10 Marvel Heroes Who Can't Be Stopped By Death

Prep for next week's 'Immortal Hulk' #16 with a look at the heroes that won't let death get in the way!

Within the pages of last year's AVENGERS: NO SURRENDER, the universe learned the hard way that there’s simply no killing the Hulk. Despite Bruce Banner’s demise in CIVIL WAR II, the Immortal Hulk has risen once again—and he’s also lived up to his “Immortal” billing by cheating death several times since his return.

But it turns out that Gamma Radiation may have made its most famous victims immune to death... This week’s IMMORTAL HULK #16 has some new developments on that front, as the unkillable Bruce Banner unravels the mystery of Rick Jones's missing corpse.

To mark the occasion, Marvel.com is looking back at 10 other heroes whose experiences with death were just another Wednesday...

Logan has had some pretty close calls over the years, but DEATH OF WOLVERINE was about as definitive as it gets. He was encased in adamantium and suffocated. This death lasted three years, which is an eternity in comics. But the Ol' Canucklehead is once again back from the dead, and currently among the last members of the UNCANNY X-MEN.

Speaking of dead X-Men...

Cyclops had a very painful demise in DEATH OF X when he was exposed to the Inhuman terrigenesis cloud. After his death, the White Queen made everyone believe that Cyclops martyred himself in a war with the Inhumans. Then the Phoenix Force manipulated Cyclops’ temporarily resurrected body like a puppet to emotionally hurt Jean Grey. But that was the secret of his return.

Cable, Cyclops’ son, rigged the game by preparing his father’s body to absorb enough of the Phoenix’s power to cheat death. Now, Cyclops is once again the leader of the X-Men (even though there aren’t many X-Men left)!

Following the first Super Hero CIVIL WAR, Steve Rogers was assassinated while being held for trial. THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA was a traumatic event for the entire Super Hero community, and even Tony Stark was haunted by the demise of his former friend.

It was the Red Skull’s ultimate revenge, but Cap’s old enemy was also inadvertently behind his return. Red Skrull wanted to use Cap’s body as his own, but Steve’s fighting spirit wouldn’t stop until his body was once again his.

Doctor Octopus came up with the perfect revenge. He transferred Peter Parker’s mind into his dying body, and placed himself in the body of Spider-Man. The most stunning thing about the SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN is that his plan worked almost every step of the way. The heroes of Earth knew something was different about Spidey, but they just didn’t suspect that he wasn’t their friend and ally.

Peter met his demise in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700, but not before inspiring Doc Ock to be a heroic Spider-Man. However, Peter’s mind held on and he was eventually able to prove that he is the "superior" Spider-Man when he reclaimed his body.

Johnny Storm seems to take great pride in being the most immature member of the Fantastic Four. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t make the ultimate sacrifice for his family and friends.

In FANTASTIC FOUR #587, Annihilus’ forces were on the verge of overrunning the Baxter Building. But the Human Torch made sure he was in the Negative Zone when he disabled the portal and made a defiant last stand against the Annihilation Wave. Annihilus resurrected Johnny several times after putting him through Hell. But that was a big mistake, because the Human Torch led a rebellion from inside the Negative Zone before reuniting with the FF.

Cable was recently “killed” by his younger self in EXTERMINATION, but it wasn't the first time Nathan Summers had died.

In fact, Cable seemingly perished during X-CUTIONER’S SONG and SECOND COMING. Each time, the time-jumper found a way to survive. That’s why we fully expect the older Cable to eventually come out of “retirement.” He’s too stubborn to die for long.

Kurt Wagner had a heroic death when he saved Hope Summers in SECOND COMING. He went to Heaven, and he could have enjoyed everything he ever wanted in life. However, Nightcrawler was haunted by his life on Earth. When Heaven faced an invasion, Nightcrawler didn’t hesitate to make a deal to save his friends and the Eternal Kingdom. He received a new body, but Kurt seemingly lost any chance of ever returning to Heaven.

But if there’s anyone who deserves another shot at Heaven, it’s Kurt.

During AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED, Hawkeye willingly sacrificed himself to stop an apparent alien invasion. It may have been a Scarlet Witch induced illusion, but Clint Barton was still dead by the end of it.

He later reappeared during HOUSE OF M, once again thanks to Scarlet Witch’s magic. He was also alive again when the world returned to normal. For a time, Clint struggled to reclaim his place as a hero. But he’s more or less shrugged off his untimely demise.

After the death of his sister, Colossus was ready to die. Curing the Legacy Virus with his own death was simply a way to give him what he really wanted. But the Breakworld aliens stole Colossus’ body and brought him back to life for their own purposes in ASTONISHING X-MEN #4. Colossus eventually escaped and rejoined the team, before rekindling his romance with Kitty Pryde. Unfortunately, their love didn’t get them all the way to the altar...

Technically, Jean Grey has only died once. Everyone remembers that Jean seemingly sacrificed herself in UNCANNY X-MEN #137, but that turned out to be the Phoenix Force itself, in a duplicate Jean Grey body. Jean’s true death occured in NEW X-MEN #150, when Zorn (posing as Magneto) gave her a planetary scale stroke. Jean died and stayed dead for years. But the Phoenix Force wasn’t done with her. It resurrected her twice in an attempt to get Jean to reclaim her role as the Phoenix.