10 Doctor Who Characters Who Came Back From The Dead

10. Danny Pink... Sort Of (Death In Heaven)

No question: former soldier turned school teacher and love interest of Clara Oswald, Danny Pink, died in the episode Dark Water. Like, for real. 

The scenes of grief with Clara following the accident were chilling and horrifically real. The fact that he died in such a banal fashion was the most shocking of all, although it was undercut when he then re-appeared in “heaven”, his consciousness having been uploaded to the Nethersphere. It was an unusually grown up and sinkingly real approach to death in Doctor Who, with the get out clause of Danny still being alive in some form. All the same, at the time the episode aired, many fans were in shock.

After all, he was still dead, even if his consciousness remained active. And then he returned in the guise of a Cyberman (as, so it is implied, did the Brigadier), somehow able to control his emotions and his actions in such a way that he was able to sacrifice himself once more, leading to the final defeat of the Cybermen/Missy alliance. This time, there was no return from the Nethersphere, even though one was open to him.

Danny effectively died twice, but the second time it was definitely for keeps. Well, probably.