Sometimes, it is tragic when a character dies. Other times, death is a cause for celebration, a villain vanquished at long last. Either way, death closes the book on a character, and dealing with that is a huge deal.
We have to reconcile ourselves to a world without this character. We have to make peace with never seeing them again. Well, never say never because sometimes, characters come back from the dead.
This twist has routes in soap operas, but as annoying as redemption arcs are, it’s impressive when a show can surprise us.
If we didn’t see a body, we might suspect something, but sometimes we believe someone is dead only to learn they aren’t.
It’s impressive when a show does this.
Check out our list of the top 13 death fakeouts when a show made you think someone was dead.
1) Andre Dragomir – Vampire Academy
On Vampire Academy Season 1 Episode 1, Lissa Dragomir loses her family in a car accident. They stay dead in the books, so there was no reason to suspect that we would see any of Lissa’s family after that fatal car crash.
It was a huge shock when it was revealed on Vampire Academy Season 1 Episode 9 that Andre was alive. He was held captive by villain Tatiana Vogel, who arranged for the crash and saved Andre so she could use him.
Andre eventually escapes and appears to die again, only for the reveal on Vampire Academy Season 1 Episode 10 that he had been turned into a Strigoi, an evil undead vampire.
2) Conner Kent – Young Justice
Conner Kent, AKA Superboy, was on mars planning to marry his long-term martian girlfriend M’gann, AKA Miss Martian, when a racist plot against certain Martians was revealed.
On Young Justice Season 4 Episode 4, Connor sacrifices himself to stop a dangerous weapon, not realizing kryptonite is part of the weapon. This devastated fans, as Connor was one of the OG members of the cast. His and M’gann’s love story was one for the ages.
Fans were thrilled when it was revealed that Connor was still alive, just stuck in the phantom zone. He was eventually rescued and reunited with M’gann just before the wedding.
3) Kyle and Andy – Chucky
The horror genre is full of death. When foster siblings Kyle and Andy from the Child’s Play franchise guest star on the Chucky, they are on a mission to destroy every last doll. This lands them in some hot water.
Kyle is tricked into triggering a bomb, seemingly killing herself, Andy, and two others. However, it is later revealed that both of them survived.
Kyle and Andy can defeat Chucky for good, or so they believe. Unlike Kyle and Andy, we’re hoping Chucky stays dead.
4) Connie – The Walking Dead
While The Walking Dead Season 10 was filming, actress Lauren Ridloff needed time off to film Eternals. They decided to kill her off in a cave-in to provide her with this time off.
She seemed well and truly dead, but in the finale of The Walking Dead Season 10, it was revealed that Connie was very much alive.
Connie rejoined the series on The Walking Dead Season 11. Virgil rescued her, and after surviving an ordeal in a feral people-infested house, she was reunited with the group.
5) Madison – Fear the Walking Dead
After a time jump on Fear the Walking Dead Season 4, the main character Madison only appeared in flashbacks.
Midway through Fear The Walking Dead Season 4, it was revealed that Madison sacrificed herself; she led a horde of zombies away so the others could escape.
Fans were surprised when Madison returned on Fear The Walking Dead Season 7. No longer a good guy, Madison is now a child thief working for the PADRE organization.
6) Ziva – NCIS
Ziva’s house in Israel was destroyed, and her daughter was sent to Tony in the US.
It appeared to fans that she was gone for good.
Fast forward three seasons and Ziva was back, suffering from PTSD but very much alive.
7) Bo Brady – Days Of Our Lives
In Salem, death is often a temporary state.
However, when Peter Reckell, the actor who plays Bo Brady, decided to leave Days of Our Lives for good, we genuinely believed Bo died of an inoperable brain tumor.
We watched his wife and children move on for seven years without him, so it was quite a shock to fans to see Bo suspended in a cryogenic chamber, still very much alive.
8) Kevin McMahon – Snowpiercer
As a high-ranking member of Mr. Wilford’s Hospitality team on Big Alice, Kevin is taken prisoner by Layton’s Snowpiercer team, coerced into giving up information with the first real food he’s eaten in years, and then exchanged for Melanie.
Wilford doesn’t forgive this betrayal and forces Kevin to slit his wrists in a bathtub upon his return to Big Alice. Kevin’s demise seems assured until it’s revealed that bringing people back from the brink is just another of Wilford’s kinks.
When Miss Audrey returns to his side, Wilford’s first test of her loyalty is to “retrain” Kevin, who has been useless to him since the whole “kill yourself for me” thing.
9) David Clarke and Victoria Grayson – Revenge
For the premise of Revenge to work, David Clarke, the father who the protagonist Emily was trying to avenge, needed to be dead. For three seasons, it appeared he was.
On the finale of Revenge Season 3, fans were shocked when it was revealed that David Clarke was very much alive. Not long after this reveal, longtime antagonist Victoria Grayson appeared to commit suicide.
Writers assured fans in interviews that Victoria was genuinely dead, so fans were shocked and furious when it was revealed that Victoria had faked her death.
10 Lex Luthor – Supergirl
Lena Luthor killing her brother to protect her friends, only for him to reveal that her friends had been lying to her, was a massive part of her character’s arc on Supergirl Season 5.
Lex’s death, sadly, did not last. He was resurrected when the universe rebooted on the Supergirl Season 5 crossover episode.
Lex is a villain we grew tired of, so his resurrection was not welcome. However, it did change Lena’s trajectory, which we are grateful for.
11) Zelena – Once Upon A Time
Zelena was created because the showrunners loved Rebecca Madder as an actress. As a villain, her death was inevitable and satisfying.
However, when the showrunners saw an opportunity to bring Rebbeca back, they jumped on it, claiming Zelena was never dead and had merely been impersonating Maid Marian.
It wasn’t the most believable, but how many of these are?
12) Sara Lance – Arrow
A strong motivator for protagonist Oliver Queen and love interest Dinah Laurel Lance was the death of Laurel’s sister, Sara.
We were told on Arrow season 1 Episode 1 that Sara died because of Oliver while he was cheating with her on her sister, and we believed it. Fans were shocked when Sara was revealed alive on Arrow Season 2.
While Sara being alive kind of screwed over Laurel as The Black Canary, the Sara character became a fan favorite. She would die and come back many times on Arrow and the spin-off DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
13) Allison Argent – Teen Wolf
Allison Argent was protagonist Scott McCall’s main love interest on Teen Wolf. It was clear the writers wanted Scott and Allison to be endgame.
However, when the actress wanted to leave the show, they had her die in Scott’s arms of a stab wound inflicted by an Oni’s sword.
Allison’s memory was maintained throughout the series, but Scott moved on, and she was still dead when the series ended. However, Allison is set to be alive in the Teen Wolf movie, set to premiere on Paramount+ in January.
What do you think of our list? Were there any death fakeouts that we missed? Let us know in the comments.
Leora W is a staff writer for TV Fanatic..
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