10 Untouchable Comics Heroes (Who Shockingly Died)
4. Ted Kord - Countdown To Infinite Crisis
The death of Ted Kord is a double edged sword. On one hand it was a striking moment that capped off an excellent story, but on the other hand the actual death was one of the most gratuitous moments of gore in an era of DC where gratuitous moments of gore were commonplace.
After spending the entirety of Countdown To Infinite Crisis chasing after evidence of a conspiracy against the superhero community, having his life torn to shreds, and of course none of his friends believing him (one of the DC universe's smartest guys I'll remind you), and leaving him to figure everything out on his own, Ted comes face to face with Maxwell Lord.
Max has - completely out of nowhere - turned against the superhero community, and has in fact been working against them the whole time. When Ted tries to stop his plans, Maxwell shoots him in the head, killing him instantly.
Ted had been a part of the DC universe since Crisis on Infinite Earths, over two decades of kicking around the DCU and helping out where he could. So starting off the next Crisis with his death was a shock to the system.