Posthumous characters

Characters who died and have remained dead yet continue to have a lasting impact and presence from beyond the grave, in a non–supernatural way. They can even be dead from the very beginning of their stories and appear primarily in flashbacks, like Bertrand Zobrist. Their actions in life (includes their involvement in various villainous events), their legacy and the harm they caused may continue to have a lasting impact after their deaths.

The perfect example of this is Ra's al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises.