Worst "Got Better"

[Randy Jackson]

We're all quite familiar with the killing off of beloved characters, only to have them revived sometime later. It's something I don't think will ever go away, and quite frankly I don't totally mind it, as most characters that do die do so for short-sighted or poor reasons. I think all of us accept this particular trope as part of superhero comics whether we like it or not.

However, what I want to hear is what is the most implausible, ridiculous manner of revival that you can think of?  What explanation for a character's sudden return really mad you think, "Shyeah, right. Go pull the other one." What's the explanation that made you think "wow, the creative team must have been hitting the sauce really hard when they came up with this one."

I would say that Elseworlds, What If's and Imaginary Stories should not count.

I'm going to nominate the revival of Alfred Pennyworth aka the Outsider, for the very simple reason that his body was crushed by a very large boulder. Even if that didn't kill him, it should have left him crippled for life rather than giving him strange super powers and an evil bent. Not to mention that I sincerely doubt that Batman and Robin could have made such a mistake and believed him dead when he must have had some sort of pulse.

Let's hear your choices for the worst "Got Better".

[Luis Olavo de Moura Dantas]

Yep.  That is not something the Alphans really like to talk about these days.

Can't fault them.

[Mark S. Ogilvie]

 Didn't they die and were brought back too?  I can't remember the circumstances.

Luis Olavo de Moura Dantas said:

Yep.  That is not something the Alphans really like to talk about these days.

Can't fault them.

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

Captain Comics said:

In fairness, in my neck of the woods, we have quite a few towns and cities that aren't pronounced like their Old World counterparts. Cairo, Illinois, is pronounced KAY-ro; Helena, Arkansas, is pronounced HELL-in-a; and Milan,Tennessee, is pronounced MY-lan. Give me a minute, and I'll think of five or six more. Throw in the Native American names, and it's a free-for-all.

New Madrid (pronounced MADDrid) and Haiti, MO (pronounced HAY-tye)

[Ronald Morgan]

A lot of people pronounce the island Haiti that way. I've heard it in old horror movies, back in the days when zombies just walked around with blank staring eyes and gave people the creeps.

[Richard Willis]

Tony Isabella's town: Medina, Ohio (pronounced Meh-Dine-ah)

[Mr. Satanism]

Really? I grew up not far away and apparently I've pronounced it wrong my entire life!

Richard Willis said:

Tony Isabella's town: Medina, Ohio (pronounced Meh-Dine-ah)

[Richard Willis]

Mr. Satanism said:

Really? I grew up not far away and apparently I've pronounced it wrong my entire life!

Some time during the run of Comic Buyer's Guide it was stated that most of the local people pronounced it the "dine" way. I've never been there.

[ClarkKent_DC]

Philip Portelli said:

Love this scene from The Avengers #229 where Captain Marvel II basically throws it in the heroes' faces how often their "dead" bad guys just pop up again!

In one of the Love and Capes: Ever After miniseries, a hero, Windstar, gets killed. The autopsy is performed by the Crusader, Darkblade, and Doctor Karma, who perform various tests ...

... to determine that it is the real Windstar, and not an impersonator, a twin, a clone, an android, an LMD, a shapeshifter, a mystical construct, a version of him from another Earth or another dimension or from some point in the past, etc., etc, ...

... and that he's not merely dead, but most sincerely dead and not comatose, in suspended animation, frozen in time, been turned into a vampire or a zombie, etc., etc. ... 

[Mark S. Ogilvie]

  Empowered has the undead heroes, heroes who's bodies die but who's powers live on, keeping them in a perpetual state of life yet not living.  

[Captain Comics]

Off topic entirely, but can't resist:

Back when this comic book came out, something seemed off about the way Captain America snapped his fingers. Then I tried it, and realized that not only was it really awkward, but it's nearly impossible to snap your fingers with the knuckles pointed toward yourself.. (Plus, his hand is way too small.)

ClarkKent_DC said:

Philip Portelli said:

Love this scene from The Avengers #229 where Captain Marvel II basically throws it in the heroes' faces how often their "dead" bad guys just pop up again!

In one of the Love and Capes: Ever After miniseries, a hero, Windstar, gets killed. The autopsy is performed by the Crusader, Darkblade, and Doctor Karma, who perform various tests ...

... to determine that it is the real Windstar, and not an impersonator, a twin, a clone, an android, an LMD, a shapeshifter, a mystical construct, a version of him from another Earth or another dimension or from some point in the past, etc., etc, ...

... and that he's not merely dead, but most sincerely dead and not comatose, in suspended animation, frozen in time, been turned into a vampire or a zombie, etc., etc. ... 

[Luke Blanchard]

I don't snap my thumb against my forefinger, but against my middle finger. The finger moves towards the palm and the thumb away from it. I can't keep the forefinger straight during the snap.

The natural way to do it with the knuckles facing me is with my elbows out and my thumbs facing down. To get Cap's hand position I have to place my right elbow against my chest and angle the forearm towards the right, or start with my hand in front of my chest, thumb down, and sweep it right during the snap (so the elbow moves left).

[Richard Willis]

...and Cap is wearing gloves. How do you snap your fingers while wearing gloves?