10 Comic Characters Who Actually Stayed Dead
4. Hellboy
Mike MIgnola's big red devil is probably the most successful hero not published by Marvel or DC. He's starred in hundred of comics since his debut in 1993 and even had two (sadly, not three) live-action movie adaptations.
Hellboy is a demon from hell who was brought to Earth at the end of WWII. Raised by Professor Bruttenholm of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development, he spent decades protecting the world as its greatest paranormal investigator, both alone and with the help of the BPRD.
In the 2010 story Hellboy: The Storm and the Fury, Hellboy finally died. Hellboy battled the witch Nimue and her army, killing her after she became a dragon. But, before she died, Nimue was able to tear out Hellboy's heart, killing him.
Hellboy was actually still pretty active after this though. In the sequel Hellboy in Hell, he wakes up in the underworld. After spending some time traversing the land of the dead and fighting his demonic uncle and cousins, Hellboy is confronted with his destiny of killing Satan, taking over as lord of Hell and bringing about the end of the world.
However, it turned out the prophecy wasn't as dark as Hellboy had always thought. The old universe was dying and by taking coming to terms with his role, he was able to kickstart the birth of a new one.