Here is an archive of all the past top five lists I've one over the years.

Reader Stephen M. suggested this topic, so let's look at the top five dead comic book characters that actually stayed dead (for now). I'm judging them by how impressed I am that no one has overturned their deaths. The limit to make this list is that the character has to have been killed at least ten years ago without being brought back from the dead. I'm also limiting this to superheroes and supervillains, so no Uncle Ben or Gwen Stacy, etc. Due to rebooting their continuity, DC does not have a ton of characters on this list (Ted Kord would be perfect, but he's alive in the New 52).

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Thunderbird - Yes, his death was pretty final, but it just seems weird to have an X-Men stay dead period. 40 years he's remained dead now!!

Thunderstrike - He would be higher if his creators, Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, weren't so intent on them being able to write the beginning, middle and end of a superhero, so I can see why people would respect their feelings on that matter and not bring Thunderstrike back, but man, it's tempting. Magic can bring back LOTS of people.

Skurge the Executioner - Walter Simonson gave him SUCH a great send-off that I can certainly understand why others haven't returned him to the living, but you would think it would be super duper tempting by now, no?

Doctor Druid - Doesn't it just seem so easy to bring a magic-user back?

Skin and Synch - Man, Generation X has not fared well, have they? Couldn't Synch have synched with a healer or sokmething?

5. Ben Reilly

Whether it is a good idea or not, I'm honestly surprised that no one has brought the infamous Spider-Clone back. I mean, all you would need would be a clone body and some way to bring his consciousness to that new body, right? His EVIL CLONE, Kaine, died and came back, so why not Ben Reilly? It'd be fun to explore that sort of "brothers" approach to the character and Peter Parker.

4. The entire X-Statix team



Peter Milligan and Mike Allred's brilliant series about the disposability of modern superheroes did almost TOO good of a job, as it embraced the idea that all of these characters could die at any minute but then actually killed ALL of them, after we had grown to really dig these guys.

3. Abin Sur )

I don't even think it would be a GOOD idea to bring Abin Sur back, but I'm just surprised no one had the idea to do so. He's such an iconic character but we know so little about him, and some of the stuff we DO know is fascinating, like the famous Alan Moore story where we learn why he was riding in a spaceship in the first place when he died.

2. Captain Marvel



There is no way that Jim Starlin believed Captain Marvel would stay dead THIS long. Thanos and Warlock have died and returned about twenty times apiece, yet Captain Marvel has never returned. That's surprisingly impressive.

1. Jean Grey

Jean survived being flown INTO THE SUN!





But Magneto zapping her killed her for good? She actually DID sort of return in Phoenix: Endsong, but she died again in that one (a bunch of times), and that was over ten years ago, as well.

She is the PHOENIX, she SHOULD return! It's her NAME!

That's the top five! Agree? Disagree? let me know!