The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Books of the Dead Tracking Page

Updated to ensure this info survives the Comixfan - CX Pulp merger

This page is intended to track the living statuses of every character who ever appeared in Book of the Dead issues of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. That is: first series #13-14, Deluxe Edition #16-20, Book of the Dead 2004. I’ll also add in the sole Deceased entry from Update ’89 to make this list complete. Versions of this list appear on both the Comixfan forum Who Watches the Watchers and my Sane Insanities blog. I will update this page as needed. There’s also an older version on the VTN site but it’s strictly an Archive version now and won't be updated.

For characters who’ve appeared more than once I’ve cross-referenced later uses to the old one. That way as this list changes I only need to adjust each character once. Apparently some of the below have had clones as part of the Corpse Corps. I'm not sure who all, but since they're clones and not originals it arguably doesn't matter that much.

#13:
Air-Walker: The original is still dead, but the automation returned at some point
Ancient One: still dead, but being "one with the universe" can probably interact with Marvel characters whenever he pleases
Banshee (Inactive): Regained powers and code name but has since died; revived during Necrosha storyline; died and brought back during Chaos War; reportedly returned to death, though this was never actually depicted on panel so a change in editorial policy could conceivably establish that he’s still alive
Baron Blood I: Back
Baron Strucker: returned from the dead in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD v3
Baron Zemo I: still dead; unlikely to reappear with his son being a major player; subsequently revealed to be a later Baron, not the first
Black Knight I: still dead, but his ghost occasionally shows up to help or hinder people
Bloodstone: still dead, though his skeleton played a major role in a Captain America story a few years back; role largely taken up by daughter Elsa
Bucky: returned as the Winter Soldier and subsequently Captain America. Killed off again but returned once more; now back as Winter Soldier.
Captain Mar-Vell: still dead; alleged appearances via time travel proved to be a hoax
Changeling: still dead; briefly revived as a zombie member of Black Talon's X-Humed
Count Nefaria: back; has replaced Nefarius, who used his powers and costume
Darkoth: currently around in Otherplace
Death-Stalker: still dead
Destroyer: reactivated
Dracula: back; has has been destroyed and resurrected multiple times since
Drax the Destroyer: back, though his intelligence was drastically lower for a time
Egghead: still dead
Foolkiller I: still dead; legacy currently on 3rd generation
Gamora: revived with Warlock and Pip
Ghost Rider (Inactive): Active again despite successor Dan Ketch
Giant-Man (Inactive): Regained powers and code name; subsequently killed as Goliath; nephew now new Goliath
Green Goblin: Norman Osborn returned; Harry Osborn was just inactive but became active again, got killed, and then got brought back again inactive; Bart Hamilton is still dead; Phuil Urich became a heroic Green goblin for a while
It: Recreated
Jackal: Brought back; apparently killed again but given the number of clones around at the time could easily return; a clone on Spider Island may prove to be the genuine article
Jocasta: Back
Korvac: Brought back and killed again; a return is said to be likely
Lilith: Back; as her existence is tied to Dracula, is always resurrected whenever Dracula is revived
Mantis (Inactive): this one has become active again
Man-Wolf (Inactive): Has made reappearances as Man-Wolf but not currently active as such
Defunct Teams (still #13):
Ani-Men: Members dead at the time still dead; Bird-Man II later killed by Scourge but revived as part of Hood's army (his death occurred between this Handbook entry and the one in the Deluxe Edition) a third team has since appeared. Dragonfly remains active
Champions of Los Angeles: still defunct, though members have worked together since
Freedom's Five: All apparently dead. If not, this is a World War I team so I doubt Crimson Cavalier, Sir Steel, or Silver Squire are in any shape to do much
Howling Commandos: most being SHIELD agents, continued to work together informally; had an apparent last mission as such in the Secret Warriors series; many dead due to that adventure and others
Invaders: The team has been revived a couple times temporarily
Kid Commandos: still defunct
Leatherneck Raiders: being a WW2 military team, still defunct
Liberty Legion: Still defunct; inspired the Liberteens
The final page gives info on Death, who briefly died after this entry appeared

v1#14:
Marvel Boy: Crusader proved to be a still dead imposter; Marvel Boy alive again
Mimic: among the things he mimicked from mutants was their ability to never stay dead
Miss America: still dead
Morbius (Inactive): Active again
Nebulon: Back
Nighthawk: Back
Nova I (Inactive): Active
Omega: Still destroyed; the newer mini-series is a non-616 version
Patriot: Still dead.
Phantom Eagle: In spite of the fact that his final appearance was as a ghost, still gone
Phoenix: Revealed to be two characters (Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force) who are both back in a sense, though Grey has been stuck in a death-like White Room for a long time
Pip the Troll: revived with Warlock and Gamora
Red Guardian I: revealed to not be the first; back
Red Guardian II (Inactive): revealed to be a later Red Guardian; currently literally in Limbo as Starlight
Red Raven: Back; death revealed to be a (still gone) robot
Satana: Back; with the Thunderbolts
Shang-Chi (Inactive): Back; member of the Secret Avengers
Son of Satan (Inactive): Active again
Spider-Woman I (Inactive): Active again; with the New Avengers
Spirit of '76: Still dead
Spitfire (Inactive): Active; regained youth before becoming a vampire
Swordsman: Resurrected during Chaos War; reportedly returned to death (in Tom Brevoort's Forumspring and in v1 of the current Handbook tpb). However, this was never actually depicted on panel in a comic, so a change in editorial policy could conceivably establish that he’s still alive; an alternate Swordsman has been active for years and Andreas Strucker had a uinique take on the Swordsman identity
Terrax: Returned in the first issue of New Warriors
Thanos: Listed as inactive, though some sources like Marvel Graphic Novel showed him more as dead; back among the living regardless
3-D Man (Inactive): Still inactive; mantle passed to former Triathlon
Thunderbird: revived during Necrosha storyline; died and brought back during Chaos War; reportedly returned to death, though this was never actually depicted on panel so a change in editorial policy could conceivably establish that he’s still alive; his brother took his name before becoming Warpath
Thunderbolt: still dead
Toro: Brought back due to Captain America (Barnes) messing with the timestream in Avengers/Invaders
Torpedo: still dead; Turbo now using his suit
Adam Warlock: Brought back along with Gamora and Pip
White Tiger (Inactive): Since been killed
Whizzer: still dead
Vampires: All vampires apparently revived; however, since not all have since been seen, it's conceivable that the bad guys exaggerated the number to shaken Blade
Yellowjacket (Inactive): Since been active again, in order: Dr. Pym, Giant-Man, Yellowjacket, Giant-Man, Wasp, Giant-Man (current); had a female successor as Yellowjacket for a time
Zombie: Back
Zuras: Still dead
Final page spotlights death deities and after death

v2 (Deluxe Editon) #16:
Air-Walker/Ancient One/Ani-Men/Baron Blood/Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker/ Baron Zemo I/Black Knight I/Bloodstone/Bucky/Captain Mar-Vell/Changeling/ Count NefariaDarkoth/Death-Stalker: see v1#13 post
Basilisk: revived by the Hood
Beyonder: Back under various guises
Big Man: Still dead.
Black Knight II: still dead; nephew is the current Knight; Roman numeral inaccurate
Blackout: Back
Blizzard: Still dead, but a successor is active
Blue Streak: Revived by the Hood but apparently killed again; hs had a successor
Carrion: Original still dead though there’s been other Carrions.
Sharon Carter: Back; video proved to be faked
Turner D. Century: revived by Hood
Champions of Xandar: Xandar itself returned and destroyed again Only Protector seen during the revival period to my knowledge.
Cheetah: revived by the Hood and killed again by Punisher
Commander Kraken: still dead, seen in the afterlife
Dakimh the Enchanter: still dead, but his ghost still hangs out with Jennifer Kale and other heroes
Margo Damian: still dead
Death Adder: revived by the Hood

v2 (Deluxe Editon) #17:
Destiny I: still dead
Jean De Wolff: still dead
Dr. Lemuel Dorcas: first return was actually a robot; actually returned as Songbird foe in Thunderbolts
Doctor Sun: still dead
Dorma: original still dead but there's a bunch of clone bodies around
Dracula/Drax the Destroyer/Egghead/Foolkiller I/Gamora/Green Goblin: see v1#13
Eel I: still dead
Enforcer: still dead
Executioner: still dead, but Thor sometimes visits him in Valhalla
Fafnir: back
Amahl Farouk: body still dead, but spirit still poses a problem for X-characters as Shadow King
Firebrand: revived by Hood, killed again by Punisher; has has successors
Jacob Fury: Back; death revealed to be LMD
Gargoyle I: Still dead, and his son has joined him
Ghaur: Returned during Atlantis Attacks
Grand Director: Returned, back to being Captain America; apparently killed again but a return seems likely
Grim Reaper: Returned as undead; apparently killed again
Guardian I: Alternates between alive and dead fairly regularly
Hammer and Anvil: Still dead
Hangman: still dead, but has a successor
Quincy Harker:: Still dead; soul destroyed as opart of a spell to prevent vampires from entering Britain
Agatha Harkness: Long believed to have been resurrected but her long dead corpse was then found; complicating matters further is that an Aunt Agatha has since been depicted
Hate-Monger I/III: Hitler Clone's soul still trapped in fake cosmic cube, as seen occasionally; Psycho-Man's robot still Scourged; 4th one since active
Hobgoblin: revealed to be someone other than Ned Leeds and therefore alive (Leeds is still dead); apparent newer death revealed to be his brother

v2 (Deluxe Editon) #18:
Hyperion II: Still dissolved
Imperial Hydra: Still dead, though there's probably been quite a few Imperial Hydras since
It, the Living Colossus/Jackal/Jocasta/Korvac/Lilith: see post on v1#13
Jarella: still dead
Kangaroo: still dead, though there’s a successor
Kiber the Cruel: still dead
Kid Colt: While his death has since been depicted, he turned up alive; currently in the Savage Land
Letha: revived by Hood
Living Monolith: never actually died but rather transformed into a living planet; restored to human levels by Apoalypse and returned to Earth.
Lucifer: still dead, but his death was reported but not actually seen except in the Handbook itself
Maelkith the Accursed: Back
Marauders (Blockbuster, Riptide, Prism): Versions have since reappeared; unclear if the originals were clones or the ones who reappeared or both
Marvel Boy/Mimic/Miss America/Nebulon/Nighthawk II: see post on v1#14
Mauler: still dead, though there's a couple of successors
Melter: still dead
Midgard Serpent: Back
Miracle Man: revived by Hood
Mirage I: revived by Hood but apparently killed again
Modok: Back
Morlocks (Annalee, Blow-Hard, Cybelle, Scaleface, Tommy): still dead; Scaleface briefly revived as a zombie member of Black Talon's X-Humed
Nighthawk I: still dead; son active

v2 (Deluxe Editon) #19:
Nuke: still dead
Omega/Patriot/Phantom Eagle/Pip the Troll/Red Guardian I/Red Raven/ Satana/Spirit of '76: see v1#14
Ben Parker: Still dead
Phantom Rider I: still dead, but he and one or two successors inhabit Phantom Rider IV's body from time to time
Porcupine: still dead; a successor has appeared
Professor Power: Back in original body; son's body occasionally used in villain plots
Purple Man: back
Rawhide Kid: Death since depicted, though possibly embellished
Red Skull: Back; has had another temporary death
Ringer: Revived but later died from complications of his his original “death”
General "Thunderbolt" Ross: Back; now Red Hulk
Salem's Seven: entire team back
Savage Land Races: some have appeared in the revived Savage Land. Don't know if any race still extinct
General Sam Sawyer: Back
Scourge's Victims: many revived by the Hood but some since killed again
Serpent Crown: repaired
Snowbird: Back
Solarr: still dead
Sphinx: despite a female successor, he's back
Spymaster: Back despite successors
Gwen Stacy: still dead, though there's a character whom was first her clone until the clone's creator changed this, only for this to be changed again during the clone story; other clones of her have also appeared
Obadiah Stane: Still dead. As Iron Monger, there's been successors including his son

v2 (Deluxe Editon) #20:
Stick: Back
Franklin Storm: still dead
Swordsman/Terrax/Thanos/Thunderbird I/Thunderbolt/Toro/Torpedo/Vampires /Adam Warlock/Whizzer I/Zombie/Zuras: see v1#14
Colonel Glenn Talbot: still dead; basically succeeded by nephew
Tarantula: still dead; has had successors
Tom Thumb: still dead
Titania I: revived by Hood as Lascivious
Two-Gun Kid: death depicted but may be embellished; also, a version has been brought to the present; given the tendency of time travel to cause divergences, it's unclear when/where in the timestream this version is from
Union Jack I-II: still dead; successor still active
Vamp: Still dead, though of clones appeared in Deadpool
Rachel Van Helsing: While not seen since, probably revived along with all other vampires
Cornelius Van Lunt: still dead
Viper I: still dead
Aelfyre Whitemane: still dead
Wraith: Revived by Hood and then killed again
Zodiac I: all still dead except Libra, who returned in Avengers Forever

v3 (Update ’89) #8 (Deceased section only):
Madelyne Pryor: Revived a few times, currently dead again

Book of the Dead 2004:
Ancient One/Baron Zemo/Bloodstone/Bucky/Captain Marvel/Changeling/Harry Osborn (Green Goblin): as per v1 #13 above
Ant-Man: brought back during Children's Crusade but unclear how permanent this is; the less noble Eric O’Grady has taken over the identity
Fabian Cortez: brought back during Necrosha storyline but unclear if this was permanent
Graydon Creed: revived as a Sentinel and then destroyed as such
Cypher: Alive again due to Necrosha storyline
Destiny (Adler): revived during Necrosha storyline; died and brought back as a ghost possessing Moira MacTaggart during Chaos War; reportedly returned to death, though this was never actually depicted on panel so a change in editorial policy could conceivably establish that she’s still a ghost
Destiny (Destine)/Dorma: as per v2#17 above
Effigy: still dead
Gilgamesh: Alive again
Hawkeye: Alive again, back with Avengers; was Ronin for a time but now Hawkeye again; has used Goliath powers at least once since; there is also a newer Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)
Kraven the Hunter: Unwillingly alive again; has had successors (family members)
Moira MacTaggart: brought back during Chaos War possessed by Destiny (Adler); reportedly returned to death, though this was never actually depicted on panel so a change in editorial policy could conceivably establish that he’s still alive
Maggott: brought back during Necrosha storyline but unclear if this was permanent
Magik: Alive again, back with New Mutants
Microchip: Briefly returned but then killed by the Punisher; an earlier return, also resulting in a death by the Punisher is now considered to have taken place in a separate reality
Mockingbird: Alive; a stlll dead Skrull revealed to have replaced her
Nova: If I understand correctly, Frankie’s Raye’s still dead but her suit’s turned a woman named Frances into a new Nova
Odin: while seen in the afterlife. has since returned
Omega the Unknown: see Omega in v1#13
Ben Parker/Gwen Stacy: as per v2 #19 above
Pyro: still dead
Skin: brought back during Necrosha storyline but unclear if this was permanent
Captain George Stacy: still dead
Swordsman/Thunderbird: as per v1#14 above
Synch: brought back during Necrosha storyline but unclear if this was permanent
Thor: Alive again, as is Donald Blake
Thunderstrike: Still dead; son now new Thunderstrike
U-Go Girl: Still dead, seen in afterlife
Vision: Briefly resurrected and killed again during Chaos War; later rebuilt by Iron Man in Avengers and back with that team; a newer Vision incorporating aspects of this one and Iron lad also active
X-Man: Alive again
Yellowjacket: Resurrected during Chaos War; reportedly returned to death (in Tom Brevoort's Forumspring and in v1 of the current Handbook tpb). However, this was never actually depicted on panel in a comic, so a change in editorial policy could conceivably establish that she’s still alive