History KilledOffForReal / ComicBooks

* The infamous ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' saw the deaths of Rita [=DeMara=], Marilla, and Amanda Chaney by the BrainwashedAndCrazy ComicBook/IronMan and, with the exception of Rita being among those who briefly came back during ''ComicBook/ChaosWar'', they've stayed dead.

* The infamous ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' saw the deaths of Rita [=DeMara=], Marilla, and Amanda Chaney by the BrainwashedAndCrazy ComicBook/IronMan and with the exception of Rita being among those who briefly came back during ''ComicBook/ChaosWar'', have stayed dead.

* Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}}'s [[Characters/MarvelComicsMarvels Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell)]], Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), Abomination (Emil Blonsky), [[Characters/CaptainAmericaCentralRoguesGallery Baron Heinrich Zemo]], George Stacy, Hornet (Eddie [=McDonough=]), Goliath (Bill Foster), Iron Monger (Obadiah Stane), Jean [=DeWolff=], Karen Page, Lilandra Neramani, Microbe (Zachary Smith Jr.), Robert Kelly, and Kayla Silverfox are all, at the moment, very much dead, among others...
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsScarletSpider Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly)]] was thought to be this for a long time, but was brought back.

'''Naturally, as a DeathTrope all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. ''Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!'''''

** If you don't count her clones, [[Characters/SpiderManLoveInterests Gwen Stacy]] is, miraculously, still dead...in the main Marvel timeline. Gwen is alive in a number of other timelines, most notably the ComicBook/SpiderGwen one. Also, a lot of people saw Peter Parker's later love-interest Carlie Cooper as a Gwen Stacy expy, especially after Creator/JoeQuesada admitted that he had to be talked out of bringing Gwen back during ''One More Day''.

* Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}}, one of the most popular characters in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, got killed off in WhatIf series ''ComicBook/XMenForever''. All that remained was a metal skeleton, and to further prove that he's dead, Jean Grey confirmed his demise.

** Over time, the Marvel Universe likes to have characters come back to whatever their "[[StatusQuoIsGod core character concept]]" is. Characters/{{Ma|rvelComicsMagneto}}gneto will be a mutant with control over magnetism, believing that mutants must rise to overcome human rule. [[Characters/MarvelComicsProfessorX Professor X]] will be a man with incredible mental powers yet bound to a wheelchair. [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] will be a character haunted by Uncle Ben's death, that event propelling him to be a hero. Whenever they stray from these "core concepts," it's not long before writers find plot reasons to make them fit those archetypes again. Uncle Ben's death is part of Spider-Man's core archetype, and because of that, he'll stay dead for real.

** If you don't count her clones, Gwen Stacy is, miraculously, still dead...in the main Marvel timeline. Gwen is alive in a number of other timelines, most notably the ComicBook/SpiderGwen one. Also, a lot of people saw Peter Parker's later love-interest Carlie Cooper as a Gwen Stacy expy, especially after Creator/JoeQuesada admitted that he had to be talked out of bringing Gwen back during ''One More Day''.

* "Nobody stays dead except [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Bucky]], [[Franchise/SpiderMan Uncle Ben]], and [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Jason Todd]]." Since that saying was coined, both [[Characters/MarvelComicsBuckyBarnes Bucky]] and [[Characters/BatmanJasonTodd Jason Todd]] [[DeathIsCheap have found themselves resurrected]]. But Uncle Ben has dutifully remained dead, to the point that when a Ben from an alternate universe found his way into the regular Marvel Universe, he ended up dying by the end of the story himself. Though, during the ComicBook/SpiderVerse event, another Ben appeared but he was resident in another universe and was the Spider-Man there, so it probably does not count.

* Many DC characters that have died were thought to come back after ''ComicBook/BlackestNight''. While [[ComicBook/BrightestDay 12 random people were brought back to life]], many more stayed dead. Examples are [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis2004 Sue Dibny]], [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers)]], ComicBook/TheQuestion [[ComicBook/FiftyTwo (Charles Victor Szasz)]], the ComicBook/ElongatedMan (Ralph Dibny), [[Characters/JusticeSocietyOfAmericaVillains Eclipso (Jean Loring)]], [[Franchise/TheFlash Mirror Master I (Samuel Joseph Scudder)]], [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Doctor Mid-Nite I (Charles M. McNider), Sandman (Wesley Dodds), Mister Terrific I (Terry Sloane)]], [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Kal-L (Earth 2)]], and many more not listed here.

* Many DC characters that have died were thought to come back after ''ComicBook/BlackestNight''. While [[ComicBook/BrightestDay 12 random people were brought back to life]], many more stayed dead. Examples are [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis Sue Dibny]], [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers)]], ComicBook/TheQuestion [[ComicBook/FiftyTwo (Charles Victor Szasz)]], the ComicBook/ElongatedMan (Ralph Dibny), [[Characters/JusticeSocietyOfAmericaVillains Eclipso (Jean Loring)]], [[Franchise/TheFlash Mirror Master I (Samuel Joseph Scudder)]], [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Doctor Mid-Nite I (Charles M. McNider), Sandman (Wesley Dodds), Mister Terrific I (Terry Sloane)]], [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Kal-L (Earth 2)]], and many more not listed here.

* From the ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' continuity:

** Supergirl's ''first villain,'' [[ComicBook/TheUnknownSupergirl Lesla-Lar]], was disintegrated with her own weapon in ''ComicBook/TheGirlWithTheXRayMind''. Notable because it happened during the Silver Age, when villains dying was a rare thing. She returned -eighteen years later- in ''ComicBook/StrangersAtTheHeartsCore'', when her floating consciousness tried to steal Supergirl's body, but she failed and was dispersed on the astral plane.

* When ComicStrip/DickTracy kills 'em, he kills em Dead. Even if the author liked the villain in question, and regretted not being able to bring him back.

** Supergirl's ''[[ComicBook/TheUnknownSupergirl first villain Lesla-Lar]]'' was disintegrated with her own weapon in ''ComicBook/TheGirlWithTheXRayMind''. Notable because it happened during the Silver Age, when villains dying was a rare thing. She returned -eighteen years later- in ''ComicBook/StrangersAtTheHeartsCore'', when her floating consciousness tried to steal Supergirl's body, but she failed and was dispersed on the astral plane.

Since DeathIsCheap in the {{Troperiffic}} world of superhero comics, all the below must come with the caveat ''"at time of writing."'' For a less irreverent and more well-proofread list, check [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki's]] [[http://web.archive.org/web/20170525010459/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deceased_American_comic_book_characters list]].[[note]] This is the last update of the page from May 2017 before it was deleted.[[/note]]

* [[DeathByOriginStory Martha and Thomas Wayne]], or [[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Batman's]] PARENTS. [[MemeticMutation The ones that ARE DEEEAAAAAAAD!!!]] [[ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} (Most of]] [[TheMultiverse the time.)]]
* Sarah Essen-Gordon, Commissioner Gordon's second wife, has, remarkably, remained dead ever since being murdered by [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand''.

* Creator/PeterDavid, in his book, ''Writing for Comics'', said that the best way to have a character killed is in a very deliberate, human way. His example: In ''Fallen Angel'', a key character was shot six times in the head and then kicked off a building. He got letters asking if that character was really dead. If he'd been magicked off into a dark dimension, he'd be back to life. No questions asked. Also, about one fourth of ''ComicBook/FallenAngel's'' cast has been killed throughout the duration of the series. To wit: Shadow Boxer, Dr. Juris, Slate, Malachi, Wilde & Moloch/[[strike:Jubal]] have all kicked the bucket.

* The ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes are somewhat known for this, dating all the way back to the Silver Age when death in comics was still a very rare thing. The large cast and relatively self-contained universe make it easier to manage the occasional permanent death...though they're also rebooted often enough that even if a character is really-truly-we-mean-it dead in one continuity, they're likely to get another chance in the next.

* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel has so many examples (and all of them stuck) that it has [[KilledOffForReal/UltimateMarvel its own page]]. Most of them are from ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}''.

* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' the Doctor Robotnik of Sonic's universe was killed off in the 50th issue, and eventually replaced with one from a parallel world.

Since DeathIsCheap in the {{Troperiffic}} world of superhero comics, all the below must come with the caveat ''"at time of writing."'' For a less irreverent and more well-proofread list, check [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki's]] [[http://web.archive.org/web/20170525010459/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deceased_American_comic_book_characters list]].

* "Nobody stays dead except [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Bucky]], [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Uncle Ben]], and [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Jason Todd]]." Since that saying was coined, both ComicBook/{{Bucky|Barnes}} and [[ComicBook/RedHood Jason Todd]] [[DeathIsCheap have found themselves resurrected]]. But Uncle Ben has dutifully remained dead, to the point that when a Ben from an alternate universe found his way into the regular Marvel Universe, he ended up dying by the end of the story himself. Though, during the ComicBook/SpiderVerse event, another Ben appeared but he was resident in another universe and was the Spider-Man there, so it probably does not count.
** Over time, the Marvel Universe likes to have characters come back to whatever their "[[StatusQuoIsGod core character concept]]" is. ComicBook/{{Magneto}} will be a mutant with control over magnetism, believing that mutants must rise to overcome human rule. ComicBook/ProfessorX will be a man with incredible mental powers yet bound to a wheelchair. Franchise/SpiderMan will be a character haunted by Uncle Ben's death, that event propelling him to be a hero. Whenever they stray from these "core concepts," it's not long before writers find plot reasons to make them fit those archetypes again. Uncle Ben's death is part of Spider-Man's core archetype, and because of that, he'll stay dead for real.

* [[DeathByOriginStory Martha and Thomas Wayne]], or [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batman's]] PARENTS. [[MemeticMutation The ones that ARE DEEEAAAAAAAD!!!]] [[ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} (Most of]] [[TheMultiverse the time.)]]
* Sarah Essen-Gordon, Commissioner Gordon's second wife, has, remarkably, remained dead ever since being murdered by ComicBook/TheJoker in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand''.

* The original Black Canary, Dinah Lance, and her husband Larry Lance were both killed separately. Dinah Lance died of cancer after her daughter Dinah Drake [[LegacyCharacter became the new Black Canary]].

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': Barry Allen had a long and prestigious run on this list (for a popular comic book character), in part because he was given a really good death, reversing that death would have undone the heroes' efforts to save the universe, and fans eventually embraced his successor Wally West even if they still wanted Barry back. But 23 years and two mega-crises later, Barry finally subverted this trope.

* In Creator/NeilGaiman's ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' the main character, Morpheus, dies. Although a successor is raised/created who looks and acts a lot like Morpheus, it is explicitly stated that while this person is Dream, he is not Morpheus. In fact, though occasionally we see ghosts and spirits, everyone who actually dies in Sandman stays dead, courtesy of Dream's [[TheGrimReaper older sister.]] The Fiddler's Green is given the opportunity but declines to return.

** Former ''Daily Bugle'' reporter Ned Leeds was definitely dead. The Hobgoblin, who wanted to retire, {{brainwashed}} him into thinking he was the Hobgoblin, and he was killed by assassins who thought so, too. The guy who had him killed, Jason Macendale, is also definitely dead. He took over the Hobgoblin identity, made a complete hash of it, and ended up being reduced to a smoking skeleton in his jail cell by the genuine article. Ned returned towards the end of Nick Spencer's run on Amazing Spider-Man, having been fed some of the Goblin serum that resusitated him after his murder. Ned returned to America, reuniting with Betty Brant and impregnating her.

** The original ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} was killed by the Anti-Monitor in ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' and erased from history and memory because DC insisted that Superman be the only Kryptonian alive. She remained dead and forgotten for three decades until ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'' finally subverted the trope and undid her death.

* ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, one of the most popular characters in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, got killed off in WhatIf series ''ComicBook/XMenForever''. All that remained was a metal skeleton, and to further prove that he's dead, Jean Grey confirmed his demise.
* ''ComicBook/{{Zenith}}'': Apart from Lux and Spook, who faked their own deaths (unintentionally, in the case of Spook), Dr. Beat/Warhead (alive in name only) and the conflict in the final phase (all of which took place inside the cosmos-mimicing entity Chimera) all of the '''many''' character and background deaths in the series were for real.
* Many DC characters that have died were thought to come back after ''ComicBook/BlackestNight''. While [[ComicBook/BrightestDay 12 random people were brought back to life]], many more stayed dead. Examples are [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis Sue Dibny]], [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers)]], ComicBook/TheQuestion [[ComicBook/FiftyTwo (Charles Victor Szasz)]], the ComicBook/ElongatedMan (Ralph Dibny), ComicBook/{{Eclipso}} (Jean Loring), [[Franchise/TheFlash Mirror Master I (Samuel Joseph Scudder)]], [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Doctor Mid-Nite I (Charles M. McNider), Sandman (Wesley Dodds), Mister Terrific I (Terry Sloane)]], [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Kal-L (Earth 2)]], and many more not listed here.
** Kobra, a longtime BigBad in Franchise/TheDCU, ''seems'' to have been Killed Off For Real (having your heart ripped clean out of your chest by ComicBook/BlackAdam will do that). However, since his minions recently resurrected his brother (who was killed off waaaaaaay back in 1978) to become the new head of their ReligionOfEvil, all bets are off.

* Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}}'s [[ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell)]], Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), Abomination (Emil Blonsky), [[ComicBook/BaronZemo Baron Heinrich Zemo]], George Stacy, Synch (Everett Thomas), Hornet (Eddie [=McDonough=]), Goliath (Bill Foster), Iron Monger (Obadiah Stane), Jean [=DeWolff=], Karen Page, Lilandra Neramani, Microbe (Zachary Smith Jr.), Pyro (St. John Allerdyce), Robert Kelly, and Kayla Silverfox are all, at the moment, very much dead, among others...
** ComicBook/ScarletSpider (Ben Reilly) was thought to be this for a long time, but was brought back.

* ''ComicBook/InfinityInc'': Skyman, previously the Golden Age KidHero the [[ComicBook/SevenSoldiersOfVictory Star-Spangled Kid]], was killed by [[Characters/GreenLantern1941 Solomon Grundy]] when Grundy threw Mr. Bones' corrosive and toxic body into Syl's face. Not only has Sylvester remained dead but his death and the effects it had on his friends and old sidekick Pat Dugan have been key to other character's development, especially ComicBook/{{Stargirl}} who stole his cosmic belt from Pat Dugan, further cementing his death by making it a part of their origin stories.

* The ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes are somewhat known for this, dating all the way back to the Silver Age when death in comics was still a very rare thing. Their LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters and relatively self-contained universe make it easier to manage the occasional permanent death...though they're also rebooted often enough that even if a character is really-truly-we-mean-it dead in one continuity, they're likely to get another chance in the next.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':