# Which comic book characters are actually easy to kill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227 "2019-08-25T19:06:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/21 "2019-08-26T00:10:18Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > There are also a number of characters who transform into powerful forms, but have normal humans as alter-egos (again, just off the top of my head, in no particular order): > > The Hulk (Bruce Banner)… Won’t work. Banner himself tried that. Put a gun in his mouth and fired. Hulk spit the bullet out. I recall another story line where a bullet stuck in Banner’s head halfway through the transformation, leading to an insane Hulk (very nasty!) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/22 "2019-08-26T00:15:24Z")
Could you kill a Green Lantern (any of them) with a yellow bullet? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/23 "2019-08-26T00:30:02Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Could you kill a Green Lantern (any of them) with a yellow bullet? As Raj {I think} complained in _Big Bang Theory_ once said, “I’m not impressed by someone who could be killed by a #2 pencil.” (That’s because Golden Age Green Lantern’s weakness was wood, and Silver Age Green Lantern was vulnerable to anything Yellow.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/24 "2019-08-26T00:48:32Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Could you kill a Green Lantern (any of them) with a yellow bullet? Wouldn’t even need to be yellow. Abin Sur died from injuries that were strictly physical, after all. I doubt any of his ship was yellow. Any sniper should be able to take out Hal Jordan if he is unaware of the attack. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/25 "2019-08-26T00:57:54Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Wouldn’t even need to be yellow. Abin Sur died from injuries that were strictly physical, after all. I doubt any of his ship was yellow. Any sniper should be able to take out Hal Jordan if he is unaware of the attack. Not necessarily. The ring was under “standing orders” to protect the bearer. It would probably shield Hal from a (non-yellow) bullet without Hal knowing that is was coming. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/26 "2019-08-26T01:06:16Z")
A definite possibility. Anybody have a cite where something like that happened? I’d love to be proven wrong on this. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/27 "2019-08-26T01:25:58Z")
> [@pool](#): > > I was watching some super hero movies recently and was wondering which super heroes are formidable with powerful abilities and yet could potentially be killed quite easily. > > Can Captain America and Spider-Man simply be killed by a bullet to the head? Let’s go down the list, if you want. Are there comic book characters that are incredibly powerful beyond the middling characters that can actually be killed quite easily with some Batman style planning? > > Feel free to cite movies or original source canon or even different iterations and universes of the same characters. > > I don’t need answer fast, I promise I’m not a super villain! 🙂 I think it’s actually easier to list characters who aren’t killable. Note that many characters have heavy plot armor, so in practice getting shot in the head wouldn’t kill them. Captain America would probably be severely wounded by a shot to the head. Not necessarily _dead_, since he has peak (or superhuman) durability and can survive a fall of up to 40 stories. It won’t happen though because he’ll never be caught by surprise that badly. (And then he’ll come back because it’s Marvel.) Spiderman has superior durability (can tank superhuman punches) but I think he’d actually die. Of course, _hitting_ him is another story. He will virtually never be surprised, and can probably outreact bullets. The Hulk wouldn’t die. Bruce Banner tried to kill himself, and “the Big Guy wouldn’t let me”. If he falls from a great height, he turns into the Hulk, who then regenerates and starts smashing things. Wolverine would fall down (if the bullets gets past his adamantine-coated skull) but would just get back up. Deadpool has less durability but even more powerful regeneration. Same with X-23. Scarlet Witch, MCU version: she doesn’t have superhuman toughness, but if she notices you she would destroy or deflect your weapon. Hawkeye and Black Widow: both have superhuman reflexes but aren’t over-the-top tough. It would work, but they’re so highly skilled that actually sneaking up on either of them is essentially impossible. Iron Man: if he’s wearing his armor, the bullet would bounce off. War Machine: ditto. Falcon: would die. Winter Soldier: I suspect he’d face a fate like Captain America, but worse. Thor: laughs as you. I’m not sure if I’ve seen Thor get injured by anything beyond Hela’s magic blades or his own weapon. However he did seem to fear being eaten by a large dragon. Vision: it would depend on his current density. The bullet might go through harmlessly, or bounce off super-dense material. He’s made of vibranium naturally, so the bullets would bounce off “by default”. Black Panther: helicopter-mounted machine gun bullets do nothing to him while he’s wearing his panther habit. From what I’ve seen he can tank hits without his habit, but a headshot is still a headshot. He’d probably nearly die, much like Captain America. Captain Marvel: laughs at you. Spaceship weapons slow her down slightly. Ant-Man: hard to hit when tiny, bullets should bounce off of him when huge. Doctor Strange: in theory you could take him out with one hit. In practice he’ll see it coming, can create a magical forcefield (I only saw this in the comics, not the movies), his cape will probably deflect bullets, and since he can see you coming he would probably wreck your attempt before you even tried it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/28 "2019-08-26T01:56:02Z")
You’d think the White Death would be killed by a sniper shot to the head, but in practice, it didn’t actually work. Oh, wait, he’s not from a comic book. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/29 "2019-08-26T01:56:50Z")
Going back to the **Legion of Super Heroes,** you could shoot **Ultra Boy** in the head if he was holding up a huge rock. Even if he managed to switch from Super Strength to Invulnerability quickly enough, the rock would smoosh him. Even if the rock couldn’t neutralize the Invulnerability, he couldn’t lift it off him, and if he switched back to Super Strength…re-smooshed. (Admit it. These scenarios are MUCH MORE FUN when you limit them to the **Legion of Super Heroes.**. Maybe I’ll start a new thread.) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/30 "2019-08-26T01:57:57Z")
**Shrinking Violet** and a can of Raid. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/31 "2019-08-26T02:09:19Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Won’t work. Banner himself tried that. Put a gun in his mouth and fired. Hulk spit the bullet out. That was only because he shares a head with Hulk, who therefor knew it was coming. Someone who’s not in the same brain as Hulk could surprise him when he was Bannery. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/32 "2019-08-26T02:51:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > A definite possibility. Anybody have a cite where something like that happened? I’d love to be proven wrong on this. Where he was shot by a sniper and his ring automatically protected him? Not off the top of my head but there were plenty of times where his ring automatically protected him. Only one i can think of right off (I need to collect those 70’s issues of Flash back-ups) is in a JLA issue when he slipped on soap and banged his head on the bathtub. The ring protected him enough so he was only knocked out. Also “Bathed him in healing rays before the ring flew off to find John Stewart” He also mentioned several times the ring would protect him from mortal injury he was unaware of…in the 70’s. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/33 "2019-08-26T02:52:33Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > That was only because he shares a head with Hulk, who therefor knew it was coming. Someone who’s not in the same brain as Hulk could surprise him when he was Bannery. Yup. Hawkeye killed him exactly that way. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/34 "2019-08-26T02:53:38Z")
Punisher killed Banner with a bullet in _Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe_. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/35 "2019-08-26T02:57:03Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > I think it’s actually easier to list characters who aren’t killable. Note that many characters have heavy plot armor, so in practice getting shot in the head wouldn’t kill them. > > Captain America would probably be severely wounded by a shot to the head. Not necessarily _dead_, since he has peak (or superhuman) durability and can survive a fall of up to 40 stories. It won’t happen though because he’ll never be caught by surprise that badly. (And then he’ll come back because it’s Marvel.) > > Spiderman has superior durability (can tank superhuman punches) but I think he’d actually die. Of course, _hitting_ him is another story. He will virtually never be surprised, and can probably outreact bullets. > > The Hulk wouldn’t die. Bruce Banner tried to kill himself, and “the Big Guy wouldn’t let me”. If he falls from a great height, he turns into the Hulk, who then regenerates and starts smashing things. > > Wolverine would fall down (if the bullets gets past his adamantine-coated skull) but would just get back up. Deadpool has less durability but even more powerful regeneration. Same with X-23. > > Scarlet Witch, MCU version: she doesn’t have superhuman toughness, but if she notices you she would destroy or deflect your weapon. > > Hawkeye and Black Widow: both have superhuman reflexes but aren’t over-the-top tough. It would work, but they’re so highly skilled that actually sneaking up on either of them is essentially impossible. > > Iron Man: if he’s wearing his armor, the bullet would bounce off. > > War Machine: ditto. > > Falcon: would die. > > Winter Soldier: I suspect he’d face a fate like Captain America, but worse. > > Thor: laughs as you. I’m not sure if I’ve seen Thor get injured by anything beyond Hela’s magic blades or his own weapon. However he did seem to fear being eaten by a large dragon. > > Vision: it would depend on his current density. The bullet might go through harmlessly, or bounce off super-dense material. He’s made of vibranium naturally, so the bullets would bounce off “by default”. > > Black Panther: helicopter-mounted machine gun bullets do nothing to him while he’s wearing his panther habit. From what I’ve seen he can tank hits without his habit, but a headshot is still a headshot. He’d probably nearly die, much like Captain America. > > Captain Marvel: laughs at you. Spaceship weapons slow her down slightly. > > Ant-Man: hard to hit when tiny, bullets should bounce off of him when huge. > > Doctor Strange: in theory you could take him out with one hit. In practice he’ll see it coming, can create a magical forcefield (I only saw this in the comics, not the movies), his cape will probably deflect bullets, and since he can see you coming he would probably wreck your attempt before you even tried it. “Actuallllllly” There’s an 80’s comic where Thor was taken out by a single normal bullet to the shoulder/chest area. It was stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. I haven’t since seen him actually have bullets bounce off him…but you cant have a guy who can tussle with Hulk NOT be bullet-proof. Stranges cape is just normalish cloth and has been torn several times. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/36 "2019-08-26T03:10:13Z")
Public Spirit, a Superman cut-out from **Marshal Law**. He had the Superman slate of abilities (minus the invulnerability, I suppose) and was ultimately taken out with a bullet to the head. The only mainstream superhero I can think of who actually died that way is Blue Beetle. An underrated fighter, but no actual super powers. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/37 "2019-08-26T03:14:07Z")
All of the characters in _Maus_. All of the characters in _My Friend Dahmer_. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/38 "2019-08-26T03:27:49Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > Wolverine would fall down (if the bullets gets past his adamantine-coated skull) but would just get back up. In fact, that’s exactly what happens in a scene in the second X-Men film. He’s on Bobby Drake’s (Iceman’s) family’s front porch, along with Bobby, Rogue, and Pyro, and a cop shoots him in the side of the head. He falls down, unconscious, though it appears that the bullet just smashed against his adamantium skull. Over the course of a few seconds, his skin pushes the bullet back out, and he wakes up. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/39 "2019-08-26T03:56:42Z")
Marvel’s Defenders (also the Punisher): The only part of Jessica Jones with superhuman durability is her liver. Daredevil would probably hear the trigger being pulled and dodge/deflect the bullet or some similar nonsense. Luke Cage is bulletproof. Iron Fist would only be okay if you shot his fist. The Punisher has no super powers, except near the end of his second season on Netflix when he suddenly gains the ability to change any real damage into decals. Umbrella Academy: If caught by surprise none of them have a chance. Except for Ben who’s already dead. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227/40 "2019-08-26T12:33:53Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > One-third of **Triplicate Girl** was killed off in the sixties, leaving her as the slightly less stupidly named **Duo Damsel.** As I’ve said before, a lot of the folks in the Legion are apparently simply Normal Folks from their own planets and societies. This implies that a.) Maybe communications and intercourse between planets in the Legion future isn’t all that great, if such individuals seem “exotic” b.) It’s kinda racist (“planet-ist”? Something else) to have these people known and remembered only for that one trait or characteristic. It would be like me going to some alternate future where most of the members are from other planets and never saw an Earth person before, and calling myself “Tan-Boy”, because I could get a suntan (or, in extreme cases, sunburn. Then I’d be “Painful Red Boy”) c.) So did Luornu Durgo get into the Legion just by being the first Carggian to apply? Did Reep Daggle get to be Chameleon Boy just by being the first Durtan through the door? And so on. (Since one of Triplicate Girl’s bodies got killed, do the other Carggians view her as handicapped?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-comic-book-characters-are-actually-easy-to-kill/839227.md?page=3)