Retcons in comic books have a pretty bad reputation, usually being synonymous with changing everything about how a comic worked in order to tell a convoluted and unnecessary story, or simply trying to farm shocked interaction. There are definitely plenty of bad retcons that I could spend all day tearing apart, but there are plenty of awesome retcons too. They’ve been a core part of comic books for generations, and kind of become necessary when telling never-ending stories with these long-running characters. Some of the best aspects of characters come from retcons, like Superman being able to fly or the existence of the Emotional Spectrum. And it’s not just the old retcons that are great either, they are still plenty of great ones today. To combat the negative view of retcons in the community, let’s take a look at seven retcons that indisputably changed things for the better in the last ten years alone.
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1) Heroes in Crisis Wasn’t Wally’s Fault
The limited series Heroes in Crisis remains beyond controversial, having the main plot involve fan-favorite Flash accidentally kill numerous innocent heroes (including Roy Harper, one of his best friends) and frame Booster Gold and Harley Quinn for the crime while he set up his confession. Everyone was outraged when this hit the shelves, immediately demanding that somebody retcon it out of existence, because really who wants the Flash to be responsible for the deaths of half a dozen heroes? Fans got their wish in the Flash 2021 Annual, which revealed that the Speed Force burst that killed the hapless heroes was actually the result of the Speed God Savitar attempting to channel it to break free of his prison. It wasn’t Wally losing control at all, but a tragic coincidence that it happened while others were around him when it went down. Fans were just ecstatic to finally have Wally exonerated of the blood on his hands, and if you’re still concerned over how Wally covered up what he did, then don’t fear, because that was taken care of too. Flash’s “Finish Line” story retconned Wally’s out of character choices as the result of Reverse-Flash’s ability to manipulate others with dark thoughts, and it was Eobard’s idea. All in all, Wally did nothing wrong.
2) Resurrection of the Kents
When the New 52 changed all of reality, Superman’s parents were unfortunate consequences, both Ma and Pa Kent dying when he was eighteen. This left Superman alone, and definitely matched the tone and Golden Age style that the New 52’s version of Superman and Action Comics were going for, but the years of Superman stories without the beloved Kansas farmers left us wanting some parental wisdom from two of the best parents in comics. When Doomsday Clock altered history to restore the damage that Doctor Manhattan had done, that meant changing it so Superman’s history as Superboy was reestablished, and how he managed to save his parents from the car crash that was supposed to kill them. Ma and Pa Kent are essential characters to the Superman mythos, and in my opinion always work better as symbols of a kind home and people who will always have your back, rather than a grieving memory of that feeling. Besides, the idea of Ma and Pa not being able to interact with Jon Kent and the Super Twins is an actual crime. The Kents deserve to be able to be loving grandparents.
3) Hawkman’s Consolidated Origin
Hawkman and Hawkgirl have long since had one of the most convoluted backstories in all of comic books, and that is some steep competition. Plenty of writers have tried to explain the often contradictory nature of the duo’s numerous reincarnations, especially when multiple versions of them have been alive at the same time, but they always either rang hollow or made things worse. That was until Hawkman (2018), which finally provided an incredible retcon to explain the mess that was his origin. His first life was actually close to the beginning of time, and he was a ruthless warlord named Ktar Deathbringer. Ktar slaughtered countless with his army of winged murderers known as the Deathbringers, and at the end of his life was given both a curse and a blessed mission. He would reincarnate across time and space to points where he could do the most good, and would fight until he managed to save as many lives as he destroyed, with Hawkgirl’s own soul always tied to his. This not only smoothed out the inconsistent reasoning behind the duo’s reincarnations, but also explained why there would sometimes be multiple of them. It’s a masterstroke of a retcon that fixed one of comics’ messiest problems, and definitely deserves to be commended.
4) Kite Man, Hell Yeah!
While Tom King’s Heroes in Crisis gave us one horrible action that needed retconed, and his Batman run remains controversial to this day, one thing that everyone can agree was a universal home run was the change King did to Kite Man. Once the most forgettable Batman villain ever, Kite Man was reimagined as a tragic father and non-costumed criminal who was caught up in a war between the Riddler and the Joker, whose son was murdered for his participation. He passed his own love of kites onto his son, who in some of his last moments told his dad that he was afraid of going to Hell because he said hell when they flew kites together, and again later. After his son’s heartbreaking death, he created his own Kite Man costume and set about fighting with the one thing that connected him to his son, screaming “Hell yeah!” as his catchphrase. Not only is Kite Man having a catchphrase objectively hilarious, but this origin legitimately tugs at the heartstrings, and turned Kite Man into somebody everyone remembers. I mean, he even has his own TV show now, literally called Kite Man: Hell Yeah!. Wonder Woman doesn’t even have her own TV show yet! This retcon exponentially, monumentally elevated Kite Man. Hell yeah.
5) Hippolyta – Wonder Woman of WWII
The idea of Hippolyta being the acting Wonder Woman during WWII isn’t necessarily a new idea, as it first debuted way back in Wonder Woman (1987) #130, but that was due to the modern day Hippolyta traveling back in time and joining the Justice Society of America. New History of The DC Universe is DC’s current telling of its continuity, and in issue #1 it established that Hippolyta was the definitive Wonder Woman during that era while making no mention of time travel. This is a great change that opens up plenty of opportunities for stories to be told both about and in response to this history. For one, it keeps Wonder Woman’s connection to WWII without the weirdness of her main cast being tied to it. Wonder Woman has always had a direct tie to the war as much as the JSA, so keeping it feels essential, and this way doesn’t involve some convoluted explanation as to why Steve Trevor is still young. Furthermore, this means that Huppolyta has served as Wonder Woman, which was in flux ever since the New 52, and that opens the door for her perspective on the mantle her daughter has brought to famous heights. Overall, a great retcon that opens up so much potential, and ties Hippolyta to the grander hero community in a cool way.
6) The Metaverse
The sliding timescale of DC is the concept that the origins of its headlining heroes slide forward every couple of decades to be closer to modern day. It has always been a nebulous concept to explain why its main characters stay young despite being around for decades, but the introduction of the Metaverse in Doomsday Clock gave a perfect explanation as to how and why it happens. It introduced the concept that the entirety of the DC Multiverse was structured around Superman’s history, that he is the beating heart from which all of its stories and hope are drawn. Superman debuted in 1938, and the timeline of DC will constantly adjust around the Man of Steel, moving up with him to continue allowing Superman to guide the people of the multiverse. It’s both a smart way to introduce a meta reason for the sliding timescale and a beautiful love letter to the first ever superhero that celebrates his importance. Superman is the most important superhero of all time, and the Metaverse promises that he will continue to be so for the rest of comic book history, which is just so cool and satisfying to see.
7) The Return of Wally West
When the New 52 rebooted the DC Universe, a lot of legacy characters were lost in translation, either being completely remade or outright removed. One of the biggest names who went through this was Wally West, with the new version introduced that, while great in his own right, was very different from the Wally fans knew and loved. For a while, DC pushed Ace as the new Wally West, but that all changed with the release of the DC Universe: Rebirth special, the book that kickstarted the Rebirth era and revealed that the original Wally West was still around, just lost in the Speed Force. Wally’s return wasn’t just a beautiful, wholesome moment of connection between two of DC’s most beloved characters, but also signified the return of a lot of DC’s old lore, wiped out by the New 52. Wally West was the return of hope in a really incredible way, and is without a doubt one of the best retcons DC ever implemented.
So that’s seven of the best retcons of the last ten years. There are plenty more that I could list, and I’m sure many more to come, but at the end of the day what I think is important is to remember that while there can be bad done with retcons, there can also be a lot of good done. We all love to see good stories flourish, and sometimes the best way for that to happen is to look back at the past and ask if we need to change certain things to better fit today. Obviously, there are some things that should not be touched, but these are great examples of how to do it right. Which modern DC retcon is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
