# Immortal/invulnerable characters you can kill with a nuke? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 18, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145 "2009-06-18T04:17:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/1 "2009-06-18T04:17:39Z")
'Been sitting on this question for awhile, but newly inspired by [this recent question by **Argent Towers**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11254399&posted=1#post11254399)… Ever since I was a kid, one thought has come to mind whenever I hear about a fictional character who’s supposedly immortal, invulnerable, otherwise similarly invincible: “Oh yeah? What happens if he’s standing right next to an atom bomb when it goes off?” So, I thought I’d finally start a list on the subject—who _can_ I kill with a nuke? The setup—we’re using the 100 Megaton version of the Tsar Bomba, just sitting on the ground. Range to target: six inches. According to my calculations, the energy absorbed by the target would be 1.43e+20 joules. First off, I’d figure that anyone who can be killed by simple decapitation wouldn’t survive a nuke (they _are_ losing their head…every atom of their head is being seperated from every atom of the neck and head at almost the speed of light!). So that’d cover the “Highlander” immortals, and some vampires (including some versions of Dracula). After that, probably a number of the “rapid healer”-types, like Wolverine (Even if his indestructible skeleton survived, it’d surely be blasted clean of anything organic, _and_ scattered across a couple of counties.); and maybe a few “Kaiju” monsters (as long as they aren’t explicitly nuclear or pollution fueled). I even think some early versions of _Superman_ might be vulnerable, for that matter. Anyone else want to join in? It’s always good to have as definitive a list as possible on hand, in case of emergencies. (Fun, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/2 "2009-06-18T04:30:35Z")
Kage Baker covered this in her Company series of books. The operatives are cyborgs, and immortal. One of them, suicidal, decides to stand at ground zero of Hiroshima (they have knowledge of future events). At the last possible second, his programming kicks in, and he goes into cybernetically enhanced motion. He wanders around, flesh clinging onto ferroceramic skeleton, much of his memory gone. It takes him, IIRC, years to heal. The Operatives are programmed to be paranoid, to have insane reflexes, and to preserve themselves at all costs. They would survive a nuclear blast by getting out at the last possible second. One would assume that, should the programming fail, it would simply vaporize them. . .but it’s so complete as to be virtually impossible to do. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/3 "2009-06-18T09:10:58Z")
Gandalf would probably survive. He is Maia, and therefore a spiritual being, so he’d only be knocked for six until he finds a new body again. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/4 "2009-06-18T09:26:41Z")
Don’t bother to try it on the Saint of Killers (from _Preacher_). They did it already. His response, from amidst the firestorm: > [@](#): > > Not enough gun. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/5 "2009-06-18T10:00:20Z")
Dracula. After all, an H-bomb is fusion, & very similar to the surface of the Sun. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/6 "2009-06-18T10:44:21Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Dracula. > > After all, an H-bomb is fusion, & very similar to the surface of the Sun. At first I thought it would kill Superman, but now I’m not so sure. Would the radiation repair him, like the sun’s rays do? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/7 "2009-06-18T10:46:42Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Dracula. > > After all, an H-bomb is fusion, & very similar to the surface of the Sun. By that logic, Superman would actually be made stronger by a nuke, as he is essentially solar powered. And I’m pretty sure Wolverine has recovered from just his skeleton… ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/8 "2009-06-18T10:57:02Z")
The Doctor, as long as he’s outside his Tardis. He can’t regenerate from nothing. Edit: at least, not without prior planning and outside assistance. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/9 "2009-06-18T11:01:00Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And I’m pretty sure Wolverine has recovered from just his skeleton… Yeah, but it was so incredibly over-the-top, in contradiction of previous stories, and so roundly criticized by the fans that I think it can be ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/10 "2009-06-18T11:31:42Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > At first I thought it would kill Superman, but now I’m not so sure. Would the radiation repair him, like the sun’s rays do? In the _Dark Knight Returns_ graphic novel, Clark is close to (but not at) ground zero for a big fat Soviet nuke. The blast smacks him down monumentally hard and depletes him of energy to the point he is nearly a shrivelled husk, but what makes it worse is the dust cloud that hides the Sun and prevents him from recharging. He gets a lucky break, though. Normally, Supes has no problem functioning close to an _actual_ star, so obviously the light is fixing him faster than the environment can hurt. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/11 "2009-06-18T12:57:53Z")
The Spectre (the most powerful superhero in comics) and Deadman can’t be killed by a nuke because they’re already dead. Both are incorporeal, so there’s nothing for the nuke to affect them. Deadman could be in trouble if he gets caught by surprise while inhabiting someone else’s body, but I suspect he’d still be OK. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/12 "2009-06-18T13:46:21Z")
Hasn’t the Hulk survived a nuclear blast? Is that what turned him into Joe Fixit? What about Apocalypse? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/13 "2009-06-18T13:53:47Z")
Considering Banner survived the gamma bomb blast to become the Hulk in the first place, and Hulk is pretty much the most resilient character in the entire MU, I expect a nuclear blast wouldn’t really do much to him. I don’t know about Apocalypse. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/14 "2009-06-18T15:00:57Z")
Does Jesus count? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/15 "2009-06-18T15:03:21Z")
Well, a gamma bomb, sure. Has _anyone_ ever been killed by a gamma bomb? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/16 "2009-06-18T15:05:44Z")
Galactus, either giant purple dude or killer space cloud. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/17 "2009-06-18T15:14:31Z")
The Vision at normal density would die. He was ripped in half by She-Hulk. The Vision at lowest density would probably survive as the harm just passes through him. The Vision at highest density … no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/18 "2009-06-18T15:41:56Z")
Not sure about various immortals that swap (steal) bodies. For example, Octavia Butler’s Doro. I think some of them have to be in physical proximity to transfer. So…probably SOL in the middle of a nuke. There’s direct evidence that the Skinwalker from the Dresden files mythology can be destroyed by a nuke. And just about nothing else will do it. Indiana Jones – nope, protected by plot. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/19 "2009-06-18T15:42:07Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Well, a gamma bomb, sure. Has _anyone_ ever been killed by a gamma bomb? > > 😃 Actually yes; the Leader killed off most of the population of a town with one. The normally near-unkillable skinwalkers of the Harry Dresden novels can be killed by a nuke; Morgan mentioned that he killed one by luring it into a nuclear test. In _Psyclone_, souls/ghosts can apparently be killed by _ **two** _ nukes; the first just mutilates them and drives them mad. EDIT : \* shakes fist at **Finagle** \* Beaten by a minute ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145/20 "2009-06-18T15:56:18Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Galactus, either giant purple dude or killer space cloud. Whoops, I meant he couldn’t be killed. C’mon, a nuke’ll just make Galactus hungry. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immortal-invulnerable-characters-you-can-kill-with-a-nuke/500145.md?page=2)