5 DC Resurrections Done Right (And 5 That Sucked)

How much death can one Batman take?

Green Arrow Return
DC Comics

There are plenty of frustrating comic book tropes, but perhaps the most divisive is that of the superhero resurrection. Comic book characters are constantly killed off, only to return a few years later, and to many it exemplifies the ostensible tedium of the superhero genre.

There are certain instances, however, where a return is handled immaculately. They're few and far between, granted, but they do exist. Whether because the character who returned had been out of action for a particularly long time, or because the creative team involved managed to find a thematically justifiable reason for their resurrection, there are certain characters who just deserved to come back.

However, even fan-favourite heroes and villains haven't always returned in a particularly well thought out manner. Some come back with a simple shrug of the shoulder from their teammates and readers alike, while others aren't even afforded the time necessary to unpack their resurrection properly.

It's a messy business, and while both Marvel and DC's attitude towards death has proven to be consistently problematic time and again, there are definite instances where both a demise and a resurrection managed to resonate with readers, and just as many where one hasn't.

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Content Producer/Presenter
Content Producer/Presenter

Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.