In comics, as we've learned, nothing is ever truly permanent. All it takes is a writer wiggling his nimble pen to undo a story, often with a convoluted explanation to go with it. Death is no exception. A few years ago, what was considered the most sacred character death in comic book history was undone when Ed Brubaker brought Bucky Barnes back from the dead. That turned out to be a good move and resulted in some excellent stories. It doesn't always work out that way, though - here's a list of eleven comic book characters that should have stayed dead.
Comic Book Characters That Should Have Stayed Dead
Nobody likes to see their favorite hero die, but can we put a stop to the endless resurrections in the comic book world? Now that it looks like Phoenix is coming back (again), let's examine some of the worst resurrections in comics history.
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By K. Thor Jensen December 15, 2011 |
Credit: Marvel Comics
| 11 | The Green Goblin |
One of Spider-Man's most menacing villains, the Green Goblin was deadly not just because he possessed great strength and an array of terrifying weapons. He was also deadly because he knew Peter Parker's secret identity and just how to strike at him. His murder of Gwen Stacy is one of the pivotal moments in Spidey's crimefighting career, and when the Goblin got his comeuppance by accidental impalement on his own Goblin Glider, all was right in the world.
That is, until the hideous "Clone Saga" in the 90s decided that they needed a mastermind from Parker's past to drive the plot, and they settled on Osborn. How did he survive? That classic Marvel cop-out, a "healing factor." Blame editor Bob Harras for that decision. We're not even going to get into the retcon where Osborn knocked up Gwen Stacy and got her pregnant. That's even worse.
Credit: Marvel Comics
| 10 | Captain Marvel |
One of the most memorable deaths in comics history belongs to Captain Marvel. No, not the Shazam one, the other one. Marvel's alien hero was a representative of the Kree race who came to Earth to evaluate us as a threat to the Kree empire. Eventually he turns on his masters and is embraced by humanity, as well as given new powers by the cosmic entity Eon. He would battle many life-threatening foes until, in a battle with villain Nitro, he was exposed to a powerful nerve gas that also gave him cancer. He expired after a grueling battle with the disease.
And then, of course, he was brought back. During the Secret Invasion crossover, he just came walking up out of nowhere like nothing happened and started fighting Skrulls. That Captain Marvel was actually an impostor, but then they actually brought him back a few years later during Chaos War, only to kill him off again. For no real reason.
Credit: DC Comics
| 9 | Maxwell Lord |
Maxwell Lord has had one of the most interesting character arcs in comics history. He started as an unscrupulous businessman who worked behind the scenes to set up the Justice League International. During the Invasion crossover, he was given the superhuman power to control minds with difficulty, and that sent him on a path to villainy that would lead to his brutal murder of the Blue Beetle. When Wonder Woman came after him, she realized that the only way to stop his increasing power was to kill him, so she snapped his neck.
Surprise! The Blackest Night crossover (are we noticing a theme here?) brought Max back to life, hale and hearty. He was last seen working in secret to accomplish some ridiculous plan that nobody really understood, but then DC rebooted the whole universe so I guess it doesn't matter now.
Credit: DC Comics
| 8 | Jason Todd |
Hanging out with Batman can be hazardous to your health. Nobody knows that better than the second Robin, Jason Todd. The streetwise Todd was the victim of one of the most disgusting publicity stunts ever, where DC Comics let the fans vote on whether the Joker should beat him to death with a crowbar or not. Because comics fans are horrible, they voted "yes," and Todd was mushed into a paste by the Clown Prince of Crime, sending Batman into a tailspin that could only be resolved by finding another teenage boy to put in short pants.
But Todd came back! How? Superboy punched the fabric of reality. You heard me. Trapped in an alternate dimension, a parallel version of young Clark Kent was hitting air so hard it caused probabilistic shockwaves in the main DC universe, bringing Todd back to life and making him adopt the villainous identity of the Red Hood. Comics, everybody!
Credit: Marvel Comics
| 7 | Magneto |
The problem with the X-Men franchise is that eventually, the underlying civil rights metaphor has to resolve itself. It would be like writing a story about Martin Luther King where he works for 80 years to get equal rights for African-Americans but nothing ever comes of it. One of the biggest problems is the presence of Magneto, the group's arch-enemy. Writer Grant Morrison attempted to deal with it in his epochal run on the series, finally ending the villain's life (after he killed Jean Grey again, more on that later).
Of course, that couldn't stand, so an absolutely insane editorial retcom occurred almost immediately after Morrison's last issue, where it was announced that the Magneto wasn't Magneto at all, it was a Chinese mutant named Xorn. Xorn, if you'll remember, was Magneto's cover identity in Morrison's run, which basically makes the whole thing the worst plan ever.
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