Comic book superheroes have a nasty habit of dying dramatically with highly-publicized deaths that don't stick. It's so commonplace that a superhero's death is immediately accompanied by readers counting down the clock to their resurrection. DC is no exception when it comes to this trope, with Death of Superman by Dan Jurgens, Mike Carlin, Jerry Ordway, Karl Kesel, Roger Stern, and Louise Simonson being a prime example of the dramatic and highly-publicized death of an iconic hero that didn't stick for long.
That said, there is a contingency of dead DC heroes who stayed dead. It may not be an extensive list, but there are some heroes who never came back.
10 Tomar-Re Is A Green Lantern That Died But Was Succeeded By Tomar-Tu
Tomar-Re was a celebrated member of the Green Lantern Corps and a good friend to the Green Lantern of Earth, Hal Jordan. He was also the Green Lantern in charge of Krypton's sector before its destruction. Tomar tried to save Krypton, but an accident and cruel fate delayed his mission long enough for Krypton to face its famous demise.
Tomar-Re was killed during Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, though his death was actually shown in Green Lantern #198 by Steve Englehart, Joe Staton, and Bruce D. Patterson. This story found Tomar at odds with the Green Lantern villain, Goldface. Goldface snapped Tomar-Re's neck, and he passed his ring onto John Stewart of Earth. Tomar-Re himself was succeeded by his son, Tomar-Tu. However, Tomar-Tu later renegaded and joined the Darkstars.
9 Wildebeest Was Killed By Superboy-Prime And Never Saw A Return
Wildebeest (also known as Baby Wildebeest) was an experimental creature made by the Wildebeest Society – a villainous group frequently fought by the Teen Titans. Wildebeest's natural form is an infant humanoid wildebeest creature. However, it could transform into an adult creature of the same variety. This led the Teen Titans to, somewhat questionably, make Wildebeest a part of their team.
Later, Pantha and Red Star of the Teen Titans formally adopted Baby Wildebeest and started a family unit separate from the Titans. However, all three still helped when Superboy-Prime went on his rampage during Infinite Crisis by Geoff Johns and George Perez. Superboy-Prime killed both Wildebeest and Pantha and neither has received a resurrection.
8 Jonah Hex's Death Has Already Been Written, He Just Hasn't Gotten There Yet
Jonah Hex is a famed bounty hunter who lives in the "Old West" of late 1800s America. He's faced supernatural threats the average cowboy doesn't know exist, and he's seen what the world looks like in the future beyond the present.
Jonah Hex's death was already ordained in the Jonah Hex Spectacular by Michael Fleisher and Russ Heath. In 1904, Jonah Hex finally meets his end at the hands of a man named George Barrow. In a very macabre twist, his remains are stolen, stuffed, and used as a human mannequin at a "Wild West Review" exhibition.
7 Starman (Ted Knight) Have Had Seemingly Permanent Deaths
There are many heroes who have used the moniker "Starman" in the history of DC Comics. However, the first was Ted Knight, a wealthy man who found and used the Cosmic Rod to become an adventuring superhero. He would go on to join the first incarnation of the Justice Society as a regular member.
He was eventually killed by an old nemesis of his called the Mist. His son, David Knight, would try to become the Starman successor, but he died as well. Jack Knight, another son of Ted, finally became a successful heir to the Starman title and also joined the Justice Society. Since then, Ted Knight has appeared in stories taking place in the past, but he's never had a true resurrection.
6 The Antihero Captain Boomerang (Owen Mercer) Faced A Brutal Demise
At a time when the original Captain Boomerang, George "Digger" Harkness was dead, his son, Owen Mercer, took up the mantle of Captain Boomerang. This Captain Boomerang straddled the line of hero and villain, having been a part of both the Outsiders and the Suicide Squad.
During Blackest Night by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, Harkness was resurrected as a Black Lantern. In a Blackest Night: The Flash spinoff by Johns and Scott Kolins, it's revealed that Owen Mercer had his old man in a pit. The Black Lantern Harkness convinced Mercer that if he fed his dad enough live flesh, Harkness could become human again. This was a lie, and the Central City Rogues were disgusted by this. As a consequence, they fed Owen to his own father. Although Digger Harkness has received a resurrection since this story, Owen Mercer has seemingly been forgotten.
5 The Freedom Fighters Constantly Cycle Through Dead Members
The Freedom Fighters are a patriotic superteam originating on Earth-X – a world where the Nazis won World War II and occupied the United States. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Freedom Fighters were brought to the Prime Earth and given a new backstory.
The Freedom Fighters cycle through several members who often share the same codename. Two Black Condor's (Richard Grey Jr. and Ryan Kendell), one ill-defined Doll Man (known only as John), a Doll Girl (Martha Roberts), a Human Bomb (Roy Lincoln – twice), Invisible Hood (Ken Thurston), two Firebrand's (Rod Reilly and Andre Twist), a Jester (Charles Lane), a Manhunter (Donald Richards), a Phantom Lady (Delilah Tyler), a Red Bee (Richard Raleigh), one Ray (Langford "Happy" Terrill, sort of), and maybe another Phantom Lady, a Neon the Unknown, and a character called Red Torpedo have all been part of the Freedom Fighters and died (the Golden Age comic continuity is weird and confusing). Many of these codenames, like Black Condor, Doll Man, Doll Woman, Human Bomb, Firebrand, Phantom Lady, Red Bee, and the Ray have gotten more use by replacement members after the deaths of these characters.
4 The Star-Spangled Kid Died But Paved The Way For Stargirl
The Star-Spangled Kid, aka Sylvester Pemberton, was a Golden-Age superhero who had the sidekick, Stripesy, The two were part of the Seven Soldiers of Victory alongside the likes of Vigilante, Shining Knight, and Green Arrow. He later co-founded Infinity Inc, a partner organization to the Justice Society of America. He also took up the name Skyman as "Star-Spangled Kid" is a weird thing to call a grown man.
His sidekick, Stripesy, went on to become the mecha superhero S.T.R.I.P.E. and join the JSA. Skyman was killed by Solomon Grundy, and he hasn't seen a resurrection since. His Cosmic Converter Belt was given to S.T.R.I.P.E's step-daughter Courtney Whitmore, aka Stargirl.
3 The Harbinger Foresaw Her Own Death And Has Not Returned
The Harbinger, aka Lyla Michaels, was a major player in Crisis on Infinite Earths and was pivotal in saving the Multiverse from the Anti-Monitor. However, she faded from relevancy in the time that followed. In Superman/Batman: The Supergirl from Krypton by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner, Harbinger helped train the fledgling superhero Kara Zor-El on Themyscira. Unfortunately, Darkseid had taken an interest in Supergirl and sent an army of cloned Doomsdays to kidnap her. They killed Harbinger in the process.
Since then, she hasn't made a return but she does have a legacy. The AI inside the House of Heroes, headquarters to the interdimensional superteam known as Justice Incarnate, is modeled after Lyla Michaels and is called Harbinger.
2 Dove (Don Hall) Never Returned From The Great Beyond
Dove, aka Don Hall, was the original Dove and partner to his brother Hank Hall, aka Hawk. The two were a superhero duo based out of Washington D.C who joined up with the Teen Titans for a time.
Like many heroes, Don was slain during Crisis on Infinite Earths. This all-but destroyed Hank, but Don was later replaced by a woman named Dawn Granger. She became the new Dove and partnered with Hank Hall, which helped him recover from the loss of Don.
1 Superman (Kal-L Of Earth-Two) Never Returned From The Grave
Kal-L is, technically, the original Superman. Earth-Two was the Golden Age DC Earth, and Kal-L was the Superman of that Earth. He was a member of the Justice Society from time to time, and he was a major player in stopping the Anti-Monitor during Crisis. After this, he and the Lois Lane of Earth-Two retired with Superboy-Prime in a haven outside of regular time and space.
When Superboy-Prime and Alexander Luthor Jr. started the scheme that would become Infinite Crisis, Kal-L aided them at first. However, he turned on Superboy and Alexander after Lois died. Superboy-Prime killed Kal-L during his murderous rampage, and Kal-L hasn't seen a return since then (outside of a warped reflection in the Dark Multiverse: Crisis on Infinite Earths story by Steve Orlando and Mike Perkins).