7 Huge DC Heroes Who Are Currently Dead

Death comes for us all, and that’s no less true for the heroes of the DC Universe. It’s wild to think that, at one point, death was about as permanent for superheroes as it was for us. But over the past several decades, resurrections have become just as ubiquitous as origin stories, and nearly every big-name hero has a story of how they came back from the other side. Unfortunately, not every hero returns after shuffling off the mortal coil. Some, shockingly, have stayed dead and have yet to make a big comeback.

It’s wild that for some heroes, they haven’t managed to come back to the land of the living. I mean, it’s pretty much expected that any dead hero could come back to life. But the longer time goes on, the less likely someone like the Doom Patrol’s Dorothy Spinner or Manchester Black will pull a sudden revival. Of course, nothing’s off the table in a world of superheroes, but for now, these heroes are pretty much all off the board. Read on to discover some of the biggest DC heroes who are currently dead.

7. Shade, the Changing Man

Rac Shade was once the star of his own self-titled series, a book that helped define DC Comics’ Vertigo line in the early ‘90s. The cosmic poet drifted for a few years before he ultimately found himself in the Prime DCU, popping up in Shade, the Changing Woman. However, Shade had changed radically and went off the deep end, trying to control Loma, the new Shade. The two battled, and it ended with Loma destroying Rac. Shade hasn’t been seen since, and while he usually pops up in the most unexpected places, I wouldn’t count on seeing him anytime soon.

6. Vigilante

You’d think a character that’s experienced a boom in popularity thanks to the Peacemaker show would have been brought back to life by this point, right? Adrian Chase, while not the first Vigilante, is arguably the best-known iteration. That being said, he’s quite different from his live-action counterpart. In the later years of his career, Chase regretted the violence he brought into the world and ended up taking his own life. Even amid all the changes and resets to reality, Vigilante is still dead with no indication that he’s ever coming back.

5. Dorothy Spinner

Those who loved the Doom Patrol show and never read the comics may be saddened to hear that the charming Dorothy Spinner has been dead for quite some time. She met her end after suffering a panic attack that triggered her powerful psychic abilities that put her into a coma (as well as killing fellow Doom Patrol member Coagula). Dorothy was taken off of life support shortly after and, to this day, her grave is watched by her found family, who continue to miss her powerful and imaginative spirit.

4. Alfred Pennyworth

Is it cheating to put Alfred on this list? Maybe he’s not a ‘hero’ in the traditional sense, but I think we’re all still shocked that Alfred has been dead this long. The faithful butler met his end years ago when Bane took over Gotham and snapped his neck (right in front of poor Damian Wayne). While there have been a few fake-outs and teases towards a resurrection, Alfred’s death has remained canon, and there’s no hint that DC Comics is ever going to revive him. Props to sticking with it, but damn if we don’t all miss Alfred.

3. Manchester Black

Manchester Black is another one of those entries that feels like it’s cheating, mostly because he’s always been more of an anti-hero. In fact, his death was partly due to the fact that he was secretly working for Lex Luthor as a spy during Superman’s crusade to save Warworld. Lex decided Manchester was of better use by hijacking his brain and its psychic power to make the world forget Superman’s secret identity. The process killed Manchester Black, who, in his final moments, at least admitted he actually started seeing the value in Superman’s idealism.

2. Green Lantern (John Stewart)

As a Green Lantern fan, I kind of have to include John Stewart here. His death is very fresh, as John gave up his life during the recent “Starbreaker Supremacy” arc. After holding onto phenomenal cosmic power for years, John gave it all up to reignite the reconstructed Power Batteries and finally repair the Emotional Spectrum. Do I think John is gone permanently? Not for a second. But for now, the Green Lantern Corps is missing a valuable asset as long as this Lantern’s light is out.

1. Doctor Manhattan

Doctor Manhattan infamously told us all in Watchmen that ‘nothing ever ends’. But that wasn’t the case for the man himself. At the end of Doomsday Clock, Manhattan saw that his manipulation of the DC Universe was wrong and decided to transfer all of his powers and essence into a child that Manhattan sent to live with his old allies, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. While one could read Watchmen and leave Manhattan’s fate open, the current DC Comics canon has Doctor Manhattan and 100% officially dead.

Who’s your favorite deceased DC Comics hero? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!

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