Audio Plays
"Oh yes, he survived. People like him, and me, don't know any different."
— The Sixth Doctor, Big Finish Doctor Who, "Davros"
Comic Books
"Would the world finally be rid of the Joker? No way to be sure. Batman had seen him survive explosions, gunfire, electrocution falling from aircraft, and yes, even plunging to the bottom of the Gotham River. What reason was there to believe the odds would finally catch up with him?"
"They'll never get rid of me. I always survive."
— Superboy-Prime, Legion of 3 Worlds
Batman: Give me one good reason why I shouldn't finish you off once and for all, right now!
Joker: Merchandising. You can't afford to lose your best villain.
Joker: Merchandising. You can't afford to lose your best villain.
"Nothing keeps me down, Kingsley. Not death. Betrayal. Even the entire world against me! Every time I rise back up! Stronger than before! Every time!"
— Norman Osborn, Superior Spider Man
Fan Works
Lois Lane: And all that'll happen to him is that he'll go back to jail.
Superman: Lois.
Lois: All that'll happen, after all this, almost killing you a hundred times, almost conquering the world, is that he'll go back to a nice, comfortable cell that he can break out of, anytime he wants, and—
Superman: Lois.
Lois: All that'll happen, after all this, almost killing you a hundred times, almost conquering the world, is that he'll go back to a nice, comfortable cell that he can break out of, anytime he wants, and—
Mary Marvel: Both of the guys think their Sivana is the worst, but I can tell you, Mom, Georgia has got to be the nastiest one of the pack. She's actually killed somebody, do you know that? Took a newspaper editor and shot him in cold blood. They couldn't pin the rap on her, but we know she did it.
Edith Bromfield: Why don't you put her away?
Mary Marvel: We do, but they never stay in for very long. They know so much. They can always cook up a new way of getting out of jail. In the old days, Doc Sivana could even walk through walls. Can you believe that? Even I can't do that. It's more like, we go out there, we dance with them, and we bring them back home when the dance is over.
Edith Bromfield: Why don't you put her away?
Mary Marvel: We do, but they never stay in for very long. They know so much. They can always cook up a new way of getting out of jail. In the old days, Doc Sivana could even walk through walls. Can you believe that? Even I can't do that. It's more like, we go out there, we dance with them, and we bring them back home when the dance is over.
One of the tips was: always stash a good portion of your loot where it won't be found when you get sent back to the joint. Because, fighting The Flash, you were inevitably going to be sent back to the joint. But you'd also get out, and it paid to have a nest egg.
"If I might interject for a moment... I'm quite certain I mentioned at some point that death is my bitch."
Film — Animated
Cloud: Stay where you belong. In my memories.
Sephiroth: I will... never be a memory.
Sephiroth: I will... never be a memory.
Film — Live-Action
Steve Rogers: HYDRA died with the Red Skull.
Arnim Zola: Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.
Arnim Zola: Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.
"I'll be back! I always come back! [groans] But dying is such a bitch."
— Chucky, Bride of Chucky
"You just couldn't let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible, aren't you, huh? You won't kill me outta some misplaced sense of self-righteousness, and I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever."
"You know I always survive. You wrote me that way!"
— Slappy to R.L. Stine after secretly invading his home, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
"You can't kill the Boogeyman!"
— Tommy, Halloween (1978)
Literature
"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."
— Hagrid on Voldemort, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Fiera: Carmen Cole, Karma Girl, dropped her into a vat of radioactive something-or-other.
Johnny Angel: So, she's dead.
Fiera: We don't know that. No one's seen her since. Ubervillains are sort of like movie monsters. They always come back, even if they've been beaten, stabbed, shot, burned alive, and beheaded. I won't believe Malefica or the other members of the Terrible Triad are dead until I see their bodies.
Johnny Angel: So, she's dead.
Fiera: We don't know that. No one's seen her since. Ubervillains are sort of like movie monsters. They always come back, even if they've been beaten, stabbed, shot, burned alive, and beheaded. I won't believe Malefica or the other members of the Terrible Triad are dead until I see their bodies.
— Bigtime: Hot Mama
Live-Action TV
"Bullets don't seem to have much of an effect on me, darlin'."
— J.R. Ewing, Dallas
"I am very difficult to kill. You should already know that."
— Davros, Doctor Who, "Resurrection of the Daleks"
The Rani: I thought that last mad scheme of yours had finished you for good.
The Master: You jest, of course. I'm indestructible! The whole universe knows that.
The Master: You jest, of course. I'm indestructible! The whole universe knows that.
"Okay, cutting to the chase: Not dead, back, big surprise, never mind."
— Missy, Doctor Who, "The Magician's Apprentice"
"Kryptonite, silver bullet. Buffy. What's it going to take to keep you in the grave?"
Music
Yoooouuuu caaaaaaan smash her with a hammer
Or can shoot her in the face
You can smash her with a pillar
And blow up the whole place
You can throw her off a million cliffs with lava down below
Oh, it doesn't make a difference
To Natla, oh!
Or can shoot her in the face
You can smash her with a pillar
And blow up the whole place
You can throw her off a million cliffs with lava down below
Oh, it doesn't make a difference
To Natla, oh!
— "Die Natla
", on Jacqueline Natla
", on Jacqueline NatlaPodcasts
Jay: Of course, the overall stakes for this match are garbage because Triple H and Steph are actually in power, so whatever happens — much like Vince Mcmahon — they'll just leave for a bit and then come back under a new kayfabe job title with the same power.
Maffew: With mustaches and fake glasses.
Maffew: With mustaches and fake glasses.
— OSW Review on The Authority, Ep. 45
Tabletop Games
Regardless, Ferrymen and women are amongst the rarest beings in the world, bearing the fewest members of any current, Abyssal or not. The reasons being most Sirens detest their presence as a whole, or the people they've attempted to break fight back and take them out. But like the coelacanth that represents them, they always seem to return even if by all means, they should be extinct. The Currents fear for very good reason that, given how they always seem to return, how big their numbers may really be...
Video Games
"Rule of thumb, Hassan — you can't kill the Messiah."
— Kane, Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun
"I've got more lives than I do arms!"
— Ultros the octopus, Final Fantasy VI
Batman: People die. I stop you. You'll just break out and do it again.
Joker: Think of it as a running gag!
Joker: Think of it as a running gag!
The Joker: Savvy another round, Superfreak?
Superman: Why can't you stay dead?!
The Joker: I'll always have extra lives.
Superman: Why can't you stay dead?!
The Joker: I'll always have extra lives.
The Watcher: Speaking of abominations, didn't I kill you?
Concelhaut: Few things delight me more than slamming the proffered door on the Usher's hand.
Concelhaut: Few things delight me more than slamming the proffered door on the Usher's hand.
"I always come back!"
— Afton's Have a Nice Death quote, Ultimate Custom Night
Web Animation
"No little mushroom person at any point says, 'Didn't this exact same thing happen not however long ago? Say, did anyone remember to press charges on Bowser last time he pulled this? Put him in prison or something? What exactly was stopping him turning around and pulling the same shit the moment Mario and the Princess were distracted with each other's 'cakes'? See, people, this is why we need to introduce a constitutional monarchy!'"
Webcomics
"Oh, trust me. I know Ridley. This guy will always find a way to come back to life. ALWAYS."
"You can't kill me. I'm the best villain."
Caliborn: I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS FUCKER WON'T DIE.
Andrew Hussie: He's a hilarious, rascally clown! You know how it is with clowns.
Caliborn: NO??
Andrew Hussie: They are notoriously difficult to kill for reasons that basically don't make any sense. I'm personally not aware of a single timeline in which this codpiece packing moron dies.
Caliborn: WHAT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN.
Andrew Hussie: It means you can't keep down the clown.
Caliborn: ??????
Andrew Hussie: Say it with me. "You can't keep down the clown."
Caliborn: NO, I WON'T SAY THAT.
Andrew Hussie: SAY IT! "You can't..."
Caliborn: GO FUCK YOURSELF. JUST TELL ME WHAT IT MEANS.
Andrew Hussie: It means crazy clowns just won't die for some reason. In adventures such as yours, they tend to linger long past their welcome. They linger and linger and linger, and just when you think you're totally fed up with their bullshit and you can't take another second of it, they just linger some more. And you never know what they're up to, and they're always scheming in the shadows, and it's quite possible that whatever master plan they're hatching just doesn't make the slightest bit of sense at all. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how stupid the clown's schemes are, or how sick of him everybody is. He just. Won't. Die.
Andrew Hussie: He's a hilarious, rascally clown! You know how it is with clowns.
Caliborn: NO??
Andrew Hussie: They are notoriously difficult to kill for reasons that basically don't make any sense. I'm personally not aware of a single timeline in which this codpiece packing moron dies.
Caliborn: WHAT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN.
Andrew Hussie: It means you can't keep down the clown.
Caliborn: ??????
Andrew Hussie: Say it with me. "You can't keep down the clown."
Caliborn: NO, I WON'T SAY THAT.
Andrew Hussie: SAY IT! "You can't..."
Caliborn: GO FUCK YOURSELF. JUST TELL ME WHAT IT MEANS.
Andrew Hussie: It means crazy clowns just won't die for some reason. In adventures such as yours, they tend to linger long past their welcome. They linger and linger and linger, and just when you think you're totally fed up with their bullshit and you can't take another second of it, they just linger some more. And you never know what they're up to, and they're always scheming in the shadows, and it's quite possible that whatever master plan they're hatching just doesn't make the slightest bit of sense at all. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how stupid the clown's schemes are, or how sick of him everybody is. He just. Won't. Die.
Web Original
He's come back from the dead twice now — he really is Lazarus... Despite the fact that he is seen to be enveloped in the flames of a missile in The Truth I am sure he would have continued to turn up like a bad smell had the show continued. Apparently the Smoking Man protected Mulder all of these years so he could see the look on his face when he discovered the date of the invasion or some such bollocks.
— Joe Ford on The X-Files
on The X-FilesDespite Batman’s best efforts to keep her from falling in, Catwoman refuses to let go of her loot, plunging downwards to an apparent death. It’s not, of course. Catwoman, and Newmar, will eventually return in Season 2 for an episode where she’ll try to murder the Dynamic Duo by cooking them on an oversized griddle.
— Chris Sims on Batman (1966), "Better Luck Next Time"
on Batman (1966), "Better Luck Next Time"Like can we please have even a token explanation for why the Warlock is alive!? This guy gets thoroughly disintegrated and he just pops up at the house in this movie like ‘whatev‘.
Even with the psychological advantage, Taker lost to the Ortons at No Mercy, then suffered the horrific experience of being locked in the casket, doused with gasoline, and burned alive!
And he really hates when that happens.
And he really hates when that happens.
Web Videos
"You're probably wondering why I'm still talking about LaCroix. Because you might also recall me mentioning that, by the end of both pilots, as he was pretty definitely dead as shit. Well, that's just fine: Because with flashbacks, you don't NEED a character to be alive to keep them on board! —except yeah, he's totally still alive for some reason. I hope that's a satisfactory enough explanation for you, because that's all they ever give us. idk."
[Mother Brain is spinning out of control and is vulnerable]
Kevin: Into the Warp Zone! It's too dangerous to finish her off!
Nostalgia Critic: We're contractually obligated to keep stalling for three more seasons!
Kevin: Into the Warp Zone! It's too dangerous to finish her off!
Nostalgia Critic: We're contractually obligated to keep stalling for three more seasons!
In my first appearance, the Bat was supposed to slay me
But I can't be killed, that's why they cast a Phoenix to play me!
But I can't be killed, that's why they cast a Phoenix to play me!
— The Joker, Epic Rap Battles of History
Fearne: Wait, I thought we killed Delilah in there!
Pike: Not to burst your bubble at all, but we've also killed Delilah a couple times. She has a habit of not really going.
Pike: Not to burst your bubble at all, but we've also killed Delilah a couple times. She has a habit of not really going.
Western Animation
"You've bested me in many worlds, child... but I always return."
— The Lich, Adventure Time, "Whispers"
When it's your head they wanna sever
And your blood they want to shed,
You know you're gonna live forever
If everybody wants you dead!
And your blood they want to shed,
You know you're gonna live forever
If everybody wants you dead!
"Ah, put that thing away, Samurai. We all know what's gonna happen; you'll swing your sword, I'll fly away and probably say something like, 'I'll be back, Samurai!' And then I'll flutter off over the horizon and we won't see each other for about a week. And then we'll do the same thing all over again."
— Aku, Samurai Jack
"Oh, who cares? I've been blown up, thrown down smokestacks, fed to sharks; I'm the Joker! I always survive!"
— The Joker, Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Kevin: I thought Vilgax was dead.
Ben: Which time?
Ben: Which time?
— Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, "The Ultimate Enemy Part 1"
Vilgax: Is this the thanks I get? After all, I am the reason you have the Omnitrix in the first place!
Ben: Which you then tried to steal, which began a long tradition of me whipping your butt!
Vilgax: It... No, it didn't!
Ben: Yeah, you're right... oh, except for that time I kicked you out into space! And that other time I kicked you out into space? And of that arena? Oh, and we got blown up in the ocean... Do you see there is a pattern forming here?
Vilgax: Oh, yes, I do... you have never truly defeated me, because you don't have the guts!
Ben: Which you then tried to steal, which began a long tradition of me whipping your butt!
Vilgax: It... No, it didn't!
Ben: Yeah, you're right... oh, except for that time I kicked you out into space! And that other time I kicked you out into space? And of that arena? Oh, and we got blown up in the ocean... Do you see there is a pattern forming here?
Vilgax: Oh, yes, I do... you have never truly defeated me, because you don't have the guts!
Batman: No! One more punch would kill you! And I won't kill you.
Joker: That somehow means I win! I go to jail, escape, kill people, go to jail, rinse and repeat!
Joker: That somehow means I win! I go to jail, escape, kill people, go to jail, rinse and repeat!
"You could've crushed me any time you wanted. And it wasn't the law or the will of the people that stopped you; it was your ego. Being a hero was too important to you. You're as much responsible for this as I am! So go ahead, fix it somehow. Put me on trial, lock me up — but I'll beat it. And then we'll start the whole thing all over again."
Johnny: Hey Vanessa, is that your dad up on that Rocket?
Vanessa: He'll be okay. He blows up all the time.
Vanessa: He'll be okay. He blows up all the time.
Real Life
"On the subject of the Master, I always enjoyed how they handled this problem when the wonderful Anthony Ainley was playing the part in the '80s. He would get killed, definitively, at the end of every encounter with Peter Davison or Colin Baker, and then he'd turn up at the start of the next Master story, with roughly this explanation: 'I escaped!' Suits me! I'm fine with that! Supervillains don't die, do they? So I wouldn't trust anything about that character's ability to lie down and stop breathing."
— Steven Moffat on Doctor Who
"I think that came from the fact that the very first time I played Weyoun he was killed, and that they realized that they liked the character! Necessity is the mother of invention, so they decided that the best thing to justify bringing him back was that he could be cloned. Then I think they saw the dramatic value of it, and the joke that he's constantly dying but he comes right back, even in the same episode. In the end they destroy the cloning facilities, but if you don't think that the Vorta are clever enough to not put all their cloning eggs in one basket, you're sadly mistaken. They're out there somewhere!"
