron Fist'' #125 (September 1986)

|''Namor'' (vol. 1) #22 (January 1992)

|-

|[[Iron Man]]

|''Avengers: Timeslide'' (February 1996)

|arguably in ''Iron Man'' (vol. 2) #1 (November 1996), definitely in ''Iron Man'' (vol. 3) #1 (February 1998)

|-

|[[Jackal (comics)|Jackal]]

|''Amazing Spider-Man'' (vol. 1) #149 (October 1975)

|Jackal that died was a clone; real one returned in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' (vol. 1) #399 (March 1995)

|-

|[[Hannibal King]]

|''Nightstalkers'' #18 (April 1994)

|''Blade: Crescent City Blues'' (March 1998)

|-

|[[Korvac]]

|''Avengers'' (vol. 1) #178 (December 1978)

|''Captain America'' (vol. 3) #1 (January 1998, disguised; May 1999, identity revealed in #17)

|-

|[[Steven Lang (comics)|Steven Lang]]

|''X-Men'' (vol. 1) #100 (August 1976)

|''Uncanny X-Men'' (vol. 1) #316 (September 1994)

|-

|[[Leader (comics)|Leader]]

|''Incredible Hulk'' #400 (December 1992)

|''Incredible Hulk'' v2 #75 (in own body; previously revealed to have survived in another body)

|-

|One half of the [[Marvel Universe]], at the hands of [[Thanos]]

|''[[Infinity Gauntlet]]'' #1 (1990)

|''Infinity Gauntlet'' #6 (1990)

|-

|[[Madame Masque]]

|''Iron Man'' (vol. 1) #238 (January 1989)

|''Iron Man'' (vol. 1) #245 (August 1989)

|-

| rowspan="3" |[[Magneto (comics)|Magneto]]

|''X-Men'' (vol. 2) #3 (December 1991)

|''X-Force'' (vol. 1) #25 (August 1993, during the [[Fatal Attractions]] crossover)

|-

|''X-Men'' (vol. 2) #115 (August 2001)

|(in disguise) ''New X-Men Annual 2001'', (revealed as Magneto) ''New X-Men'' (vol. 1) #146 (October 2003)

|-

|''New X-Men'' v1 #150 (February 2004)

|''Excalibur'' v3 #1 (July 2004)

|-

|[[Marrow (comics)|Marrow]]

|''Uncanny X-Men'' #325 (October 1995)

|''Storm'' v1 #4 (May 1996)

|-

|[[Mimic (comics)|Mimic]]

|''Incredible Hulk'' #161 (March 1973)

|''Marvel Comics Presents'' #59 (September 1990)

|-

|[[Mister Fantastic]]

|''Fantastic Four'' v1 #387 (April 1994)

|''Fantastic Four'' v1 #407 (December 1995)

|-

|[[MODOK]]

|''Captain America'' v1 #313 (January 1986)

|(temporarily) ''Iron Man'' v1 #205, (in full) ''Avengers'' v1 #387

|-

|[[Moondragon]]

|''Defenders'' v1 #152

|''Solo Avengers'' #16

|-

|[[Moon Knight]]

|''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #60

|''Moon Knight: The Resurrection'' #1

|-

|[[Mr. Immortal]]

|numerous times, comes back immediately after being killed

|

|-

|[[Mr. Sinister]]

|''X-Factor'' (vol. 1) #39 (April 1989)

|''X-Factor'' (vol. 1) #75 (January 1992)

|-

|[[Multiple Man]]

|''X-Factor'' v1 #100 (March 1994)

|''X-Factor'' v1 #105 (August 1994)

<!--|- What issues?

|[[Mysterio]])

|

|-->

|-

|[[Nighthawk (Marvel Comics)|Nighthawk]]

|''Defenders'' v1 #102

|''Nighthawk'' #1

|-

|[[Northstar]]

|''Wolverine'' v3 #25

|''Wolverine'' v3 #26

|-

|[[Odin (comics)|Odin]]

|''Thor'' v1 #353 (March 1985)

|-

|[[Pip the Troll]]

|''Marvel Two-in-One Annual'' #2 (December 1977)

|''Infinity Gauntlet'' #1 (July 1991)

|-

|[[Professor X]]

|''Uncanny X-Men'' #42 (October 1968)

|''Uncanny X-Men'' #65 (February 1970)

|-

|[[Proteus (comics)|Proteus]]

|''X-Men'' v1 #128 (December 1979)

|''Uncanny X-Men Annual'' #15 (December 1991)

|-

|[[Psylocke]]

|''X-Treme X-Men'' #2 (August 2001)

|''Uncanny X-Men'' #455 (April 2005)

|-

|[[Punisher]]

|''The Punisher'' v3 #18 (1997)

|As a supernatural avenger in ''The Punisher,'' vol. 4 (1998), as a living character in ''The Punisher/Wolverine: Revelation'' #1 (1999)

|-

|[[Red Raven]]

|''Sub-Mariner'' v1 #26 (June 1970)

|''Nova'' v3 #4 (August 1999)

|-

|[[Red Skull]]

|''Captain America'' v1 #300 (December 1984)

|''Captain America'' v1 #350 (February 1989)

|-

| rowspan="2" |[[Thunderbolt Ross]]

|''Incredible Hulk'' #330 (April 1987)

|''Incredible Hulk'' #398 (October 1992)

|-

|''Incredible Hulk'' #400 (December 1992)

|''Incredible Hulk'' #455 (August 1997)

|-

|[[Sasquatch (comics)|Sasquatch]]

|''Alpha Flight'' v1 #23 (June 1985)

|''Alpha Flight'' v1 #44 (March 1987)

|-

|[[Sebastian Shaw (comics)|Sebastian Shaw]]

|''X-Factor'' v1 #67 (June 1991)

|''X-Force'' v1 #48 (November 1995)

|-

|[[Spider-Man]]

|''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'' #3 (December 2005), but this served to aid an ongoing evolution of his powers that had recently begun to take place

|''Amazing Spider-Man'' #527 (December 2005)

|-

|[[Stick (comics)|Stick]]

|''Daredevil'' v1 #189 (December 1989)

|''Daredevil'' v1 #348 (January 1996)

|-

|[[Rachel Summers]]

|''Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix'' #4 (August 1994)

|''Cable'' v2 #82 (August 2000)

|-

|[[Sunfire]]

|''Rogue'' v3 #11 (2005)

|''X-Men'' v2 #183 (2006)

|-

|[[Stryfe]]

|''X-Force'' v1 #18 (January 1993, at the end of [[X-Cutioner's Song]])

|''Cable'' v2 #6 (December 1993)

|-

|[[Terrax]]

|''Fantastic Four'' v1 #260 (November 1983)

|''New Warriors'' v1 #1 (July 1990)

|-

|[[Thanos]]

|''Marvel Two-in-One Annual'' #2 (December 1977)

|''Silver Surfer'' v3 #35

|-

|The ENTIRE [[Marvel Universe]], at the hands of [[Thanos]]

|''Thanos: The End #6 (June 2003)

|''Thanos: The End #6 (June 2003)

|-

|[[Titanium Man]]

|''Thor'' v1 #358 (August 1985)

|''Soviet Super Soldiers'' (November 1992)

|-

|[[Warlock (New Mutants)|Warlock]]

|''New Mutants'' #95 (November 1990)

|(as Douglock) ''Excalibur'' v1 #78 (June 1994), (Warlock personality restored) ''Warlock'' v4 #1

|-

|[[Adam Warlock]]

|''Marvel Two-in-One Annual'' #2 (December 1977)

|''Infinity Gauntlet'' #2 (August 1991)

|-

|[[Mary Jane Watson-Parker]]

|''Amazing Spider-Man'' v2 #13 (2000)

|''Amazing Spider-Man'' v2 #29 (2001)

|-

|[[Uncle Ben]]

|''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962)

|''Friendly Neigbourhood Spider-Man'' #7 (2006)

|-

|[[Pete Wisdom]]

|''X-Force'' v1 #105 (August 2000)

|''X-Force'' v1 #115 (June 2001)

|-

| rowspan="2" |[[Wolverine (comics)|Wolverine]]

|''Astonishing X-Men'' v2 #3 (November 1999), (see [[Skrullverine]])

|''X-Men'' v2 #95 (December 1999)

|-

|''Wolverine'' v3 #25 (April 2005)

|''Wolverine'' v3 #28 (July 2005)

|-

| rowspan="2" |[[Wonder Man]]

|''Avengers'' v1 #9 (October 1964)

|''Avengers'' v1 #151 (1976)

|-

|''Force Works'' #1 (July 1994)

|''Avengers'' v3 #2 (March 1998)

|}

==In-universe acknowledgement==

==Prominent characters who have died and have thus far not returned==

{{quote|[[Sasquatch (comics)|Sasquatch]]: Good guys do occasionally come back from the dead—though not as often as the bad guys...<br>

===DC Comics===

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!Character

!Died in

|-

|[[Abin Sur]]

|''Showcase'' #22, 1959

|-

|[[Azrael (comics)|Azrael]]

|''Azrael: Agent of the Bat'' #100 (May 2003)

<!--|- What issue?

|[[Black Condor]]

|-->

|-

|[[Blue Beetle (Silver Age)|Blue Beetle]] (Ted Kord)

|''Countdown to [[Infinite Crisis]]'' (May 2005)

|-

|[[Deadman|Boston Brand]]

|''Strange Adventures'' #205 (October 1967)Though the whole point of the character is that he's a ghost.

<!--|- What issue?

|[[Bloodsport (comics)|Bloodsport]]

|-->

|-

|[[Captain Boomerang]]

|''[[Identity Crisis (comics)|Identity Crisis]]'' #5 (October 2004)

|-

|[[Commander Steel]]

|''[[Eclipso]]'' #13 (1993)

|-

|[[Crimson Fox]]

|Constance D'Aramis dies in '' Justice League America #104 '' #23 (1996)

|-->

|-

|[[Doctor Mid-Nite#Charles McNider|Dr. Midnight]]

|''[[Eclipso]]'' #13 (1993)

|-

|[[Dream (DC Comics)|Dream]] (Morpheus)

|[[Sandman (DC Comics)|Sandman]] #69 (1995)

|-->

|-

|[[Epoch (DC Comics)|Epoch]]

|''JLA/WildC.A.T.s''

<!--|- What issue?

|[[General Glory]]

|-->

|-

|[[Fury (DC Comics)|Fury]] (Hippolyta 'Lyta' Trevor-Hall)

|''[[JSA]]'' #80

|-

|[[Hawk and Dove|Dove]] (Don Hall)

|''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'' #12 (March 1986)

|-

|[[Flash (comics)|Flash II]] ([[Barry Allen]])

|''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'' #8 (November 1985)

|-

|[[Freedom Fighters (comics)|Freedom Fighters]]

|''[[Infinite Crisis]]'' #1 (October 2005)

|-

|[[Hawk and Dove|Hawk]] (Hank Hall)

|''[[Justice Society of America|JSA]]'' #11 (April 2000)

|-

|[[Hector Hall]]

|''[[JSA]]'' #80

|-

|[[Ice (comics)|Ice]]

|''[[Justice League Task Force (comics)|Justice League Task Force]]'' #14 (July 1994)

|-

|[[Jade (comics)|Jade]]

|''[[Rann Thanagar War: Infinite Crisis Special (comics)|Rann-Thanagar War]]'' (February 2006)

|-

|[[Maxwell Lord]]

|''[[Wonder Woman]]'' #219

<!--|- What issue?

|[[Overmaster]]

|-->

|-

|[[Ra's Al Ghul]]

|''[[Batman: Death and the Maidens]]'' #9 (August 2004)

<!--|- What issue?

|[[Ravager (comics)|Ravager]] (Grant Wilson)

|-->

|-

|[[Rocket Red]]

|''[[The OMAC Project]]'' #5 (August 2005)

|-

|[[Sue Dibny]]

|''[[Identity Crisis (comics)|Identity Crisis]]'' #1 (June 2004)

|-

|[[Superboy (Kon-El)|Superboy (Kon-El)]]

|''[[Infinite Crisis]]'' #6 (May 2006)

|-

|[[Kal-L|Superman (Kal-L}]]

|''[[Infinite Crisis]]'' #7 (June 2006)

|-

|[[Wildcat (comics)|Wildcat]] ([[Yolanda Montez]])

|''Eclipso'' #13 (1993)

|-

|[[Vigilante (comics)|Vigilante]] I-IV

|Adrian Chase died in ''Vigilante'' #50

|}

[[Talisman (comics)|Talisman]]: But that really only seems to happen to the big guns of the super hero biz—[[Captain America]], the [[Namor|Sub-Mariner]], people like them.|''[[Alpha Flight (comic book)|Alpha Flight]]'' #23, June 1985}}

===Marvel Comics===

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!Character

!Died in

|-

|[[Ant-Man (Scott Lang)|Ant-Man II (Scott Lang)]]

|''Avengers'' # 500 (September 2004)

|-

|[[Banshee (comics)|Banshee]]

|''[[X-Men: Deadly Genesis]]'' #2 (February 2006)

|-

|[[Betty Ross Banner]]

|''Incredible Hulk'' #466 (July 1998)

|-

|[[Baron Zemo]] I

|''Avengers # 15'' (April 1965)

|-

|[[Beast (comics)|Beast]] (Ultimate Universe)

|''Ultimate X-Men # 44'' (June 2004), crushed by a [[Sentinels (comics)|Sentinel]]

|-

|[[Copycat (comics)|Copycat]]

|Deadpool #59 (December 2001)

|-

|[[Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)|Captain Mar-Vell]]

|''Marvel Graphic Novel'' #1 (1982)

|-

|[[Genis-Vell|Captain Marvel]] (Genis-Vell)

|[[Thunderbolts #100]] (March 2006)

|-

|[[Harry Osborn]]

|''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #200 (May 1993)

|-

|[[Human Torch (Golden Age)|Human Torch]] (Jim Hammond)

|[[New Invaders]] #9 (2005)

|-

|[[Kraven the Hunter]]

|''Amazing Spider-Man'' (vol. 1) #294 (November 1987)

|-

{{quote|[[Thing (comics)|The Thing]]: But I thought you X-Men always come back from the dead!|''[[Fantastic Four (comic book)|Fantastic Four]]'' #395, December 1994}}

|[[Magik (comics)|Magik]] (Ilyana Rasputin)

|''Uncanny X-Men'' #303 (August 1993), of the [[Legacy Virus]]

|-

|[[Mastermind (comics)|Mastermind]]

|''Uncanny X-Men Annual'' #17 (1993), of the [[Legacy Virus]]

|-

|[[Mockingbird (Marvel Comics)|Mockingbird]]

|''Avengers West Coast'' #100 (November 1993)

|-

|[[Moira MacTaggert]]

|''X-Men'' #108 (January 2001)

|-

|[[Mysterio]] (Quentin Beck)

|''Daredevil'' v2 #7 (1999)

|-

|[[Namorita]]

|''Civil War'' #1 (May 2006)

|-

|[[Night Thrasher]]

|''Civil War'' #1 (May 2006)

|-

|[[Karen Page]]

|''Daredevil'' v2 #5 (March 1999)

|-

|[[Pyro (comics)|Pyro]]

|''Cable'' #87 (January 2001), of the [[Legacy Virus]]

|-

|[[Red Skull]]

|''Captain America,'' vol. 5 #2 (December 2004)

|-

|[[Gwen Stacy]]

|''Amazing Spider-Man'' #121 (June 1973)

|-

|[[Speedball (comics)|Speedball]]

|''Civil War'' #1 (May 2006)

|-

|[[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]]

|''Thor'' #85 (October 2005)

|-

|[[Thunderbird (comics)|Thunderbird I]]

|''X-men #95'' (October 1975)

|-

|[[Thunderstrike]]

|''Thunderstrike'' #24 (1995)

|-

|[[X-Man]]

|''X-Man'' #75 (2001)

|}

{{quote|[[She-Hulk]]: (Handling Charles Xavier's will) I know this is a delicate question and one I would not normally have to ask, but you are the X-Men and you don't do normal ... To the best of your knowledge, is Xavier really dead? I only ask because we both know that "dead" and "dead dead"...|''[[Uncanny X-Men]]'' vol. 3 #23 (September 2014)}}

==Outside of comic books==

The return of a character previously thought dead is certainly not limited to comic books. In many [[slasher film]]s and monster movies, the killer or monster seemingly dies at the end of the film only to return for a [[sequel]]. Daytime and prime-time [[soap opera]]s are notorious for comic book deaths; famously, an entire season of ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' was [[retcon]]ned into one character's dream so that a character killed in that season could return.

Comic book characters themselves have made comments about the frequency of resurrections. [[Professor X]] has commented "in mutant [[heaven]] there are no [[pearly gates]], but instead [[revolving door]]s".<ref>''X-Factor'' #70 page 17, panel 1</ref> When [[Siryn]] was made aware of [[Banshee (comics)|her father]]'s death, she refused to mourn him, giddily claiming that since her father has died as an [[X-Men|X-Man]], he was likely going to be soon resurrected, shocking her friends.<ref>[[David, Peter]] (w), [[Olivetti, Ariel]] (a). "Two Meetings, One In Person, One Not", ''[[X-Factor (comics)|X-Factor]]'' (vol 3) #7 (July 2006). Marvel Comics.</ref> Her father is restored to life but is recruited by the [[Apocalypse Twins]] as part of their new [[Horsemen of Apocalypse]].<ref>''Uncanny Avengers'' #9 (June 2013). Marvel Comics.</ref>

* '''[[Sherlock Holmes]]''' - The precursor of comic book deaths was the attempt by [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] to kill off both Sherlock Holmes and [[Professor Moriarty]] (Victorian equivalents of superhero and supervillain) so that he could move on to other writing. But Doyle eventually ceded to pressure to return Holmes.

Stating that he often pondered why superheroes return to life, [[Mister Fantastic|Reed Richards]] said "it's almost proof of [[One-Above-All|a higher power]], of someone who needs us to live to stop what's coming. To fight the good fight".<ref name="ddv7no14">{{Cite comic |date=October 2023 |title=Daredevil |story=The Red Fist Saga: Conclusion |url=https://www.comics.org/issue/2563654/ |publisher=Marvel Worldwide, Inc. |writer=[[Chip Zdarsky|Zdarsky, Chip]] |artist=[[Marco Checchetto|Checchetto, Marco]] |colorist=[[Matt Wilson (comics artist)|Wilson, Matthew]] |letterer=VC's Clayton Cowles |editor=Devin Lewis |volume=7 |issue=14}}</ref> The obituary writer of the in-universe newspaper the ''[[Daily Bugle]]'' bemoaned to reporter [[Ben Urich]] about how many retractions he has had to write after each resurrection of a superhero or [[supervillain]].<ref>''Spider-Man Unlimited'' vol.1 #18. Marvel Comics.</ref> In one issue of ''[[Hercules (Marvel Comics)|The Incredible Hercules]]'', there is a betting game for then deceased superheroes to return to life.

* '''''[[Dragon Ball Z]]''''' - The Japanese [[manga]]/[[anime]] series uses the plot device extensively. Not only has [[Goku]], the series' main character, dies multiple times only to be brought back, but [[Piccolo]], [[Vegeta]], [[Tenshinhan]], [[Yamcha]], [[Kuririn]], [[Chaozu]], and others have been brought back to life as well, always by wishing on the DragonBalls.

==See also==

* '''''[[MacGyver]]''''' - The character 'Murdock' repeatedly dies (three explosions, two falls from great heights, being crushed, electrocuted and drowned). The authorities state there is no way Murdock could survive the falling boulders and elevator-shaft plummet; however, MacGyver points out that he's already repeatedly survived impossible situations.

*[[Soap opera]], radio drama and television genre also known for such character deaths <!--And this is explicitly mentioned there-->

*[[Retroactive continuity]], related to comic book deaths

*[[Reset button technique]], which likewise can reverse the death of a character

==References==

* '''''[[Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan]]''''' - [[Mr. Spock]] dies at the end, only to be brought back in ''[[Star Trek: The Search for Spock]]''.

{{reflist}}

* '''''[[The Transformers (animated series)|Transformers]]'' animated series''' - [[Optimus Prime]], leader of the [[Autobots]], is killed during the feature film ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. He is then brought back in an episode of the cartoon's third season, only to die again at the end of the episode. Prime is revived for good at the end of the third season, possibly due to fan pressure.

* '''''[[Soapdish]]''''' - [[Kevin Kline]] plays an actor whose soap opera character is decapitated to permanently banish the actor after a falling-out with the show's star, played by [[Sally Field]]. Twenty years later, backstage politics lead to Kline's character's being brought back, much to the dismay of writer [[Whoopi Goldberg]], who must figure out how to bring the character back.

{{spoiler-about|''[[X-Men: The Last Stand]]''}}

*'''''[[X-Men: The Last Stand]]''''', released May 26, 2006 - In addition to [[Jean Grey]]'s return as the [[Dark Phoenix]], she disintegrates [[Professor X|Professor Xavier]], and after the credits, it is revealed that he has transferred his mind into another body. Additionally, Dark Phoenix kills [[Cyclops (comics)|Cyclops]], but his body is never shown, leaving his death open-ended as well.

{{endspoiler}}

==See also==

*[[Retcon]]

{{Superhero fiction}}

==External links==

{{Comics}}

*[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/218160 X-Men: Death Becomes Them] A comedy [[Macromedia Flash|flash]] movie that makes fun of the comic book deaths in the X-Men comics.

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:Comic bookBook terminology]]Death}}

[[Category:Continuity (fiction)]]

[[Category:Comics terminology|Death]]

[[Category:Narratology]]

[[Category:Superhero fiction]]

[[Category:Fiction about death]]

[[Category:Comics about death]]