Retcon, or retroactive continuity, is a literary term used to describe intentional changes to established events. It is primarily used in comic books but can also be found in long-form television shows and film series. Retcon edits can add detail to a previous story or completely erase all previous stories about a character and start over. Retconning is a risky business as it can lead to negative reactions from loyal fans.
Retcon, short for retroactive continuity, is a literary term describing an intentional change of established events. Primarily used in comic books, retconning can also be found in long-form television shows and film series. There are several varieties of common retcon edits that can help a new story work better or explain a past story with greater clarity.
Some retcon changes add detail to a previous story. For example, a book may never mention whether the main character has a family; a later book in the same character may introduce family members. Addition retcon is often used when there is a blank period of many years in the character or world background.
A less frequently used form is called a steal or restart. This form of retcon completely erases all previous stories about the character and starts over from the first page. While some of the same events may occur, they may be undertaken by different characters or for entirely different reasons. The 2005 film Batman Begins is an example of a reboot, as the history of the previous films was eliminated and Batman’s origin was completely rewritten.
One of the best examples of history-altering retcons is found in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. At the end of the story “The Final Problem”, Holmes is killed by his rival, falling from a huge waterfall. Conan Doyle intended to leave the detective for dead, but public outcry led him to continue the story. In “The Return of Sherlock Holmes,” Holmes explains that he made it look like he fell, but secretly climbed a ledge and hid before running away. The alter retcon is often used in soap operas, when long-dead characters occasionally show up with an amazing survival story that often includes brain surgery, cosmetic surgery, deserted islands, and thugs of some sort.
Retcon is most often found in comic books, when many different authors are writing stories about a cast of characters. Usually, sudden changes or alterations are explained by the character being implanted with false memories or memory loss, or by past events revealing more than they seemed. The first known use of the term retroactive continuity was in reference to a comic book, DC Comics’ All Star Squadron #18.
Drastically changing characters or established environments can occasionally lead to highly negative reactions from loyal fans, who suddenly discover that a favorite character is behaving bizarrely and has a completely different past and life than the established one. Retconning is a risky business with famous people; while the writer may improve the story he is trying to tell, he runs the risk of destroying the bond a fan has with a character, thereby losing sympathy. While it can be an excellent way to clarify a story or spruce up an old plot, it can also be seen as disloyal to the spirit of the original.
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