Who has the highest body count?

[Karen El]

Everyone knows that female characters are far more likely to get killed off in superhero comics, but I was just wondering what the figures were for frequency of deaths. Who has been killed off most often, and do women generally do the revolving door to heaven more regularly than men?

[K-DoG7p7]

Jean Gray

[shrike]

Probably Multi Man or Resurrection Man. But thats kinda their whole schtick.

[Personamanx]

I want to say Jean Grey but with the Pheonix Force and what not it's hard to say which ones count.

[Thequeerjock]

With Jean I thought the explanation was that the first one didn't count, so I guess she's only died once so far in canon?

[Personamanx]

I'm not sure but if you ignore the whole Pheonix Force thing I think it's more than that. Something like 4 or 5 times... Ugh, not a Jean Grey expert so I'm uncertain.

[Ray G.]

Pretty sure Jean Grey and Raven have both been killed off multiple times.

I don't know if female superheroes are more likely to be killed off - I think 75% of all superheroes have been killed and resurrected at some point - but female civilians tend to. And most of those don't come back.

[KirbyKrackle]

Resurrection Man, Mr Immortal, and Multi-Man.

[Lunar Archivist]

If we're talking women, I'd say Luornu Durgo, a.k.a. Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel/Duplicate Damsel. She had the ability to split into three identical bodies, and, due to all the reboots, they've managed to kill each of her three selves at least once.

[Karen El]

Resurrection Man, Mr Immortal, and Multi-Man.

You can't count people whose whole shtick is dying and getting better, or anyone with an unlimited supply of spare bodies. That's just silly.

[Lester C.]

Gwen Stacy would be at the top of the list, if each resurrection hadn't been proven to be a total fake out.

[ZimMan2]

Optimus Prime. Seriously.

[Lester C.]

Optimus Prime. Seriously.

I'm not sure that counts. Each time Prime is killed, it's so he can be roborn as a brand new toy and or character.

[ZimMan2]

I'm not sure that counts. Each time Prime is killed, it's so he can be roborn as a brand new toy and or character.

Out of the 26 times Prime has died, only four had him coming back in a new body. Every other time, he came back just like he was before or Hot Rod replaces him.

[Alex]

How many times has Elektra bitten the dust?

[RachelEvil]

How many times has Elektra bitten the dust?

Twice, I think. But one was a Skrull.

[FanboyStranger]

Twice, I think. But one was a Skrull.

And the first time, while iconic, is kind of dubious.

[Tobias M]

You can't count people whose whole shtick is dying and getting better, or anyone with an unlimited supply of spare bodies. That's just silly.

Well by that logic Jean's out too. Whether the first 'Phoenix' death counts or not, her subsequent gaining of Phoenix powers entitles her to +Lives.

[Karen El]

Well by that logic Jean's out too. Whether the first 'Phoenix' death counts or not, her subsequent gaining of Phoenix powers entitles her to +Lives.

No, I'm including any deaths that were later retconned away to be mistaken identity, shape shifters, robots, or actors so dedicated that they kept in character, even on their death beds. It's all in the original intent.

When Claremont wrote Jean's original death, she was just dead, not sleeping in a river. And even given that, I think she's only died twice. The reason she has a reputation for dying a lot is probably down to the dumb way they brought her back after such an iconic death. That and the only fact most people know about the phoenix of myth is that it resurrects itself.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Wonderman's "died" a few times

[Dreg]

For a dude that's ostensibly immortal, Wolverine has died and come back 5 times, maybe?