History UnexplainedRecovery / ComicBooks

[[UnexplainedRecovery Unexplained Recoveries]] in comic books.

* ComicBook/TheSentry's wife was once killed by ComicBook/{{Ultron}}, and he resurrected her in a way that was never explained. Sentry himself in ''ComicBook/DarkAvengers'' was turned into combination of TheWorfEffect and this. First he was [[Webcomic/VGCats aborted from time]] by Morgan Le Fay. After Morgan's defeat, he returned, scaring the hell out of all his teammates. Then his head was blown up by alien weapon, and in the next issue he acts like nothing happened. And then he's disintegrated by the Molecule Man, only to reform without much issue. He even allows himself to be killed for good in ''ComicBook/Siege'', with his very explicitly dead body subsequently dumped in the sun... and then pops up in ''ComicBook/UncannyAvengers'' a little while later. Sheesh...

** Parodied in ''ComicBook/TheBlackRing'': A particular character gets killed several times over the course of the arc, each time reappearing later apparently unharmed. The thing is, he's perfectly willing to explain how he did it, it's just that nobody else is interested, and he always gets cut off when he tries.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' villain ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} commits suicide in ''Daredevil'' Vol. 2, shows up with a hole in his head in ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'', and shows up in ''Amazing Spider-Man'', explaining he helped fake Harry Osborn's death, but not explaining his own death. ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'' eventually revealed that he genuinely died, but subsequently made a DealWithTheDevil to return to life.

* A well known "[[JokerImmunity skill]]" of ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'s'' ArchEnemy ComicBook/TheJoker is to come back from obviously fatal ends. He's been shot, electrocuted, blown up, thrown off buildings, etc., but turns up a few months later without so much as a mention. One story arc ended with him clutching a crate of explosives to his chest and gleefully shooting it, with Bats barely escaping the detonating building. A few months later, [[ItMakesSenseInContext he's back in a Santa suit on a road trip with Robin...]]

* The "Hunt For Comicbook/{{Raven}}" storyline in ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' ended with Miss Martian stuck in a seemingly irreversible coma. When Miss Martian next appeared in ''ComicBook/Supergirl2005'', she was completely recovered with no mention to her condition.

* Comicbook/CaptainAmerica has had quite a few deaths go by where he reappeared again with no explanation and the death itself completely ignored by the plot.

** ''Captain America and ComicBook/TheFalcon'' had an ongoing subplot about Sam coming unhinged because of ComicBook/ScarletWitch's manipulations during ''Comicbook/AvengersDisassembled''. Sam's mental state gradually got worse before he seemingly snapped out of it, and he was last seen confronting Anti-Cap. The series abruptly ended the next issue, with the final few pages showing Cap finding Sam's abandoned Falcon suit in a graveyard, ominously fluttering in the wind. This, coupled with Anti-Cap claiming to have killed Sam, was clearly meant to make his fate ambiguous. When Sam returned a few months later in Creator/EdBrubaker's ''Captain America'' series, there was no mention of his prior disappearance or what exactly Anti-Cap had done to him.

** Andrea von Strucker is killed by Zemo in ''Citizen V and the V-Battalion'' #3, while her brother Andreas is killed by Comicbook/NormanOsborn in ''Secret Invasion: Dark Reign'' #1. They both return at a club in ''Illuminati'' #2, saying their father "took care of that."

* In the ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'' story arc 'Master of Doom', The Marquis of Death turns Doctor Doom's heart to stone and his blood to acid, then sends him back in time where he is eaten by a megalodon shark. When he is revealed to have survived, he gives no further explanation than "my hate kept me alive."
** An issue of ''Comicbook/DarkAvengers'' some years later did give an explanation. The Comicbook/{{Thunderbolts}}, during an unrelated time travel mishap, rescued Doom from the megalodon and healed him, though without knowing who he was at first. Doom then hijacked their time machine and returned to his present, but sent the team into the future to prevent anyone from knowing about his moment of weakness; his talk of ThePowerOfHate saving him was merely an ego-saving lie.
* ''Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk'':

** Likewise, fellow X-Men member Cecilia Reyes was supposedly among the Neverland prisoners who were gunned down offscreen by Agent Zero in ''Weapon X: Days of Future Now'' #3, and her death was later confirmed in the letters page of ''New Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}'' #1. She resurfaced years later in the second ''ComicBook/{{NYX}}'' mini-series, with no explanation given as to how she'd survived or escaped Neverland.

** Also in ''Moon Knight'', Echo was killed after Count Nefaria blasted his EyeBeams through her chest. She showed up alive and well in Charles Soule's ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' run, with the only explanation being a line in the issue's recap page saying that she'd mysteriously been resurrected through "supernatural" means. Her death isn't even ''mentioned'' in the actual issue itself.

* ''Comicbook/IronMan'':
** The Mandarin was killed by Ezekiel Stane in the penultimate issue of the Creator/MattFraction run. He later appeared alive and well in the 2018 ''Comicbook/ThePunisher'' run, with no explanation for his survival.
** In the same run, Firepower was seemingly killed after having his armor torn open and sinking into the ocean. He later showed up in ''Comicbook/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}}'', with Iron Man not even expressing surprise at his return.
** Parnell Jacobs was shot several times by his old partner, Stuart Clarke, in an issue of ''Comicbook/ThePunisher: War Journal''. Despite clearly being dead (complete with [[DiesWideOpen a shot of his dead face with the eyes wide open]]), he later showed up as a major supporting character in the second ''Comicbook/WarMachine'' series. He even looked several years younger and was in much better physical shape.

* Doctor Demonicus and the rest of the Pacific Overlords were seemingly killed when the nation of Demonica collapsed and sank into the sea at the end of ''[[Comicbook/WestCoastAvengers Avengers West Coast]]'' #95. Over a decade later, Demonicus randomly showed up in Creator/BrianBendis' ''Comicbook/NewAvengers'' run, and even joined the Hood's supervillain army.
* Comicbook/TheSentry's wife was once killed by ComicBook/{{Ultron}}, and he resurrected her in a way that was never explained. Sentry himself in ''ComicBook/DarkAvengers'' was turned into combination of TheWorfEffect and this. First he was [[Webcomic/VGCats aborted from time]] by Morgan Le Fay. After Morgan's defeat, he returned, scaring the hell out of all his teammates. Then his head was blown up by alien weapon, and in the next issue he acts like nothing happened. And then he's disintegrated by the Molecule Man, only to reform without much issue. He even allows himself to be killed for good in ''ComicBook/Siege'', with his very explicitly dead body subsequently dumped in the sun... and then pops up in ''ComicBook/UncannyAvengers'' a little while later. Sheesh...

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' villain Hammerhead has been killed multiple times in seemingly irreversible ways, including a ''nuclear explosion'', only to bounce right back with some {{hand wave}}d explanation, if any at all. In the [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Ultimate universe]], he had his ''head exploded'' by Comicbook/{{Gambit}} in ''Comicbook/UltimateXMen'', only to appear sometime later in ''Comicbook/UltimateSpiderMan'', right as rain. When another character points out that he's supposed to be dead, his response is, "It sucked. I came back."
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' villain ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} commits suicide in ''Daredevil'' Vol. 2, shows up with a hole in his head in ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'', and shows up in ''Amazing Spider-Man'', explaining he helped fake Harry Osborn's death, but not explaining his own death. ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'' eventually revealed that he genuinely died, but subsequently made a DealWithTheDevil to return to life.
* In ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #687, Rhino and Comicbook/SilverSable appear to die from drowning, one of the easiest types of deaths to recover from. In ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #690, Silver Sable is said to still be alive. The Rhino shows up alive in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' Vol 4 #2.
* During ''ComicBook/TheThanosImperative'' miniseries, Drax the Destroyer, Comicbook/{{Nova}}, Star-Lord, and ComicBook/{{Thanos}} all died, the last three being in a universe that was collapsing in on itself. All of them except for Nova have reappeared in major series with no explanation for their survival or escape. Pretty blatant example, since all of them died only two years before their return. Even more blatant for Drax, because he was outright confirmed to be dead, charred remains and all.
** ''Comicbook/OriginalSin'' finally revealed what happened: [[spoiler: It's apparently impossible to die in the Cancerverse, which explains how Drax survived. He, Star-Lord, and Thanos were subsequently able to escape after Nova committed a HeroicSacrifice by combining the Nova Force with the Cosmic Cube, creating a gateway back home]].
* ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'': The end of the "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Death of Spider-Man]]" arc ends with Peter Parker's death after his final battle with the Green Goblin, who [[MutualKill also dies]], with Comicbook/MilesMorales subsequently [[LegacyCharacter taking up the Spider-Man identity]]. In the first issue of ''Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man'', two years after his death, Peter suddenly shows up alive and well at Miles' house, seeking to take back his web-shooters and get back in the game. He later explains that he simply woke up one day in an abandoned lab, and has no idea how he returned from the dead. The arc ends with he and Mary Jane RidingIntoTheSunset, leaving Miles to carry on the fight as Spider-Man.
* Comicbook/CaptainBritain was supposedly killed in an explosion during ''Comicbook/{{Ultimatum}}'', and was even listed in the "In Memorium" section at the end of the series. He showed up in a later issue of ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'' with no mention of his "death", though he was now shown to be dying of cancer caused by his [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman supersuit]].
** Comicbook/{{Psylocke}} was also listed in the "In Memorium" section, only to turn up alive in a later ''[[Comicbook/UltimateXMen Ultimate Comics: X-Men]]'' story arc.
* The ''Ultimate End'' tie-in to ''Comicbook/SecretWars2015'' features Ultimate Captain America in the clash between the Ultimate and Earth-616 heroes, where he can be seen battling [[Comicbook/TheFalcon Sam Wilson]], Earth-616's Captain America. Ultimate Cap had previously been killed in ''ComicBook/CataclysmTheUltimatesLastStand'', as had the Ultimate [[Comicbook/ThePunisher Punisher]], who also appears in ''Ultimate End''. However, the final issue revealed that the characters in ''Ultimate End'' were not actually the characters we thought, but came from a world (Earth-61610) where worlds similar to the mainstream and Ultimate Marvel universes had accidentally fused.

* ''ComicBook/XMenBlue'' reveals that Comicbook/{{Quicksilver}} is one of the characters who survived the destruction of the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe during ''Comicbook/SecretWars2015''. This ignores the fact that Ultimate Quicksilver had already been long dead by the time ''Secret Wars'' took place, as he was killed by Kang the Conquerer in one of the last issues of ''Comicbook/TheUltimates'' before the post-''Comicbook/{{Cataclysm|The Ultimates Last Stand}}'' ReTool.
* The final issue of ''Comicbook/XStatix'' ended with the entire team seemingly perishing, which was confirmed in the later ''X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl'' mini-series, which featured several members of the team in the afterlife. Despite this, Doop later returned as a supporting character in the X-Men books, while the 2019 ''X-Statix'' relaunch subsequently confirmed that Mr. Sensitive, Dead Girl and Vivisector had also all either survived or returned from the dead via unknown means.

* During ''Comicbook/{{Venomized}}'', the Poisons killed and consumed Rage, D-Man and Eye Boy. All three characters subsequently returned to the Marvel Universe shortly after without explanation.

* Across the various ''Franchise/StarWars'' media, there's a reoccurring joke about a certain Jedi Master called [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/K%27Kruhk K'Kruhk]] who often gets killed on screen/panel and is seen alive and unhurt in later media. He's even aware of the trope, once commenting that ''"I've died any number of times in my life. Or so I've heard."''. The kicker is in ''Comicbook/{{Legacy}}'', set 138 years after ''Film/ANewHope''. K'Kruhk is not only ''still'' alive, but he suffers another "getting better" moment within a few issues of the comics.

* Near the end of Creator/BrianBendis' run on ''ComicBook/MoonKnight'', Madame Masque was killed after accidentally bashing her head against a fire hydrant. She later showed up as a recurring villain in ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'', with absolutely no acknowledgement of how she'd survived.

** The Post-Crisis incarnation of Chief O'Hara (a character [[CanonImmigrant imported from]] [[Series/Batman1966 the 1960s live-action TV show]]) was introduced in ''ComicBook/BatmanDarkVictory'' only to become a casualty of the Hangman Killings, but later resurfaces alive and well in the 2000 ''Silver Age'' arc and during Creator/GrantMorrison's [[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison run]] in ''Batman'' issue 700, both instances taking place during Dick Grayson's time as the original Robin (which contradicts ''Dark Victory'' establishing that O'Hara was killed well before Dick Grayson became Robin).

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' villain ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} commits suicide in ''Daredevil'' Vol. 2, shows up with a hole in his head in ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'', and shows up in ''Amazing Spider-Man'', explaining he helped fake Harry Osborn's death, but not explaining his own death. ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManNickSpencer'' eventually revealed that he genuinely died, but subsequently made a DealWithTheDevil to return to life.

** An issue of ''Comicbook/DarkAvengers'' some years later did give an explanation. When the Comicbook/{{Thunderbolts}} were sent back in time for unrelated reasons, they rescued Doom from the megalodon and healed him, though without knowing who he was at first. Doom then hijacked their time machine and returned to his present, but sent the team into the future to prevent anyone from knowing about his moment of weakness. His claim that his hate kept him alive was in fact an ego-saving lie.

* Comicbook/TheSentry's wife was once killed by ComicBook/{{Ultron}}, and he resurrected her in a way that was never explained. Sentry himself in ''ComicBook/DarkAvengers'' was turned into combination of TheWorfEffect and this. First he was [[Webcomic/VGCats aborted from time]] by Morgan Le Fay. After Morgan's defeat, he returned, scaring the hell out of all his teammates. Then his [[spoiler:head was blown up by alien weapon]], and in the next issue he acts like nothing happened. [[spoiler:And it's confirmed, that he will appear in next year storylines, which means he will get better after last issue, when he was blown up to mere atoms.]] What's wrong with this guy?

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' villain ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} commits suicide in ''Daredevil'' Vol. 2, shows up with a hole in his head in ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'', and shows up in ''Amazing Spider-Man'', explaining he helped fake Harry Osborn's death, but not explaining his own death.

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in one of the ''ComicBook/USAvengers'' tie-ins to ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire''. ComicBook/SquirrelGirl is shocked to see Ares alive and well, kicking HYDRA ass. She even mentions that last she remembered, he was ripped in half by the Sentry during the [[ComicBook/{{Siege}} Siege of Asgard]]. This is actually a JustifiedTrope as Ares was resurrected during ''ComicBook/ContestOfChampions2015'' and after leaving Battleworld, decided to set up shop in England with the other heroes there.

* The ''Ultimate End'' tie-in to ''Comicbook/SecretWars2015'' features Ultimate Captain America in the clash between the Ultimate and Earth-616 heroes, where he can be seen battling [[Comicbook/TheFalcon Sam Wilson]], Earth-616's Captain America. Ultimate Cap had previously been killed in ''ComicBook/CataclysmTheUltimatesLastStand'', as had the Ultimate [[Comicbook/ThePunisher Punisher]], who also appears in ''Ultimate End''.

** Parodied in ''ComicBook/TheBlackRing''. A particular character gets killed several times over the course of the arc, each time reappearing later apparently unharmed. The thing is, he's perfectly willing to explain how he did it, it's just that nobody else is interested, and he always gets cut off when he tries.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':

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