9. I Survived Being Impaled /Shot / Burned To Death Because I'm A Cool Villain And I Need To Keep Coming Back: Sylar (Heroes)
Definitely a case of over-egging the pudding and indicative of a show that didn't progress; instead it was doomed to repeat its mistakes and use the same characters over and over again, even when they had outlived their purpose. Nathan Pertrelli was one (how many times did he switch sides in season three?) and surprisingly Hiro Nakamura was another. (His child-like nature went from adorable to irritating far too quickly after the first season). But worst was Sylar who kept coming back again and again and again... Sylar is kind of representative of the show in general. He was menacing and mysterious in season one, and when he was impaled in the season one finale that should have been the end of this awesome character. Not only because he needed to be defeated after all the death and destruction he had caused, but because that defeat gave the heroes purpose. What was the point of it all, if he came back? And come back he did, with a missing memory and uncertainty over which side he was on. Random and directionless...just like chapter two. Come season three, he was in full villain mode again, but his mystery was gone. He was a stock villain, just like all the other forgettable baddies in chapter three. Being stabbed in the head by Claire and then burning to death in the fire at Primatech Research that should have been his ultimate defeat, but no, he kept coming back, killing Nathan at first but eventually turning good in season four. By the end, audiences didn't care about this once cool and monstrous character, and like the show he fizzled into nothingness. His resurrections were ridiculous even pointless. As to whether he'll be back in Heroes Reborn we'll have to wait and see. (Though you can find my thoughts on it here).