Summary

In the modern long time ofmoviesin which franchise are the spicy way to keep consultation wage , many sequel and prequels have put forth some incredibly controversial retcons . A " retcon " refers to any continuous account that get back on a sure detail , basically undo a change in the narrative with some far - out explanation . These can be anything from fictitious character deaths that turn out to be fake to change in the chronology of a moving-picture show series .

Retcons become controversial when they change the rudimentary aspect of a tale . Whether they ’re dilute the complete fib in orderliness to indulge in take back a seemingly deceased character or basically altering the universe of their serial with strange lore choices , even the good movie sequels can succumb to uneven retcons . From the many changes oftheStar Warsfilmsto myriad other franchise that completely pass their write up , many cinematic retcons have n’t been completely well - received .

The spirit of Christopher Reeve ’s Superman lives on in a arrant moment from the moving picture ’s continuation serial publication when Clark reaches out to help oneself an enemy .

Superman 78 Comic Variant Art by Steve Epting

10Somehow, Palpatine Has Returned

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

With just four words , theStar Warsfranchise managed to perfectly annihilate any good will the sequel series had accrued . After the interracial responses ofStar Wars : The Last Jedi , Disney decide to heavily course - correct by returning to wade in factor from the original trilogy . Most sorely , the return of the ill-famed Sith Villain Palpatine , a.k.a . Darth Sidious , despite his very clear and exulting demise by the hands of his learner inReturn of the Jedi .

If these changes were n’t high-risk enough , it ’s also reveal that Rey is actually a backup clone of Palpatine .

This retcon completely undermines Luke and Vader ’s triumph at the end of the original trilogy , though it could be argued that the total sequel serial publication does this with the return of the Empire in the form of the First Order . If these change were n’t tough enough , it ’s also revealed that Rey is actually a backup ringer of Palpatine , replicate back on her " nobody " backstory established in the previous film to haphazardly connect her to the surprise recurrence of the villain . It ’s no wonder thatThe Rise of Skywalkerhas such an infamous spot inStar Warscanon .

Ben Affleck as Christian drumming his hand on the table while talking to Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s Marybeth in The Accountant 2

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Cast

9Blofeld Was Behind Every Villain In Daniel Craig’s Bond Movies

Spectre

The Daniel Craig tenure of the007series was initially known for its more grounded approach , with films likeCasino RoyaleandQuantum of Solacemaking it clear that this version of James Bond existed in a gamy , tough - as - nails undercover agent industriousness similar to the real world . However , films likeSkyfallalso made the series more personal to Bond than ever before , with villains that make close to home and geographic expedition into the agent ’s personal history rather than a simple-minded serial of missions . Spectretook things a little too far in this counsel , jump the sharkonce and for all .

It move around out that supervillain mastermind behind the titular evil organization , Blofeld , was really James Bond ’s long - lose foster blood brother , Franz Oberhauser . Not only that , but every baddie in the Daniel Craig Bond series could be traced back to Spectre ’s influence , essentially counteract the franchise ’s previous threats so as to make Blofeld seem more sinister . For many fan , a twist this bountiful so late into the series just did n’t work , and retroactively called into doubtfulness the narratives of the premature films .

8Harry Is Brought Back From The Dead

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

talk of spy franchises , the firstKingsmanfilm offered a promising start to what could be a grapple new take on the espionage genre , goofier than the Daniel Craig Bond films but still pulpy and secure of furiousness or gore . Colin Firth ’s Harry was an excellent wise man to the first film ’s protagonist and something of a fan favorite , making his demise an incredibly impactful moment . alas , this becomes utterly diluted in the wide panned subsequence , Kingsman : The Golden Circle .

Despite being dissipate in the genuine head , Harry is back in the subsequence thanks to an data-based " alpha gel " combined with a generous dosage of nanomachines . At the same time , this retcon degrade death in theKingsmanuniverse , befuddle the serial too far in the direction of science fiction , and hit the sequel ’s kill of characters like Roxy and Merlin seem all the more unnecessary . Few franchises have shot themselves in the foot quite likeKingsmanby refusing to appropriate a popular character to die .

7John Connor Is A Terminator

Terminator: Genysis

Few series have gone through the ringer quite like theTerminatorfranchise . WithmultipleTerminatortimelinesto keep track of that all pluck and choose which premature cinema to ignore , the series has never been able-bodied to retake the success ofTerminator 2 : Judgment Dayin over 30 years . One of the most gross mistakes in a follow - up picture show wasTerminator : Genysis ' handling of John Connor .

There ’s a reason thatTerminator : Genysiscreates its own stubby arm of continuity sprouting off the original film that is n’t acknowledged by any continuation since .

Previously take to be the paint to human survival after the robot apocalypse , John Connor is basically the living MacGuffin of theTerminatoruniverse . However , Terminator : Genysishas him morph into an in advance novel coinage of Terminator android , totally making the importance of his survival in past films a debatable point . There ’s a understanding thatTerminator : Genysiscreates its own stubby branch of continuity germinate off of the original film that is n’t acknowledged by any sequel since .

In a dusty landscape Finn stares out into the distance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

6The Midichlorians Were Behind The Force All Along

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

The poorStar Warsfranchise might be one of the most abused by continuity changes compared to any other major picture palace series . One of the most puzzling decision to the lore came from Geroge Lucas ' own prequel trilogy , which drop dead on to live in infamy as factious flick . The controversial change impress the Force itself , the mystical energy border all live things in theStar Warsuniverse that can be tapped into by both Jedi and Sith alike to give them grave telekinetic powerfulness .

Tragically , the Force is entirely de - mystified inStar Wars : The Phantom Menace , excuse to be the byproduct of microscopical creature known as midichlorians . The higher one ’s midichlorian count , the more powerful of a Force - user they ’ll be . change the cryptical life Department of Energy into the byproduct of invisible space germ was one of the most baffling retcons George Lucas ever made to the dear series , and was so controversial that midichlorians have yet to be mentioned by any of the subsequence films or series .

5Sandman Was Uncle Ben’s Killer

Spider-Man 3

Like theStar Warsprequels , Sam Raimi’sSpider - Mantrilogy has something of an notorious spot in other 2000s dada polish , being looked back on with adequate parts ironical lovingness and cringeworthy distaste . While their place among the manylive - actionSpider - Manfilmsis up for debate , Spider - Man 3 in especial is wide gibe to be one of the worst . This is thanks in no little part to a controversial story change made by one of the cinema ’s many villains .

Flint Marko is introduced as a down - on - his - portion petty criminal struggling to find enough money to pay for his girl ’s infirmary bills , going to any means necessary to do so before being view up in a dangerous particle experiment that turns him into the Sandman . The film drops the bombshell that it was actually obdurate , not the man from the firstSpider - Man , who killed Uncle Ben . This completely diminishes Peter ’s participation in the incident , undercut his lesson on power and province just to give the picture yet another villain that somehow personally ties into Spider - Man .

4The Highlander Is Actually An Alien

Highlander II: The Quickening

The premise of the originalHighlandermakes for a very open - and - shut taradiddle . The picture show ’s tagline makes it crystal clear-cut that " There can be only one " among the titulary wash of immortal beings , and by the end of the first motion-picture show , that is the character . Yet a continuation was inevitable for the gently popular Sean Connery star fomite , and the only way to warrant it would be through some heavy retcons of the very assumption .

HIghlander II : The Quickeningevaporates all the established traditional knowledge of the previous plastic film with a heavy hand , excuse that the immortals are in reality aliens from another planet known as Zestians . The prize they fight so viciously over is also change from being simple mortality to a option between fleet execution and a slow destruction , making for an even arduous to understand motivation for battle . Few film have utterly annihilated the prospect of their enfranchisement likeHighlander II : The Quickeningthrough retcons alone .

Highlander II : The Quickening is a skill fabrication film directed by Russell Mulcahy , serve as a sequel to the 1986 Highlander . Set in a dystopian hereafter , the film keep up Connor MacLeod , play by Christopher Lambert , who must confront an bionomic disaster while battle new enemy . Sean Connery reprises his role as Juan Sánchez - Villalobos Ramírez , aiding MacLeod in his quest . The narrative explores themes of immortality , great power , and environmental destruction .

Harry Kingsman Han Fast and Furious Custom Image

Custom Image by Alex Valentino

3The Xenomorphs Are Artificial Weapons

Prometheus

The ferocious Xenomorphs are some of the most iconic motion picture monsters ever make , and the sense of mystery as to their evolutionary lineage and home plate planet kepttheAliensfranchiseintriguing for a longsighted time . However , famous filmmaker Ridley Scott decided to pull back the curtain on his ideas for the creatures ' backstory inPrometheus , in which it ’s bring out that a predecessor refinement of humanoid stranger are capable of creating living . This includes world itself , as well as , maybe , the Xenomorphs .

2Greedo Shoots First

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

George Lucas ' many enact changes to subsequent re - waiver of his first legendary launching in the universe ’s cock-a-hoop science fable film have been the subject of disceptation for some time . From add in jarringly out - of - spot CGI effects to the original films to change key details of the story and character - edifice , it ’s hard to witness a written matter ofA New Hopethat is n’t tainted by after - the - fact meddling . One of the big retcons these post - release patches have made is the sequence of events in Han Solo ’s introduction .

excellently , in his basic aspect , Han shoot the exotic Greedo first , manifest his cutthroat survival instinct and general scumminness , training his blaster at him from under the table . While this may have been a pre - emptive bang , later variant ofStar Wars : Episode IV - A New Hopealter the scene so that Greedo shoots first , with Han only returning fire once he ’s threaten . This completely vitiate Han Solo ’s arc from a selfish survivalist to a dedicated rebel willing to fight for a greater cause .

1The Fast And Furious Timeline Is Shifted Entirely To Avoid Han’s Death

Fast & Furious

From one Han to another , one of the fan - favorites of theFast and Furiousfranchise was so popular , that the chronological order ofFast and Furiousmovies was dead rearranged to prevent his end . InThe Fast and the infuriated : Tokyo Drift , the dealership introduced Han , the effortlessly cool Nipponese street race driver who meets his end in a backwash at the end of his introduction film . Han was so democratic that the next entering in the serial was revealed to take place beforeTokyo Driftjust so that Han could still be alive for it .

This movement continued inFast FiveandFast & Furious 6 , with stay to put off Han ’s slip to Tokyo to keep him in the serial ' effect roll . Finally , Han is revealed to be animated inF9 , formally hold up Tokyo so that he can return yet again . Fewmovieshave been as willing to completely rearrange their canon just so that a single retcon can take stead .

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Headshot Of Adam Driver

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Headshot Of Daniel Craig

Headshot Of Christoph Waltz In The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 20th Anniversary Gala Honoring Frank Gehry

Colin Firth as Harry Hart in Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle

Kingsman the golden circle movie poster

Headshot Of Jeff Bridges In The 2024 Disney Upfront

Headshot Of Colin Firth In The Los Angeles Premiere Of <code>Empire Of Light</code>

Split image showing Kyle saying goodbye to John in Terminator Genisys

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Headshot Of Emilia Clarke In The Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024

Headshot Of Jai Courtney

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Headshot Of Ewan McGregor In The New York premiere of &lsquo;A Gentleman In Moscow&rsquo;

Headshot Of Liam Neeson In The UK premiere of Marlowe

Spider-Man confronts Thomas Haden Church as Sandman in a truck in Spider-Man 3

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Headshot Of Tobey Maguire IN The Global Premiere Screening Of Paramount Pictures &lsquo;Babylon&rsquo;

Headshot Of Kirsten Dunst

Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert as Ramirez and Connor looking around in Highlander II.

Highlander II: The Quickening

Highlander II: The Quickening is a science fiction film directed by Russell Mulcahy, serving as a sequel to the 1986 Highlander. Set in a dystopian future, the film follows Connor MacLeod, played by Christopher Lambert, who must confront an ecological disaster while battling new enemies. Sean Connery reprises his role as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, aiding MacLeod in his quest. The narrative explores themes of immortality, power, and environmental destruction.

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Headshot Of Sean Connery In The 35th Annual AFI Life Achievement

Prometheus Poster

Headshot Of Charlize Theron

Headshot Of Noomi Rapace

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Headshot Of Mark Hamill In The Premiere of Disney&rsquo;s Star Wars

Headshot Of Harrison Ford In The 29th Annual Critics' Choice Awards

Fast &amp; Furious (2009) - Poster - Vin Diesel &amp; Paul Walker &amp; Michelle Rodriguez

Headshot Of Vin Diesel In The European Gala Event of Marvel Studios' &lsquo;Guardians of the Galaxy. Vol 3&rsquo;

Headshot Of Paul Walker