Retroactive continuity is a literary device in which previously established information in a work of fiction is changed, ignored, or contradicted to suit the current story.
Called a “retcon” for short, it’s mostly seen in works of serial fiction, such as comics and television series.
The Purpose of Retroactive Continuity
Retcons are essentially the writer’s equivalent of a magic trick. With a wave of their hand, what is considered canon in a story is replaced with new details.
There are many reasons why writers choose to retcon a narrative, including:
- to enable the creation of sequels or spin-off works that would otherwise be impossible
- to correct information in published works that have since been proven erroneous
- to add details that clarify how a story should be understood
- to remove or change elements that cause negative fan reception
- to fix plot holes, inconsistencies, and continuity errors
Essentially, all retcons boil down to a writer’s freedom to exercise their creativity. Retcons let them get away with altering the history of a narrative and inserting their own flair. However, they still depend on the assumption that the audience can accept the changes in favor of the new version of the story.
Dead characters might be brought back to life through the use of parallel universes. A hero’s origin story is tweaked to better explain their abilities. The laws of the world are changed to accommodate an event.
The ideal retcon is something that answers, justifies, or expounds on an already existing question about the narrative without creating new questions in return. They “update” the story, fixing problems that arise from overlooking important plot elements, a lack of concern for continuity, or discrepancies between details.
Retcons are most common in works such as comics, video games, radio dramas, TV series, soap operas, and other forms of serial fiction. This is because the longevity of these works and the number of writers that handle them can create situations that may need clarification or revision.
Types of Retcons
Retcons come in a wide variety of forms, evoking different reactions from fans of the work. And while there’s considerable overlap between them, three types of retcons have been identified:
Addition
In most cases, a retcon does not “undo” a previous work. Rather, new information is added to fill in the gaps in the narrative. This is often done to support current plot points.
Additions are usually the most well-received of retcons because they don’t really remove anything from the story. Plus, fans can appreciate the extra information they’re given, as it can explain previously confusing or ambiguous events.
Doctor Who regularly plays with this kind of retcon. In the context of the series, the titular character is an alien that can regenerate into a new form, gaining a new appearance and personality. This allows different actors to play the role without disrupting the series’ canon.
A significant example is the revelation of a previously unknown incarnation of the character called the War Doctor. He’s retroactively inserted between the eighth and ninth doctor but is outside of the established numerical incarnations.
The reason for the addition is explained in-universe. He represents a conscious decision to become a warrior, as the eighth incarnation felt that what the universe needed at the time was someone who could fight. He is shunned by future incarnations as his actions were a betrayal of what the title “doctor” symbolizes.
A few more examples:
- Cthulhu Mythos: After Lovecraft’s death, writers such as August Derleth expanded on his concepts. They created the Elder Gods, a group of benevolent beings who directly opposed the Outer Gods and Great Old Ones.
- Swamp Thing: The original swamp thing was explained as a scientist transformed into a plant due to a freak accident. Alan Moore later reverses this, making the superhero an actual sentient plant who merely thought it was the scientist. The reversal didn’t change or contradict any established events in the series, only the reader’s perspective of the character.
Subtraction
Subtractions mostly happen when writers and publishers want to deny or erase certain elements from a story. It’s a way of correcting mistakes, removing undesirable bits, and wiping the slate clean.
Unpopular, controversial, or embarrassing parts are often ignored by writers and publishers, never mentioning them again in recent editions of the story. Sometimes they explicitly explain that these events never happened, or if they did, it was only in a dream.
A great example is in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In the movie, Deadpool is created as a combination of other mutants, their abilities being “pooled” together into one being. In addition, his ability to speak is taken away as his mouth is sewn shut.
This version of the anti-hero received a lot of hate because of its unfaithfulness to the original, particularly because it took away the character’s signature smart-mouthedness. A more faithful version is later made in the spin-off film, Deadpool. The sequel even poked fun at this by having Deadpool travel through time and kill his X-Men Origins version.
A few more examples:
- Superman Returns: This 2006 film continues the story established by Superman I and II while ignoring the events of the third and fourth films.
- Dallas: The series brings a character back from the dead by making an entire season nothing more than a dream sequence of another character.
Alteration
Alterations happen when new information is introduced that contradicts previously established information. This is often done without comment, with the audience simply accepting the change as the new canon.
Fans often make up their own theories for these inconsistencies, and sometimes these fan-made explanations prove themselves so popular that the creators accept them as official. In Star Wars, the bounty hunter Boba Fett dies after falling into the belly of an alien, which disappointed many fans of the character.
Speculations about him escaping off-screen were frequently made. This is finally confirmed when he appears in later books, graphic novels, and an action figure depicting his escape.
The best example is perhaps Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killing off Sherlock Holmes in The Final Problem, only to revive him because of popular demand. The retcon’s become so popular that adaptations of the original work almost always include some version of it.
A few more examples:
- Pirates of the Carribean: In the second movie of the series, Jack Sparrow’s magical compass is explicitly stated to have been bartered from the witch Tia Dalma. The fifth installment, however, reveals that it was given to Jack by the former captain of the Wicked Wench (the former name of the Black Pearl).
- Friends: In the first season of the show, Ross states that he only took paleontology as his major on a dare. Later seasons show him as having a deep passion for dinosaurs that goes all the way back to his childhood.
A Brief History of Retroactive Continuity
Retroactive continuity is a fairly new term, its earliest occurrence being in a 1973 book by theologian E. Frank Tupper titled The Theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg. In the book, Tupper explains that “Pannenberg’s conception of retroactive continuity ultimately means that history flows fundamentally from the future into the past.”
The term came into wider use when it was linked to the comic industry. In the 1980s, DC Comics began publishing a series called All-Star Squadron. The series retroactively inserted its characters into established DC canon that went all the way back to the 1940s.
The series also rewrote portions of the canon to resolve continuity errors, explain inconsistencies, flesh out character origins, and answer many lingering questions. This was the first known printed use of retroactive continuity that referred to altering the history of a fictional work.
Its abbreviated form, retcon, started appearing in Usenet groups sometime in 1988. By the start of the 21st century, the term has since spread itself beyond comic books and into other forms of media.
“Retcon” was officially added to the dictionary in October 2021.
What particular retcons do you love or hate? Share them in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
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- The Shaggy Dog Story: Subverting the Punchline
- Chekhov’s Gun: The Art of Foreshadowing
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
