History Main / BackForTheDead

** Metal Sonic managed to kill both [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogDrIvoEggmanRobotnik Dr. Eggman]] and [[Characters/MegaManClassicDrAlbertWWily Dr. Wily]], but then lost to Zero.

** Shadow The Hedgehog lost to both Vegeta and later [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Mewtwo]].

** [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaGanonGanondorf Ganondorf]] defeated [[Characters/SuperMarioBrosBowser Bowser]], but later lost to [[VideoGame/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]].

** [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaGanonGanondorf Ganondorf]] defeated Bowser, but later lost to [[VideoGame/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]].

** [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]] defeated Bowser, but later lost to [[VideoGame/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]].

** [[Manga/DragonBall Goku]] was defeated by Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} twice.

** Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} lost to [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]], defeated [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] but later lost to ComicBook/BlackPanther and [[Characters/IronManHeroes Iron Man]].

** [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] lost to both [[ComicBook/IronMan Iron Man]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]].

* During Creator/JuddWinick's run on ''[[ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders The Outsiders]]'', the old ComicBook/{{Shazam}} foe Sabbac (who hadn't been seen in ''years'') showed up just long enough for a Russian gangster to [[DyingToBeReplaced kill him and steal his powers]].

** ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'' isn't holding back on this trope, killing off the Spider-Men from ''ComicBook/{{Marvel 1602}}'', ''ComicBook/SpiderManReign'', ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManUnlimited'' (and given Slott, like many people, holds the opinion of ''Unlimited'' being a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', this means that show's Spidey is dead, too), ''ComicBook/BulletPoints''[[note]][[Characters/IncredibleHulkBruceBanner Bruce Banner]] and Peter Parker having swapped roles[[/note]], and ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', as well as the Mary Jane Spider-Woman from ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'' and Twinkies-advertising Spider-Man from ''ComicBook/HowardTheDuck'', the Prince of Arachne from ''ComicBook/MarvelFairyTales'', the Betty Brant Spider-Girl, Arachnosaur, and the Spidey from ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom''. The ''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends Amazing Friends]]'' version of Iceman and Firestar, the ''Unlimited'' versions of the Knights of Wundagore, as well as [[ComicBook/SpiderGirl Mayday Parker's father]] is also dead. The sequel ''ComicBook/SpiderGeddon'' also kills off ComicBook/SpiderManNoir and Spider-Man UK. However, the sequel ends with The Other reviving Mayday's father and Noir is also later revived.

** Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} lost to [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]], defeated [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] but later lost to ComicBook/BlackPanther and [[Characters/IronManHeroes Iron Man]].

** Vegeta defeated Shadow the Hedgehog but then lost to [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]].

** A famous example is Max Fenig, a fan favorite from an episode of the first season. After being abducted at the episode's conclusion, he reappeared in the teaser at the beginning of a fourth season episode… as a dead body in the wreckage of an airplane. The rest of the two-parter dealt with reconstructing how this came to pass and dealing with its implications.
** The Lone Gunmen are killed off after their [[Series/TheLoneGunmen standalone series]] is cancelled. There's a few swipes taken at the demise of their show ("What ''better'' things do we have to do?"). The episode is even named "Jump the Shark". In the Season 10 comic continuation, in which popular characters like the Cigarette-Smoking Man or Krycek are resurrected as clones and copies, Joe Harris explicitly rewrote the ending of "Jump the Shark" to reveal that TLG had actually faked their deaths, which goes to show how controversial the original episode was. It also speaks to the cynicism as the heart of ''X-Files'' by this point; the characters were killed off because the show was about to end and TLG weren't planned to be used in any of the films, then magically resurrected for the comic book line.
** There's also the Cigarette Smoking Man, who was killed off at the end of the seventh season. Two years later, he was revealed to still be alive in the original series finale, and then proceeded to get blown up by a missile. The 2016 miniseries brings him back again, and he gets a few appearances in before dying, this time for real [[JokerImmunity (we think)]].

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'':

* In the world of Franchise/Ben10, Magister Prior Gilhil appeared in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' where he helped Ben, Gwen and Kevin defeat Darkstar. He later reappeared in a flashback in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' only for Aggregor to kill him with an energy spear to the back.

* Joe Carey from ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' is a weird example of Back for the Dead. After appearing in most of the first season, he stopped appearing except in time travel episodes, leading fans to believe he had died off-screen. After 6 seasons of being used as a "Hey look! We're back in the first season. See? There's Carey!" marker, he showed up alive four episodes before the end of the series and got killed off (as a RedShirt). The writers intended to have a guy the fans know [[TonightSomeoneDies die for the shock value]]. But the problem was that his lack of appearances outside of time travel episodes made people already think he was dead, so the shock was more "wow, he's still alive?" than "GASP! They killed Carey!" The writer of that episode wanted to kill someone off, and was given the choice of Vorik or Carey. He thought Carey would have more impact, since fans would relate to a human more than a Vulcan. Bad choice. He was obviously unaware of how much fans liked Vorik, and of how fans already thought Carey was dead. Furthermore, rumour has it that Carey's odd treatment was because the writers were for a long time confusing him with Lt. Hogan, who had indeed been killed off in Season 2.

** [[ComicBook/Venom Venom]] defeated [[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]], but then lost to [[Anime/SoulEater Crona]].

** [[Characters/StreetFighterAkuma Akuma]] defeated Shang Tsung but then lost to Shao Kahn.

** Vegeta defeated Shadow the Hedgehog but then lost to [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]].

** Akuma defeated Shang Tsung but then lost to Shao Kahn.

** In ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 3'', Sgt. Kamarov (the Russian Loyalist who rescued Soap and Price during the final level of the original ''Modern Warfare'') returns, and dies a couple missions later when Makarov's men kidnap him and use him as bait to keep Captain Price in one place so a bomb can kill them both. Price catches on when Kamarov tells him he's sorry, and manages to get out of the blast zone before Kamarov is killed. Earlier, Wallcroft and Griffin (the two main supporting characters who assisted you in "Crew Expendable" from the original ''MW'') reappear as they respond to a terrorist bomb threat in London, and in the process of chasing the train carrying the bomb, Griffin is killed when his truck crashes.

** [[Franchise/PowerRangers Tommy Oliver]] appeared twice, once piloting the Tigerzord, and the other piloting the Dragonzord, where he lost both times.

* In the thirteenth season of ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'' Adam comes back after being missing for an entire block of episodes only to die seven episodes later in surgery after getting into a car accident caused by texting and driving. The official reasoning being that the actress' contract was up. In the two-part season 2 finale, Craig's father returns-- trying and failing to mend things with Craig after hitting him again --only to be killed in the same episode.

** One early example would be Kathy Kane, the original Comicbook/{{Batwoman}}; she had been written out after Batman was revamped in 1964. She briefly came out of retirement to guest star in several several issues in the late '70s (over a decade later!) only to be killed off for dramatic effect by the League of Assassins after several appearances.

* During the infamous ''Comicbook/IronMan'' storyline ''ComicBook/TheCrossing'', D-list former [[Comicbook/TheAvengers Avengers]] Yellowjacket and Gilgamesh returned to the team just so that they could be killed off. This then started a subplot about Comicbook/{{Hawkeye}} being framed for their murders.
* The [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] KidHero Toro was plucked from obscurity for a guest spot in ''Comicbook/SubMariner'' #14, which ended with him dying after a battle with the Mad Thinker.

* During Creator/JuddWinick's run on ''[[Comicbook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders The Outsiders]]'', the old Comicbook/{{Shazam}} foe Sabbac (who hadn't been seen in ''years'') showed up just long enough for a Russian gangster to [[DyingToBeReplaced kill him and steal his powers]].

** Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} lost to [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]], defeated [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] but later lost to ComicBook/BlackPanther and [[Characters/IronMan Iron Man]].

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':

** ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'' isn't holding back on this trope, killing off the Spider-Men from ''ComicBook/{{Marvel 1602}}'', ''ComicBook/SpiderManReign'', ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManUnlimited'' (and given Slott, like many people, holds the opinion of ''Unlimited'' being a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', this means that show's Spidey is dead, too), ''ComicBook/BulletPoints''[[note]][[Characters/IncredibleHulkBruceBanner Bruce Banner]] and Peter Parker having swapped roles[[/note]], and ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', as well as the Mary Jane Spider-Woman from ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'' and Twinkies-advertising Spider-Man from ''ComicBook/HowardTheDuck'', the Prince of Arachne from ''Marvel Fairy Tales'', the Betty Brant Spider-Girl, Arachnosaur, and the Spidey from ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom''. The ''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends Amazing Friends]]'' version of Iceman and Firestar, the ''Unlimited'' versions of the Knights of Wundagore, as well as [[ComicBook/SpiderGirl Mayday Parker's father]] is also dead. The sequel ''Spider-Geddon'' also kills off Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Man UK. However, the sequel ends with The Other reviving Mayday's father and Noir is also later revived.

** Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} lost to [[Characters/SpiderManTheCharacter Spider-Man]], defeated [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] but later lost to ComicBook/BlackPanther and [[Characters/IronMan Iron Man]].

** Vegeta defeated Shadow the Hedgehog, and then lost to [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]].

** Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} defeated [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] but later lost to ComicBook/BlackPanther and [[Characters/IronMan Iron Man]].