10 Worst Retcons in DC History

DC Comics is renowned for creating and shaping modern superheroes, holding a dominant position in the superhero publishing industry for years. Yet, when they decided to overhaul their superhero universe, they chose an intricate approach that many found complex. Rather than stating the Golden Age exploits took place in the past, they introduced an entirely new Earth, giving birth to DC’s history of retcons – a term referring to “retroactive continuity,” or alterations to the past made in the present to fit stories together. Over the years, DC has employed large-scale retcons more frequently than Marvel, revising their entire history on multiple occasions and requiring numerous rewrites of their past events. While some aspects of DC’s universe are appreciated due to their use of retcons, there is a dedicated fanbase that appreciates this creative methodology.

Despite the fact that many of us appreciate DC’s habit of rebooting everything completely, there are certain retcons (retroactive continuity changes) that we absolutely despise. While DC has executed some fantastic retcons, they’ve also produced some truly atrocious ones. The following ten DC retcons stand out as the most detrimental to the DC Multiverse, as their alterations have caused significant harm.

Even though we often like when DC starts over from scratch, there are specific retcon changes that we really dislike. Although DC has created some excellent retcons, they’ve also produced some truly awful ones. Here are the ten worst DC retcons, as their changes have had a negative impact on the entire DC Universe.

10) Sue Dibney’s Assault in Identity Crisis

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DC Comics has organized some fantastic events throughout its history, but one in particular, “Identity Crisis” by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales, seems to have become outdated since its release. This story is a detective thriller that kicks off with the murder of Sue Dibney, Elongated Man’s wife. As the superheroes investigate, a team consisting of Elongated Man, Black Canary, Zatanna, Green Arrow, and Hawkman suspect Doctor Light. The reason for this is because he had once secretly invaded the Justice League satellite and sexually assaulted her. Although “Identity Crisis” does have some positive aspects, such as the concept of the Justice League erasing memories, this plot twist has overshadowed all the good parts. It was a questionable decision; while making DC Universe more intense over time has generally been beneficial, this wasn’t the right approach to take.

9) Everything About Post-Crisis Krypton

Following a significant turning point, DC Comics managed to rival Marvel in terms of competitiveness, an achievement not seen in years. The reboot post-crisis brought about substantial alterations to DC’s past, with some characters experiencing more changes than others. Among them, Superman underwent some of the most significant transformations. One of the most notable modifications was the revision of Krypton, a place where some of the most severe changes occurred. In this new iteration, Krypton transformed into a cold, scientifically-oriented society, where children were born in “birthing matrices” and love was forbidden. Despite this, Jor-El and Lara still shared affection, but they were exceptions to the rule. This new Krypton was quite harsh, possibly intentionally designed by DC to make Superman more emblematic of American values; pre-crisis Superman took great pride in his Kryptonian roots, and writer/artist John Byrne aimed to distance himself from that. Furthermore, for a considerable period, Superman was the sole survivor of Krypton’s destruction, denying readers many classic Superman characters. Post-crisis Superman faced numerous issues, but the reimagined Krypton posed the most significant challenge.

8) Wonder Woman In World War II

Initially, Wonder Woman battled alongside the Justice Society of America during World War II. However, following a shift in events, the members of this society were moved to an alternate Earth-Two, resulting in two separate versions of Wonder Woman – one who fought in WWII and another who didn’t. Post-“Crisis”, the original Wonder Woman was removed from continuity, meaning no Wonder Woman actually fought during WWII. Over time, DC has attempted to reinstate this idea, such as in the late ’90s when it was suggested that Diana’s mother Hippolyta served as Wonder Woman during the ’40s and fought alongside the Justice Society. More recently, DC has proposed the theory that Diana is older than believed and fought in WWII, likely due to the movies. Regardless of their motivation, these retcons are problematic since there’s no need to position Wonder Woman so far back on the timeline. Every time DC attempts it, they eventually reverse course because the concept lacks coherence.

7) New 52 Superboy

The New 52 initiative by DC Comics aimed to replicate the success of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” by rebooting the universe and modernizing its stories. However, the introduction of the New 52 Superboy caused some confusion. Originally, in the post-“Crisis” universe, Superboy was a clone of Superman made by Cadmus as a backup plan if Superman were to die, combining both Superman and Lex Luthor’s DNA. This concept created one of DC’s most beloved young heroes.

In the New 52, a similar concept was introduced with a Superman clone, but instead of being created by Cadmus, it was made by an organization called NOWHERE. Unlike his ’90s counterpart, this Superboy was portrayed as a government-created edgy anti-hero rather than a teen hero. This version didn’t gain popularity, so DC introduced another Superboy from another Earth who was actually Superman’s son. The whole situation became overly complex and was eventually overlooked by DC due to its poor reception.

6) Replacing “Batman: Year One” With “Zero Year”

“Year One,” written by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, is often hailed as one of the finest Batman tales ever created. It served as a new beginning for Batman in the post-“Crisis” DC Universe, blending crime noir with superhero elements to create something unique. Later, “The New 52” brought about changes, but preserved certain aspects. Fans might have been content if DC had kept “Year One” as Batman’s origin story, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo introduced “Zero Year,” a narrative detailing Batman’s initial days in “The New 52.” While “Zero Year” is not a poor story, it doesn’t surpass “Year One” in quality. “Year One” isn’t merely one of the best Batman stories; it’s one of the best superhero origin stories ever, and “Zero Year” didn’t seem necessary.

5) The Three Jokers

Year One” have retconned it into canon. However, this concept is widely criticized for portraying Batman in a questionable light – suggesting that he couldn’t tell he was dealing with three separate individuals over the years, which seems unlikely for such an astute detective. In essence, many readers feel that this idea would have been better left unexplored.

4) Zero Hour‘s Hawkman Fix

In the “Golden Age,” Hawkman was originally Prince Khufu reborn in contemporary times. Conversely, in the “Silver Age,” the new Hawkman hailed from the alien planet Thanagar. The DC comic event “Crisis on Infinite Earths” combined these two versions of the character, but this merge presented numerous complications, notably during the creation of a new Hawkman origin in “Hawkworld“. Many tried to disregard these complexities, yet they were far from the only issues stemming from “Crisis“. To rectify these problems, DC introduced “Zero Hour,”, a story aimed at resolving lingering complications from “Crisis” by merging various iterations of Hawkman into one. However, the specifics of this fusion were never fully explained, leading to widespread confusion amongst fans who eventually grew disenchanted with the character. For nearly a decade, DC rarely utilized Hawkman before Geoff Johns stepped in to resolve the tangled continuity. Later, Robert Venditti refined Hawkman, ultimately making him a more compelling character than ever. Most dedicated Hawkman fans choose to overlook the merger from “Zero Hour“.

3) The New 52’s Treatment of Wally West

As a dedicated comic book fan, I’ve always admired Wally West – hands down, the best Flash in my opinion. However, it seems that Dan DiDio, the former head honcho at DC, didn’t share my sentiment. So, first, Barry Allen was resurrected, and then came the New 52, which somehow erased Wally West entirely from the continuity. Frankly, I couldn’t fathom why this had to happen.

A reboot of Wally as a teenage Kid Flash could have been an exciting twist, but DiDio apparently wasn’t keen on any version of Wally West. Fans were furious and demanded Wally’s return in some form. DC listened, but their response was more about the “some form” than actually bringing back the original character we loved. They introduced Wallace West, a black iteration of the character who was essentially a new character altogether. Needless to say, fans weren’t thrilled with this solution.

Eventually, after much outcry from the fans, DC brought Wally West back as the Flash. It’s interesting to note that as Wallace West began to appear, fans have warmed up to him. This shows that our initial displeasure wasn’t rooted in bigotry, but simply a desire for the character we had grown fond of.

2) New 52 Amazons

In the New 52 revamp, Wonder Woman underwent significant alterations, particularly concerning her Amazonian heritage. The original concept established that the Amazons originated from the Well of Souls following a mass resurrection of female souls on their island, which had been killed by men. However, this notion was abandoned in the New 52, and the Amazons were portrayed as pirates who would invade ships, either seducing or forcing sailors to engage in sexual acts, before ultimately killing everyone onboard. This transformation tainted the Amazons with an image of monstrousness that they had never previously embodied. Furthermore, Wonder Woman’s origin story was reimagined; it was revealed that Hippolyta had a secret affair with Zeus, resulting in Diana’s birth. The New 52 fundamentally undermined the Amazonian concept, swiftly reversing this retcon as soon as the New 52 ended and subsequently eliminating it altogether in subsequent years to ensure there was no ambiguity regarding its validity.

1) The New 52 Superman Armor

The design of Superman’s costume stands out as one of the most recognizable costumes in superhero entertainment. From its striking primary colors to the emblematic S-symbol crest and flowing cape, it’s a stunningly timeless aesthetic. Additionally, the story of its creation – Ma Kent crafting it for her son to combat evil – adds an emotional depth that aligns perfectly with Superman’s character. However, with the introduction of the New 52, Superman’s costume was transformed into armor. While this change connected the suit to his Kryptonian heritage, it felt like a misstep to armor-clad an invulnerable hero. It’s hard to justify why such a symbol of love needed protection.

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2025-09-09 15:15