While I know it isn't always true, almost nobody stays dead in comic books. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing and it's just a convention of the media. I've previously shared a fun supers-inspired rule I found online for bringing back NPC's here. I decided to create one that could be used with players too.
When a character dies if they wish, you can have the player roll a d100 and consult the list below. Each result was inspired by something that actually happened in comics. Some of these resurrections don't take place immediately, while others do. If the method doesn't work for your game, feel free to roll again or just pick the one you want. Most of these have plot hooks connected to them and have room to be fleshed out. Also if you have suggestions you think would be interesting, leave them in the comments and I can update this.
1-87- "He's dead, Jim."
86 - The killing blow wasn't actually as bad as it looked and the character is barely alive, but stable.
87 - The character's body is placed in a pool of rejuvenating liquid/ooze with the power to heal and bring back the dead. There are side effects.
88 - A powerful cosmic force of creation and destruction bonds with the character bringing them back from death.
89 - An alternate universe version of the character appears to take his place.
90 - The deceased character is revealed to be an extremely sophisticated robot copy. Who created the robot? Where is the actual character?
91 - The laser/death ray that killed the character actually just teleported them to another time or dimension.
92 - The dead character is a clone. Where is the real character? When were they replaced?
93 - Wait nope, the character is actually dead, but they have a clone that can take up their identity and mantle.
94 - The character is just almost dead and their body is taken, repaired with technology, and potentially brainwashed.
95 - The character had been secretly replaced by an alien infiltrator. Could this be the beginning of some sort of clandestine infiltration?
96 - The character's lifeforce is transplanted into an advanced android body.
97 - An older or younger (50/50 chance of either) appears to replace them.
98 - The character is brought back by a god, demon, or other entity. Did they have to sell their soul to do so or where they chose to be an avatar or perform a specific task? Do they appear as they did before or do they have a new form?
96 - The character's lifeforce is transplanted into an advanced android body.
97 - An older or younger (50/50 chance of either) appears to replace them.
98 - The character is brought back by a god, demon, or other entity. Did they have to sell their soul to do so or where they chose to be an avatar or perform a specific task? Do they appear as they did before or do they have a new form?
99 - Right before the character died a time traveler teleported them to the future and replaced them with a deceased clone.
100 - A powerful individual who exists outside of this dimension punches the walls of reality, sending ripples throughout the universe changing things which resurrect the character.
100 - A powerful individual who exists outside of this dimension punches the walls of reality, sending ripples throughout the universe changing things which resurrect the character.
