In Death is not the End, we spotlight the outlandish explanations for comic book characters (mostly super-villains) surviving seeming certain death.

Today we look at how a one-off character was brought back from death to become Captain Marvel's greatest foe!

In 1945's "Marvel Family" #1 (by Otto Binder and CC Beck), the various Marvel characters (Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., Mary Marvel and Uncle Marvel) all teamed up for the first time. And their foe? Black Adam, who made his first appearance in the issue!

Watch how awesome Black Adam's initial appearance was...

Here is his origin...

However, check it out! When the Marvels team up to defeat him, the dude just flat out DIED!!!

And that was it for Black Adam at Fawcett! Yes, one of the most famous Captain Marvel foes appeared just one time, died and then didn't appear again for DECADES!

He didn't come back until the 1970s DC revival of Captain Marvel, and even there, he didn't show up right away. It was not until "Tales of Shazam" #28 that he returned...

And here is how writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Kurt Schaffenberger brought him back...

And obviously since then, he's become one of the biggest Captain Marvel characters period.

If any one else has a suggestion for an example of a character coming back from the dead, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!