Retcons are a common event in comic books, especially for a world that’s been around as long as the DC Universe. As the years go on, it’s not unusual for writers to revisit old storylines and reveal new information or adjust continuity so that something happened differently. Sometimes these changes are small or fix a problem. Other times, these retcons are wild and change something fans love about a story or a character. Over the years, DC Comics has had numerous retcons that to this day remain some of the wildest changes in comic history.
10 Reverse-Flash Causing Flash’s Worst Moments
The Flash: Rebirth #5, Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver
For years, the Flash was flummoxed by the Reverse-Flash, aka Eobard Thawne, a time-traveling speedster with a huge grudge against Barry Allen. When Barry returned in The Flash: Rebirth, he squared off once again with his yellow-costumed foe. During their epic battle, Thawne revealed that he was responsible for every terrible thing in the Flash’s life, including the death of Barry’s mother and framing his father for it. The revelation certainly raised Reverse-Flash’s profile and helped cement his place as the Flash’s greatest enemy. But it was an unnecessary change and ultimately it didn’t offer much to either character other than an unexpected twist.
9 Wally West Being Removed From the DC Universe
The New 52
The New 52 was an interesting time filled with a lot of change, but one stood out more than any other to Flash fans. Wally West was purged from the timeline, making Barry the only Flash in the DC Universe. To DC’s credit, it did introduce a Wally, but not the ones fans remembered. It was later revealed that the pre-Flashpoint Flash became trapped in the Speed Force. By the time he got out, everything he remembered about the old DC Universe was gone, including his marriage and children. The Flash eventually got his life back, but fans were severely irked by the treatment of the fan-favorite speedster.
8 One Retcon Erased Superboy’s Association with the Legion of Super-Heroes
Post-Crisis DC Universe
The Legion of Super-Heroes is the premier team in the 31st century and was inspired by Clark Kent’s actions as a young hero in Smallville. While the teenage Superboy routinely worked with the Legion, things changed in the Post-Crisis DC Universe. In DC’s reset continuity, Clark was never Superboy and his connection to the Legion was minimized and Superboy’s role in the Legion was replaced by the similar hero Mon-El. Since Crisis on Infinite Earths, making the Legion of Super-Heroes work with Superman’s past has been a tricky endeavor.
7 Cyborg Becoming a Founding Justice League Member
Justice League #1, Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Scott Williams
Another shakeup to DC continuity in the New 52 was the decision to replace Martian Manhunter as a founding Justice League member with Cyborg. Cyborg is notably a Titan, but the switch to his personal history erased his association with the next generation of heroes like Nightwing and Beast Boy, some of his closest allies. Cyborg’s past with the Titans was eventually restored, though the current continuity is a bit murky over his involvement with the League. While placing Cyborg in the Justice League helped bring him the attention he deserves, it threw an unnecessary wrench into his history.
6 Wonder Woman Becoming Zeus’ Daughter
Wonder Woman #3, Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang
Wonder Woman had an incredibly unique origin in the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe. Originally, Diana was a clay sculpture who was given life by the gods. However, this was changed in the New 52, which turned Wonder Woman into the blood daughter of Zeus, though she was raised to believe her clay origin was the truth. While the change was meant to give Diana a more direct connection to Greek mythology, this retcon was unnecessary as the gods have always been a part of her lore. As of the recent Wonder Woman series, this retcon seems to have been undone and Wonder Woman’s clay origin is canon once more.
5 Lobo Being Replaced by the ‘Real’ Lobo
Justice League 23.2: Lobo, Marguerite Bennett, Ben Oliver
One of the most controversial changes during the New 52 happened to the biggest bastich in the DC Universe. Lobo, the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy, was revealed to be an impostor and that a younger, more svelte killer was the genuine article. To drive the point home, Lobo #1 opened up with the new Main Man decapitating the one fans were more familiar with and preventing him from regenerating. However, this Lobo never captured the readers like the original did and it wasn’t long before the Lobo fans knew and loved returned.
4 Rogol Zaar Intentionally Destroying Krypton
Action Comics #1000, “The Truth”, Brian Michael Bendis, Jim Lee
There have been a lot of conflicting reasons behind Kypton’s destruction, but one reason was a hard pill for fans to swallow. In Brian Michael Bendis’ time on Superman, he introduced a new antagonist named Rogol Zaar, the villain who was actually responsible for destroying Superman’s home world. Generally, Krypton is shown to die out due to a multitude of factors, from over-mining to sudden, unexpected destruction. This change made such a pivotal moment in Superman’s life the fault of one person. Many fans did not take to this change and since his introduction, Rogol Zaar’s part in Krypton’s death has been largely downplayed if not ignored altogether.
3 Doctor Manhattan Causing the New 52
Doomsday Clock, Geoff Johns, Gary Frank
DC Rebirth ushered in the end of the New 52 and was a welcome change of pace. But the initiative began with the shocking revelation that Doctor Manhattan of Watchmen had come to the DC Universe. Doomsday Clock elaborated on this and revealed that after leaving his universe, Manhattan became fascinated with the DCU and experimented on the universe’s timeline, ultimately removing 10 years of DC history. Bringing Manhattan to the DC Universe was an extremely disputed move among readers due to Watchmen largely being an independent story. But for better or worse his place in DC history is solidified.
2 Identity Crisis and Its Shocking Revelations
Identity Crisis, Brad Meltzer, Rags Morales
To this day, Identity Crisis remains one of the most contentious storylines, largely due to its treatment of Sue Dibny. It was bad enough that the story began with Sue being murdered, but the series also revealed that years ago, she had been raped by Doctor Light. In response, the Justice League voted to mind-wipe Light and change his personality. The team also mind-wiped Batman when he discovered them, leading to a fallout that nearly destroyed the team. Identity Crisis was a shocking story that left a bad taste in many readers’ mouths. Thankfully, it’s rarely brought up nowadays.
1 Hawkman’s Extremely Complicated Past
The Brave and the Bold #34, Gardner Fox, Joe Kubert
If any hero has had a hard time with retcons, it’s Hawkman. The winged hero began his career as an archaeologist who was the reincarnated Prince Khufu. Decades later, however, Hawkman was revitalized as an alien warrior from the planet Thanagar. But things only got more and more complicated for Hawkman and Hawkgirl as the shifting continuities of DC’s Crises changed their origins again and again. There are too many changes in Hawkman’s history to point out one specific retcon, but every attempt to straighten out the hero’s life has left many DC Comics readers scratching their heads.
