10 Outrageous Ways Famous TV Characters Came Back From The Dead

10. Tony Almeida Was Saved By A Missed Artery - 24

Tony Almeida was Jack Bauer’s trusted partner for five seasons of 24. He was a loyal friend and a brave agent, but even he couldn’t avoid the season five character cull.

He Was Dead...: Halfway into the season a complicated series of events finds Tony with a syringe full of poison, standing over the unconscious body of his wife’s killer Christopher Henderson.

Tony can’t bring himself to be a murderer though, which gives Henderson time to wake up and stab him in the heart with his own needle. Jack arrives in time to cradle his friend as he dies.

...But He Got Better: Fans complained that Tony didn’t get a silent clock - a sign of respect for a deceased character – and argued he must be alive somehow. In season seven they got their wish and Tony returned as an ally/villain.

It's explained that Henderson intentionally missed Tony’s artery so he could recover his body and brainwash him against Jack somewhere down the road. Some mercenaries secretly revived him minutes after his death, and after Henderson’s death they adopted him into their team.

It’s a daft explanation and “Missed the artery” would become 24’s equivalent of “Nuked the fridge.”