While characters frequently die in comic books, it is just as common for them to be resurrected. Writer Peter David split the blame for the phenomenon between creators, publishers, and fans: creators and publishers kill characters to increase drama and sales, while fans demand that characters they don't like be killed. However, if a character is killed, fans who liked the character vocally support their resurrection, creators often wish to use characters who have died, and publishers find that returns of popular characters lead to a boost in sales. This causes a vicious circle: after witnessing several improbable returns, fans begin to doubt that the characters are permanently dead at all, and death begins to lose its dramatic impact.[1] A death thus reversed is called a comic book death.
While it is a recurring theme that no character ever remains dead, there are some exceptions. Usually, characters associated with the origin story of a major character (e.g. Spider-Man's Uncle Ben or Batman's mother and father), or those whose deaths significantly altered the later development of major character (e.g. Gwen Stacy or Karen Page), remain "permanently" dead. However, from time to time, a superhero or other comics character is judged by their creators to have served their dramatic purpose, and remains dead because their story is simply over.
As there are no "rules" to fiction, all characters carry the possibility of being resurrected at any time. The following characters are present exceptions to the standard conventions of comic book death. Currently, they remain deceased.
Character |
Issue |
Deceased |
Abin Sur |
Green Lantern Vol. 4 #30 (April 2008) |
Killed by Atrocitus, in flashback. |
Alexander Luthor, Jr. |
Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006) |
Shot in the head by the Joker with a shotgun. |
Alexandra DeWitt |
Green Lantern Vol. 3 #54 (July 1994) |
Strangled and stuffed in a refrigerator by Major Force. (see Women in Refrigerators.) |
Amon Sur |
Green Lantern Vol. 4 #26 (December 2007) |
Killed by Green Lantern Corps member Laira, when she used her power ring to split his torso in half. |
Aquaman (Arthur Curry) |
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #50 (March 2007) |
Killed by his son. |
Atom (Albert "Al" Pratt) |
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #2 (September 1994) |
Killed by Extant. |
Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) |
Azrael: Agent of the Bat #100 (May 2003) |
Shot to death by Nicholas Scratch and Carlton Lehah. |
Baby Wildebeest |
Infinite Crisis #4 (March 2006) |
Superboy-Prime uses his heat vision to blast a hole through his chest. |
Ballistic (Kelvin Mao) |
Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006) |
Killed by Superboy-Prime with a blast of heat vision. |
Baron Blitzkrieg |
Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006) |
Incinerated by Superboy-Prime during the Battle of Metropolis. |
Bekka |
Superman/Batman #42 (November 2007) |
Killed in her house by Infinity-Man. |
Bernadeth |
Countdown to Final Crisis #19 (December 2007) |
Killed by the Infinity-Man. |
Big Barda (Barda Free) |
Death of the New Gods #1 (October 2007) |
Killed off-panel by Infinity-Man and had her heart removed. |
Black Bison (John Ravenhair) |
Day of Vengeance #1 (June 2005) |
Killed by the Spectre. |
Black Condor (Ryan Kendall) |
Infinite Crisis #1 (December 2005) |
Killed by a power beam through the chest from Sinestro during an ambush. |
Black Racer (William Walker) |
Death of the New Gods #1 (October 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man off-panel and had his heart removed. |
Bloodsport (Robert DuBois) |
Adventures of Superman #507 (December 1995) |
Accidentally kills himself. |
Bloodsport (Alex Trent) |
Adventures of Superman #507 (December 1993) |
Burned to death in his prison cell by the Aryan Brotherhood. |
Bloody Mary |
Wonder Girl #5 (January 2008) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Blue Beetle (Theodore "Ted" Kord) |
DC Countdown to Infinite Crisis (May 2005) |
Shot through the head by Maxwell Lord. |
Bombshell (Amy Allen) |
Teen Titans Vol. 3 #43 (January 2007) |
Batgirl slices her throat with a batarang. |
Brain |
Salvation Run #4 (February 2008) |
Beaten to death by Gorilla Grodd. |
Bushido (Ryuko Orsono) |
Infinite Crisis #4 (March 2006) |
Heat-visioned in half by Superboy-Prime. |
Captain Boomerang (George "Digger" Harkness) |
Identity Crisis #5 (October 2004) |
Shot in the chest by his victim Jack Drake. |
Cheetah (Priscilla Rich) |
The Flash Vol. 2 #219 (April 2005) |
Killed by her successor, Barbara Minerva. |
Ch'p |
Green Lantern: Mosaic #2 (July 1992) |
Run over by a yellow truck. |
Chroma |
Justice Society of America Vol. 3 #10 (December 2007) |
He is slain by Gog, who is also responsible for the death of former Teen Titan villain Goth. |
Clawster |
The Death of Superman |
Killed by Doomsday. |
Clayface (Matt Hagen) |
Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986) |
Killed by Shadow Demons during the Crisis. |
Commander Steel (Henry "Hank" Heywood) |
Eclipso #13 (November 1993) |
Caught in the detonation of the Sunburst 300, while battling Eclipso's forces. |
Crimson Fox (Constance D'Aramis) |
Starman Vol. 2 #38 (January 1998) |
Killed by the Mist as related in a flashback. |
Crimson Fox (Vivian D'Aramis) |
Justice League America #104 (October 1995) |
Killed by Maurice Puanteur. |
Darkseid (Uxas) |
Countdown to Final Crisis #2 (April 2008) |
His heart is ripped from his chest by his own son, Orion. |
Darkstars member (Ferrin Colos, Chaser Bron, and Munchuk) |
Adam Strange Vol. 2 #8 (June 2005) |
Gave their lives saving the universe from the energy vampire called Starbreaker. |
Deep Six (Gole, Jaffar, Kurin, Shaligo, and Trok) |
Countdown #38 (August 2007) |
All victims of Infinity-Man. All killed off-panel except for Slig. |
Demolition Team (Jackhammer, Rosie, Scoopshovel, and Steamroller) |
The OMAC Project #6 (November 2005) |
All killed by OMACs except for Hardhat. |
Desaad |
Countdown to Final Crisis #9 (February 2008) |
Head is blown apart by the Pied Piper's pipe. |
Devilance |
52 #17 (August 2006) |
Eviscerated and decapitated by Lobo. |
Doctor Bedlam |
Death of the New Gods #1 (October 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Doctor Midnight (Beth Chapel) |
Eclipso #13 (November 1993) |
Beheaded by a sword-wielding Eclipso. |
Doctor Mid-Nite (Charles McNider) |
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #2 (September 1994) |
Killed by Extant. |
Doctor Polaris (Neal Emerson) |
Infinite Crisis #1 (December 2005) |
Incinerated by the Human Bomb. |
Dove (Don Hall) |
Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986) |
Killed by Shadow-creatures during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Is remembered as being crushed by building debris instead. |
Dream (Morpheus) |
Sandman #69 (July 1995) |
Executed by the Furies for the crime of filicide. |
Duela Dent |
Countdown #51 (May 2007) |
Shot by one of the new Monitors. |
Elongated Man (Randolph William "Ralph" Dibny) |
52 #42 (February 2007) |
Neron flicked a ring at him with enough force to penetrate his chest. |
Fastball (John Malone) |
The OMAC Project #6 (November 2005) |
Killed by OMAC. |
Fel Andar |
Hawkman #48 (January 2006) |
Killed in the fighting by Blackfire. |
Fiddler (Isaac Bowin) |
Villains United #1 (July 2005) |
Executed by Deadshot. |
Firebrand (Alex Sanchez) |
JSA: Secret Files #2 (September 2001) |
Stabbed in the neck by a Checkmate Knight in Roulette's arena. |
Firestorm (Ronald "Ronnie" Raymond) |
Identity Crisis #5 (October 2004) |
Shadow Thief managed to stab him, puncturing his containment field, and causing him to explode. |
Fisherman |
Gotham Central #37 (January 2006) |
Killed during the Infinite Crisis. |
Flash (Bartholomew "Bart" Allen) |
The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 (June 2007) |
Beaten to death by several of his Rogues. |
Forever People (Big Bear, Beautiful Dreamer, Mark Moonrider, Vykin, and Serifan) |
Death of the New Gods #4 (December 2007) |
All killed by Infinity-Man. |
Fury (Hippolyta Trevor-Hall) |
JSA #80 (February 2006) |
'Died' of exposure in the Himalayas. Her spirit was taken into the dreamtime by her son Daniel, the new Dream of the Endless. |
Geist (Dwayne Geyer) |
Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006) |
Killed by Superboy-Prime during the Battle of Metropolis. |
General Glory (Joseph Jones) |
Justice League Quarterly #16 (September 1994) |
Died of a myocardial infarction after reverting to his non super-heroic form. |
General Glory (Donovan Wallace) |
Justice Society of America Vol. 3 #3 (April 2007) |
Killed by the Fourth Reich at his wedding. |
General Immortus |
Salvation Run #7 (June 2008) |
Killed at the start of the Parademon second attack. |
General Zahl |
New Teen Titans #15 (January 1982) |
Bullets ricocheted from Robotman's chest, killing him. |
Golden Glider (Lisa Snart) |
The Flash Vol. 2 #113 (May 1996) |
Frozen by Chillblaine. |
Granny Goodness |
Countdown to Final Crisis #10 (February 2008) |
Incenerated by Infinity-Man. |
Grayven |
Outsiders: Five of a Kind: Week 3: Thunder/Martian Manhunter #3 (August 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Griffin (Griffin Grey) |
Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #6 (January 2007) |
Burned out by his own powers. |
Hawk (Henry "Hank" Hall) |
JSA #15 (October 2000) |
Placed in a crashing plane by Atom Smasher. |
Hawkwoman (Shayera Thal) |
Rann-Thanagar War #5 (November 2005) |
Killed by Blackfire. |
Hector Hall (Doctor Fate) |
JSA #80 (February 2006) |
Died of exposure in the Himalayas. His spirit was taken into the dreamtime by his son Daniel, the new Dream of the Endless. |
Hellhound (Jack Chifford) |
Salvation Run #2 (November 2007) |
Fed to "Lion-lizard" creatures by the Body Doubles. |
Himon |
Death of the New Gods #7 (March 2008) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Hitman (Thomas "Tommy" Monaghan) |
Hitman #60 (April 2001) |
Shot by Agent Truman's men while saving an old friend. |
Human Bomb (Roy Lincoln) |
Infinite Crisis #1 (December 2005) |
Punched to death by Bizarro during Society ambush of Freedom Fighters. |
Hyena (Dr. Jivan Shi) |
Salvation Run #6 (April 2008) |
Shot in the head by a Parademon. |
Icicle (Dr. Joar Mahkent) |
Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (January 1986) |
During the Crisis. |
Iron Cross (of the Aryan Brigade) |
Salvation Run #3 (January 2008) |
Shot through the head by the Joker. |
Impala (M'Bulaze) |
JSA #28 (November 2001) |
Killed at some point in Roulette's arena; his picture is shown with several others on her wall of Fallen Players of the House. |
Indigo |
Outsiders Vol. 3 #25 (August 2005) |
After temporarily regaining control of her mind from Brainiac 8, Shift transforms her molecular structure into flesh, killing her per her request. |
Isis (Adrianna Tomez) |
52 #44 (March 2007) |
Killed in a battle with Apokolips' Four Horsemen; died in the arms of Black Adam. |
Jack Drake |
Identity Crisis #5 (October 2004) |
Killed by Captain Boomerang; impaled by a boomerang. |
Jack T. Chance |
Green Lantern Vol. 4 #22 (August 2007) |
Killed by Parallax. |
Jade (Jennifer-Lynn Hayden) |
Rann-Thanagar War: Infinite Crisis Special (February 2006) |
Caught in an anti-matter energy blast while attempting to stop Alexander Luthor during Infinite Crisis. |
Jim Corrigan (Spectre) |
More Fun Comics #52 (February 1940) |
Murdered by crime-boss Gat Benson. |
Jim Corrigan (Gotham PD) |
Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre #3 (September 2006) |
He was a corrupt Crime Scene Unit officer in the GCPD.
Shot by Mal, the son of his victim Crispus Allen.
|
Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers) |
Impulse #11 (February 1996) |
Merged with the Speed Force during battle with Savitar. |
Jonah Hex |
DC Special Series #16 (1978) |
Shot by George Barrow in 1904. |
Judomaster (Hadley "Rip" Jaggar) |
Checkmate #12 (February 2007) |
Back broken by Bane during Battle of Metropolis. |
Kalibak |
Death of the New Gods #5 (January 2008) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Kanto (Iluthin) |
Death of the New Gods #3 (November 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Karate Kid (Val Armorr) |
Countdown to Final Crisis #9 (February 2008) |
Killed by the Morticoccus virus. |
Katma Tui |
Action Comics Weekly #601 (May 1988) |
Murdered by Star Sapphire. |
Ke'Haan |
Green Lantern Vol. 4 #23 (September 2007) |
Killed by Anti-Monitor. |
KGBeast (Anatoli Knyazev) |
Detective Comics #817 (May 2006) |
Was thrown off a roof and later found with two gunshot wounds to the head. |
Kobra (Jeffrey Franklin Burr) |
JSA #51 (October 2003) |
Black Adam ripped his heart out. |
Knockout |
Birds of Prey #109 (August 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Kreon |
Green Lantern Vol. 4 #12 (July 2006) |
Killed by the Manhunters. |
Lightray (Sollis) |
Countdown #48 (May 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Madame Rouge (Laura DeMille) |
New Teen Titans #15 (January 1982) |
Accidentally killed by Changeling. |
Mad Harriet |
Countdown to Final Crisis #11 (February 2008) |
Accidentally shot to death by Dog Soldiers on Apokolips. |
Major Disaster |
Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006) |
Neck snapped by Superboy-Prime. |
Mantis |
Death of the New Gods #5 (January 2008) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) |
Final Crisis #1 (May 2008) |
Killed by Libra with his flaming staff. |
Más y Menos |
Final Crisis #1 (May 2008) |
Killed by Mirror Master. |
Maxima |
Superman: The Man of Steel #117 (October 2001) |
Died in battle against Brainiac 13 and Imperiex. |
Maxi-Man (Henry Hayes) |
JSA #28 (November 2001) |
Killed at some point in Roulette's arena; his picture is shown with several others on her wall of Fallen Players of the House. |
Maxwell Lord |
Wonder Woman #219 (July 2005) |
Neck snapped by Wonder Woman. |
Metron |
Death of the New Gods #7 (March 2008) |
Killed by the Source, after requesting to die. |
Minute-Man (Jack Weston) |
Justice Society of America Vol. 3 #3 (April 2007) |
Killed in his sleep by an unknown assassin in their home. |
Mirror Master (Samuel Joseph Scudder) |
Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (January 1986) |
At the hands of Krona while arguing with fellow villains. |
Mister America (Trey Thompson) |
Justice Society of America Vol. 3 #2 (January 2007) |
He was an FBI special agent who took justice into his own hands after a metahuman gun-for-hire murdered his wife, son, and brothers. Thompson himself was also murdered. |
Mister Miracle (Scott Free) |
Death of the New Gods #7 (March 2008) |
Killed by the Source, after requesting to die. |
Mister Terrific (Terry Sloane) |
JSA #61 (July 2004) |
Killed by the Spirit King. |
Mongal |
Green Lantern Vol. 4 #8 (March 2006) |
Her brother, Mongul, punched her head off. |
Mongul |
Underworld Unleashed #1 (November 1995) |
Killed by Neron, who takes his soul in the process. |
Monocle (Jonathan Cheval) |
Manhunter #9 (June 2005) |
Killed by Manhunter. |
Monsieur Mallah |
Salvation Run #4 (February 2008) |
Beaten to death by Gorilla Grodd using the remains of Brain's jar. |
Mortalla |
Death of the New Gods #3 (November 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Nemesis (Soseh Mykros) |
JSA #58 (April 2004) |
Killed by Eclipso in Kahndaq during the Black Reign story arc. |
Neptune Perkins |
Infinite Crisis #3 (February 2006) |
Slain by the Shark and the similar villain, King Shark. |
Neutron (Nathaniel Tryon) |
Salvation Run #7 (June 2008) |
Killed when Lex Luthor's teleporter self-destructed. |
Omen (Lilith Clay) |
Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #2 (July 2003) |
Neck snapped by a rogue Superman Android. |
Onimar Synn |
Rann-Thanagar War #6 (December 2005) |
Defeated by a coalition of heroes and split into seven parts. |
Orca (Dr. Grace Balin) |
Detective Comics #819 (May 2006) |
Was found dead in sewers under Gotham City with a gunshot to the head. |
Orion |
Final Crisis #1 (May 2008) |
Succumbed to injuries from battle with Darkseid. |
Orpheus (Gavin King) |
Legends of the Dark Knight #182 (October, 2004) |
Killed by Black Mask in a plan to ambush Batman. |
Osiris (Amon Tomaz) |
52 #43 (February 2007) |
Devoured by Sobek, a personification of one of the 'Four Horsemen'. |
Overthrow (Arnold Daniel Beck) |
The OMAC Project #2 (July 2005) |
Killed by OMAC. |
Pantha |
Infinite Crisis #4 (March 2006) |
Superboy-Prime punches her head off. |
Peacemaker (Mitchell Black) |
Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006) |
Killed by Prometheus. |
Persuader (Cole Parker) |
52 #34 (December 2006) |
Accidentally killed by Osiris. |
Phantom Lady (Delilah "Dee" Tyler) |
Infinite Crisis #1 (December 2005) |
Deathstroke drove his sword through her chest. |
Plasmus (Otto Von Furth) |
Salvation Run #7 (June 2008) |
Killed when Lex Luthor's teleporter self-destructed. |
Power Boy |
Teen Titans East Special #1 (November 2007) |
Killed by Trigon when he was rising from the ground ambushing current and former Titans. |
Professor Zoom (Eobard Thawne) |
The Flash Vol. 1 #325 (September 1983) |
Neck snapped by the Flash in attempt to prevent murder. |
Psimon |
Salvation Run #1 (November 2007) |
Bludgeoned to death with a rock by the Joker. |
Psycho-Pirate (Roger Hayden) |
Infinite Crisis #6 (May 2006) |
Head crushed by Black Adam. |
The Question (Charles Szasz) |
52 #38 (January 2007) |
Dies of lung cancer outside Nanda Parbat. |
Rainbow Raider (Roy G. Bivolo) |
The Flash Vol. 2 #183 (April 2002) |
Painting embedded in his chest by Blacksmith. |
Ram (Takeo Yakata) |
JSA #28 (November 2001) |
Killed at some point in Roulette's arena; his picture is shown with several others on her wall of Fallen Players of the House. |
Ratcatcher (Otis Flannegan) |
Infinite Crisis #1 (December 2005) |
Killed by an OMAC. |
Ravager (Bill Walsh) |
Deathstroke the Terminator #4 (November 1991) |
Stabbed by Deathstroke the Terminator. |
Rocket Red (Dimitri Pushkin) |
The OMAC Project #5 (October 2005) |
Killed when he deliberately overloaded his battlesuit's power supply to destroy OMACs during Infinite Crisis. |
Sandman (Wesley Dodds) |
JSA: Secret Files and Origins #1 (August 1999) |
Threw himself from a cliff in the Himalayas rather than reveal the identity of the new Dr. Fate to Mordru. |
Sarah Essen Gordon |
Detective Comics #741 (February 2000) |
Murdered by the Joker. |
Shazam |
Day of Vengeance #6 (November 2005) |
Killed by the Spectre during his war on magic. |
Sleez |
Countdown #46 (June 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Solomon Grundy (Cyrus Gold) |
Salvation Run #7 (June 2008) |
Killed in the first fight against the Parademon. |
Speed Queen |
Outsiders: Five of a Kind: Week 3: Thunder/Martian Manhunter #3 (August 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Skyman (also known as Star Spangled Kid) (Sylvester Pemberton) |
Infinity, Inc. #51 (June 1988) |
Killed by the poisonous touch of Mister Bones, who was forced to touch Skyman by Solomon Grundy. |
Spellbinder (Delbert Billings) |
Detective Comics #691 (November 1995) |
Killed by Lady Spellbinder. |
Star Sapphire (Deborah Camille Darnell) |
Infinite Crisis #6 (May 2006) |
Killed by Spectre for decapitating and slaughtering those who did not bow down before her. |
Sue Dibny |
Identity Crisis #1 (June 2004) |
Accidentally slain by Jean Loring. |
Super-Chief (Jon Standing Bear) |
52 #24 (October 2006) |
Killed by Skeets. |
Superboy (Kon-El/Conner Kent) |
Infinite Crisis #6 (May 2006) |
Injured during an attempt to beat Superboy-Prime and then killed when caught in the explosion of Alexander Luthor's tower sacrificing his life. |
Superman (Earth-Two) (Kal-L/Clark Kent) |
Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006) |
Beaten to death by Superboy-Prime, dies on the planet/Green Lantern Mogo. |
Takion (Joshua Saunders) |
Death of the New Gods #3 (November 2007) |
Killed by Infinity-Man. |
Tana Moon |
Superboy Vol. 3 #74 (May 2000) |
Killed by Agenda agent Amanda Spence. |
Terra (Tara Markov) |
World War III #3 (April 2007) |
Black Adam punches through her chest. |
Terra-Man (Tobias "Toby" Manning) |
52 #3 (May 2006) |
Torn by Black Adam in half at his pelvis, killing him. |
The Thorn (Rose Canton) |
Infinity, Inc. Annual #1 (1985) |
Committed suicide to prevent the Thorn from killing her children. |
Thunder and Lightning (Gan and Tavis Williams) |
Salvation Run #7 (June 2008) |
Killed when Lex Luthor's teleporter self-destructed. |
Tigra |
Orion #3 (August 2000) |
Slain by Apokoliptian sent by Justeen. |
Time Commander (John Starr) |
52 #27 (November 2006) |
Killed by Skeets. |
Tim Trench |
52 #18 (September 2006) |
Killed by Felix Faust. |
Tomar-Re |
Green Lantern Vol. 2 #198 (March 1986) |
Killed by Goldface. |
Top (Roscoe Neyle Dillon) |
The Flash Vol. 2 #222 (July 2005) |
Frozen and shattered by Captain Cold. |
Tornado Twins (Donald "Don" Wallace Allen and Dawn Jae Allen) |
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #17 (April 1991) |
Both killed by Dominion agents in 2980. |
Trickster (Giovanni Giuseppe also known as James Jesse) |
Countdown to Final Crisis #22 (November 2007) |
Shot by Deadshot while trying to save the Pied Piper. |
Triplicate Girl (Luornu Durgo) |
Countdown to Final Crisis #5 (March 2008) |
Killed by mutated rats. |
Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker) |
Detective Comics #818 (June 2006) |
Wesker and the Scarface dummy were both shot in the head. |
Vigilante (Adrian Chase) |
Vigilante #50 (February 1988) |
After realizing he has gone mad, he shoots himself in the head. |
Warp (Emil LaSalle) |
Salvation Run #7 (June 2008) |
Killed when Lex Luthor's teleporter self-destructed. |
Waverider (Matthew Ryder) |
52 #27 (November 2006) |
Tortured to death by Skeets. |
Wildcat (Yolanda Montez) |
Eclipso #13 (November 1993) |
Killed by a sword-wielding Eclipso during an infiltration mission. |