The Re-occurrence of Resuscitation and Really Radical Revivals

When it comes to death in popular fiction franchises, it never seems to be for long, especially in comic books.  There is always some excuse as to how a character managed to cheat death despite showing every sign of being dead.  Whether it be a Kryptonian healing coma, time bullets, or a "fan base resuscitation" a character's mortality seems to never be permanent.

This issue recently popped up again through a Star Wars comic published by Marvel.  In the current Darth Vader story arc, "Fortress Vader," the Sith lord gains possession of a mask worn by an ancient Sith architect, Momin.  Momin's spirit inhabits the mask and can communicate through it so long as the mask is being worn by a host.  Momin promises to help Vader construct his castle on top of a small cavern on the planet Mustafar.  The cavern is host to a heavy concentration of dark side energy, and through this energy and Momin's castle design, Vader is also promised with the ability to bring his wife back from the dead.


Upon the castle's ninth iteration, the design works, and the gate to the afterlife is opened.  Vader becomes preoccupied with an attack on the castle and decides to leave Momin's mask and host body by himself in the cavern.  While Vader is distracted, Momin opens the gate himself, and brings his original body back to the land of the living.

The Star Wars franchise is no stranger to reviving previously dead characters.  The difference here is that in all cases, the character is usually thought to be dead, but was never killed in the first place.  Darth Maul managed to survive being cut in half on Naboo.  Ahsoka was pulled into "The World Between Worlds" just moments before Vader could kill her, and she escaped with her life.  Momin, on the other hand, was completely dead.  No question about it.  Now he has brought himself back to life.

Like with "The World Between Worlds" I expect this gateway to be destroyed by the end of the story arc.  The continuity of events can get very messy when character revival is an option, and the people at Lucasfilm editorial have kept the Star Wars continuity under strict supervision.  This story still brings a lot of questions as to what exactly the Force is capable of, and for continuity's sake, what it should be capable of.