8 Incredible Retcons DC Comics Somehow Managed to Pull Off Despite the Odds

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The world of DC Comics is a big place, and the DC Universe has been around for almost a hundred years. It’s hard to maintain consistent continuity throughout such a long timeframe. That’s why, sometimes, things need to be adjusted a little bit. DC has committed to some pretty egregious retcons over the years, and it’s sometimes shocking that the publisher actually got away with some of them.

With so many new creators working on the same characters over such a long period of time, things are bound to get mixed up a bit. Even story elements that might seem unchangeable, like the murder of Batman’s parents, are still subject to retcons. Retcons aren’t anything new in comic books, but there is a big difference between major and minor changes, and DC has made a lot of major retcons over the years.

8

Superman’s History with the Legion of Super-Heroes

Retconned in the Post-Crisis DC Universe

Superman is one of the most inspiring heroes in the DC Universe. His legacy lasts all the way to the 31st century, which is where the Legion of Super-Heroes exists. These characters fight to uphold the legacy of Superman and keep the world safe. They also play an important part in Superman’s history. One of the major aspects of Superman as a teenager was his sense of isolation, but his experiences with the Legion helped mold him into the hero he is today.

Unfortunately, that history has gotten kind of murky in recent decades, as after Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, events were changed so that it wasn’t Clark Kent who spent all that time with the Legion of Super-Heroes as Superboy, but actually Superman’s brother, Mon-El. This retcon completely removed a major part of Clark’s teenage years, and it made any stories afterward involving Clark and the Legion a bit difficult, as Superman’s personal history with the team is a bit murky now.

7

Wonder Woman’s Origin Being Tied to Zeus

Retconned in Wonder Woman #3 by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang

Wonder Woman has one of the most iconic origins in comic books, and it’s one that DC simply couldn’t wait to start reworking. Originally, Diana’s origins are that she was molded from clay on the beaches of Themyscira, brought to life by the magic of the female Greek gods. It was a very important element of her history, as Diana’s creation had no involvement from men.

That was a big deal and a prime part of her origin, but unfortunately, DC wasn’t willing to leave that part of her origin untouched. The New 52 changed a lot of elements about pretty much everything in the DCU. One of the biggest changes for Diana was the reveal that Zeus was actually her father. This change was hated by pretty much every major Wonder Woman fan, and it didn’t seem to really serve her character.

6

Rogol Zar’s Destruction of Krypton

Retconned in Action Comics #1000by Brian Michael Bendis and Jim Lee

One of the biggest elements of Superman’s history is that Krypton exploded. There was never really given much of a reason why Krypton exploded; it just did. And that’s completely fine: Krypton didn’t need a reason to explode. The fact that Superman lost Krypton is far more important than how he lost Krypton. But it seems that DC didn’t agree, as after the New 52, DC decided to retcon the very well-known destruction of Krypton.

Instead of the planet simply being unstable or some natural disaster getting out of control, DC decided to reveal that the destruction of Krypton was no accident. It was due to Rogol Zaar, who viewed Kryptonians as a threat to the universe and wanted to wipe them out. After causing the destruction of Krypton, Rogol Zaar continued hunting any rogue Kryptonians throughout the galaxy, killing any he came across, leading him to destroy the Lost City of Kandor, as well as trying to kill Superman and his family on Earth.

5

Cyborg Being Part of the Justice League

Retconned in Justice League #1by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams

It’s pretty common knowledge that Cyborg has been a member of the Teen Titans since his creation. The team starred in a very popular cartoon where Cyborg was a fan-favorite character. Yet, for some bizarre reason, during the New 52, DC decided to move Cyborg from the Teen Titans over to the Justice League. This was an odd choice, considering Cyborg really had no connections to anyone in the Justice League, and age-wise, they would have all been significantly older than him.

This change persisted for the entirety of the New 52, though, and even ended up affecting some of the live-action movies, as Cyborg was again made a founding member of the Justice League in Zack Snyder’s Justice League movie. It was a strange retcon and really seemed to serve no purpose for the character or the team, and it’s a part of Cyborg’s history that is rarely spoken of, considering he’s back with the Titans today.

4

Mr. Freeze’s Complete Origin Retcon

Retconned in Batman: The Animated Series

When Mr. Freeze first appeared in comics, he was a C-list villain at best. Going by the name Mister Zero, Freeze was a scientist who was forced to keep his body at below-zero temperatures. He was obsessed with stealing diamonds from banks, and that’s really all he did. He was a mad-scientist villain, as was common for the time, who had a focus on cold technology and loved stealing diamonds. He was just another generic villain for Batman to beat up.

Freeze’s histpry changed completely in the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Heart of Ice,” written by Paul Dini. This episode completely transformed Victor Fries, who now had a proper name. Instead of just being a mad scientist with a lust for diamonds, he was a man born out of tragedy. He wasn’t researching cryogenics for the fun of it; it was to save his dying wife, Nora, who was affected by an incurable disease. This tragic twist made Mr. Freeze an instant A-list villain, and it’s been his de facto origin ever since.

3

Lobo’s Disastrous Re-Invention

Retconned in Justice League #23.2by Marguerite Bennett and Ben Oliver

The main man, Lobo, is a well-known character in the DC Universe. While he’s not nearly as popular as Superman or Batman, plenty of people know who Lobo is thanks to his unforgettable appearances in popular media like Superman: The Animated Series. Lobo is an over-the-top caricature of comic book masculinity, with him constantly puffing on an oversized cigar and riding through space on his skull-adorned motorcycle. He’s a fantastic character who’s cool simply because of his absurd amounts of machismo and ridiculousness.

But because DC doesn’t like fans having nice things, Lobo was retconned in the New 52, as were so many other characters. It was revealed that the cigar-tooting, dolphin-loving Lobo that everyone knew wasn’t Lobo at all, but apparently an impostor. The true Lobo was a brand-new character that no one had ever heard of and certainly didn’t like. It’s a mystery why DC tried to retcon Lobo like this, but it only lasted for the period of the New 52.

2

The True Reason for the New 52 Reboot

Retconned in Doomsday Clock by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

The New 52 was not well-received by long-time fans, and that is putting it lightly. Characters who had gone through unbelievable growth were suddenly reset. Characters that fans loved suddenly didn’t exist at all,​​​​​​and the entire universe just seemed a bit darker than fans liked. Eventually, DC realized that fans really weren’t enjoying the direction the comics were going in, so the publisher decided to move away from the New 52. But with such a massive restructuring of the universe, DC couldn’t just ignore it, so a story was invented to blame it on someone else.

It was hinted during the events of DC: Rebirth that someone in-universe was behind the New 52 reboot. It wasn’t just some misguided attempt at rebooting the universe; no, there was an actual malicious story intent behind it. It was further expanded on in Doomsday Clock, as it was revealed that Dr. Manhattan had intentionally created the New 52 universe by messing with Superman’s origin, all to see how the DC heroes would react in a much darker universe.

1

Crisis on Infinite Earths Is DC’s Boldest Retcon

Retconned in Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez

There had been retcons before, and there were retcons after, but this was it. Crisis on Infinite Earths was the retcon to define all retcons. The DC Multiverse had gotten too huge, and the histories were too confusing, so DC decided to simplify them, resulting in the introduction of the Anti-Monitor, a monster who was trying to destroy every universe in the Multiverse. It took the combined force of just about everyone in the Multiverse to fight against the Anti-Monitor, and victory still came at a grave cost. The multiverse and all its history were condensed into a single Earth.

This was the greatest retcon that DC had ever pulled off. The publisher was free to change whatever history it wanted and completely set the timeline straight. It was a massive undertaking and was one of the biggest Crisis events that DC has ever had, but the end result was undeniable. DC Comics managed to pull off the biggest comic-book retcon in history.

“}]] It’s unbelievable DC got away with these retcons.  Read More