Using the scientifically Infallible power of the Sorting Algorithm of Deadness, who do you think is the next in line for being brought back from the great Bus in the sky?
To use the Algorithm, simply add the Column's "Death Value", and divide by the number of applicable rows.
If the character hasn't died yet (but seems likely to), see Sorting Algorithm of Mortality. All of this is trumped by the First Law of Resurrection.
Currently, The real Caulder from Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and Teri Bauer from 24 are the only characters to have scored 4, the highest possible. And are notable for having 4 in every category. At one point, Shirley from Code Geass and also scored 4, thanks in part to a special CLAMP bonus that became harder to defend as the series went on. Chloe Sullivan from Smallville is currently the only character to have scored a perfect 1, in the episode Fracture, with the rest of the cast not even taking her death seriously, fully expecting her return.
Baseline Example: The death of Superman.
- Cause: Heroic Sacrifice, so he's not coming back from that too quickly, or the sacrifice will be cheapened. 3.
- Genre: It's a comic book, so Death Is Cheap. 1.
- The Body: Deader than Dead, a Pietà Plagiarism too for supes sake! So no chance of Faking the Dead. 4.
- Reaction: Really Dead Montage, uh-oh. 4.
- Characterization: Protagonist. 1.
- When did he die: Same year, so 2.
- Come Back?: This was a first, so 4.
- Average: So add it up... we get a pretty high score, 19! Since it's not a videogame, divide by 7, and we get... 19/7 = 2.7, meaning supes isn't coming back for at least a few months, maybe even years. In actuality the Death Of Superman happened in January 1993 and he came back some time before May 1994.
Now let's make a prediction with the recent death of Batman in Final Crisis.
- Cause: Heroic Sacrifice, give or take. 3.
- Genre: Comic book, so Death Is Cheap. 1.
- The Body: Dead and buried, but it's a little more complicated. Still, it's a 4.
- Reaction: He's Dead Clark, plus "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" probably counts as a Really Dead Montage. 3.5.
- Last Words: "Try Me." 3.
- Characterization: It's The Goddamn Batman, people. 1.
- When did he die: Same year, so 2.
- Come Back?: This would be the first time, so 4.
- Average: 21.5/8= 2.7. A semi-high score, and DC seems to be sticking to this one for a while. Still, he'll definitely be back, likely before the end of 2010 at the latest.
Note: This sub-page is for Myth and Religion examples only. Please ensure that you put new examples in the correct Sorting Algorithm of Deadness sub-page.
Jesus after the Crucifixion.
- Cause: There Is No Kill Like Overkill (Having been flogged, scourged, had thorns shoved into his head, crucified for three hours, and stabbed through the heart with a lance.) - 4
- Genre: Killed Off for Real. (The Bible has a handful of resurrections or miraculous recoveries over the course of the story, but every human eventually dies.) - 3
- Body: Found. Buried. - 4
- Reaction: His mother, the Virgin Mary is deeply saddened, as is the only disciple who actually attended (Ten of them had fled for parts unknown fearing for their lives, one committed suicide due to having betrayed Him. He's Dead, Jim - 3
- Last Words: Essentially a Dying Speechnote - 3
- Characterization: Messianic Archetype and protagonist. - 1
- How long ago: less than a week. - 1
- Died and came back: Not yet. - 4
- It's probably worth pointing out that while he himself hadn't died previously, 3 earlier resurrections are attributed to him directly: the widow's son, Jairus' daughter, and Lazarus. So, heavy foreshadowing on the back-from-the-dead thing, even if this is a Killed Off for Real kinda world.
- Total: 23/8 = 2.875 - Dead, but likely back sometime soon. in three days.
