Complete Guide To Every X-Men Character Who Returned After Death

13. Thunderbird

How Did He Die?

Thunderbird is notably the first X-Man to perish, and the only one to never come back for longer than a token appearance. In only his second mission with the Deadly Genesis team back in the 70s. Constantly attempting to prove himself a true Apache warrior, Thunderbird attempted to prevent Count Nefaria from escaping justice for his latest crimes, and jumped onto the jet that the villain had commandeered.

Proudstar's attacks on the plane had dangerously damaged it, and despite warnings from Banshee and Professor X, he didn't didn't jump clear of the plane before it exploded.

How Did He Come Back?

Thunderbird actually came back twice; first as one of Selene's Necrosha zombies, brainwashed into fighting his brother James (aka Warpath). He managed to break through the spell on him to eke out some advice on how to stop Selene before resuming trying to kill his little bro. Warpath eventually proved that he was no longer the boy John remembered, out-fighting him and snapping his neck.

Thankfully for John, he got to come back a second time during the Chaos War, which saw a bunch of heroes coming back to life. He led a team of formerly-deceased X-Men against the Chaos King and Carrion Crew, proving that he was no longer the proud, arrogant warrior he once was, but a man who fought with honour.