Here are all of the American Horror Story characters who were brought from back the dead and how. The horror anthology series co-created by Ryan Murphy made its debut in October 2011 with Murder House. Subsequent seasons featured new themes and characters; each installment features a sprawling ensemble cast, most of whom experience gruesome deaths before the season ends. While AHS has amassed an impressive body count over nine seasons, many characters who have died have returned to the mortal coil.
Following season 9's 1984, fans began speculating what horrors Murphy would unleash in season 10. In March 2021, the uber-producer revealed AHS Season 10's title Double Feature via Instagram. The short video promises to deliver "two horrifying stories" in one season: "one by the sea ... one by the sand." The cast includes AHS mainstays Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Lily Rabe, and new faces Macaulay Culkin, Paris Jackson, and Kaia Gerber. Interestingly, Peters was spotted on set (via ahs.doublefeature on Instagram) dressed as Tate Langdon, a main character from season 1 who was last seen as a ghost during season 8's Apocalypse. How will Tate's return affect Double Feature - is he still dead, or will he be brought back to life like many other AHS characters?
While some seasons of AHS eschew supernatural themes in favor of exploring the evil that exists with humankind, such as season 7's Cult and season 4's Freak Show, most embrace supernatural story arcs involving ghosts, witches, demons, and aliens. These components enable characters who die to return in some shape or form, meaning facing an end on AHS can signify a new beginning. Here are all of the American Horror Story characters who were resurrected.
Grace Bertrand - Asylum
Season 2's Asylum was crammed full of evil: a serial killer named Bloody Face, Satan, sadistic nuns, a former Nazi, and cannibalistic science experiments gone awry. Murderess Grace Bertrand found love with Kit Walker amidst the murder and mayhem, only to be shot and killed by a guard while trying to save Kit from one of Dr. Arthur Arden's creatures. Aliens took Grace's body and brought her back to life. After conducting some experiments, they returned Grace, pregnant with Kit's baby, back to Briarcliff. Their happily ever after was cut short when Kit's wife Alma murdered Grace with an axe several years later.
Kit Walker - Asylum
To lure the aliens back to the asylum, Dr. Arden used potassium chloride to stop Kit's heart, hedging his bets that the extraterrestrials would come to Kit's aid. Although the little not-so-green men returned, it was to drop off a pregnant Grace, and Arden had to revive Kit himself.
Queenie - Coven/Hotel/Apocalypse
A student at Miss Robichaux's School during season 3's Coven, Queenie's ability to serve as a "human voodoo doll" couldn't save her when she was gored and mortally wounded by American Horror Story's incarnation of the mythological Minotaur - though she would be revived by Fiona Goode. During season 5's Hotel Queenie checked into the Hotel Cortez and was stabbed by James Patrick March, then drained of blood by Ramona Royale. Michael Langdon rescued Queenie in Apocalypse, but she was later shot and killed by Miriam Mead. Like all of the young witches who died in the massacre at Miss Robichaux's School, Queenie was resurrected after Mallory used Tempus Infinitum to alter the course of history.
Madison Montgomery - Coven/Apocalypse
Madison Montgomery was the first student at Miss Robichaux's to meet with a grisly end, having had her throat slit by the Supreme Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange). Zoe Benson convinced Misty Day to use her power of resurgence to bring Madison back to life, but Madison's refusal to resurrect Zoe after a freak accident during the test of the Seven Wonders led to her being strangled by Kyle Spencer. During Apocalypse, Michael Langdon retrieved Madison from the underworld. During the coven's battle with the Antichrist, Michael used telekinesis to blow Madison's head apart. Apocalypse's time travel ending negated both Madison's resurrection and her death.
Zoe Benson - Coven/Apocalypse
Zoe Benson impaled herself on a fence during the Transmutation trial of the test of the Seven Wonders on Coven's season finale. Cordelia Goode secured her position as the next Supreme after she brought Zoe back using Vitalis Valum. In Apocalypse, Zoe was shot by Miriam Meade, and Michael erased her soul. After Mallory used Tempus Infinitum to travel back in time and kill a young Michael, Zoe was resurrected along with all of the witches of Miss Robichaux's who the Antichrist and his henchwoman massacred.
Kyle Spencer - Coven
After several of Kyle's fraternity brothers drugged and raped Madison, she used telekinesis to flip their party bus, resulting in Kyle's death. Madison and Zoe pieced together assorted parts to put Kyle back together and used a resurrection spell to raise him from the dead.
Myrtle Snow - Coven/Apocalypse
On Coven, Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) was burned at the stake after Fiona framed Myrtle for Madison's disappearance and blinding Cordelia. Misty Day used her power of resurgence and Louisiana swamp mud to rescue the coven's most persecuted witch. After Cordelia rose to the position of Supreme, Myrtle insisted Cordelia set her ablaze a second time as punishment for Myrtle's killing of the members of The Witches' Council. During Apocalypse, Cordelia brought Myrtle back, but after Mallory used Tempus Infinitum to kill Michael, Myrtle's last resurrection was negated since with Michael no longer a threat, Cordelia never had cause to reunite with her friend.
Misty Day - Coven/Apocalypse
After Misty Day was burned at the stake by superstitious locals on Coven, she used her power of resurgence and to revive herself. Later, Madison entombed Misty, hoping to take her out of the running to become the next Supreme. Cordelia used her power of Sight to locate Misty. Queenie resurrected Misty using Vitalum Vitalis, but Misty died again the next day performing the test of the Seven Wonders when she failed Descencium and remained trapped in the underworld. During Apocalypse, Misty was rescued from hell by Michael Langdon but returned after Michael's death. She was freed by the voodoo spirit Papa Legba as a favor to Mallory for killing the Antichrist.
Mallory - Apocalypse
The up-and-coming Supreme proved to be the only hope for mankind in season 8's Apocalypse. Mallory, who was stuck in Outpost 3 waiting on a group of irredeemable survivors, died after eating an apple poisoned by Miriam and Wilhemina Venable. Cordelia resurrected Mallory, who used Tempus Infinitum to travel back in time, killing Michael Langdon, and preventing the end of the world, and saving the lives of all of her friends.
Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt - Apocalypse
On Apocalypse, while most of the residents of Outpost 3 died after eating apples poisoned by Miriam and Wilhemina, Coco was stabbed in the head by her former boyfriend Brock who tracked her down after she left him to die in the nuclear blast. Cordelia resurrected Coco to join the other members of the coven in their last stand against Michael. After Coco stabbed Michael in the back, he broke her neck in retaliation. Like most of the central characters, she was brought back to life thanks to Tempus Infinitum.
Marie Laveau - Coven/Apocalypse
On Coven, the Voodoo Queen was a 300-year-old witch who promised to deliver innocent souls to the gatekeeper of the spirit world in return for immortality. After Madame Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates) chopped up Marie, she could no longer fulfill her contract, and Papa Legba forced Marie to torture Delphine and her daughters for all eternity. During Apocalypse, Cordelia traded Marie for Dinah Stevens, and the resurrected Marie fought to defeat Michael alongside her former adversaries. While the witches ultimately prevailed, Michael killed Marie by ripping her heart out.
Dinah Stevens - Apocalypse
Marie Laveau's predecessor fled New Orleans in search of greener pastures. Dinah sold out her fellow witches for fame and wound up one of the survivors at Outpost 3. Like other members of the group, she died after eating a poisoned apple. Cordelia resurrected Dinah and Coco and the powerful Supreme-to-be Mallory, but instead of siding with her sisters, Dinah pledged her fealty to Michael. This sealed her fate, and the recently resurrected Marie slit Dinah's throat, sending her to take her place serving Papa Legba.
John Henry Moore - Apocalypse
John Henry had his doubts about Michael becoming the first male Supreme. Fearing John Henry could derail their plans, several of his brethren conspired against him and dispatched Miriam to kill the handsome warlock by slitting his throat and setting his body on fire. Mallory used her powers to raise John Henry from the ashes, but after exacting revenge on those who betrayed him, John Henry was slaughtered along with the other warlocks of The Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men by Michael.
The Axeman - Coven
The Axeman (based on a real serial killer) was killed in 1919 by the young witches of Miss Robichaux's Academy, who lured him to the house and stabbed him to death. Zoe struck a deal with the serial killer, promising to release him if he helped her find Madison. Zoe never intended to make good on the deal, but after the Axeman threatened to kill Cordelia, Zoe, Queenie, and Nan had no choice but to free him. After killing Fiona in the penultimate episode, the Axeman returned to Miss Robichaux's to exact vengeance against the witches. They murdered him in the same way as their predecessors did almost a century earlier.
Richard Rameriz - 1984
Camp Redwood claimed many victims and the souls of those who died on the property were trapped there for all eternity with one exception, American Horror Story's reimagining of the real-life serial killer and Satanist Richard Rameriz, aka "the Night Stalker." Benjamin Richter succeeded in killing Rameriz by impaling his head with a tree branch, but Satan quickly resurrected him. To protect Bobby Richter and keep Ramirez from murdering any more innocent people, the ghosts of Camp Redwood banded together and agreed to keep a constant watch over Rameriz, finding new ways to kill him every time Satan brought him back to life.
Cordelia Goode - Apocalypse
On Coven, Cordelia survived witch hunters, acid thrown in her face, a serial killer, and her mother Fiona and ascended to the position of Supreme. On Apocalypse, she made the ultimate sacrifice by stabbing herself in the heart, so her power could be passed on to Supreme-in-waiting Mallory. Using Tempus Infinitum, Mallory altered events in the past and the future. With no Antichrist to battle or apocalypse to prevent, Cordelia, like every other character who died during the season, was alive in the final episode.
Bastien/The Minotaur - Coven
Delphine's cruelty reached new heights with her treatment of Bastien, whose head she encased with a bull's as a new form of torture. She left him to die in the attic in 1834, but after his lover Marie Laveau - based on a real voodoo priestess - discovered him, she made Bastien immortal. The result was a half-man, half-beast known as the Minotaur. Fiona killed the creature and sent its still alive severed head back to Marie. Presumably, Laveau reversed the immortality spell, or the Minotaur died when the queen of voodoo broke her contract with Papa Legba.
Joan Ramsey - Coven
The religious zealot who lived next door to Miss Robichaux's school was shot and killed by witch hunters. She was resurrected by Misty Day after Fiona demanded to see proof of Misty's powers. After Joan killed her son, Luke, Nan forced Joan to swallow a gallon of bleach, putting the murderous American Horror Story matriarch down for good.