10 Superheroes Who Have NEVER Been Killed

6. Shazam

Daredevil Marvel
DC Comics

In a landscape and medium that can often become formulaic, Shazam has always managed to be quite the unique superhero. Even though he is one of the most powerful heroes in the pantheon of DC Comics and has essentially the same abilities as Superman, what makes Shazam so special is the fact that his alter-ego of Billy Batson is your average teenage boy.

This all makes for a fascinating character when delivered in the correct way, and the recent Shazam! movie managed to hit so many of the right beats that make Billy and his all-powerful heroic side such a delight. And with those immense powers and abilities, we’ve yet to actually see anybody kill Shazam in the main canon of DC Comics.

Of course, for those who’ve checked out the animated Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, you’ll have seen Billy brutally murdered by Wonder Woman. But hey, we’re all about standard canon here, so that one doesn’t really count.

Where death is concerned, it’s even been noted in the comics how the only way that Shazam can ever truly die is for Shazam himself to say the word “die”.

 
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.