History Main / DeaderThanDead

* From the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' the Soul Stone (one of the six Infinity Stones) requires an irreversible sacrifice of the stone seeker's loved one. In spite of the Stones being capable of controlling time, space, and reality itself this sacrifice cannot be undone under any circumstance. In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Gamora]] was [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]]' sacrifice to collect the stone, while in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' ComicBook/BlackWidow sacrifices herself so ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}/Ronin can collect the stone. Technically this means Gamora's death was undone, but due to time shenanigans only an alternate 2014 Gamora exists while 2018 Gamora (important that the latter is the only one who remembers Peter Quill and the Guardians) is still gone forever. On a related note, anyone who dies by using the Infinity Gauntlet (as in, is overpowered by its sheer power and killed by using it) cannot be brought back, even through use of the Time Stone to reverse the damage. This happens when [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]] uses the Infinity Gauntlet Mk.III to obliterate Thanos and his army, leaving him dead and unable to be revived.

[[AllDeathsFinal Death is permanent]], as we all know. [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Because]] [[MemeticMutation people die if they are killed]]. At least, they do in RealLife. In fictional works, however, this need not necessarily apply. In fiction, people regularly ''do'' come BackFromTheDead. This is fine if they're on the side of the heroes, but once a villain has pulled this a couple of times, it gets really old. When DeathIsCheap, it cheapens the suspense of wondering if someone's going to die, after all.

* In ''Film/DriveAngry'', John Milton steals the [[CoolGun Godkiller]] and breaks out of Hell with the express purpose of killing Jonah King, the Satanic cult leader who killed Milton's daughter and now plans to sacrifice Milton's granddaughter to Satan. Being shot with the Godkiller obliterates the victim's soul whether they're human, angel, or devil, leading to CessationOfExistence. The only downside is the limited ammo. Milton does get to kill Jonah with it at the end.

* In ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'', it's established that demons born from human souls lack CompleteImmortality, though that doesn't mean they'll go down easily. The only known method by which a sinner can die is by angelic weaponry, which has led to a massive overpopulation problem in hell resulting in angels being sent down once a year to kill large numbers of them off.

* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': During one test with [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-914 SCP-914]], when white-out was inputed into the machine on the "Very Fine" setting, it produced "super white-out". When a [[RedShirt D-class personnel]] picked it up, both they and the white-out instantly disappeared, and disappeared so thoroughly, memories of their existence were erased from everyone's brains and the D-class's file was erased from the Foundation's database, leaving the researcher of the test confused why there was an experiment written down that he'd never done involving a worker there was no record of existing.

* In ''Ghostquake'', [[BigBad Alger Danforth]] used a ritual to come back as a superpowerful ghost. However, while [[TheDragon his right hand woman]] 'merely'' gets banished when her SoulJar is destroyed, Ortiz (who became a ghost himself to stop Danforth and avenge his sister's murder at his hands) takes advantage of Danforth's weakened state once his SoulJar is gone to tear his soul out of his ghostly form and destroy it, making sure he's never going to come back again.

* In the backstory of the Creator/SyFy Channel Original Movie ''The Fallen Ones'', after TheGreatFlood wiped out all giants (which were the product of breeding between angels and humans), {{God}} decreed that there would be no more giants. At one point after, [[BigBad Amon]], a fallen angel, hooked up with a human woman, but the resulting child was human, indicating that when God said there would be "no more giants", he meant it. Unfortunately, Amon had a giant son of his mummified along with four others before the flood and plans on resurrecting them, undoing God's decree.

* In ''VideoGame/TheDig'', a game whose premise involves an alien technology that will bring people back from the dead, it is stated that after enough resurrections you aren't able to be brought back anymore, effectively making you deader than dead. One of the aliens, sealed to prevent his remains from decaying, can be brought back to life and can answer some questions, and then immediately dies again. He longs for the day that the resurrection stones no longer work on him, and implies that it will be soon.

*** People who die of natural causes can't be wished back by Shenron, which is why Goku developing a heart condition during the beginning of the Android Saga was such a big deal.
*** Shenron can give people immortality and cure diseases, he sure can wish back someone who died of natural causes. In Goku's case, Piccolo died and they couldn't use the Dragon Balls.

Death is permanent, as we all know. [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Because]] [[MemeticMutation people die if they are killed]]. At least, they do in RealLife. In fictional works, however, this need not necessarily apply. In fiction, people regularly ''do'' come BackFromTheDead. This is fine if they're on the side of the heroes, but once a villain has pulled this a couple of times, it gets really old. When DeathIsCheap, it cheapens the suspense of wondering if someone's going to die, after all.

** In the manga, you must destroy the Philosopher's stone that contains the actual Homunculus instead of destroying its body (according to later chapters, the body can apparently survive on its own and absorb a new philosopher stone if it isn't killed afterwards. It seems to lose its homunculus powers, though). In the anime, a Homunculus must be killed once per incomplete philosopher's stone within them (or forced to expel them otherwise, and then die again), but are frozen in place (allowing all the time in the world to actually do this) when confronted with a piece of their original human body.

* ''Literature/HyakumankaiIkitaNeko'': The titular cat has been reincarnated a million times. After he undergoes CharaterDevelopment and builds a happy family, he dies of old age and never comes back again.

* In ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'', [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Sourcerers]] have the ability to consume souls for their [[BackgroundMagicField Source]], essentially killing them twice. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential The player]] can do this to any SoulJar they find early on, and later gains the ability to see (and potentially consume) [[UnfinishedBusiness lost souls]].

* ''VideoGame/SunlessSeas'' takes place in the same universe as ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'', which means that you really shouldn't go to the surface. But you can, and it's actually a decent way to get extremely difficult-to-procure items like sunlight-in-a-box. But if you stay on the surface for too long, your crew starts to die. And if you don't take the warnings for what they are, you won't be far behind them. Any trip to the surface is explicitly a visit at best, and even then, everyone on your boat is carefully shielded from direct sunlight, lest they suddenly cease to exist.
* ''Videogame/SunlessSkies'' takes place in the same universe as ''Videogame/FallenLondon'' and ''VideoGame/SunlessSeas'', though people aren't quite as durable up there as they once were in the Neath. However, one particular option you can take when presented with one of [[SentientStars the Judgements]] is to essentially perform a RageAgainstTheHeavens while the Heavens are standing right there. The game outright warns you this will kill you, probably harder than anyone has ''ever'' been killed. Since you are essentially killed by getting outlawed by reality itself right where it's most capable of enforcing this, nothing you are or ever ''were'' continues to exist the instant the Judgement in question has turned its gaze to you.

** ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' has "[[AwesomeButImpractical Astral Heat]]" attacks, which are for the most part the very definitions of ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill. The most exemplifying Astral is however [[AntiHero Ragna]] [[OneManArmy the]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Bloodedge's]] Black Onslaught, which not only showers the opponent in slashes from a [[SinisterScythe Sinister Energy Scythe]], but the final blow, that Ragna transforms into... [[EldritchAbomination something]] before executing, annihilates the opponent's body ''and soul''. You don't get much deader than that.

* ''Videogame/SunlessSkies'' takes place in the same universe as ''Videogame/FallenLondon'', though people aren't quite as durable up there as they once were in the Neath. However, one particular option you can take when presented with one of [[SentientStars the Judgements]] is to essentially perform a RageAgainstTheHeavens while the Heavens are standing right there. The game outright warns you this will kill you, probably harder than anyone has ''ever'' been killed. Since you are essentially killed by getting outlawed by reality itself right where it's most capable of enforcing this, nothing you are or ever ''were'' continues to exist the instant the Judgement in question has turned its gaze to you.

* In ''VideoGame/TheDig'', a game whose premise involves an alien technology that will bring people back from the dead, it is stated that after several resurrections you aren't able to be brought back anymore, effectively making you deader than dead.

* In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', Dark Templar energies are needed to kill the Zerg Cerebrates for good, since the Overmind would resurrect them otherwise.

* ''Fanfic/OneDayAtATimeFanfic'': Anyone killed by [[ImmortalBreaker the Balance]], be they mortal or immortal, has their soul marked by Death of the Endless and barred from the mortal plane, ensuring that they can ''never'' come back to life.

** In the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' games, the "[[FinishHim Fatalities]]" each character can perform frequently conform to this trope. For example, one of Scorpion's fatalities in Mortal Kombat (also known as "MK 9") involves him slicing his enemy in half, then decapitating them, kicking the apparently lifeless corpse over... then slicing their severed head in half for good measure. However, such actions are also an example of DeathIsCheap, since they can be performed after every fight. Additionally, characters always seem to return in the sequels even if they've been [[UnexplainedRecovery disemboweled]] or [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat completely destroyed]] in the past.

* This happens to a few characters in ''Literature/TheBelgariad''. One of the most important [[MagicAIsMagicA rules of magic]] is that you cannot attempt to "unmake" something - you can kill people and break things with magic, but if you try to erase something from existence, the magic will backlash and erase ''you'' instead. One of the villains, [[spoiler:Cthucik]], is rendered "dead, and worse than dead" when he has a VillainousBreakdown and screams "Be not!" at the Orb of Aldur. A few others in the backstory ''committed suicide'' this way, as there's a loophole - casting "Be not" on ''yourself'' works as advertised.

* In ''Ghostquake'', [[BigBad Alger Danforth]] used a ritual to come back as a superpowerful ghost. However, while [[TheDragon his right hand woman]] 'merely'' gets banished when her SoulJar is destroyed, Ortiz (who became a ghost himself to stop Danforth and avenge his sister's murder at his hands)takes advantage of Danforth's weakened state once his SoulJar is gone to tear his soul out of his ghostly form and destroy it, making sure he's never going to come back again.

* More of a game mechanic, but still fits the bill. In the ''TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}}'' Trading Card Game, Pokémon are usually Knocked Out when their HP reaches zero and they and all cards attached to them are sent to the discard pile. Various attacks, Trainer cards, etc. can take them out of the discard pile. However, during the fourth and seventh generations, there was a mechanic called the Lost Zone, which if a card is put in there, then it can't be retrieved from the discard pile since it's not in there, and there are few effects (if any) that allow taking cards out of the Lost Zone.

** Compared to that, Ravage's feats of Deader than Dead survival seem unimpressive. However, Ravage is in an exploding ship in ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars,'' and we see his head kicked knocked off a cliff later--the writers assuring us that he's not "five minutes in a CR Chamber" dead, but really, seriously KilledOffForReal dead. ''Three'' different comic series have found ''different'' ways of bring him back.