The Marvel Cinematic Universe has killed off more than a few of its characters since it first began, but not too many have actually returned from the dead. Since the franchise first started in 2008, the MCU has introduced a staggering number of characters, with its ranks seeming to swell further with each passing year. However, in a franchise populated by heroes and villains possessing incredible abilities, there are always casualties in the MCU’s constant struggle between good and evil. This has seen multiple MCU characters killed off over the course of the franchise’s story, but not all of them stay dead.
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Of course, in a franchise filled with characters possessing remarkable abilities, the notion of death not being entirely permanent isn’t entirely ridiculous. However, sometimes, the way that the MCU characters who died manage to return is bizarre and even a little ridiculous. Whether due to a quirk of the writing or an unnecessary cameo appearance, here are the most ridiculous times the MCU brought back its dead characters.
7) The Ancient One’s Time Heist Return
The Ancient One was once one of the MCU’s most powerful magic users, but Doctor Strange’s mentor was killed off after only a single appearance. However, she then made a shocking return via a cameo during Avengers: Endgame‘s time heist, returning to share a brief exchange with the Hulk. What makes the resurrection a little ridiculous is that it didn’t seem entirely necessary, and it also served very little real purpose to have the character impart a little extra wisdom to an unrelated character before once again disappearing forever.
6) Quicksilver’s Weird Fake-Out Return
After being introduced and then killed off in the span of a single movie, Quicksilver became an MCU character who clearly deserved more screen time. WandaVision seemed to make this happen, resurrecting the character with Evan Peters replacing Aaron Taylor-Johnson by reprising his role from Fox’s movies. The unexplained return was then revealed as a fake-out organized by Agatha Harkness to better manipulate Wanda. Seeming to bring back a wasted character only to take it all away a second time was ridiculous, and also felt just a little bit cruel.
5) Loki Keeps Cheating Death
Loki has proven himself to be one of the MCU’s best anti-heroes, turning from an outright antagonist to a more complex, occasionally heroic figure. Over his tenure in the franchise, he has been killed on screen multiple times. The first and second were both revealed to be illusions created by Loki, then his death at Thanos’ hands seemed permanent until he was brought back by escaping the Avengers’ custody in the past during Endgame‘s time heist. It’s not the manner of Loki’s multiple returns that is ridiculous, but rather the frequency with which it seems to occur.
4) Gamora’s Villainous Do-Over
After serving as a founding member of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Gamora was eventually killed by her adoptive father, Thanos, in an especially shocking moment in Avengers: Infinity War. The follow-up, Avengers: Endgame, saw Gamora return as a result of time travel, but the new version of the character had no memory of her former teammates. The resurrection itself made sense, but erasing her relationship with her fellow Guardians was a harsh and somewhat ridiculous side-effect that still feels like a waste of the character.
3) Hulk Brings Everyone Back In An Instant
One of the Hulk’s most impressive feats of power in the MCU was using the Infinity Stones to undo Thanos’ snap. This brought back half of all life in the universe that had previously been erased from existence by the Mad Titan. It’s one of the most incredible and triumphant moments in the MCU to date, but the sheer scale of the resurrection is pretty ridiculous. Just thinking of the sheer scope of the act is pretty overwhelming, making it a far more substantial moment than it otherwise seems.
2) Red Skull Returning Through Unexplained Infinity Stone Magic
There are many super soldiers in the MCU, but one of the most important was unceremoniously killed shortly after his introduction. The Red Skull was seemingly vaporized in the final moments of Captain America: The First Avenger, but it was later revealed that he had survived and been tasked with guarding the Soul Stone on Vormir. It might not seem so ridiculous had the movies of the MCU actually explained how it was possible, but instead, it just seems a silly and overly convenient way to bring back a villain that was clearly killed off too soon.
1) Vision Transferring Memories Into A New Body (From Beyond The Grave)
From the moment of his introduction, Vision was one of the MCU’s most overpowered heroes. This didn’t stop the MCU from killing him off multiple times in quick succession, though, although Wanda seemingly magically resurrected him in WandaVision. The TV show then ended with Wanda’s magical Vision transferring his memories and personality into the blank, white Vision body created by SWORD, which, in terms of sheer complexity, is undeniably the most ridiculous means of resurrection in the history of the MCU.
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