History Main / PostMortemComeback

* In ''TheCloneSaga'', after the Jackal died, a post-mortem compulsion activates within {{Spider-Man}}'s brain, causing him to try to kill whoever he loves most under temporary conscious mind control.

* A variation of this occurs in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' , where it is eventually revealed that Big Bad the Shredder keeps an online backup of his mind, in case his body is ever destroyed. After he was written off the series--exiled, but not killed--the writers had that backup take over the mind of the cybernetic villain Viral, allowing a new version of the Shredder to enter the fold.

* A variation of this occurs in ''[[TMNT2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (2003), where it is eventually revealed that Big Bad the Shredder keeps an online backup of his mind, in case his body is ever destroyed. After he was written off the series--exiled, but not killed--the writers had that backup take over the mind of the cybernetic villain Viral, allowing a new version of the Shredder to enter the fold.

* The final puzzle in StillLife2 revolves around this. After finally identifying and killing the villain, our heroine rushes to save the hostage, [[spoiler:only to find her strapped to the bomb, and a villains' final recording playing on the screen - he has planned for his death and left us with a final SadisticChoice - try to save the hostage and risk detonating the bomb that kills you both; or save yourself and leave the hostage to die - which will get transmitted all over the Internet. ]]

* MassEffect1 had a variant, where Saren was reanimated into a husk.
** MassEffect2 had the Derelict Reaper continuing to influence the crew that investigated its insides after it was disabled. Very, ''very'' [[CosmicHorrorStory Lovecraftian]].

** On the other hand, however, the final season had the return of several villains that were either A. [[SealedEvilinaCan sealed in a book]] (Malchior), B. not magically animated anymore (the Puppet Master), C. eaten by Cyborg (the alien Tofu) [[AssPull without reason.]]

* In MetalGearSolid, Liquid's hand possesses Ocelot.

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'': Voldemort is incorporeal rather than dead, but he still manages to cause problems via a magic diary containing the LivingMemory of his teenaged self, who was already a murderous lunatic, just not quite as ObviouslyEvil.

* ''HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'': Voldemort is incorporeal rather than dead, but he still manages to cause problems via a magic diary containing the personality of his teenaged self. [[spoiler: This later turns out to be just one of several [[SoulJar soul-jars]] he made.]]

* ''{{Bleach}}'' had one of the most disturbing examples, enough that it led to a MoralEventHorizon. At the end of his encounter with Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Szayelaporro Granz was devoured by Ashisogi Jizo, but he revived himself by implanting pieces of his BattleAura into Nemu, allowing him to reform himself while inside her stomach. You read that right - he ''raped'' her.

[[AC:Live Action]]

* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': The Mayor, the BigBad of season 3 who's killed at the end of the season, gets one final hurrah in season 4 when a contingency plan he set up lets Faith pull a GrandTheftMe on Buffy.
* HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets: Voldemort is incorporeal rather than dead, but he still manages to cause problems via a magic diary containing the personality of his teenaged self. [[spoiler: This later turns out to be just one of several [[SoulJar soul-jars]] he made.]]

* In [[Literature/AlexRider Stormbreaker]] (2006), the main villain has been foiled, but then Alex Rider remembers that he had a failsafe transmitter and so an extra 20 minutes of film time appears.

* ReBoot had this. When Bob enters the core to save data and force a system restart,Bob encountered a program left behind by Megabyte,who at this point was launched into the Web,our resident HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace. It's a simulation of Megabyte, which can self-replicate. All it does it taunt Bob.

* ''{{Airwolf}}'' once had this: Airwolf's mad creator had a program hidden inside it that nearly caused it to trigger World War III. The creator's been dead for quite a while, yet his revenge wasn't complete.

** There's also Dr. Gero, with his Androids 17 and 18 (who would actually succeed in killing most of the heroes and the population of the Earth in an alternate timeline) and later, Cell.

** On the other hand, however, the final season had the return of several villains that were either A. [[SealedEvilinaCan sealed in a book]] (Malchior), B. not magically animated anymore (the Puppet Master), C. eaten by Cyborg (the alien Tofu).

* In Stormbreaker (2006), the main villain has been foiled, but then Alex Rider remembers that he had a failsafe transmitter and so an extra 20 minutes of film time appears.

[[AC:Troper Works]]
* ''{{Soundscape}}'' is the TropeNamer, where Nireddel lampshades how a HumanoidAbomination pulled off the aforementioned unorthodox method.
-->'''Nireddel''': "Be prepared for a [[TropeNamer post-mortem comeback]]."

* The StarTrekDeepSpaceNine episode [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Trials_and_Tribble-ations_%28episode%29 Trials and Tribbleations]] features the Klingon from the StarTrekTOS episode [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Tribbles_%28episode%29 Trouble with tribbles]] going back 100 years into the past to plant a bomb that will kill Kirk.
* In the StarTrekVoyager episode "Worst Case Scenario" (S3 E25), a highly adaptive hologram of [[spoiler:Seska]] enters the program and [[spoiler:manipulates it to her own ends.]]

* In one of the most effective executions, we have Slade from the ''TeenTitans'' animated show. He was thrown into a pool of lava in the second season, but the dust in his mask left a chemical substance that made Robin see, hear and feel Slade, even when he wasn't there. It's also a subversion; Slade himself is resurrected by Trigon in the following season.

* In one of the [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel most effective]] executions, we have Slade from the TeenTitans animated show. He was thrown into a pool of lava in the second season, but the dust in his mask left a chemical substance that made Robin see, hear and feel Slade, even when he wasn't there. It's also a subversion; Slade himself is resurrected by Trigon in the following season.

* HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets: Voldemort is incorporeal rather than dead, but he still manages to cause problems via a magic diary containing the personality of his teenaged self. [[spoiler: This later turns out to be just one of several [[SoulJars soul-jars]] he made.]]

* HarryPotterHarryPotter/AndTheChamberOfSecrets: Voldemort is incorporeal rather than dead, but he still manages to cause problems via a magic diary containing the personality of his teenaged self. [[spoiler: This later turns out to be just one of several [[SoulJars soul-jars]] he made.]]

* HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets has this in the form of Voldemort hiding pieces of his memories in a book, but it's inverted - he was already alive to begin with... somewhat.

!!!Anime and Manga

!!!Comic Books

!!!Live Action

!!!Troper Works

!!!Video Games

* In MetalGearSolid, Liquids' hand possesses Ocelot.

!!!Western Animation

* In one of the [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel most effective]] executions, we have Slade from the TeenTitans animated show. He was thrown into a pool of lava in the second season, but the dust in his mask left a chemical substance that made Robin see, hear and feel Slade, even when he wasn't there. It's also a subversion; Slade himself is resurrected by Trigon in the following season.

Compare ThanatosGambit. This may lead to YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle.