History Main / JokerImmunity

** Likewise Lord Vyce; Linkara originally abandoned him in a parallel dimension, only for Vyce to turn himself into living data and infect Linkara's RobotBuddy Pollo. After getting ThrownOutTheAirlock, he spends several real-world months uploading himself into Comicron-1[[note]]His old spaceship, which Linkara took over after Vyce's initial defeat[[/note]], making it look like Linkara's benevolent A.I. Nimue was going [[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey HAL-9000]] on him. Nimue gets restored and apparently deletes Vyce in a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind, but the end of the episode reveals that Vyce downloaded himself into the body of one of his {{Mooks}} and escaped. At this point, the immunity gets {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by an angry Linkara, who rants that he's spent the last five years dealing with this villain and he's sick of it.

* Although comic book villains are very prone to [[SuperheroMovieVillainsDie lose their immunity in film adaptations]], Loki in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse :survived the first four films he appeared in, despite faking his death in both ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld''. In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', [[spoiler:his immunity is finally revoked in when an even greater villain, Thanos, kills him. And even then, the TimeyWimeyBall "revives" Loki in sequel ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', as when the Avengers time travel, the Loki from the past escapes captivity.]] After that, he would go on to star in [[Series/Loki2021 his own streaming series.]]

** Ernst Stavro Blofeld appears to die thrice; in ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'', he comes back in the same movie. He was technically killed off (off camera) in ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'', and later an unnamed character obviously meant to be Blofeld is killed in the pre-credit scene of ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' (the name was not use because of a copyright dispute) apparently killing him for good on this continuity. Once [[WritingAroundTrademarks resolve a legal dispute]]; he came back decades later in the ContinuityReboot film ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', where [[spoiler:Bond refuses to kill him when he has the chance and has M arrest him instead]].

* [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-682 SCP-682]] of the Wiki/SCPFoundation, as the entire ''point'' of 682 is that any attempt to kill it (or even send it to another universe) will fail.

* The ''Film/DoctorMabuse'' films apply this trope to the extreme. Mabuse [[spoiler:dies in ''Film/TheLastWillOfDrMabuse''; the rest of the movie concerns an insane and possessed psychologist enacting his plans]]. In the '60s films from ''Film/Die1000AugenDesDrMabuse'' onward, he dies in seemingly every installment but comes back for each sequel. When [[spoiler:he finally [[KilledOffForReal dies for real]] in ''The Terror of Dr. Mabuse'', he comes back [[AssPull as a ghost]] in the next movie]].

* Although comic book villains are very prone to [[SuperheroMovieVillainsDie lose their immunity in film adaptations]], Loki in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse :survived the first four films he appeared in, despite faking his death in both ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld''. In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', [[spoiler:his immunity is finally revoked in when an even greater villain, Thanos, kills him. And even then, the TimeyWimeyBall "revives" Loki in sequel ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', as when the Avengers time travel, the Loki from the past escapes captivity.]] After that, he would go on to star in [[Series/Loki2021 his own streaming series]]

** The Daemon Princes and Greater Daemons (also present in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'') can normally never be killed, upon death they are banished to the Warp where they can be summoned again though usually with downtime before they can return to realspace. They can still be permanently killed (mainly by certain artifacts like the Sword of the Emperor) but this is rare.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', Vlad von Carstein had a magic ring that would allow him to resurrect every time he was killed, so no matter how many times the Empire thought they put him down, he and his undead hordes would return. Unfortunately for Vlad, his son [[AmbitionIsEvil Mannfred]] betrayed this secret to the Empire, who sent a master thief to steal the ring before Vlad was destroyed for real during the Siege of Altdorf.
** Nagash the Undying didn't get that name solely because he invented necromancy; he was killed four times in the old ''Warhammer'' universe, and not only did he come back every single time to wreck havoc on the world, he survived the universe collapsing and being reborn to become the de facto God of Death in ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar''.

* Wrestling/{{Edge}} is a {{Heel}} who made a name for himself by always coming back (and being a KarmaHoudini in the process); [[EscapedFromHell not even Hell]] can stop him.

* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TheRollingStones'' Hazel Stone is considering killing off the bad guy in a TV Series she created, but realizes unless she also wants the hero to die too (the series ends because the hero no longer has a purpose), you have to bring in Son of Villain, with bad breath as bad as his father and balls of steel to match.

* Wrestling/TheUndertaker is the embodiment of this trope in the world of ProfessionalWrestling. During his career, he has been locked inside several flaming caskets, been buried alive, had his career ended following high profile matches, and at least once ''died and ascended to Heaven''. Despite this, he always returns, once Mark Callaway's nagging injuries have recovered or his holiday time is up. Promos for his match against Wrestling/MarkHenry at Wrestling/{{Unforgiven|Wrestling}} 2007 explicitly billed him as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPc2LNLnSug "The Man Who Can't be Destroyed"]].

->''"I know Darth Vader's really got you annoyed,\\

** Ernst Stavro Blofeld appears to die twice; in ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'', he comes back in the same movie. He was technically killed off in ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'', but only to [[WritingAroundTrademarks resolve a legal dispute]]; he came back decades later in ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', where [[spoiler:Bond refuses to kill him when he has the chance and has M arrest him instead]].

* Discussed and subverted in ''Fanfic/KaraOfRokyn''. After ComicBook/LexLuthor's latest plan has almost succeeded in killing Franchise/{{Superman}} and taking over the world, ComicBook/LoisLane complains that he'll be thrown into a cell, which he will break out of time whenever he wants, and then he will start the cycle over again. Then she is told Luthor has passed away.

* In ''[[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/its-an-unliving-young-justice-si.865009/page-14#post-69006994 It's An Unliving]]'', Destiny of the Endless steps in before the SelfInsert Black Lantern can kill the Joker. Subverted when Destiny explains it was the best chance to talk to him[[note]]As the Black Lantern is an Outsider, he doesn't appear in Destiny's book. Destiny can see where he's been but not where he is or where he'll be. So when Black Lantern was going on a rampage killing the worst of the worst in Arkham, Destiny appeared outside of Joker's cell and waited[[/note]] and allows him to kill the Joker.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' story ''Fanfic/HereThereBeMonsters'', ComicBook/MaryMarvel expresses frustration at the endless "Fighting super-villain > Turning them over to the cops > Fighting them again when they invariably break out of jail" cycle which has been going on and on during the last fourteen years. It is frustrating, tiresome, and something the Marvels cannot do anything about because they are not killers, and all in all their nemeses have not murdered anyone so far... as long as they know or are able to prove.

* As many {{Slasher Movie}}s are part of a VillainBasedFranchise, their antagonists tend to have severe Joker Immunity. These include Freddy Krueger of ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'', Michael Myers of ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'', Jason Voorhees of ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'', and Chucky from ''Film/ChildsPlay'' (who explicitly references his immunity in ''Film/BrideOfChucky'', gloating that he can always come back from death). These characters are all extremely difficult to kill, and even when they are killed, they always are resurrected somehow. In fact, the ending of the original ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984'' was altered to ensure that Freddy survived (which ''really'' pissed off Creator/WesCraven). {{Discussed|Trope}} in ''Film/TheMonsterSquad'' where the dad is confused by how horror movies keep having all these sequels when the last one was said to have killed the villain once and for all. The ''Film/{{Scream}}'' franchise [[AvertedTrope averts]] this, however. Even though Ghostface appears in every film, it's always a different person assuming the identity (usually two people per movie), as they are always [[KilledOffForReal killed off]].

* Lampshaded by Slappy in ''Film/Goosebumps2HauntedHalloween'', as he [[spoiler: shows up in R.L. Stine's home in the final scene, mocking him for this trope before sealing him in one of his books.]]

** Strahd von Zarovich has his own personal RevolvingDoorAfterlife. He's played the starring role in two 1st Edition modules, a pick-a-path book, an entire 2nd Edition campaign setting, and a 3rd edition hardback adventure; in most he winds up destroyed at the end, yet it never seems to take. Ads for the hardback actually urged 3E gamers, "This time, make sure he's DEAD dead!"; yet the Count's back 'gain in 4E, for a board game and appearance in ''Open Grave''.

The heroic equivalent is an InvincibleHero. Compare VillainExitStageLeft (where the heroes stop the villain's plan but do nothing to stop him escaping); CardboardPrison and TailorMadePrison (where the heroes ''think'' they've stopped the villain but he breaks out of confinement); and occasionally VillainSue (who has Joker Immunity for [[MarySue all the wrong reasons]]). Strongly related to ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated and its subtropes, as well as to the DeathIsCheap trope (a.k.a. ''Comic Book Death''). Contrast SuperheroMovieVillainsDie (villains who otherwise have Joker Immunity get KilledOffForReal in the film adaptation). See also JustEatGilligan (someone other than the direct villain has the immunity); PopularityPower (the character gets his way because the fans like him); and KarmaHoudini (the villain escapes legal and cosmic punishment).

** Yami Bakura consistently comes back from defeat. By the Duelist Kingdom arc, he is believed to have been sent to the card graveyard, but he [[BodySurf takes over Mokuba's body]], gets banished again, and comes back a second time at the end of the arc. Yami Marik banishes his soul to the Shadow Realm in the Battle City arc, but he returns to normal when Marik is defeated. In the last arc, multiple versions of him return as the BigBad; only here is he finally destroyed for good. This is somewhat excusable in that [[spoiler: he’s actually an EldritchAbomination within a ClingyMacguffin which physically can’t be separated from Ryou Bakura for very long.]] In the manga he never actually left Bakura until Marik seemingly killed him.

** Yami Bakura consistently comes back from defeat. By the Duelist Kingdom arc, he is believed to have been sent to the card graveyard, but he [[BodySurf takes over Mokuba's body]], gets banished again, and comes back a second time at the end of the arc. Yami Marik banishes his soul to the Shadow Realm in the Battle City arc, but he returns to normal when Marik is defeated. In the last arc, multiple versions of him return as the BigBad; only here is he finally destroyed for good. Somewhat explained that [[spoiler: he’s actually an EldritchAbomination within a ClingyMacguffin which physically can’t be separated from Ryou Bakura for very long.]]

** Yami Bakura consistently comes back from defeat. By the Duelist Kingdom arc, he is believed to have been sent to the card graveyard, but he [[BodySurf takes over Mokuba's body]], gets banished again, and comes back a second time at the end of the arc. Yami Marik banishes his soul to the Shadow Realm in the Battle City arc, but he returns to normal when Marik is defeated. In the last arc, multiple versions of him return as the BigBad; only here is he finally destroyed for good.

* Although comic book villains are very prone to [[SuperheroMovieVillainsDie lose their immunity in film adaptations]], Loki in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse [[spoiler:survived the first four films he appeared in, despite faking his death in both ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', but his immunity is finally revoked in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' by an even greater villain, Thanos. And even then, the TimeyWimeyBall "revives" Loki in sequel ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', as when the Avengers time travel, the Loki from the past escapes captivity, and even stars in [[Series/Loki2021 his own streaming series]]]].

* Harry and Marv from the first two ''Film/HomeAlone'' films. Special mention goes to two particular scenes in ''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'', where Marv has bricks repeatedly thrown to his head, and later, electrocuted, while Harry's head is lit on fire, where he attempts to put it out in the toilet, not knowing it was full of kerosene, causing an explosion around him.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* On ''Series/{{Alias}}'', both Julian Sark (whose constant escapes eventually become a RunningGag) and Arvin Sloane (who, at one point, manages to survive [[spoiler:his own execution]]) enjoy this immunity.
* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'':
** One villain who simply will ''not'' die is ComicBook/EobardThawne, aka the Reverse-Flash. While other villains in the franchise have come back via resurrection, Thawne is unique in that, no matter how many times he is ostensibly [[RetGone erased from existence]], he ''always'' comes back. Even after [[spoiler:the Black Flash caught up with him in the Season 2 finale of ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', and it seemed like his luck had finally run out, he eventually turns up on [[Series/CrisisOnEarthX Earth-X]], working with the Nazis [[ForTheEvulz just for kicks]]. When Barry comments on this, Thawne doesn't even bother with an explanation, and just [[{{Handwave}} handwaves]] it via the TimeyWimeyBall]]. In the Season 5 finale of ''Series/TheFlash2014'', an explanation is finally given, as he explains that the Negative Speed Force which gives him his powers is somehow immune to the alterations to time, unlike the regular Speed Force, so it protects him.
** Lex Luthor in ''Series/Supergirl2015'' also has some form of this, as after being killed off, [[spoiler:the Monitor resurrected him for an important role in ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'']].
* ''Series/{{Bones}}''.
** Christopher Pelant. He keeps escaping and Booth even nails him in the head and leaves half blind. He finally gets his PlotArmor revoked in season 9 when Booth kills him.
** Broadsky qualifies too with his repeated escapes during season 6. Booth finally takes him alive.
* Several villains from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' evade death repeatedly, including [[EnsembleDarkhorse Spike]], Dru, and Darla (who technically dies about four times over the course of ''Series/{{Buffy|the Vampire Slayer}}'' and ''Series/{{Angel}}'', but only the last one takes).
* "Dead Larry" Sizemore of ''Series/BurnNotice'', partly because of his badass spy skills and his [[EvilMentor relationship]] to TheHero, partly because he's just too cool to kill off. [[spoiler:In the season 5 summer finale, it looked like death had finally caught up with him. Then a newspaper article said that two people had been found dead. [[NeverFoundTheBody There were three people in that building.]]]]
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** The Master may be a Time Lord, but they should still be dead by now. Particularly since [[TheNthDoctor they'd already used up all their natural regenerations]] while the Doctor was still on body number four. In the 80s, the Ainley Master would start getting into apparently fatal situations at the end of each story, then pull an UnexplainedRecovery. They were seemingly killed off in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E1Castrovalva "Castrovalva"]] (trapped in a dimensional implosion), [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E5PlanetOfFire "Planet of Fire"]] (burned to a crisp), the [[MadeForTVMovie Made for TV]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie Movie]] (sucked into the Eye of Harmony), [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E13LastOfTheTimeLords "Last of the Time Lords"]] (dies in the Doctor's arms, refusing to regenerate), [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E12DeathInHeaven "Death in Heaven"]] (vaporized), [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E12TheDoctorFalls "The Doctor Falls"]] (shot in the back with an AntiRegeneration blast and left for dead, minutes before an explosion that leveled an entire spaceship deck), and "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E10TheTimelessChildren The Timeless Children]]" (exposed to a "death particle", supposedly capable of destroying all organic life on a whole planet). They'll be back.
** The Daleks rival the Master for the number of times they've been "killed off completely" (including to the extent of being ''[[RetGone erased from time]]''); it's happened six times to date[[labelnote:In order:]][[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks "The Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E9TheEvilOfTheDaleks "The Evil of the Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek "Dalek"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays "The Parting of the Ways"]], and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]]. Twice more they're left with only a few survivors, in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday "Doomsday"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E5EvolutionOfTheDaleks "Evolution of the Daleks"]].[[/labelnote]], with none of them sticking. They're very analogous to the Joker, as they're the Doctor's defining villains (Creator/RussellTDavies has said you basically can't have ''Doctor Who'' without the Daleks) and the Doctor has a strong moral code that would make them hesitant to wipe out an entire race. That said, the Doctor ''really'' hates the Daleks, ''has'' pulled the genocide trigger before, and has been known to fly into a rage whenever the Daleks reappear (such as in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks "Victory of the Daleks"]], when Eleven finds them apparently behaving as docile British weapons wandering around World War II-era London).
** Davros, the Daleks' creator, was genuinely intended to suffer a permanent KarmicDeath at the end of his first story by the writer and then-showrunners. This turned out not to be permanent, and since then he's survived apparent death at least once. Creator/RussellTDavies responded with a ShrugOfGod when asked if he had survived the ending of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth "The Stolen Earth"]][=/=][[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice which was later conclusively answered]].
*** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]]:
----> '''Davros''': I am dying, Doctor.
----> '''Doctor''': You keep saying that, you keep not dying. Can you give it some welly? Come on!
** The Cybermen are frequently killed off or otherwise sealed away, though due to severe AnachronicOrder of their stories and [[http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Cyberman_%28disambiguation%29 multiple factions]] of Cybermen this can muddle things incredibly. It's justified on their part; even if the Cybermen themselves are wiped out, their technology can [[TheAssimilator convert or assimilate something else]] into a Cyberman, which can multiply from there. The Twelfth Doctor said that Cybermen [[http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Creation_of_the_Cybermen "evolved" on multiple planets independently]], and were inevitable once a human population in dire straits reached a certain level of technology.
** The spin-off ''Series/{{Class|2016}}'' has a subversion. The team's [[ArchEnemy greatest enemies]] and major recurring villains are Corakinus and his [[OmnicidalManiac legions of Shadow Kin]]. The first time they're beaten, the Doctor himself drives them back to their planet. The second time, it's [[spoiler:April who beats their King, takes his title]] and drives them back to their planet. The ''third'' time they show up, [[spoiler:it ends with their entire planet getting imploded and the entire Shadow Kin race being rendered extinct]]. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Human teenagers are a lot less strict about pacifism than an ancient Time Lord]], especially when you start [[spoiler:killing their parents]].
* On ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', off-and-on BigBad Scorpius was only supposed to be part of a two-episode arc, but he ended up becoming very popular and kept returning, even after being shot and buried on screen. The show also started making a point of how he's a CrazyPrepared MagnificentBastard, which helps explain how he keeps surviving. He even earned a PromotionToOpeningTitles after we learned that he's actually a WellIntentionedExtremist with an enemy in common with the heroes.
* Jerome Valeska on ''{{Series/Gotham}}'', who might well be the series' incarnation of the Joker, is stabbed through the throat and dies. He gets better a season later, which is even ''more'' of a hint that he might someday adopt the nom du guerre Joker which is the only thing missing as he is for all intents and purposes a fully grown Joker in personality and motivation. [[spoiler: His immunity is finally revoked late in Season 4, when he's finally KilledOffForReal, but not before setting in motion a plan that drives his twin brother Jeremiah insane, allowing ''him'' to become the show's version of the Joker.]]
* Wo Fat in the original ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'' always got away at the end of the episode, to the point that the series finale was, and could only be, [=McGarrett=] hunting him down to arrest him personally — [[spoiler:except the final shot shows he has a file in his shoe]]. Similarly in [[Series/HawaiiFive0 the reboot]]. It's Wo Fat's notorious Joker immunity more than any other that's being parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' "Spin-Off Showcase" segment "Chief Wiggum, P.I.", in which Big Daddy escapes very slowly.
-->'''Principal Skinner:''' He's gradually getting away, Chief.\\
'''Chief Wiggum:''' Ah, let him go. I have the feeling we'll meet again, each and every week. Always in more sexy and exciting ways.
* On ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', Sylar seems to have the universe bending over backwards to keep him alive, largely because he's a very popular character. He was originally intended to be killed off at the end of Volume 1, but since then he's survived:
** Being [[DeathIsCheap technically killed off]] at the end of Volume 3, only to appear at the start of Volume 4 without so much as a HandWave (which came eventually but was [[VoodooShark pretty stupid]]).
** [[spoiler:A kill squad getting the drop on him]] in the Volume 4 opener, only for them to [[spoiler:inexplicably use tasers instead]]. What's particularly dumb is that [[spoiler:they had discussed beforehand how to make him DeaderThanDead]].
** [[spoiler:Getting knifed in the back of the head]] in the penultimate episode of Volume 4. He survived that [[spoiler:by getting back up right away, which completely violates the show's [[MagicAIsMagicA established rules of regeneration]]]]. They HandWave this by saying that he [[spoiler:shapeshifting in a way that moved "the button" that turns the brain off -- which implies that he shifted his brain stem to his rear end or something]].
** [[spoiler:Getting knocked unconscious]] in the Volume 4 finale, which gives the heroes a single chance to end him for good. They [[spoiler:blow it when Angela and Noah order Matt Parkman just to erase his memories and force him to assume the life of Nathan Petrelli, whom he had KilledOffForReal]]. This lasts for four episodes before [[spoiler:Sylar reverts to his old self]].
** Not one, but two {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s in Volume 5, neither of which work. [[spoiler:Nathan's involved jumping off a building; it was undone before he even hit the ground.]]
* James Horton in ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' seems to die twice, but comes back both times. The first time, Joe got him to a hospital; as his brother-in-law, he didn't want to stand and watch him die. Macleod finally did off him for real the third time.
* Ben Linus from ''Series/{{Lost}}'' is too adored by the fanbase to get rid of. He [[ILied lies]], [[TheChessMaster manipulates]], and murders to his heart's content. He's tried to kill Locke so many times we lost count, [[spoiler:and he succeeded in season 5]]. He's killed (directly or indirectly) four main characters by the end of the show. Despite this, Sayid is the only one to actually try to kill him -- but [[spoiler:Ben is a child when he tries, so the attempt not only fails, but is also implied to [[WhatTheHellHero make Ben what he is today]]]].
* On ''Series/MacGyver1985'', Murdoc the Assassin keeps "dying" in over the top ways (dying in a collapsing building, diving off a mountain after [[CutTheSafetyRope cutting his own rope]], plunging into a fiery pool after being electrocuted, carelessness with dynamite, drowning in a flooded mine shaft, driving a Jeep off of a cliff). But even though he's pronounced dead each time, [[NeverFoundTheBody they never find his body]] and just rationalize that [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat he couldn't possibly have survived that.]] It's never adequately explained how he just keeps surviving certain death. After a while, [=MacGyver=] starts to assume that if there isn't a body, Murdoc will turn up to try to kill him again, an expectation that's the cause of increasing tension as time goes on.
* Multiple episodes of ''{{Series/Merlin|2008}}'' end with Morgana unconscious or incapacitated, yet Merlin and the other good guys never take the opportunity to finish her off, despite the tremendous damage she has caused.
* Zig-zagged with Moriarty in ''{{Series/Sherlock}}''. He manages to survive the stand-off in the Season 1 finale, but is apparently killed in the Season 2 finale; most expected this death to stick, seeing as he was KilledOffForReal in the ''Sherlock Holmes'' story it was based on. However, [[spoiler:he ends up returning in the Season 3 finale, which surprised ''everyone'' in-universe, and Sherlock is convinced he's still dead and it's just a very elaborate recording]]. In the season 4 finale, [[spoiler:he suddenly shows up, and his scene goes on for several seconds before we realize it was set [[TrollingCreator five years previously]]; the show is playing on the audience's expectation of his Joker Immunity]].
* On ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', ComicBook/LexLuthor has been shot, stabbed, and [[EasyAmnesia mindwiped]]. He's had the Fortress of Solitude collapse on his head reducing him to an EvilCripple, and he's been blown up in a truck explosion shortly afterwards. The series concludes with his resurrection from the dead, which was of course, a ForegoneConclusion. It's been suggested, but not outright confirmed, that his immunity derives from his GreenRocks-given ability.
* Apophis is like this in the early seasons of ''Series/StargateSG1''. When they finally manage to make his death stick, [[spoiler:Anubis]] takes on the mantle. [[KilledOffForReal Apophis's final death]] was [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat rather definitive]] ([[spoiler:his flagship was [[ColonyDrop rammed into a planet at high speed]] with Apophis trapped on its command deck]]), but even then Colonel O'Neill is only 99% sure he's really dead. [[spoiler:Anubis]] was even harder to get rid of [[spoiler:because his incorporeal "half-Ascended" state made him physically invulnerable]].
-->'''O'Neill:''' Son of a bitch! Someone's gotta teach that guy how to die.
* On ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', Weyoun is killed off at the end of his very first episode. The character proved popular enough to bring him back, but they did so by cloning him; we eventually meet five different clones of Weyoun throughout the show's run. He's not KilledOffForReal until the finale, after the destruction of his cloning facility left him OutOfContinues.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Lucifer never ceases to return to torment the Wincesters. He's been [[SealedEvilInACan consigned to the Cage]] built by God for him in the deepest pit of Hell multiple times, been torn out of his vessel by [[TheAntiGod Amara]], had his new vessel physically fall apart on him, been marooned in the Apocalypse Universe (''twice'') and actually [[spoiler:killed by his brother the ArchangelMichael in Dean's body]] - and none of it has ever managed to keep him down for good.
* John Graves Simcoe in ''{{Series/Turn}}'' is portrayed as a bloodthirsty psychopath, and frequently gets into situations in which he is at the mercy of people who have plenty of reason to kill him. Nonetheless, he manages to weasel, finagle, or simply get lucky an implausible number of times, partly because he is a delicious villain, and partly because he is based on a real person who survived the war and went on to become an able administrator in Canada.
* In ''Series/VanHelsing2016'', Sam was a cunning serial killer when human and knows the group and their weaknesses, so it makes sense that he'd be particularly dangerous as a vampire. However in addition to being extremely lucky, he also appears to be physically almost indestructible for no reason the show even hints at. A single bullet can severely impede most vampires, while Sam was hosed with gunfire and seemingly only bothered to fall over to lure them closer, and another vampire pronounces NoOneCouldSurviveThat about a fall that barely slows him down. [[spoiler: This is finally justified by TheReveal in the Season 3 finale that he's a potential [[MonsterLord Elder]].]]
* In ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', the Governor kept coming back after a number of seemingly fatal defeats. [[spoiler:His immunity is eventually revoked in the Season 4 mid-season finale, where he is KilledOffForReal during another attack on Rick's group at the prison.]]
* The Cigarette-Smoking Man from ''Series/TheXFiles'' has been "presumed dead" multiple times and it never seems to stick. [[spoiler: He's "dead" again at the end of TheNewTens revival, but another revival would be needed to see if this time was the one.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In action shows geared towards kids, the hero rarely kills, for [[MoralGuardians obvious reasons]], allowing villains like Dr. Drakken from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' or Dr. Claw from ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' to be let off the hook every time.
** Well, that, and both of the listed villains (among others, of course) are masters of VillainExitStageLeft and the CardboardPrison, assuming they even [[DiabolicalMastermind get directly involved]] to start with. In fact, the closest Gadget ever came to apprehending Dr. Claw was likely the show's humorous opening sequence (and even then, it was a booby-trap left by the villain).
** And in the case of villains like Dr. Drakken, or Dr. Doofensmirtz from ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', they can be a bit bumbling and comical, if not pathetically incompetent, and have someone else do the dirty work for them. Killing them would be unreasonable because they are AffablyEvil.
** In another case with Mumm-Ra in ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats'', he's shown that the [[GodOfEvil Ancient Spirits of Evil]]'s power can allow him to survive AsLongAsThereIsEvil.
* Interestingly Disney seem to have granted this to Shere Khan of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Jungle Book|1967}}'' (despite being killed by Mowgli in the original novel). [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 The Disney animated adaptation]] and its sequel are among the very few films in Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon to omit a DisneyVillainDeath, while he is about the only villain not to be killed off in the LiveActionAdaptation. He is also a recurring AntiVillain in ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' and ''WesternAnimation/JungleCubs''.
* Instead of being sent to jail, most Franchise/{{Batman}} villains are sent to an [[CardboardPrison easily escapable insane asylum]].
** [[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE17LockUp One episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' featured a guard at the asylum fired for his (relatively minor, all things considered) abuses of the prisoners. He then [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope quickly became]] an incarceration-themed KnightTemplar supervillain called Lock-Up.
** Then there was "[[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE24JudgementDay Judgement Day]]", where a new vigilante called the Judge was giving more severe punishments to criminals, and actually trying to kill them. Batman pressures a politician who was helping the Judge, saying that the Judge would kill someone eventually. The politician fires back, saying that the people of Gotham just would not care if Two-Face, or Killer Croc or any super-villain gets killed off as opposed to being sent to a CardboardPrison they'll just escape from. He gives Batman due credit, but he reiterates that the people want something permanent.
** Clayface has had at least two onscreen deaths only to get back up later.
** In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'', ComicBook/HarleyQuinn was assumed to have perished in her final battle with Batgirl; even the now elderly Barbara Gordon doubted she could have survived. Turns out, she did (maybe hanging out with the Joker taught her a few things) but the experience ''did'' cause her to retire from crime permanently.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', the villain Mad Stan points out how he'll just break out of prison and keep coming back over and over after Batman foils his latest terrorist bombing, prompting Batman to beat him to death. [[spoiler:It was really Barbara Gordon getting a hallucination from the villain Spellbinder; Mad Stan was alive and returns in another episode.]]
** That said, the series has a startling tendency to avert Joker Immunity a number of times, mostly because Terry is unable or unwilling to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard save villains from themselves]], most notably the returning members of Bruce's RoguesGallery: Mr. Freeze, Bane, Ra's al Guhl, and ironically the Joker himself in TheMovie. It's subverted with the new generation of the Royal Flush Gang, who go through more VillainDecay with each appearance until they completely fall apart.
** The most notable exception to that rule is Inque; Terry actually said "She's been dead before" at one point ("Inqueling").
* Averted with Professor Milo in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', who is eaten by his abused lab rats after being turned into cheese by the Spectre. Played straight with most recurring villains.
* [[GalacticConqueror Vilgax]] from the ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' franchise. He's been strapped to a missile, thrown into the void of space, trapped in another dimension, and had a spaceship explode in his face ''three times'' -- but the squid-faced bastard ''just keeps coming back''. Even in the future, when future Ben ''[[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath tore Vilgax to pieces]]'' and froze what was left, Vilgax was quickly revived and no less dangerous. Naturally, this is frequently subject to LampshadeHanging.
* Ernie the Giant Chicken on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' always returns for another round of his eternal blood feud with Peter Griffin, despite having suffered a twenty-story fall (although Peter himself survived that), been eviscerated by an airplane propeller, suffered massive cranial trauma, and being set on fire ''WHILE'' being impaled up the anus by a giant spike.
* Deconstructed in-universe in the fifth season of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack''. Fifty years in a zero-sum game have utterly ruined both Jack and Aku; Jack has grown cynical and broken from fifty years of being unable to kill Aku (losing his magic sword along the way doesn't help), whereas Aku has gone increasingly insane and depressed from being unable to kill Jack no matter how many minions he has to throw at him. Aku has basically withdrawn and let his horde of minions do the fighting, in the hopes that one of them gets lucky or that time can do the job... except that Jack's temporal displacement and/or additional TimeTravel have rendered him [[TheAgeless immortal]], meaning one of them has to bleed out for the stalemate to actually end.
* Psycho from ''WesternAnimation/MaxSteel''. The man has been blown up, infected with a deadly fungus while trapped in a burning building, '''thrown into space''', and he always comes back. To his credit, Max Steel is savvy enough to not question it and just deal with him whenever he shows up.
* Albert W. Wily's immunity is even more noticeable in the ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan'' Ruby-Spears cartoon than in the games; his Skull Castle is incredibly conspicuous and immovable, yet the military never once tries to attack it. To add insult to injury, he and his robots slip out of Mega Man's grasp ''every single episode'', no matter how close he was to finally apprehending him. It's a wonder Mega hasn't snapped yet.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'''s Doctor Rockso the rock n' roll clown. [[CatchPhrase He does cocaine.]] He is also the [[CartwrightCurse only known friend of Toki who did not die before the episode was over.]]
* Dr. Doofenshmirtz constantly blows up with his [[SelfDestructMechanism inventions]] but is never seriously hurt. Some of the time, Perry the Platypus will save him when he is falling, but most of the time, he has terrible things happen to him and just lives. Of course, killing or even injuring Doofenshmirtz in a show like ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' would [[StatusQuoIsGod hardly be a good idea.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'''s Megabyte has this in spades. He's in a city that doesn't have the capacity to delete him, protected by a Guardian who doesn't want to (Except for that one time.), and has a much more powerful sister who, despite having ample capability and opportunity to do so, doesn't. Even when they finally manage to get rid of him, he comes back, with whole new powers, and his sister conveniently taken out of the picture not long before.
* ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'':
** Boris Badenov is presumably executed at the end of the "Painting Theft" story, yet there he is in the next five serials.
** The conclusion of "Pottsylvania Creeper" posits that Boris, Natasha and Fearless Leader were eaten by a Creeper plant. [[UnexplainedRecovery They all return]] in ensuing story lines.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Sideshow Bob, but that's mainly a case of CardboardPrison. Well, that, and, as he explained to Edna Krabappel on a date once, he's [[HarmlessVillain never actually successfully killed anybody]] ([[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Mrs. Krabappel looks more than a little disappointed to hear this]]). This is mutual, as when Sideshow Bob had the chance to finally kill Bart, he can't do it because he's grown accustomed to his face, owing his very existence to hating him.
** Mr. Burns is an apt representation of the trope with his constant polluting, corporate greed, and mere belligerence. Part of the reason that he is still around is due to making a deal with the devil.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', ForegoneConclusion means that any character that's alive in existing material set after the series will survive, but it's most noticeable with Count Dooku and General Grievous, as no matter what attempts any of the protagonists make to catch or kill them, they always survive.
** Darth Maul, despite not being SavedByCanon proved amazing resilient, actually outliving any of the show's villains who didn't appear in the original trilogy. After returning from his defeat in ''Phantom Menace'', which saw him cut in half by Obi-Wan and fall into a giant pit, he survives the crash of a starship during a failed VillainExitStageLeft. After taking over Mandalore next defeat saw him on the receiving end of an EvilerThanThou from [[BigBad Darth Sidious]], whom sparred Maul's life because he still had plans for him. Those aren't revealed in series, but ''ComicBook/DarthMaulSonofDathomir'', based on plans for the unmade final season, revealed it was to use him to lure out his mother Talzin. While Talzin was killed at the end of the comic, Maul survived thanks to Talzin forcing him to flee. During the show's finale, which the writers still treat as canon, Maul would have returned to Mandalore where he would have been defeated by Ahsoka Tano, but not killed, explaining his existence in its sequel ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' where he's found on Malachor. Maul shows by that point he survived for years despite being a fugitive from the Empire, survives getting thrown off a large building and escapes the planet. He went on confront the show's protagonists multiple times in his goal to find the location of Obi-Wan. It's only when Maul does find Obi-Wan that he's finally killed, after Obi-Wan fatally wounds him in a [[SwordFight lightsaber duel]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', Slade plays this one straight, but with surprisingly good in-story justification. In the first two seasons, he's TheChessmaster, so the Titans never actually face him directly until the season finales. Season one gives him a VillainExitStageLeft, but season two seemingly averts this trope by ''actually killing him''. His only appearance in the third season is as a hallucination tormenting Robin, and he's specifically resurrected to serve as TheDragon by season four's new BigBad, Trigon. As a result, this is clearly a case of the writers wanting to keep the villain around because they like him, but it's always justified in-story (which is actually somewhat surprising, seeing as the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' team used plenty of tropes without bothering to justify them with anything but RuleOfCool).
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'':
** The Shredder/Oroku Saki/Ch'rell has survived so many instances where he was thought dead, only to come back, that even when he actually ''does'' seem to be KilledOffForReal in ''WesternAnimation/TurtlesForever'', Splinter ''still doesn't doubt the possibility of survival''. Even before his permanent death, when he once suffered a DisneyVillainDeath, in which he was left inside an exploding building after his exo-suit was disabled, the Turtles don't doubt he survived and display no surprise when he returned. His appearance in the season 3 finale "Exodus" had him PutOnABus, in the form of leaving him on a remote ice asteroid light years away from any hope of rescue, likely intended to permanent, and he still returned.
** Baxter Stockman is just as bad. His body's been whittled down to nothing, he's been reduced to a BrainInAJar, and he still just keeps coming back for more. Leonardo even lampshades it upon Stockman's death in "Insane in the Membrane," pointing out that he's come back from worse and "only time will tell" if it's really the end of him; sure enough, Bishop soon revives Stockman.
* Most of the villains from ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' fall firmly into this category, but [[MauveShirt Henchmen 21 and 24]] really stick out because of the relatively short lifespan of [[{{Mooks}} henchmen]] in the series. It's even {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by them ''and'' The Monarch on numerous occasions, with the duo taunting a rookie that he ''will'' die on the mission and they won't [[spoiler:which, sure enough, he does]]), and The Monarch pointing out that their best talent is their rare ability to ''not'' get killed on missions.
** [[spoiler:It then gets cruelly deconstructed when 24 is abruptly killed accidentally by an explosion. 21 undergoes TrainingFromHell to become [[TheDreaded Two-Ton 21]], suffers mental stress over the death of his friend, and careens everywhere from henchman, special agent, superhero, and supervillain.]]
* Although they've never come close to actually dying, ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'''s Trix seem to be masters of returning from impossible situations. They get turned into children at one point, but are their regular ages in their next appearance; they get trapped in an alternate reality in the end of the second season (with the items used to open the portal connecting the Magical Dimension to the one they're trapped in destroyed), but are somehow pulled out between the second and third seasons, with the season three premiere featuring them escaping imprisonment within the FIRST FIVE MINUTES; and in the fifth season, they start out imprisoned underwater without their powers (how they ended up in this situation hasn't been explained yet), and are released and have their powers restored by a prisoner shortly after he meets them. Not to mention that they've outlived a god (Darkar), an immortal (Valtar), and the spirits of their ancient evil ancestors (the Ancient Witches) with seemingly no ill effects except the loss of whatever power boost was given to them by their previous master. It's obvious that the reason for being the only villains that haven't been KilledOffForReal ''and'' to appear in multiple seasons is their massive popularity.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Despite Finn's claims that he'll "slay ''anything'' that's evil", not once in the entire show have Finn and Jake even tried to kill The Ice King (unless you count briefly pondering whether or not to let Ice King save himself in "Ricardio the Heart Guy"). You could make the argument that Ice King is more deranged than outright evil, but Finn doesn't know that until late Season 3.
* Really, ''every'' villain in the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' universe qualifies. No matter what injuries they receive, from being [[ImmuneToBullets shot in the face]] to being crushed by a boulder, they'll always be back for more. For instance, WesternAnimation/{{Sylvester the Cat|AndTweetyBird}} accidentally gets gunned down by the firing squad intended for Tweety at the end of "Rebel Without Claws." Sylvester rises as he breaks the fourth wall:
-->'''Sylvester:''' It's a good thing [[CatsHaveNineLives I've got nine lives]]. With ''this'' army, I'll need 'em!
* On ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'', it's never clear about Baron Greenback's fate after one of his vehicles or contraptions explodes on him, but he eventually lives to see another day. In "Statues," he is pursued by the statue of Monsieur Smaquing Lippes who wants to make a dish of frog's legs out of him. The ungodly off-screen groan indicates he succeeded.
* Monstrox, the main antagonist of Franchise/{{LEGO}}'s ''Toys/NexoKnights''. He first appears bound to a book, is seemingly destroyed in the second season after a failed GrandTheftMe attempt, comes back as a storm cloud in the third season, then comes back again as a computer virus in the fifth.
[[/folder]]

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'': Averted. At the end of the main story, Joker final succumbs to blood poisoning from the Titan formula he injected himself with in the last game. That said, [[VillainousLegacy he still leaves a legacy]] that characters in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' continue.
* ''VideoGame/BatmanSunsoft'': From the Joker himself; as in [[Film/Batman1989 the film the game is based on]], Batman throws the Joker out of the cathedral at the end of the first game. However, unlike in the film, the Joker survives the fall and becomes the BigBad in ''Return of the Joker''.
* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'''s BigBad Hazama not only has Joker Immunity, he even ''resembles'' the Joker with his green hair and [[EvilLaugh maniacal laughter]]. He's explicitly dead, but [[ThePowerOfHate is kept alive by people's hatred of him]]. And as it's a FightingGame series, leaving him off the roster will just attract the fans' ire. Specifically:
** In ''VideoGame/BlazBlueChronophantasma'', he's [[spoiler:hit by Hakumen's Time Killer, which should theoretically eliminate his future lifespan until the heat death of the universe. His boss Izanami also seems to just want to leave him to die]]. He still survives this via [[spoiler:[[StayingAlive self-Observation]], though [[LivingOnBorrowedTime on a time limit]].]]
** In ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCentralFiction'', [[spoiler:he gains a third form by hijacking Hakumen's armor unit (which originally belonged to him in the first place) in order to get over his LivingOnBorrowedTime state. Ragna finds a way to yank the soul out of that unit and [[DeaderThanDead evaporate it from existence]]]]. This implies that [[spoiler:the other two units (or at least Terumi) have had their immunities revoked, as this resolves a major plot point for Ragna]]. That said, [[spoiler:Hazama is still probably okay as long as he doesn't antagonize Ragna again]].
* Franchise/CarmenSandiego can't be caught, at least not for long, no matter which medium she appeared in. The kid's game show came the closest; if the contestant won, she would be captured, but she will have freed herself by the time the next game starts.
* Zig-zagged with Dracula in the ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series. He spent most of the series being defeated and resurrected over and over again, before [[spoiler:finally being defeated off-screen in 1999 -- and then being reincarnated as Soma Cruz in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow'']]. It's hinted that [[CameBackStrong he gets stronger each time he returns]]. It's enough to discourage at least one member of the Belmont family, who tries to [[RefusalOfTheCall refuse to fight him]] (only to learn the hard way that [[YouCantFightFate he can't]]).
* Kane from ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' has survived from the 1950s to the 1990s without aging, survived an Ion Cannon strike, and a metal pole to the chest, all while manipulating the Scrin into invading Earth.
* In the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' series, Dr. Neo Cortex has survived numerous supposedly inescapable demises; then, again due to the series' slapstick nature, this is par for the course for the series' RoguesGallery, which includes [[spoiler:the Evil Twins being eaten by Evil Crash in ''Videogame/CrashTwinsanity'')]]. It helps that Cortex and a lot of other villains are {{Iron Butt Monkey}}s.
* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'''s Monokuma always comes back to start another killing game. The first game, ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'', has [[spoiler:Monokuma/Junko Enoshima seemingly killed]], but [[spoiler:she comes back as an AI]] in ''VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'' and ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'', where [[spoiler:she is seemingly killed again]]. In ''Anime/Danganronpa3 Side:Future'' and ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', [[spoiler:this is {{subverted|Trope}} as she is dead for real in the former (although her influence still lingers), and in the latter the sixth trial has her coming back, but it's not the real Junko, it's Tsumugi cosplaying. The "real Junko" never even existed: she is fictional in the V3 world, just like everyone from the previous games and the games themselves. According to [[UnreliableExpositor Tsumugi]], anyway]].
* Averted in ''VideoGame/DeusEx'', where nearly every boss can be killed before the big confrontation. Sometimes they can be killed while they are still aligned as friendly and through surreptitious and underhanded ways.
* The title villain of the ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' series has already returned from defeat twice, and it's a safe bet that he will have Joker Immunity for as long as the series lasts. Firstly because the lore suggests that he cannot be destroyed, only imprisoned. And secondly because Blizzard would have to rebrand their rather VillainBasedFranchise.
* King K. Rool in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' has survived getting blown up, punched through windows, attacked by sharks, falling into a volcano, electrocution, destruction of his home country (by his own actions), and just getting beaten up by the Kongs over the course of many games and spin-offs, but he keeps coming back for more. It looked as if he was gone for good when both ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns Returns]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze Tropical Freeze]]'' used different villains, but then he appeared as a playable character in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (though [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover that game]] obviously has no bearing on ''DKC''[='s=] continuity).
* No matter how many times the Pilot blows Hibachi to smithereens in every ''VideoGame/DonPachi'', it's back and [[BulletHell flooding the screen]] by the end of the next game.
* ''VideoGame/{{Executioners}}''' FinalBoss, Cannibal Ed Bujone, survives his defeat (a TakingYouWithMe destruction of the factory) purely because WordOfGod said he's the developers' favorite character. He has a particularly UnexplainedRecovery when he surprises the heroes as they celebrate their victory in a fine restaurant.
* The Bacterians as a whole from ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' are extremely hard to kill. Though this is justifed, whenever they are defeated, pieces of them will scatter throughout the galaxy, and eventually they begin to regenerate and start their invasion anew.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** Gilgamesh from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' has survived everything from getting tossed into the Void to [[TakingYouWithMe detonating himself on an enemy]]. [[DimensionalTraveler He has appeared in roughly half the games in the series]] (with a few {{retcon}}s) in almost all of them, he gets his ass handed to him by the main party and apparently recovers enough for the next game where the cycle restarts again. Despite all this, the series usually depicts him as utterly incompetent (explaining why he loses all the time).
** ''In VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Sephiroth has died a total of three times so far, but he keeps coming back for more. The novellas ''[[http://thelifestream.net/ffvii-advent-children-complete/3881/on-the-way-to-a-smile-lifestream-black-and-lifestream-white/ Lifestream Black and Lifestream White]]'' deal with the specifics in further detail; as long as Jenova cells exist in some way on the Planet, Sephiroth can use their shapeshifting powers to craft a new body for himself. Besides that, as long as he can maintain his sense of self to avoid dissolution, TheLifestream can never claim him and he'll float around the planet for eternity trapped between life and death. Sephiroth's penchant for avoiding death has carried over to the spin-offs: in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' and ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'', he's defeated but isn't killed, because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou only Cloud is capable of killing him]].
* William Afton of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' is the Purple Guy- the serial killer responsible for all the child killings and haunted animatronics that form the foundation of the series. He dies ''three'' times throughout the series: His first death is when he fell victim to a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath springlock failure]]: He eventually possesses his own corpse and becomes Springtrap: 30 years after his original death, he seemingly dies for good when Fazbear's Fright burns down. Three games later, it's revealead he survived, although badly damaged. ''Pizzeria Simulator'' ends with Afton and the remaining animatronics dying in a second fire: But he barely survived it, and the next game, ''Ultimate Custom Night'', is William being tortured in his nightmares. He eventually escapes this form of punishment to, being scanned into a VR game as a virus, and as of now, he's still alive. The third game's trailer said that William will always come back, and William is sure as hell determined to make this statement come true.
* In ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead'', Caleb Goldman continually comes back, even in the fourth game. However, [[spoiler:it becomes a subversion when it turns out that his appearances are just flashbacks and recorded messages]]. Similarly, the Magician has also returned several times as a BonusBoss, solely because of his popularity.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** Axel seems to die toward the end of Sora's Story ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', only to be revealed to have survived in Reverse/Rebirth. He seemingly dies in the prologue of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', then comes back again and ''actually'' dies at the end of the game when Sora travels to [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon The World That Never Was]]. He was scheduled to actually die in the prologue; his popularity with the fans bought him some extra time. He returns in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance 3D]]'', now going by his old human name of Lea.
** The main villain, Xehanort/Ansem, is very hard to get rid of. Sora kills his Heartless in the first game, but ''Chain of Memories'' makes it clear that he's still bumping around inside Riku's mind. He returns in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' with his Nobody, Xemnas; Riku also takes his form, having somewhat lost his battle with his darkness. Both are defeated by the game: Xemnas is dead for good, and Riku is back to normal. However, according to WordOfGod, this just means his Nobody and heart will merge to form a whole person again (like Axel/Lea), and Xehanort will eventually be back for another round. The prequel game ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]'' reveals that [[spoiler:he's been doing this for a while now, [[GrandTheftMe having stolen Terra's body]] after being defeated for the first time]]. ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', touted as the GrandFinale of the Xehanort Saga after nearly two decades of buildup, sees [[spoiler:Xehanort ''finally'' get his immunity revoked, albeit under his own terms. Defeated by Sora and his friends after a grueling, multi-stage battle, Xehanort [[GracefulLoser bows out peacefully]] and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence departs for the afterlife]] after some coaxing from an apparition of his old friend Eraqus. Even then, due to the MesACrowd nature of Xehanort's schemes, it can be argued that he isn't truly dead given that Xigbar, one of the many vessels for his heart, is still alive by the game's end and ready to bring a new plan to fruition--albeit one with a different goal in mind, since Braig/Xigbar was actually Luxu from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'' all along and manipulating Xehanort for his own purposes]].
** Maleficent is killed in her dragon form in the first game, but when her pet Diablo brings her cloak to the three fairies, their sheer terror of her is apparently enough to resurrect her in ''II''. She then does the same for Oogie Boogie. The [[UnexplainedRecovery really confusing]] case is Ursula showing up again.
* In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', Ganondorf/Ganon continues to appear in the series, no matter how many times he gets killed. It happens often enough to [[HijackedByGanon have named a trope]] about situations where a new BigBad turns out to [[TheManBehindTheMan just be a patsy]] for a resurrected Ganon. It's even a plot point; although Link and Zelda are {{Legacy Character}}s and the different games have different Links, the Ganon in each game is the same entity. The sole exception to date is the Ganon in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures Four Swords Adventures]]'' who is a reincarnation of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'''s Ganondorf... who is, in turn, the ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' Ganondorf, having been ousted as a TreacherousAdvisor to the Hylian Royal Family by a time-traveling Link but surviving his execution due to the Triforce of Power.
** In ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'', the goal is to prevent his minions from resurrecting him following his death in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the original game]]; his ability to do so has been a plot point ever since.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' shows Ganondorf's origins and explicitly ''doesn't'' kill him off at the end of the game; he's [[SealedEvilInACan sealed in another dimension]] until ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' (in the timeline resulting from Link's disappearance after Zelda sends him back in time to relive the seven years he lost) or ''Twilight Princess'' (in the timeline said Link travels back to, which also includes the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'').
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' explains his ability to do this as [[spoiler:his being part of a curse on Link and Zelda -- and all their descendants -- by original BigBad Demise]].
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy''. [[BigBad Ogura]] is killed off in the third game after performing a HeroicSacrifice, and stays that way for the following two games (both of which have brand new villains).
* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
** Dr. Albert W. Wily from ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' always avoids total defeat. When Mega Man finally lands his ass in prison, he easily breaks out of it (albeit six months later). In ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'', Mega is literally a trigger pull away from killing Wily once and for all, but when Wily brings up [[ThreeLawsCompliant the First Law of Robotics]] (a robot must never harm a human), he hesitates just long enough for Bass to save him. In ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'', after Mega's apparent (and {{American|KirbyIsHardcore}}-exclusive) sanity break, Wily never actually gets cornered, so Mega doesn't get to try killing him again (Duo takes care of things, keeping Mega from a final blow). ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' apparently has Mega back to his ThouShaltNotKill attitude for no readily apparent reason, but then, considering [[BagOfSpilling he lost]] his charge shots ''and'' his slide ability, it's no wonder he's lost a few other things.
** In the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series, Sigma keeps getting killed -- sometimes he dies twice in a single game. But as he's [[TheVirus a sentient computer virus]], and there's all sorts of robots for him to [[BodySurf take over]], he won't ever stay dead (though he sometimes [[CameBackWrong doesn't return with all his mental faculties intact]], as infamously seen with the "Zombie Sigma" in ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'' after stretching himself thin during the [[VideoGame/MegaManX5 Eurasia Incident]]). His immunity is finally revoked in ''VideoGame/MegaManX8'', where he's blown up on the Moon, finds that there's nothing to take over on its barren surface, and dissipates harmlessly and somewhat anticlimactically. ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero Zero]]''-era [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]] pour (more) salt on the wound by having X use the Mother Elf, a "Sigma Antibody Program" created from Zero's data, to completely eradicate the Sigma Virus, deleting Sigma's existence (and finally ending the Maverick Wars) for good.
** In the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series, Doctor Weil/Vile's Joker Immunity is explicitly part of his ability set; he has [[spoiler:eternal life and NighInvulnerability (through regeneration) as [[NiceJobBreakingItHero punishment for his earlier crimes]]]]. He appears to be really dead in [[spoiler:''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero4 Zero 4]]'', but his remnants pop up again as the driving threat of the ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' series, Model W]].
* Revolver Ocelot, the only surviving boss from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', went on to plague Snake in every subsequent game. [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty In his second appearance]], he evades doom by wearing a kinetic shield, making him literally immune to bullets. [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater The prequel]] focused on his early career in Spetnaz, [[ForegoneConclusion so you can assume he's safe in this outing]]; but even then, Creator/HideoKojima can't leave well enough alone, lobbing bullets, bees, rockets, explosions, planes, and who knows what else at poor Ocelot. He survives everything, even a few tight scrapes with Big Boss himself, who consciously spares Ocelot's life (as he feels a certain kinship with a fellow "[[spoiler:Son of The Boss]]"). Ocelot [[spoiler:finally dies in ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 4|GunsOfThePatriots}}'']].
* Ridley in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series has appeared in every game in the series except for ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'', ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters''. Interestingly, he's usually TheDragon rather than the BigBad ([[OurDragonsAreDifferent literally, in his case]]), and gamers have noticed that in most of his defeats, they NeverFoundTheBody. That said, he's also Samus' ArchEnemy more than any other BigBad (including Mother Brain), as he is personally responsible for the attack that destroyed Samus' homeworld and killed her parents. Also, the games are in AnachronicOrder, so in some instances his survival is a given no matter what you do to him. In internal chronological order:
** He is seemingly killed the first time you fight him in the first ''VideoGame/{{Metroid|1}}'' (and in ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'').
** His next appearance is in ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' as Meta Ridley, implying that he survived with the help of robot tech; in that game, the player [[NeverFoundTheBody never actually sees him die]]. He appears to be "killed" at the start of ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption Corruption]]'', only to return as Omega Ridley, the guardian of the Pirate Homeworld Leviathan. Players noticed his shadow flying away for a sneaky split second.
** The remake of ''Metroid II'', ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' has him show up as the true final boss of the story. His Meta Ridley armor is mostly cast off, but he still maintains some -- mostly on his along his spine, wings, left arm, and right leg. It's theorized that his Phazon exposure as Omega Ridley helped heal the organic parts of his being, hence why he's almost fully organic again here -- a form known as Proteus Ridley.
** He next appears in ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', apparently in his original form after having finally healed enough to cast off his Cyborg Prosthetics entirely. WordOfGod points to his defeat in this game as the point where he's KilledOffForReal, seeing as Zebes was destroyed in an EarthShatteringKaboom, but that doesn't stop clones of him from showing up in future games.
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', a cloned Ridley appears, gets wounded by Samus, and is consumed by the Metroid Queen. He dies a lot faster than the original did. This game also speculates that the original was very good at playing dead, implying he may have ''still'' survived.
** The clone's drained, frozen husk turns up in ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', where he is consumed by an X parasite; you fight him as [[BodyHorror Neo-Ridley]]. As this is an X parasite mimicking Ridley, it's about as powerful as the original but explicitly isn't him; the boss's inclusion (as is the suspiciously ''Super Metroid''-like area he appears in) is likely just PanderingToTheBase.
* ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'''s Ghost Pirate [=LeChuck=] always finds a way to come back for every new game, despite explicitly dying at the end of almost all of them; as the Voodoo Lady notes, [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil true evil can never be destroyed completely]]. [[VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland The first game]] implies that he was undead to begin with; he gets revived by voodoo as an explicit zombie for [[VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge the second game]], and in subsequent games, he becomes a demon who can [[EscapedFromHell escape the pirate afterlife]]. For his part, {{Medium Aware|ness}} protagonist Guybrush knows that [=LeChuck=] can't die because they need him for the sequels; in ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', he begs [=LeChuck=] not to kill him because [[AnthropicPrinciple he's also necessary for the sequels]] (and to prove his point, asks [=LeChuck=] if he's ever heard of [[VideoGame/{{Loom}} Bobbin Threadbare]]).
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', being a game populated with bad guys whom you defeat in [[BloodierAndGorier particularly gruesome ways]], naturally gives nearly everybody Joker Immunity. The most JustForFun/{{egregious}} is BigBad Shao Khan's survival in [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 the reboot]]; TheHero Liu Kang [[TorsoWithAView punches straight through him]] and all his lieutenants surrender, but the next scene shows Shao Khan limping back to his throne and announcing his next evil plan. It takes [[spoiler:the Elder Gods' intervention]] to get rid of him at the end of the game, but ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' implies he's ''still'' alive and kicking: [[spoiler:one set of MirrorMatch dialogue for Ermac suggests the emperor's soul is now part of [[ManySpiritsInsideOfOne the myriad collection of fallen warriors comprising Ermac's being]]]]. This SequelHook is seemingly negated when Kronika, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''--and perhaps even more of a GreaterScopeVillain than [[SealedEvilInACan the One Being]]--uses [[TimeMaster her powers over the flow of time]] to engineer a CosmicRetcon so that she can guide history along its "rightful" course, only for the resulting TimeCrash to bring a ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat2 MK2]]''-era Shao Kahn into Kronika's circle. [[spoiler:This doesn't last long, as the Kitana from the same time period ultimately ends up defeating Kahn in battle, culminating with her [[SlashedThroat going for the jugular]]. For added measure, the game ends with Fire God Liu Kang (Liu Kang imbued with Raiden's powers) going through with a clean wipe of the timeline in response to Kronika's (attempted) meddling, meaning it's entirely possible Shao Kahn will end up being RetGone'd in the rebooted timeline.]]
* Saya from ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'', ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier'', and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone''. No matter how many times Reiji Arisu kills her, she always seems to come back.
* In the first ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', Travis Touchdown [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe slices Destroyman in half]]; this doesn't stop him from returning in [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle the sequel]] as two separate people (New Destroyman) with cybernetics replacing the missing halves.
* The older versions of ''VideoGame/SidMeiersPirates'' had a variety of evil Spaniards to chase down, but the 2004 version recycles Montalban, Raymondo, and Mendoza, giving them this status.
** To drive the point home, you ''cannot'' sink a ship belonging to any of these three, regardless of how many times you score a massive hit with all your cannons at close range - You have to board it and fence the villain. In fact, you can use Grape-Shot to whittle their crew down to just one man (presumably, the villain himself), and it will never drop below that.
** Downplayed in the iPad version of the game - you can sink Raymondo's ship with a well-placed broadside. You get nothing from him and have to track him down from scratch.
* For a robot, Dr. Nefarious from ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' is surprisingly indestructible.
** Even as an organic lifeform he proved to be unkillable: he got knocked into a bunch of gears and machinery by [[IdiotHero Captain Qwark]] and was presumed dead but instead he was transformed into a robot. In a later confrontation he's ''decapitated'' by Qwark, who tosses his head in a trash can (where his butler Lawrence rescues him from and later reattaches his head back to his body). Years later in ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal Up Your Arsenal]]'', he fights against Ratchet who fires at him with machine guns, missile launchers and all sorts of futuristic weapons that barely leave a scratch on the doctor. Nefarious then controls the Biobliterator which turns into a gigantic mech that is destroyed by Ratchet, Clank and Qwark. The mech explodes in a spectacular fashion, but Nefarious and Lawrence manage to teleport to an asteroid floating in space [[BatmanCanBreatheInSpace while still being able to breathe]] and are left stranded.
** Years later in ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackinTime A Crack in Time]]'', the asteroid finally crash lands on planet Zanifar in the Polaris Galaxy ([[VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked though not before coming in contact with the ruins of the DreadZone Battledome]]). Nefarious survives this crash landing and sets up his base of operations, the Nefarious Space Station, in Polaris. Ratchet and Clank confront him there yet again, where Nefarious suffers a complete mental breakdown after his defeat and his broken down body is left there as the space station explodes. WordOfGod says that Nefarious ''was'' originally meant to be killed off here, but Sony wanted the series to keep going so the comic book series and ''All 4 One'' explained that Lawrence teleported Nefarious away just before the station exploded.
** Even in the alternative continuity of ''WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank2016'' Nefarious, in his organic form, refuses to die. [[spoiler: After betraying Chairman Alonzo Drek, he confronts Ratchet, Clank and Qwark at the climax of the film and is about to kill Qwark by using the RYNO. Ratchet uses his wrench to knock Nefarious into the Deplanetizer, sending him crash landing on planet Umbris where he's transformed into a robot yet again.]] Somewhat subverted in [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016 the tie-in video game]] where Ratchet and Clank fight Nefarious in an ultra-mech, knock him into the Deplanetizer's artificial supernova where he ''appears'' to be incinerated and finally killed off. Of course the game is Qwark's retelling of the events from the original game and the player knows that Nefarious shows up in ''Up Your Arsenal'' so he probably survived this event as well.
* Albert Wesker from ''Franchise/ResidentEvil''. He gets impaled by a Tyrant in the end of the first game, but it's just used to activate the virus that he injected himself early on that gave him his powers. In ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 5]]'', he manages to survive from Jill's HeroicSacrifice. [[spoiler:That is, until he dies for real in the end.]]
* ''VideoGame/RocketKnightAdventures'': Although the BigBad always dies at the end of each game, [[TheDragon Axel Gear]] does not.
* Creator/{{SNK}}'s Geese Howard is an odd example; in the continuity of ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'', he's alive and well, but in his home continuity of ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''KOF''[='s=] own AlternateContinuity, the ''Maximum Impact'' series, he's dead. And even then, he's appeared in games where he's canonically dead in the form of "Nightmare Geese", a much more powerful "spirit" version of his normal self.
* Doctor Robotnik/Eggman from ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' hasn't even been in ''prison'' for his crimes (except for the [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 one time]] he broke in deliberately), so he's always back to fight the heroes in the next installment.
** Most games have him surviving otherwise inescapable explosions with little more than AmusingInjuries. Most egregiously, his Death Egg burst into flames and crash-landed on Angel Island in the climax of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', but ''VideoGame/{{Sonic 3|AndKnuckles}}'' reveals that he started work on his next scheme almost immediately after that.
** ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' seemingly subverts his immunity; in three possible endings, it's implied that Shadow breaks his neck after defeating him. [[DoubleSubversion However]], these endings were subject to CuttingOffTheBranches and Eggman survives to [[OmegaEnding the Last Story]].
** The ending of ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' shows both the modern Dr. Eggman and the classic Dr. Robotnik trapped together in the same nowhere-space outside time, explicitly trying and failing to find a way out. Both are perfectly fine when we next see them in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' and ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' respectively, despite ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' confirming that the time travel plot of ''Generations'' did happen, [[{{Retcon}} in some]] [[ContinuitySnarl fashion, at least]].
* In the ''VideoGame/StarFox'' series, rival team Star Wolf is more resilient than any villain, always coming back from defeat for another shot at you -- sometimes in the same game. They've survived things other than defeating you; in the default ending of ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'', Star Wolf flies into an ''acidic ocean'' to attack the enemy base and come back in one piece. The only exception is ''VideoGame/StarFoxAssault'''s Corneria level where Fox rides on Wolf's wing, where he will die if you fail to protect his ship.
* Any ''Franchise/StarWars'' video game in which you fight against Darth Vader, either in his TIE Fighter or a lightsaber duel, Vader can't be killed. In games that depict the Battle of Yavin (the 1983 and 1998 games), Vader's TIE fighter can be shot and hit but it will spin out of control; or after his hit points are depleted, he will veer off. Vader's wingmen can still be killed with one shot, however. You aren't told explicitly that you won the lightsaber duel with Vader in the 1998 game, but when he runs out of hit points he does acknowledge that "The Force is strong in you but... you are not a Jedi yet."
* M. Bison in ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' can't stay dead. Akuma's iconic DynamicEntry moment in ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Super Street Fighter II Turbo]]'', where he pulls the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Raging Demon]] on Bison, was {{retcon}}ned away, as ''Anime/StreetFighterIVTheTiesThatBind'' shows Bison [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled killing himself to avoid capture at the hands of the heroes]]. Even then, [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil his soul hovers around post-mortem]] until [[CloningBlues a suitable replacement body can be made]] (much like the aftermath of ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha 3]]''), leading to his inclusion in the events of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV''. In his next chronological appearance, ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'', [[spoiler:his current body appears to show signs of degradation (again, like in ''Alpha 3'') and Bison seemingly dies at the end of "A Shadow Falls" following his battle with Ryu. However, the Capcom Fighters Network profile for "Phantom Bison" (Bison's consciousness manifested through Psycho Power whenever his body is destroyed) as well as the Character Stories for Ed and Falke, two of Bison's potential hosts, indicate that he's ''still'' around even after the fall of Shadaloo]].
* Bowser from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' franchise seems to enjoy complete immunity to death. Otherwise it's very hard to explain how he comes back from [[VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG falling off a chandelier]], being [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros melted to a skeleton in lava]], getting [[ComicBook/SuperMarioAdventures crushed beneath a giant wedding cake]], [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy falling into a star]], or any of the other crazy things that happen to him throughout the saga. Sometimes, though, it's really weird:
** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', which provides the "thrown into a star" example, Bowser ends up [[spoiler:apparently dying for real, except the entire universe gets sucked into a black hole, resulting in a Big Crunch and a new Big Bang, which recreates the universe -- including Bowser]].
** ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' reveals that he's one of the four heroes (along with Mario, Luigi, and Peach) who are destined to stop Count Bleck from destroying all worlds. Near the end, when [[spoiler:Bowser is seemingly crushed]], Peach says she isn't worried about him because he isn't easy to get rid of and has survived worse. [[spoiler:She's right; he just crashed through the floor]].
** In ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1'', Bowser is [[spoiler:seemingly killed three times over the course of the game and has to be brought back to life each time. He "remains" Dry Bowser for the second fight, so it's implied that he spent the entire game in-between those battles in skeletal form]].
** In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'', you are actually tasked to ''save'' Bowser from otherwise certain death by activating his body's desperation HulkOut. In the other ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' installments, he always survives his fights with the brothers while one-off villains like Cackletta and Antasma are killed in battles that play out the exact same way gameplay-wise.
** ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' {{lampshade|Hanging}}s the phenomenon; during the stages where you play as Bowser, he has infinite lives.
* Mara Aramov from the ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'' series gets [[BoomHeadshot headshot]] twice, but survives until ''Dark Mirror''.
* Wild Dog from the ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'' series. Despite being blown up in every game you fight him, he always comes back for more. Lampshaded by Alan and Wesley in the third game:
-->'''Wesley:''' Wild Dog?!\\
'''Alan:''' [[WhyWontYouDie Don't you ever die?!]]
* Eliphas the Inheritor of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}: VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' is supposed to be dead in ''Dark Crusade'', but due to his popularity, he was inexplicably resurrected for ''Chaos Rising''. He gets killed there to then he's resurrected again. The same happened to the [[LargeHam wonderfully hilarious]] Gorgutz, who not only survives the games he's appeared in, he's established as the canonical winner of the ''Soulstorm'' campaign in ''Videogame/DawnOfWarIII''.
* There are several ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' villainous characters who are all but guaranteed never to be permanently killed due to being fan favorites, Sylvanas Windrunner probably being the biggest.
[[/folder]]

** The Daleks rival the Master for the number of times they've been "killed off completely" (including to the extent of being ''[[RetGone erased from time]]''); it's happened seven times to date[[labelnote:In order:]][[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks "The Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E9TheEvilOfTheDaleks "The Evil of the Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek "Dalek"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays "The Parting of the Ways"]], and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]]. Twice more they're left with only a few survivors, in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday "Doomsday"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E5EvolutionOfTheDaleks "Evolution of the Daleks"]].[[/labelnote]], with none of them sticking. They're very analogous to the Joker, as they're the Doctor's defining villains (Creator/RussellTDavies has said you basically can't have ''Doctor Who'' without the Daleks) and the Doctor has a strong moral code that would make them hesitant to wipe out an entire race. That said, the Doctor ''really'' hates the Daleks, ''has'' pulled the genocide trigger before, and has been known to fly into a rage whenever the Daleks reappear (such as in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks "Victory of the Daleks"]], when Eleven finds them apparently behaving as docile British weapons wandering around World War II-era London).

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', [[AGodAmI Aizen]] was the BigBad for about 400 chapters. His eventual defeat left room for a vague comeback [[spoiler:because he's not dead, only {{depower}}ed, partly because he actually has complete immortality]].

* In ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', James and Jesse of Team Rocket try something villainous OncePerEpisode and always fail, but they're always back to try again. This in spite of them occasionally being last seen in situations where NoOneCouldSurviveThat, only to be [[SnapBack right back at it next episode]] with no explanation as to how they survived. Over time, their consistent failure to do anything meaningful has led to VillainDecay, so on the rare occasions that Ash actually bothers to tell the authorities about them, they're not considered a priority (at least compared to their more villainous teammates). They're also [[VillainExitStageLeft very adept at escaping custody]]. Their boss Giovanni shares this immortality, surviving Mewtwo's destruction of Team Rocket's headquarters without so much as a scratch in ''Mewtwo Strikes Back''.

** Save for his appearance in ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'', in which he was killed by a host of Earth's monsters going up against him together, King Ghidorah tends to survive most of his encounters with the King (and later, Series/ZoneFighter) during the Showa era, normally by [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere running when the situation gets dire]].
* Harry and Marv from the first two ''Film/HomeAlone'' films qualify. Special mention goes to two particular scenes in ''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'', where Marv has bricks repeatedly thrown to his head, and later, electrocuted, while Harry's head is lit on fire, where he attempts to put it out in the toilet, not knowing it was full of kerosene, causing an explosion around him.

* Although comic book villains are very prone to [[SuperheroMovieVillainsDie lose their immunity in film adaptations]], Loki in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse [[spoiler:survived the first four films he's appeared in, despite faking his death in both ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', but his immunity is finally revoked in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' by an even greater villain, Thanos. And even then, the TimeyWimeyBall "revives" Loki in sequel ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', as when the Avengers time travel, the Loki from the past escapes captivity, and is even set to star in his own streaming series]].

* Cipher from ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' franchise. ''Film/TheFateOfTheFurious'' ended with her [[spoiler: escaping justice, making her the first villain in the franchise to still be at large.]]

* Wo Fat in the original ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'' always got away at the end of the episode, to the point that the series finale was, and could only be, [=McGarrett=] hunting him down to arrest him personally — [[spoiler:except the final shot shows he has a file in his shoe]]. Similarly in [[Series/HawaiiFive0 the reboot]].
** It's Wo Fat's notorious Joker immunity more than any other that's being parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' "Spin-Off Showcase" segment "Chief Wiggum, P.I.", in which Big Daddy escapes very slowly.
--->'''Principal Skinner:''' He's gradually getting away, Chief.\\

* Jack Slash from ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' has survived as leader of the Slaughterhouse 9 for more than 20 years, carving a blood swatch across America even as every other member of the group has been killed and replaced. [[spoiler:[[JustifiedTrope It's actually a secondary power.]] His power subconsciously communicates with the minds of other parahumans, allowing him to understand how to [[TheCorrupter manipulate them to bring out their worst urges]] and alerts him if other parahumans are attacking. It also causes other parahumans to hesitate when they have a clear shot at Jack, rationalising away their reason for not attacking then, serving as a deconstruction of PlotArmor. Jack doesn't actually know that he has this ability; he thinks that he's just that good at figuring out what makes a given person tick.]] Between this, and Siberian and Bonesaw making him {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le he always manages to avoid his well-deserved death. [[spoiler:[[FateWorseThanDeath Even at the end of the story he's not technically dead]].]]

--> '''Alan Moore''': "...really, really, really, honestly, 110% perma-dead, will not come back, will not be resurrected, will not have his death retconned, has no backup plans, no machiavellian schemes to turn anyone else into his successor, and will not be missed, so if you're going to ask us to bring him back, don't, or suffer the consequences."

* ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle''

** Sideshow Bob, but that's mainly a case of CardboardPrison. Well, that, and, as he explained to Edna Krabappel on a date once, he's [[HarmlessVillain never actually successfully killed anybody]] (Mrs. Krabappel looks more than a little [[EvilIsSexy disappointed]] to hear this). This is mutual, as when Sideshow Bob had the chance to finally kill Bart, he can't do it because he's grown accustomed to his face, owing his very existence to hating him.

** The spin-off ''Series/{{Class|2016}}'' has a subversion. The team's [[ArchEnemy greatest enemies]] and major recurring villains are Corakinus and his [[OmnicidalManiac legions of Shadow Kin]]. The first time they're beaten, the Doctor himself drives them back to their planet. The second time, it's [[spoiler:April who beats their King, takes his title]] and drives them back to their planet. The ''third'' time they show up, [[spoiler:it ends with their entire planet getting imploded and the entire Shadow Kin race being rendered extinct]]. [[RealityEnsues Human teenagers are a lot less strict about pacifism than an ancient Time Lord]], especially when you start [[spoiler:killing their parents]].