7 Superheroes That Have Died the Most (& 1 Doesn’t Even Have Superpowers)

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Superheroes are always risking their lives to protect people from danger, and sadly, many have died in battle. But in the world of comic books, death isn’t permanent. Most heroes eventually come back to life – unless they’re a character like Uncle Ben. Some heroes, particularly from DC and Marvel, seem to be killed off repeatedly by writers. It’s hard to say exactly how many times they’ve died because of misleading storylines and changes to established history, but it’s clear these characters have ‘died’ far more often than anyone else in the superhero universe.

Whether through cloning, reincarnation, or other means, bringing characters back to life is a common practice. But when it becomes easy to revive heroes, writers also become more creative-and frequent-in finding ways to kill them off.

7) Jean Grey

Fans often joke about Jean Grey repeatedly dying in the comics, but she always returns, much like the Phoenix she’s associated with. It’s surprisingly difficult to say exactly how many times she’s *actually* died, as many deaths have turned out to be illusions. Still, Jean has definitively died numerous times over the years – she’s been burned alive, destroyed by Sentinels, suffered a stroke, and even stabbed multiple times by Wolverine. Currently, the count is at least 13 deaths, but knowing her history, it’s likely she’ll die again before long.

6) Spider-Man

Peter Parker, better known as Spider-Man, is famous-or perhaps infamous-for his incredibly bad luck. Throughout his adventures, he’s died over a dozen times, often at the hands of ruthless villains like Doctor Doom, Terraxia, Morlun, Kindred, and Cytorrak. Two major storylines, “Last Remains” and “Eight Deaths of Spider-Man,” specifically focused on Peter’s repeated deaths and resurrections. In “Last Remains,” the villain Kindred used dark magic to kill and revive Peter six times in quick succession. Then, in “Eight Deaths of Spider-Man,” a magical suit gave Spider-Man eight extra lives, which he quickly lost battling the powerful being Cytorrak. Considering all these deaths – including those caused by Doctor Doom, Terraxia, and Morlun – Peter Parker has died at least 17 times in the comics so far.

5) Batman

Bruce Wayne, better known as Batman, is ultimately human, so it’s not shocking he’s faced death while fighting crime. He’s usually managed to survive, but there have been instances where he couldn’t. One particularly brutal example involved the Joker gaining immense power from a 5th-dimensional being named Mr. Mxyzptlk. This allowed the Joker to warp reality and essentially treat Bruce and the entire universe like toys. The Joker repeatedly tortured and killed Bruce – once by feeding him to vultures – only to resurrect him the next day. This cycle happened dozens of times until Superman finally defeated the Joker and stripped him of his powers.

4) Scarlet Spider

Ben Reilly, also known as the Scarlet Spider, is a clone created from Spider-Man by the villain the Jackal. He originally thought *he* was the real Peter Parker, but this was disproven when he quickly decayed after being impaled – proving he was the clone. The Jackal has since brought him back to life over 30 times, but this endless cycle of death and rebirth drove Ben insane, turning him into the villain Chasm. Even the entity Death acknowledged Ben’s record for most resurrections in the universe, though one Marvel character has actually surpassed it.

3) Mr. Immortal

Craig Hollis, known as Mr. Immortal in the Marvel universe, is essentially cursed with immortality. While he can die, he always comes back to life. Born as the first of a new, evolved type of human – Homo Supreme – Craig represents the peak of human development. Despite this, he still feels pain, and his ability to resurrect is his only power. As the founder of the Great Lakes Avengers, Craig has died countless times, suffering injuries like stabbings, explosions, and burns. No matter how severely he’s hurt, he always fully recovers. Sadly, because he can’t age, he’s destined to live forever, even until the end of time.

2) Hawkman and Hawkgirl

For thousands of years, the DC heroes Hawkman and Hawkgirl have been caught in a repeating cycle of death and rebirth. This began in ancient Egypt with Prince Kufu and his beloved Chay-Ara, who were murdered by the priest Hath-Set using a weapon made from a strange metal called Nth-Metal. This metal cursed Hath-Set, along with the prince and princess, to be reborn again and again throughout history. Hawkman and Hawkgirl are the latest versions of Kufu and Chay-Ara, but tragically, every time they find each other, they are killed by the reborn Hath-Set. They hope to one day break this endless cycle and finally find peace.

1) Resurrection Man

As a huge comic book fan, I’ve come across some pretty wild characters, but Mitch Shelley, aka “Resurrection Man,” takes the cake! This guy *constantly* dies – seriously, at least once or twice in every single issue. But don’t worry, he always comes back! The really cool part is, each time he’s resurrected, he gains a new power based on *how* he died. Like, he was blown up in a gas explosion and suddenly had fire powers. The catch? Every time he comes back to life, he loses his *old* power. It’s a constant trade-off, which makes his story super interesting!

Mitch gained amazing abilities – like flying, shooting energy, shapeshifting, super speed, and telekinesis – through a strange cycle. It started when he was unknowingly used in a nanotechnology experiment. These tiny machines can heal any injury he receives, and each time they revive him, he develops another new power. As a result, Mitch experiences near-constant brushes with death.

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2025-09-16 23:20