5 DC Resurrections Done Right (And 5 That Sucked)

How much death can one Batman take?

By Ewan Paterson /

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.

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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.

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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.