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‘The Blacklist’: If You’re Skeptical of Liz Keen’s Death — Here’s How Many Times Someone ‘Died’ and Came Back

'The Blacklist' has killed off a lot of people only to bring them back to life. One Reddit user counted how many happened in the first seven seasons. Here, we look at who faked their death and who fans want to return.
by Candace Powell
Published on
2 min read

Article Highlights:

  • The Blacklist has a long history of faking character deaths.
  • One Reddit user counted how many fake deaths The Blacklist had in the first seven seasons.
  • There are a few “dead” characters fans want to see again including Famke Janssen and LaChanze.
Megan Boone as Liz Keen stands in the container boz. She's wearing all black as she looks out.
Megan Boone as Liz Keen on ‘The Blacklist’ | Will Hart/NBC

The Blacklist is a pro at the faked death scenario. Viewers learned not to attach to any particular character because they could die, come back, and then die again — for good. Many stars and recurring guests have suddenly disappeared only to return at a later point which is why some can’t fully trust the writers.

In the aftermath of the season 8 finale, fans still question whether former FBI Agent Liz Keen (Megan Boone) is dead since she faked her death once before. In the world of The Blacklist, there are no rules. Actually, there are a lot more faked deaths on the crime drama than you might think.

Here’s an approximate number of faked deaths on ‘The Blacklist’

We’ll start with the obvious: Liz, her husband Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold), and Raymond Reddington’s right hand person Mr. Kaplan (Susan Blommaert) have all faked their deaths only to return in subsequent episodes. Skepticism remains with Lize for sure, but even Tom and MR. Kaplan could technically come back to life if the story needed them to.

The same season Mr. Kaplan shot and allegedly killed Reddington’s bodyguard, Baz (Bazzel Baz). The death wasn’t shown and it seemed to happen in a matter of seconds. Fans are still waiting for the real-life CIA and military expert to return to Reddington’s side.

Eagle-eyed Reddit fans counted how many other were sacrificed then brought back. One user counted nine in season one, 7-16 in season two, 4-15 in season three, 7 in season four, 3 in season five, 2 in season six, and 3 in season seven at the time of the post.

We also can’t discount the fact that the real Raymond Reddington himself might’ve faked death to escape mercenaries but we’ve yet to find out.

Here’s who fans hope return — dead or alive

Related

‘The Blacklist’ Deleted ‘Konets’ Scene May Reveal a Season 9 Storyline

Based on The Blacklist‘s history, there’s always a chance a character could return. That said, fans have a few they’d love to see. Season eight introduced a love interest for Reddington. Anne Foster (LaChanze) died by accident when Liz’s taste for revenge went too far. Many would love Reddington find love again, even at the risk of being found out.

Another fan favorite appeared in the short-lived spinoff, The Blacklist: Redemption. Scottie Hargrave (Famke Janssen — aka Tom Keen’s mother — made a huge impression. Though she wasn’t seen on the screen much after the spinoff’s cancellation, she was the caregiver to Liz’s daughter Agnes and her name came up in conversations.

Obviously many would love another dose of Mr. Kaplan or Tom, but it’s Liz’s irresponsibility the killing of Jennifer (Fiona Dourif) that struck a nerve. The supposed daughter of Reddington and Naomi Hyland was murdered for being in the wrong situation at the wrong time.

The Blacklist Season 9 premieres Thursday, Oct. 21, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

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