Retcons Saved Marvel, But Still Ruined Some Of Its Comics

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As a long-time comic book fan, I’ve come to realize that retcons – those moments where a story’s past is changed – aren’t just frequent, they’re actually essential! When you have different writers and artists working on a series over the years, sometimes a storyline just doesn’t quite fit anymore. Depending on what fans think and how the creators see things, they sometimes have to rewrite history. And honestly, for certain universes, these retcons have even been the thing that saved everything!

No tool is flawless, and rewriting past events – or ‘retconning’ – is no different. Just like a creator sometimes needs to rewrite a story, the rewrite itself can sometimes be a mistake. When that happens, it might even become necessary to rewrite the rewrite!

Marvel Had No Choice But To Retcon To Get A Key Character Back

During the early 1990s, Iron Man was enjoying a creative peak. Marvel successfully launched not only a solo Iron Man comic, but also a spin-off series focused on War Machine, and even a team-up book called Force Works featuring Scarlet Witch and Iron Man. The character also appeared in his own animated TV series, Iron Man: The Animated Series. However, despite this success, Marvel felt the character needed a fresh direction, which led to the significant storyline, Avengers: The Crossing.

The comic storyline Avengers: The Crossing shocked fans by revealing that Tony Stark, Iron Man, had been secretly controlled by Kang the Conqueror. Even more surprisingly, the story claimed Stark had always been Kang’s pawn, ever since his debut as a hero. To cover this up, Kang, posing as Stark, murdered two relatively obscure characters: Rita DeMara, who briefly used the Yellowjacket identity in the 1980s, and Marilla, an Inhuman nanny who worked at the Avengers’ headquarters.

Tony Stark’s death in The Crossing was a heroic sacrifice to defeat Kang and save the Avengers, offering him a chance to make amends for past mistakes. Marvel then introduced a younger version of Tony Stark from another reality as the new Iron Man. This change was intended to revitalize the Marvel Universe with a younger hero, as many existing characters were starting to feel dated.

The story arc wasn’t well-received by fans. Marvel quickly tried to fix it with the ‘Onslaught’ event, a huge battle between the Fantastic Four and the Avengers against a powerful enemy. This event seemingly erased both teams. However, Marvel continued their adventures through the ‘Heroes Reborn’ comics, where the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and a younger version of Tony Stark were transported to a different universe and experienced updated versions of their origin stories. A year later, Marvel brought the Avengers and Fantastic Four back to the main Marvel Universe with ‘Heroes Reborn: The Return,’ a short series designed to reintroduce these classic heroes.

It’s worth noting that Iron Man wasn’t alone in needing a fresh start back then. Captain America, Thor, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four had all strayed far from their original versions. Years of storylines had changed some of Marvel’s most famous heroes, and even the Avengers team lacked many of its core, well-known members. Heroes Reborn: The Return offered Marvel an opportunity to bring these characters back to a more recognizable state, while still updating them for a modern audience.

The “Heroes Return” period was a high point for Marvel, both in terms of critical acclaim and sales. Iron Man’s ongoing series from that time is still considered one of the best ever written. The Thor and Fantastic Four series were also very popular and helped position those characters for success in the new millennium.

Some Of Marvel’s Retcons Are Changed Immediately

It’s true that not all changes to established Marvel storylines have been successful. Some have been so poorly received that Marvel quickly reversed them. A prime example of this happened during Nick Spencer’s run on Captain America. In the second issue of Captain America: Steve Rogers, it was revealed that Steve Rogers had secretly been a loyal agent of HYDRA his entire life.

Later stories explained that Steve Rogers’ transformation was caused by Kobik, a powerful artifact shaped by the Red Skull. However, fans strongly rejected this explanation, especially after the success of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie. It wasn’t just that Marvel wanted the change to be lasting, but even more upsetting was the idea that Captain America was not only connected to HYDRA, but had always been part of the organization due to external forces.

The change was overwhelmingly disliked, and Marvel quickly realized it was a mistake. A significant portion of the Secret Empire storyline was then dedicated to bringing the genuine Steve Rogers back. However, it still feels like a missed opportunity. Fans would have likely been much more interested in the idea of an imposter Steve Rogers if Marvel hadn’t presented it as the real one. Almost ten years later, many Marvel fans are still frustrated by this controversial decision.

Some Retcons Continue To Ruin Marvel’s Comics Even After Decades

It’s true that not all unpopular retcons are reversed. Sometimes, Marvel sticks with changes to their characters, even if fans dislike them for years or decades. Spider-Man fans, for example, have been dealing with this since the late 2000s, due to the controversial storyline called One More Day.

Following the events of Civil War, the story One More Day centers around the consequences of a well-known superhero revealing his secret identity – a hero with a long history of enemies. Before the main story begins, someone attacks Aunt May after Peter Parker’s identity is made public. Though she survives, she’s seriously injured, and Peter desperately seeks help from anyone who might be able to resolve the situation.

Despite strong opposition from fans, Peter Parker once made a deal with the villain Mephisto to save his Aunt May. While he didn’t trade his soul, the deal cost him his marriage to Mary Jane Watson. Not only did they divorce, but Marvel later rewrote their history to erase the marriage altogether. Ever since, Marvel has consistently kept Peter and Mary Jane apart, preventing their relationship from developing to the point of remarriage.

Fans are still deeply affected by a major change in Spider-Man’s history, even after many years. This event casts a shadow over the character, and fans eagerly embrace any Marvel storyline—like the Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows miniseries or the recent Ultimate Spider-Man run—that allows Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson to be together. For many longtime readers, the main comic books don’t quite feel right, and some believe this change has permanently damaged the character. Many hope Marvel will eventually reverse this storyline with a retcon, restoring the original status quo.

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2026-03-11 23:11