TV Characters Who Were Killed Off, Then Brought Back to Life

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TV Characters Who Were Killed Off – Then Brought Back to Life  

In the world of television, bringing a fan favorite character back to life often gives us the closure—or resolution—we need to continue watching a show. TV fans love to watch outlandish plot twists, and few plot twists are more outlandish than killing off a beloved character, only to have that character return alive and well. 

We’ve seen some of the most shocking and unforgettable moments on the small screen when well-known and popular characters have been killed off—only to be miraculously brought back to life. From soap opera stunners to genre-shifting reboots and revivals, here are some of the most famous TV characters who were killed off—and then brought back to life.

The Top 20 Most Memorable TV Characters Killed Off & Brought Back  

  1. Omar Little – The Wire

The Wire left its post-modern mark on the genre of crime drama when Omar Little was killed off near the series’ conclusion. Fortunately, his legacy was immediately recognized and later established in the series’ continuing storyline—resulting in his resurrection in the show’s follow-up film.

  1. Ned Stark – Game of Thrones

The Red Wedding left even the most hardcore of HBO fans shocked when the beloved Ned Stark got axed right in the middle of the show’s most epic season. In what could be arguably regarded as the most strangely positioned death in the series, Ned Stark was resurrected years later by Bran Stark via the power of time travel.

  1. Sara Lance – Arrow

The death of Sara Lance threw a wrench into the plans of the sordid cast of Arrow. Her death caused the whole season to go off the rails and the show’s main antagonist was revealed. Yet the “impossible” happened, and Sara was sent through a Lazarus Pit and judged worthy of being reinstated.

  1. Sara Tancredi – Prison Break

Sara Tancredi’s return from the grave made her the iconic character of the Prison Break series. Even after she was executed on live TV, she was somehow brought back, signalling a huge shift for the show.

  1. Lex Luthor – Smallville

The end of Smallville also saw the end of Lex Luthor. Oh, he was dead, all right—shot down by his own father, villainous and twisted Lionel Luthor, who wanted absolute power. But Lex returned. How? By something as simple as a mysterious visitor who saved him using arcane magical powers.

  1. Simon Tam – Firefly

Simon’s death in the show’s series finale was a sad one. However, fans would soon be delighted to find out that Simon wasn’t really gone. He had been in a cryo-freeze chamber on a spaceship and was only brought back to life after a series of coincidences.

  1. Robert Baratheon – Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones shocked even its most loyal fans when the power-hungry queen Cersei Lannister dispatched Robert Baratheon from the world of the living. Fortunately, the beloved King was brought back in an unexpected twist. Thanks to the power of astral projection, Robert’s spirit was snuck into his own body and he comfortably lives on in King’s Landing.

  1. Angel – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Everyone hated Angel when the vampire with a soul was killed by Buffy, the slayer of the Vampire Slayer. It seemed like the only way to punish him for the crime of killing a person was death. But he was blessed with yet another chance at redemption, when the powerful being known only as “The Beast” restored his humanity and granted him another shot at life.

  1. Doctor Who – Doctor Who

The Doctor Who series was forever changed when the titular hero was killed off—but soon, he was brought back to life in spectacular fashion. By making use of a nifty trick of time travel, the Doctor rewrote the laws of existence and stepped out of the time stream. That moment marked not just his rebirth, but the start of an entirely new era for the show and its characters.

  1. Charlie Harper – Two and a Half Men

Charlie Harper’s death was one of the most talked-about TV character deaths in recent memory. But when his long-lost daughter showed up to declare him not dead—at least, not officially—everyone was a bit confused. What was even more surprising was her explanation: Charlie was hiding in Paris!

  1. John Locke – Lost

John Locke seemed to be nothing more than a tragic character throughout most of Lost. He went through a pretty rough time—the guy got strangled and then thrown off a cliff! But as it turns out, not even death can keep him down. Taken out of purgatory and given a new lease on life, John reemerged from the Island’s depths with a renewed purpose—and a bit of a grudge.

  1. Jack Shephard – Lost

The somewhat-stupid death of Jack Shephard demanded a powerful resolution for Lost. And that’s exactly what we got when the show revealed Jack’s miraculous return from the grave. He rose from his deathbed and gave fans one of the most satisfying payoffs in the history of TV.

  1. Mickey Milkovich – Shameless

The death of Mickey Milkovich was one of the most heartbreaking moments in Shameless. But as it turns out, Mickey didn’t really die—he just faked his death to escape law enforcement and his own inner demons. Later on, he returned to the show and resumed his story with a shocking reunion.

  1. Boomer – Battlestar Galactica

When Boomer was suddenly killed off in the middle of Battlestar Galactica, everyone was shocked. But the show gifted us with one of its most satisfying resolutions when Boomer mysteriously returned, much to the surprise and delight of fans.

  1. Jon Snow – Game of Thrones

The death of Jon Snow sparked speculation for months. Would he stay dead or, as the fan theories suggested, would he be resurrected? And lo and behold, fan theories were proved correct. Jon Snow was brought back from the dead, in what was one of the show’s most epic moments.

  1. Faith Lehane – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The dark-hearted slayer, Faith Lehane, was one of the most complex characters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When she was killed at the conclusion of the show’s fourth season, it felt like it was truly the end of the road for the character. Little did we know that she’d get another resurrection, when a magical spell accidentally brought her back to life.

  1. James “Sawyer” Ford – Lost

When Sawyer’s death was announced, Lost fans around the world wept. But Sawyer’s death was not an easy one to stay in. It wasn’t a surprise when Lost manufactured a way to bring Sawyer back to life: Through the power of special island magic, Sawyer was resurrected and brought back to life.

  1. Max Guevara – Dark Angel

Max Guevara’s death was one of the cruelest cliffhangers in TV history. But no one would stay dead for long in Dark Angel. An experiment gone wrong brought Max back to life and changed her into an entirely different being. Max eventually regained her strength and personality, but she was a bit more vulnerable than before.

  1. Dexter Morgan – Dexter

In a shocking twist, Dexter was seemingly killed off at the conclusion of the show’s eighth season. But Dexter wasn’t quite ready to stay dead yet, and he re-emerged from the blood-soaked finale to return in strong form. After he was brought back to life by a mysterious force, Dexter uprooted his life and reinvented himself as a lumberjack in a new city.

  1. Buffy Summers – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The mid-series finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a heart-wrenching one, when Buffy sacrificed her own life to save the world. With her death looming in the air, fans were left sobered for months until—surprise!—Buffy was miraculously resurrected with the help of a special restoration spell.

How TV Characters Are Brought Back to Life  

Now that we’ve seen some of the more memorable characters who’ve been killed off and resurrected, let’s take a look at some of the more common ways writers bring back characters from the dead.

Time Travel

Time travel enables writers to maintain continuity between storylines and give them the creative freedom to resurrect a character without needing to explain their return. When a character is killed, sentences can be re-written, eliminating the event and allowing them to reappear in the present storyline. It’s a classic trick of the time-travel genre used to bring back fan favorites.

Magic

In fantasy and supernatural-infused drama, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, magical powers are sometimes used to bring back characters from the dead. Whether it’s a resurrection spell, a soul transfer, or dark voodoo magic, any number of magical tricks can be used to restore life to a beloved character.

Mysterious Forces

Mysterious forces account for a large portion of the character resurrections we find on TV. To keep things mysterious and unexplained, writers use mystical forces and unknown entities from different worlds and dimensions to revive characters and bring them back to life.

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