Resurrection, or: The Guys Who Came Back

Since it's Easter, we have to talk about resurrection. This cool ability has long been reserved primarily for divine beings and heroes who don't hesitate to lay down their lives for a good cause. For anyone facing such a fate, resurrection is a great motivator. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that simply in practice, and throughout human history, there hasn't been a single individual who has reliably risen from the dead and had it scientifically and credibly verified. Resurrection has thus been mainly the domain of religion, a handy piece of misinformation, and a promise of the afterlife that kept poor people working quietly without much grumbling.

Today, however, we have beautiful fiction, movies, and series—in short, pop culture—teeming with characters who have returned, often even stronger and determined to settle scores with anyone standing in their way. We've selected a few iconic characters for whom death was just the beginning.

Gandalf

Gandalf, now there's a peculiar gentleman. Even though he tried to act like an inconspicuous old man wandering through Middle-earth, he occasionally stumbled into a situation at the right time and nudged history in the right direction. And when things got tough, he called in the Eagles to solve the problem. We, the connoisseurs of Tolkien's work, know that he is a member of the Istari order, wizards and divine beings sent to Middle-earth with the task of protecting the free peoples from Sauron.

Looking back, we can say he didn't exactly succeed perfectly. Despite all his efforts, Sauron grew stronger and kept hunting for his Ring. In the end, it's all the Hobbits' fault! First Bilbo, who found the Ring, and then Frodo, who decided to destroy it. And it was Frodo who decided they would head to Moria, where Gandalf fell (literally, he fell) after meeting the Balrog. And Gandalf liked him so much!

He did manage to take down the Balrog, but from exhaustion, he entered a state that we ordinary mortals call death. Fortunately, Gandalf the Grey still had good connections with his superiors, who decided to bring him back among the living because you simply don't walk away from an unfinished task. Just get back there, Mithrandir, and finish the situation you helped create!

When I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time, there wasn't a proper internet yet where I could get infected by some nasty spoiler. Gandalf's death shocked me back then. But that made his return in the second book all the more pleasurable! Gandalf returned. And he's like new, literally washed. Gandalf the White is a bit different from his previous developmental phase. He doesn't mess around as much anymore, and despite the obstacles constantly thrown in his path by some Peregrin Took, he helps save Middle-earth.

Ellen Ripley

Ripley is a legend! Who would have expected this fragile woman to become a fearless badass who isn't afraid to stand up to the Alien mother herself? Sigourney Weaver created a character who, with a flamethrower in hand, destroys our favorite drooling critters on spaceships, mining planets, or prison facilities. Despite all her efforts, she eventually gets a fateful kiss from a Facehugger. And as we know, that means an unpleasant fate in the form of a little alien that will sooner or later try to get out of her body.

But Ripley is a character of integrity and decides to resolve the situation and prevent the potential spread of xenomorphs by jumping into molten lead. This Gollum-like leap could have meant the end of the whole alien saga, were it not for profit-hungry scientists who decide to revive poor Ellen through cloning, including the embryo of the alien queen in her body. After several attempts, they succeed; the queen is removed, and she is left alive as a byproduct. But she's no longer the Ripley we know. She's… strange. The new Ripley is a hybrid of Alien and human, fast, strong, and with acid instead of blood. And that will definitely come in handy! Because as we know well, Aliens are pretty cunning, and soon the whole thing goes sideways…

Jon Snow

In Game of Thrones, death is a daily occurrence. George R. R. Martin wasn't afraid to kill off anyone. At times, it seems like no one will ever reach the end of the story. Although, in such a depopulated Westeros, peace and quiet would finally reign, and we wouldn't have to be annoyed that the series adaptation authors ended it the way we saw. But very few in the world of the Seven Kingdoms managed to return to the living. That is, if we exclude that huge army of the undead beyond the Wall… One of them is Beric Dondarrion, who returned several times thanks to the Lord of Light.

But the biggest stir was caused by Jon Snow, who was stabbed by his "brothers" from the Night's Watch. They didn't like at all that Jon let the wildlings through the Wall and decided to get rid of him. It was an even bigger surprise when Melisandre brought Jon back to life. Jon thus had a unique opportunity to meet his murderers again, look them in the eyes, and execute them…

Kenny McCormick

Just like George R. R. Martin, the authors of the cult series South Park stop at nothing. It probably takes a lot of courage to include the death of a young boy in your work. And not just once! "They killed Kenny! You bastards!" became an immortal catchphrase. Kenny's creative deaths entertained viewers on and off for almost seven seasons, until his death finally became permanent.

Allegedly, his parents are to blame (how else). They supposedly stumbled upon a meeting of Cthulhu worshippers, and his mother couldn't think of anything better than to drink a strange liquid, after which her son gained immortality. Whatever the case, we got a series of unforgettable situations because of it. Yes, the death of a child has never been so funny… I'm still not sure if that's a good thing. :) But one thing is certain. If a live-action South Park is ever made, no one else can play the role of Kenny but Sean Bean himself.

Spock

Science officer Spock, half-human and half-Vulcan, is one of the most famous characters in all of Star Trek. Thanks to his relentless logic, cute ears, and legendary salute, he wrote himself into the history of fantasy. But in the second Star Trek film, subtitled The Wrath of Khan, something happened that really ticked off the fans—Spock dies. The Enterprise took a real beating again. The only way to save it was to climb into the warp drive chamber and fix it. Spock decided to do just that, even though it was clear that the intense radiation would kill him. We thus witnessed one of the most emotional scenes in Star Trek. The farewell between Spock and Captain Kirk must have made even the toughest guy cry.

As soon as the fans recovered, they started grumbling and complaining. Under pressure, the screenwriters decided to fix the whole situation, play God, and bring Spock back to life in the very next film. Spock had a habit of touching people around him and trying various Vulcan grips and touches on them. Dr. McCoy became one such victim. As if Spock sensed something. He used this touch to transfer his soul into the doctor's mind. And because the creators had a planet nearby where accelerated evolution was taking place, they found a way to get Spock back on the bridge. The fans were satisfied, and things could continue. Now that's what I call real luck!

Ace Rimmer

Finally, I saved the biggest stud in the entire universe! Captain, test pilot, darling of men and women, expert on everything—in short, the absolute opposite of his alternative self, Arnold Rimmer, a second-class technician on the ship Red Dwarf.

Ace Rimmer is the embodiment of a hero who repeatedly throws himself into the greatest danger, slays dragons, and woos princesses. But one day, he finds a ship capable of traveling between dimensions. Thanks to this, he meets a practically infinite number of his copies. But none were as hopelessly pathetic as the one from Red Dwarf. This Arnold is not very happy about Ace Rimmer. He represents everything he would like to be, and only because of a tiny mistake during his officer exams, he couldn't achieve it. "By all accounts, we have 3,000 sick bags left, that can't be enough," he declares.

Ace Rimmer is not just a divine creature with perfect hair and sex appeal that boosts the stock value of condom companies. He is an archetype without which the entire galaxy would fall. So his death cannot mean the end. He always returns in the form of one of his alternative versions. Even our familiar Arnold Rimmer eventually gets his turn, and despite his reluctance to do anything heroic, he sets out to save the world. Get the kippers ready, I'm back for breakfast!

author Karel Krajča