"Iconic Characters that can't be defeated" Topic

Are there certain iconic characters that can never truly be defeated? They might be bested time to time but the ultimate outcome is never in doubt. Are there characters that can never really ever lose because it would just feel wrong? Have you ever gamed Tarzan or John Carter and even if "in game terms" they are KIA, they are "captured" which gives you fodder for the next game? I have a list of iconic characters that just can't be ultimately defeated because it would just be wrong. Here's my list. What's yours?
Conan
Batman
Marshal Dillon
Quatermain
John Carter
Tarzan
Doc Savage

Sherlock Holmes.
James Tiberius Kirk.

oooo good ones, I missed those.

What happened to Krause, on wait he's not iconic is he..

In X-Wing one could say that *all* the name pilots cannot be killed! because they'll always wing up in another scenario at some point. But if I had a campaign going, the main guys would always eject for a subsequent recovery:
Luke
Han
Lando
Chewie
Wedge
Vader
Fett

All others are potentially killlable, especially known casualties like Biggs.

Flash Gordon
Buck Rogers

All of them are from serialized fiction where they must go on to continue the profits for the author/owner of the franchise.
I think I'd avoid using any of them in a game and instead have a proxy, a Bucky Gordon or John T. Kirk… to avoid debates about 'canon' and so that they can die an ugly, meaningless death without anyone feeling challenged over it.

Indiana Jones

Real life,Wyatt Earp. He was in a ton of gun fights and never hit once.

Dr Who

All of them are from serialized fiction where they must go on to continue the profits for the author/owner of the franchise.
I think I'd avoid using any of them in a game and instead have a proxy, a Bucky Gordon or John T. Kirk… to avoid debates about 'canon' and so that they can die an ugly, meaningless death without anyone feeling challenged over it.

That's a good idea. Back in high school, my friends and I were playing Star Fleet Battles. One of them insisted he was running the original series Enterprise NCC-1701. He was rather upset when I blew it up (I was running a Klingon vessel). Though a fan of the original series and cast, when in a game, I'm not going to pull punches based on fanboyism.

As for the original post, those are all iconic, as are Holmes and Kirk. Would any of the Doctor Whos count? After all, they regenerate or reincarnate eventually.

Edit #1: Ah, Terrement has brought up some other goods ones as well, including the Doctor.

All the characters in the Fellowship.
Even when Gandalf 'loses' to the Balrog, he still wins.

James Bond

Except of course for poor Richard Sharpe, I mean Boromir.

Boromir doesn't come back to the fellowship

Sharpe can't be killed. He can only be shot in the leg. Over and over again, yes, but only in the leg.

Judge Dredd

Sgt. Rock
The Man With No Name

Ooh Sharpe. Good call.

Lets not for get Sarge from the Combat TV series as well as Kirby and Little John. If Sarge got a purple heart for every wound he wouldn't be able to walk..:)

Xena
Hercules
Farscape John
Firefly cap'n Mal
Dutch from pred
Ripley
MacGyver
The A Team
Hercules
Buffy and the scooby gang
And of course Dr Phibes and Dave lister

The Dread Pirate Roberts can be killed. Someone else will pick up the mantle and he can then be used in subsequent games. Hmmm, would he need different stats for each incarnation?

Elric always won until the end he gets killed by his sword.

100s, Any comic character with his own comic title seems to fit the Bill.
Enemy Ace
Jeb Stuart from the Haunted Tank
Jonah Hex though I never read him

Real Historical characte4rs are a littl hardeer.

Berty Wooster and Jeeves

Straker, with the sole exception of divorce court.

Chuck Norris – he may not be sci-fi, but he can spank invicible bionic sci-fi villains imdb.com/title/tt0084684

Moe Howard

Honour Harrington has massive plot-armour and script immunity…

From the Slammerverse: Major Joachim Steuben and Trooper 'Slick' Des Grieux.

Casca Rufio Longinus

A variety of '80s-early '90s action books (typified by The Executioner and Wingman series)

…actually, almost any protagonist from nearly any media-form could be considered 'undefeatable' seeing as most works do not deal with main characters being defeated. I am not saying every single primary character always wins out or even survives the story but most of the popularized/memorable ones eventually win out in the end despite the odds. It's why they continue to exist, of course.

I don't understand the idea that they shouldn't be able to die because their death would interfere with the official canons timeline. The game you're playing isn't in the timeline either. Obviously we are dealing with parrallel universes and in parrallel universes they can croak.

Capt. Stern

YouTube link

Sharpe had a very fat leg, and he often used it as a shield. QED

Steiner and Steiner

Cross of Iron and Eagle has Landed

Coburn and Caine

I know Caine died, but what a guy. He shot Nazis and was a top guy. Coburn has been immortalised.

Captain Wilton Parmenter

How can you all have forgotten The Ghost Who Walks, the Phantom! Even if he does cheat a bit by handing the role down to his son…..

Who can forget Q from STNG??

Beowulf Schaefer

Louis Wu

Teela Brown would have made the list, but Louis killed her…

I'm ashamed I forgot the Phantom.

Kenny?

The Hulk

I am at work so I don't have my list but there are several real life people who were wounded multiple times. I can recall several British officers from the time of Queen Victoria and dozens from Napoleons armies – anyone wounded more than a dozen times must be near invincible.

Someone mentioned a real historical person that woud be hard to find,

Samuel Whittemore;
He was eighty years of age when he became the oldest known colonial combatant

Whittemore was born in England. He went to North America in 1745 as a Captain of Dragoons in the British Army, where he fought in King George's War (1744-48). He was involved in the capture of the French stronghold, Fort Louisburg. After the war, he remained in the colonies, settling in Menotomy, Massachusetts (present-day Arlington). He subsequently fought in the French and Indian War (1754-63) at the age of 64, once again assisting in the capture of Fort Louisburg.
On April 19, 1775, British forces were returning to Boston from the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the opening engagements of the war. On their march, they were continually shot at by colonial militiamen.
Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy, sent to assist the retreat. Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British Grenadiers of the 47th Regiment of Foot from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols and killed a grenadier and mortally wounded a second. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked. He was shot in the face, bayoneted thirteen times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found alive, trying to load his musket to fight again. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 98.

George "Chinese" Morrison lived a most interesting life & nearly died on several occasions from wounds and illnesses. He also had the 'pleasure' of reading (and presumably correcting) his own Times obituary… link

43 posts and noones mentioned John Wayne ?!

Commies…

"a real historical person"

Lt General Bernard Freyberg? started his wars with the Mexican revolution and ended up as a Corps commander in WW2.

One of the most highly decorated officers ever, with multiple serious wounds sustained (mainly in WW1).

Several movies John Wayne died. Sands of Iwo Jima is one.

Maybe client Eastwood. LOL

Well "defeated" and "killed" while often related, are two different things surely?

I have many characters who are never allowed to be killed but are often defeated.

Bob

As far as real folks go, N. B. Forrest seemed to lead a charmed life during the Civil War…

Miyamoto Musashi. Got so dang good with a real blade that he started using a wooden one in duels.

63-0 in live, to-the-death combat.

Real-life adventure heroes:

Violet Jessop – Survived sinking of RMS Titanic and the HMHS Britannic and a collision of RMS Olympic (yes, all 3 ships were sister ships) with HMS Hawke.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi – Survived Nagasaki and Hiroshima

Dr. Who

John Robinson

Lara Croft

Riddick