Being a superhero is a dangerous job in the DC Universe, with the endless parade of deadly supervillains and universe-shattering catastrophes. Sometimes not every hero makes it home alive, paying the ultimate price for the safety of the innocent. This point has recently been driven home in the comic book world, with DC recently publishing Death of the Justice League in Justice League #75 (it looks like the Suicide Squad took too long to take their shot).

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It's not all bad, though, since death is rarely a long-term problem in the comic book world. This has led to the coining of the term "comic book death," which refers to the short-term and meaningless nature of these deaths. So, out of DC's expansive roster of heroes, who has paid the ultimate price, only to receive a refund?

Ted Kord/Blue Beetle II — There's No Squashing This Bug

Blue Beetle

The second hero to take on the mantle of the Blue Beetle, Ted Kord is the billionaire CEO of Kord Industries. He's a genius and skilled combatant who uses a variety of self-made gadgets, including an airship called "The Bug." Despite not being a huge superhero, he was established enough to serve on the Justice League for a time.

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Sadly, Kord was shot in the head by his former Justice League ally, Maxwell Lord, in 2005's Countdown to Infinite Crisis. However, Kord returned as a zombie just a few years later in Blackest Night before returning to the land of the living thanks to DC's Rebirth event, which rebooted the DC universe.

Stephanie Brown/Spoiler — Spoiler Warning: She Came Back

Stephanie Brown as Spoiler

Introduced in 1992, Stephanie Brown was the daughter of the C-list villain Cluemaster, taking on the vigilante identity of Spoiler so that she could "spoil" her father's plans. She would briefly become the fourth Robin before reverting to her Spoiler identity and ultimately dying rather brutally in 2005's War Games storyline.

However, by 2008 Steph was back as Spoiler, with it being retroactively established that she had faked her death. Things were looking up for a Steph after that, with her even taking up the Batgirl mantle. That is, until 2011, when the New 52 reboot wiped her from continuity. Fear not, though; she has recently found her way back into the DCU as a part of the Batfamily once again.

Roy Harper/Arsenal — He Must Have a Second Life In His Arsenal

Roy Harper

Starting as Green Arrow's sidekick, Speedy, Roy Harper helped found the Teen Titans before working solo under the names Red Arrow and Arsenal. Along the way, he battled drug addiction, lost an arm, and even lost his daughter. It was a rough life for Roy, but it all came to an end in the 2018-19 story, Heroes in Crisis, in which Roy was one of several people accidentally killed by his friend, Wally West/The Flash.

This move and the story as a whole was quite controversial, so it came as no surprise when Roy found himself back among the land of the living in 2021's Infinite Frontier event after the multiverse was rebooted once again.

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow — Another Archer Who Got a Second Shot

Green Arrow
DC Comics

Like his former sidekick, Oliver Queen has also been to the other side and back. Debuting in 1941, Green Arrow is one of the longest-running heroes in DC's roster, so it was only a matter of time before the Grim Reaper caught up with him. This happened in 1995's Green Arrow Vol. 2 No. 100-101, where Ollie dies saving Metropolis from a group of eco-terrorists called the Eden Corps.

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After Oliver's demise, his son Connor Hawke, whom Oliver had only recently been made aware of, took on his father's mantle. However, it wasn't long before Ollie was back, resurrected in 2000 by his friend, the Green Lantern Hal Jordan.

Kara Zor-El/Supergirl — The Long Journey Back Into Canon

Death of Supergirl

While Supergirl may have cheated death in the Arrowverse's live-action Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptation, it was a different story in the original comic book story. One of the most iconic images to come from the groundbreaking 1985 crossover event was that of an anguished Superman cradling the body of his deceased cousin.

This was part of an effort to streamline Superman's story and take him back to basics, which included the removal of all other Kryptonian characters from continuity. Several other non-Kryptonian characters would take up the Supergirl mantle in the '90s and early 2000s before Kara finally made her triumphant return to the post-crisis timeline in 2004.

Princess Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman — To Valhalla and Back Again

Death of Wonder Woman

One of DC's flagship characters, Wonder Woman, has been a staple of the DC Universe since her introduction in 1941. However, she finally came to an end, befitting her heroic warrior status in the epic 2020-21 crossover event, Dark Nights: Death Metal. After defeating the cosmic beings Perpetua and The Darkest Knight, Diana ascends to a higher plane of existence.

However, things go awry, and Diana finds herself in Valhalla, leading her on a journey through various afterlives of the God Sphere. She finally made her way back to the land of the living in late 2021... only to be killed off again a few months later. Only time will tell when she'll be back again.

Bruce Wayne/Batman — Death Can't Stop Him... Because He's Batman!

Death of Batman

These days Batman is seen as being prepared for anything, but that didn't help him in the 2008 crossover event, Final Crisis. Coming off the tail of the ominously titled Batman R.I.P. storyline, Final Crisis saw Batman investigating the death of the New God, Orion. This led to Orion's father, Darkseid, seemingly obliterating DC's most popular character with his Omega Beams.

However, the final moments of the story revealed that Batman didn't die but was sent back in time instead. This led to The Dark Knight making jumps through history, slowly moving towards the present in 2010's Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne mini-series.

Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman — Even the Man of Steel Has A Melting Point

Death of Superman

As wild as it may seem, even DC's strongest and most iconic hero, Superman, has met his maker. In a move so bold and unexpected that it made headlines at the time, the Man of Tomorrow was killed off in the 1992-1993 story, The Death of Superman. At a time when superhero deaths weren't nearly as common, this sent shock waves around the world, given the iconic status of the character.

But fans barely had time to mourn, with Kal-El making his triumphant return less than a year later, in the final arc of the story, Reign of the Supermen. Unfortunately, though, he returned with a mullet, so it wasn't all good news.

Jason Todd/Robin II/Red Hood — The Poster Boy for Resurrection

Death of Jason Todd

Serving as the second Robin, Jason Todd was brutally killed off in the seminal Batman story, A Death in the Family, in 1988. For years afterward, he was one of the few characters whose death was deemed too important to be reversed, along with the likes of Spider-Man's Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy.

However, that all changed in 2005 with the publication of another seminal work, Batman: Under the Hood. Here, Todd was resurrected as the anti-hero Red Hood, and his story of death, resurrection, and redemption has become one of the most popular in DC canon.

Barry Allen/The Flash - One of DC's Most Iconic Rebirths

Death of Barry Allen

Over the years, Barry Allen, a.k.a. The Flash, has become intrinsically linked with the DC multiverse, whether it be in comics, TV, or movies. It'll come as no surprise then to learn that not only did he play a pivotal role in the epic Crisis on Infinite Earths tale, but he actually sacrificed himself to help save the multiverse. It was one of the most important moments in comic book history, and the image of his body disintegrating has become iconic.

Equally as important, though, was Barry's epic return some twenty years later, in Final Crisis. It helped cement the idea that comic book deaths are far from permanent.

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