If there’s one inviolable rule in comic books, it’s that nobody stays dead, no matter how many times they happen to take a dirt nap. However, despite the revolving door policy on death in comics, there are some heroes whose deaths were so vicious and violent that any type of return seemed unlikely. Moreover, some heroes don’t have the benefit of invulnerability or engage in activities so grueling or hazardous, that it’s a surprise they’re not dead already. All things considered, here are the 10 heroes who should probably be dead by now but aren't.
10 Superman
Arguably the most famous superhero death in comic book history, Superman’s epic showdown with Doomsday was a viscerally brutal beatdown that took seven issues to depict and ended in both combatants’ demise. However, Superman returned roughly a year later, due to a contrived mixture of Kryptonian science and spiritual mysticism.
Notwithstanding his alien nature and the fact that this is a fictional world, the savagery in which Superman was killed should have precluded any possible return. Aside from Doomsday’s brute force and battle prowess, the amount of Kryptonian blood spilled due to his bony protrusions alone should have kept Superman dead for good.
9 Wolverine
Yes, Wolverine has a mutant healing factor that slows down his aging process and allows him to live longer than an average lifespan. But the operative words in that definition are slows down- Wolverine is not immortal. Provided the dates alluded to in Origin are accurate, Wolverine is close to 140 years old, and provided his healing factor works at 2:1 ratio, he should be close to kicking the bucket anytime soon.
Having put that healing factor through the wringer his entire life, it’s only logical to assume it has weakened (as all bodily functions do with age), regardless of mutation. Another 40 years before Wolvie meets his end naturally, and he doesn’t even need to be encased in adamantium to do it, either.
8 Batman
Granted, Bruce Wayne is a highly trained individual who can fight or think his way out of almost any situation, but the truth of the matter is that even with all his Waynetech appropriated armor and gadgets, he should have been dead a long time ago. At the end of the day, he is still mortal, and even he concedes that one day one “lucky shot” will probably take him out.
If not, wear and tear certainly will, as the human body was not designed for what Wayne puts it through night after night as Batman. Even far-flung futures like Kingdom Come and Batman Beyond concede the finite nature of his nocturnal activities, and truth be told, he’s lucky to be alive in those stories as well.
7 Daredevil
Daredevil essentially does what Batman does but without his intellect or resources. This leaves Matt Murdock open to a variety of ways to kick the bucket, including underestimating his enemies’ numbers or getting shot or stabbed in an unarmored costume because he was too tired to pay attention to what he was doing after a long day in court. Sure, Daredevil has heightened senses and specialized training, but while that helps in a fight, it doesn’t ensure a victory. It must not be forgotten that his secret identity also fell into his archnemesis’ hands, a man with limitless resources and no morals. After he was done ruining his life and watching him suffer, the Kingpin could have killed Daredevil easily and still could, leaving Matt on borrowed time.
6 Green Arrow
Oliver Queen is the head of a major multinational corporation, an expert hand-to-hand combatant, and the world’s greatest archer. And he should be dead. Aside from the fact that he died once before and was resurrected, the fact is that a man who routinely goes into battle with criminals packing firearms (and sometimes with alien invaders with superpowers) armed with nothing more than a quiver filled with arrows should have died a long time ago. No amount of trick arrows and fancy flips is going to be able to dodge a machine gun spitting 500-1000 rounds per minute, to say nothing of an army of Parademons looking to make Darkseid proud.
5 Jason Todd
It’s not every day someone who gets beaten unmercifully with a crowbar, then blown up with dynamite shrugs it off and walks away. Unless your name is Jason Todd. The initial justification for his return was ridiculously flimsy (a reality-altering Superboy-Prime punch? Come on!) but even a Lazarus Pit restoration retcon is somewhat tenuous- those pits have long been touted as restorative, not necessarily capable of resurrecting someone.
His most famous death notwithstanding, Todd was also caught in another building explosion after the Under the Red Hood arc, as well as falling off a building at the end of Battle for the Cowl, so unless he’s some sort of immortal, Todd should have been dead multiple times already.
4 Robin
It’s a wonder any Robin has survived as long as they have, considering the two all-important factors of age and costuming. Firstly, it’s folly to expect any thirteen-year-old to hold their own in a fight with multiple 250-plus pound hired goons, no matter how well trained they are, much less against specialized killers like the KGBeast or Deadshot.
Secondly, parading around at night in a brightly colored green, yellow and red costume while your black-garbed mentor hides in the shadows doesn’t make you brave, it makes you a pretty good target. Considering Robin’s got no protective headgear, it shouldn’t take even an average marksman long to have Batman redesigning his next Robin’s costume pretty quickly.
3 Captain America
Sure, he’s got enhanced strength, reflexes and a healing factor, but that doesn’t mean being frozen alive wouldn’t kill Captain America. After all, it’s not like he underwent a cryogenic freeze under controlled laboratory conditions - the dude froze into a block of ice in the North Atlantic Sea, which science tells us is a death sentence, even for someone with super-soldier serum running through his veins. Comic book logic aside, if he wasn’t lucky enough surviving being a Capsicle, he also managed to shrug off being shot and killed. Lucky enough to have his consciousness suspended in the ether rather than moving on to the Great Beyond, Cap returned to active duty when he really should've been dead as a doornail.
2 The Punisher
The Punisher is a war veteran who has seen more than his fair share of combat and managed to survive, so there is an inherent toughness and resilience to Frank Castle that is granted outright. However, soldiers have to consider their comrades and the mission at hand, which forces them to use stealth and protection to accomplish their goals. Although the Punisher has not forgotten those lessons, working alone makes him less careful, as he often has no regard for his own life. Also, he’s had his fair share of shootouts with legions of gunsels with his head exposed for all to see (and aim at). Considering the world-class assassins Frank has faced and his own inherent death wish, he should have had a bullet scramble his brain a long time ago.
1 Jean Grey
The gold standard of comic book deaths and resurrections, Jean Grey has died so many times Professor X must have a special discount at the Westchester funeral home. Rather than delve into specifics of each of Jean’s deaths, looking at it from a storytelling standpoint makes more sense. Death makes a character’s arc not only final but more meaningful. If done properly, it adds gravitas to their final actions and their lives. Seeing as how this is comics, a resurrection can also be a great plot device, underscoring a character’s relevance and playing with a new status quo following their return. Having a character die and come back so many times eliminates the emotional impact and plot rewards, and for this reason above all, Jean Grey should be dead.