Comic book death
The Television & Movie Wiki: for TV, celebrities, and movies.
- This article is about the deaths of characters in comic books. For information about the personification of death in comic books, see Death (comics).
A comic book death is used in the comic book fan community to refer to the killing off and predictable return of a long-running character.
Comic book writers often kill off characters to gather publicity and dramatic 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. But more often, 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 retconning.
A synonymous term is Marvel Death, because Marvel Comics supposedly engages in this gimmick more frequently than other publishers.
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's Death of Superman storyline.
Comic book deaths have been 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 GLA. The Simpsons also parodied comic book deaths in the episode "Radioactive Man" in which Bart mentions an issue of Radioactive Man in which the eponymous character and his sidekick Fallout Boy die on every page.
The prominence of comic book deaths has lead to a common piece of comic shop wisdom that was oft-repeated in the 1990s: "No one in comics stays dead, except Bucky and Uncle Ben," refering to Captain America's sidekick (dead since 1964) and Spider-Man's uncle (dead since 1962), respectively.
With Bucky's apparent return in Captain America v5 #6 (June 2005), this saying may soon have to be amended to "No one in comics stays dead, except Uncle Ben."
In the tables below, if more than one character shares the same code name, the real name of the character is given in parentheses.
Contents |
Characters that have experienced a comic book death
DC Comics
| Character | Died in | Returned in |
|---|---|---|
| Batman | Comic book deaths were parodied in the "Batman dies!!!" crossover [1] | |
| Black Mask | Catwoman (2nd series) #16 (April 2003) | Robin #130 (November 2004), part of the War Games Batman crossover |
| Captain Atom | Superman and Batman #6 (January 2004) | Superman and Batman #20 (June 2005) |
| Firestorm | Identity Crisis #5 (December 2004) | Firestorm' (3rd series) #9 (March 2005) |
| Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) | Green Arrow #101 (October 1995) | Green Arrow (3rd series) #1 (April 2001) |
| Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) | Final Night #4 (November 1996) | Green Lantern: Rebirth #4 (March 2005) |
| Immortal Man | (numerous times, comes back immediately after being killed) | |
| Metamorpho | Outsiders #27 (January 1988) JLA #2 (January 1997) | Invasion #3 (1988) JLA/JSA Secret Files #1 (January 2003) |
| Robin (Jason Todd) | Batman #428 (January 1989) | Batman #635 (March 2005), though his face was not seen until Batman #638 (May 2005) |
| Resurrection Man | (numerous times, comes back immediately after being killed (with a new power every time)) | |
| Superman | Superman (2nd series) #75 (January 1993), in the Death of Superman | Superman #500, Action Comics #687 |
| Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) | Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #3 (August 2003) | DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1 (August 2005) |
Marvel Comics
| Character | Died in | Returned in |
|---|---|---|
| Angel (Warren Worthington III) | X-Factor (vol. 1) #16 (May 1987) | X-Factor (vol. 1) #24 (January 1988) |
| Aunt May | Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #400 (April 1995) | Peter Parker: Spider-Man (vol. 1) #97 |
| Betty Ross Banner | Incredible Hulk #466 (July 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 | 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 | X-Force (vol. 1) #18, (January 1993, at the end of X-Cutioner's Song) | Cable (vol. 2) #1 (May 1993) |
| Colossus | Uncanny X-Men #390 (February 2001), to cure the Legacy Virus | Astonishing X-Men (vol. 3) #4 (October 2004) |
| Cyclops | X-Men (vol. 2) #97 (February 2000), at the end of Apocalypse: The Twelve | X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #1 (October 2000) |
| Doctor Doom | Fantastic Four (vol. 1) #387 (April 1994) | Fantastic Four (vol. 1) #406 (November 1995) |
| Doorman | Great Lakes Avengers #4 (September 2005) | Great Lakes Avengers #4 (September 2005) |
| 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 | 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 |
| 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) |
| 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 X-Men: Phoenix: Endsong miniseries (2005) | |
| 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 |
| Avengers #503 (January 2005), during Avengers Disassembled,It was not shown how or when she died, but her body was discovered by Nick Fury and other members of S.H.I.E.L.D. rotting as though she had been dead for quite some time. | ||
| Havok | X-Factor (vol. 1) #149 (September 1998) | Mutant X (vol. 1) #1 (October 1998) |
| Hellcat | Hellstorm: Prince of Lies #14 | Thunderbolts Annual 2000 |
| Human Torch (Jim Hammond) | Fantastic Four Annual #4 (November 1966) | Avengers West Coast #50 |
| 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 | Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #149 (October 1975) | 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 | X-Men (vol. 1) #100 (August 1976) | Uncanny X-Men (vol. 1) #316 (September 1994) |
| Leader | Incredible Hulk #400 (December 1992) | |
| Madame Masque | Iron Man (vol. 1) #238 (January 1989) | Iron Man (vol. 1) #245 (August 1989) |
| 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) | |
| 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) | |
| Multiple Man | X-Factor v1 #100 (March 1994) | X-Factor v1 #105 (August 1994) |
| Nighthawk | Defenders v1 #102 | Nighthawk #1 |
| Northstar | Wolverine v3 #25 (April 2005) | Wolverine v3 #28 (July 2005) |
| Odin | Thor v1 #353 (March 1985) | Thor v1 #398 (December 1998) |
| 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 | 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) |
| Thunderbolt Ross | Incredible Hulk #330 (April 1987) | Incredible Hulk #398 (October 1992) |
| Incredible Hulk #400 (December 1992) | Incredible Hulk #455 (August 1997) | |
| Sasquatch | Alpha Flight v1 #23 (June 1985) | Alpha Flight v1 #44 (March 1987) |
| Sebastian Shaw | X-Factor v1 #67 (June 1991) | X-Force v1 #48 (November 1995) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Titanium Man | Thor v1 #358 (August 1985) | Soviet Super Soldiers (November 1992) |
| Unus the Untouchable | Spectacular Spider-Man #81 (August 1983) | New X-Men v1 #132 (November 2002) |
| 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) |
| Peter Wisdom | X-Force v1 #105 (August 2000) | X-Force v1 #115 (June 2001) |
| Wolverine | Astonishing X-Men v2 #3 (November 1999), (see Skrullverine) | X-Men v2 #95 (December 1999) |
| Wonder Man | Avengers v1 #9 (October 1964) | Avengers v1 #151 (1976) |
| Force Works #1 (July 1994) | Avengers v3 #2 (March 1998) |
Prominent characters that have died and not returned
DC Comics
| Character | Died in |
|---|---|
| Azrael | Azrael: Agent of the Bat #100 |
| Blue Beetle | Countdown to Infinite Crisis (May 2005) |
| Captain Boomerang | Identity Crisis #5 (October 2004) |
| Dove (Don Hall) | Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986) |
| Element Girl | Sandman #20 |
| Flash II (Barry Allen) | Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November 1985) |
| Freedom Fighters | Infinite Crisis #1 (October 2005) |
| Hawk (Hank Hall) | JSA #11 |
| Jack Drake | Identity Crisis #5 (October 2004) |
| Poison Ivy | Batman: Gotham Knights #65 (July 2005) |
| Ra's Al Ghul | Batman: Death and the Maidens #9 (August 2004) |
| Rocket Red | The OMAC Project #5 (August 2005) |
| Sue Dibney | Identity Crisis #1 (June 2004) |
Marvel Comics
| Character | Died in |
|---|---|
| Ant-Man II (Scott Lang) | Avengers # 500 |
| Baron Zemo I | Avengers # 15 (April 1965) |
| Captain Mar-Vell | Marvel Graphic Novel #1 (1982) |
| Dinah Soar | Great Lake Avengers #1 (June 2005) |
| Graydon Creed | X-Factor #130 (February 1997) |
| Hawkeye | Avengers #502 (November 2004), during Avengers Disassembled |
| Kraven the Hunter | Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #294 (November 1987) |
| Moira MacTaggert | X-Men #108 (January 2001) |
| Magik (Ilyana Rasputin) | Uncanny X-Men #303 (August 1993), of the Legacy Virus |
| Mastermind | Uncanny X-Men Annual #17 (1993), of the Legacy Virus |
| Monkey Joe | Great Lake Avengers #3 (August 2005) |
| Mysterio | Daredevil v2 #7 (1999) |
| Karen Page | Daredevil v2 #5 (March 1999) |
| Pyro | Cable #87 (January 2001), of the Legacy Virus |
| Skin | Uncanny X-Men #423 (July 2003) |
| Gwen Stacy | Amazing Spider-Man #121 (June 1973) |
| Sunfire | Rogue #11 (2005) |
| Synch | Generation X #70 (December 2000) |
| Thunderbird (John Proudstar) | Uncanny X-Men #95 (October 1975) |
| Uncle Ben | Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962) |
| X-Statix (all members) | X-Statix #26 (October 2004, by end of X-Statix series) |
| X-Man | X-Man #75 |
Outside of comic books
The return of a character previously thought dead is certainly not limited to comic books. In many slasher films and monster movies, the killer or monster seemingly dies at the end of the film only to return for a sequel. Famously, an entire season of the soap opera Dallas was retconned into one character's dream so that a character killed in that season could return.
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.
See also
External links
- X-Men: Death Becomes Them A comedy flash movie that makes fun of the comic book deaths in the X-Men comics.
