DC Comics did their first main retcon again in 1956 with Showcase #4, starting the Silver Age whereas forsaking the Golden Age historical past of the vast majority of their heroes. In 1985, the writer would put out Disaster on Infinite Earths, a narrative that may utterly reboot the DC Multiverse, remodeling it right into a singular universe and ranging from the start. The writer gained a fame for rebooting its universe from scratch and it’s one which that they’ve strengthened many occasions within the minds of their readers. Through the years, there have been a number of main DC reboots with essentially the most controversial being the New 52 reboot of 2011. They tried to repeat the success of the Disaster reboot, creating a brand new DC Multiverse for 5 tumultuous years.
Nonetheless, in the long term, the modifications to the writer’s histories and characters did extra hurt than good. Followers received turned off and it’s actually take a decade to get them again via the door. The modifications of the New 52 would fall to the wayside, but when we’re being sincere, a few of them are literally fairly nice. Actually, a few of them are higher than what got here earlier than and have really been carried over into the present continuity. These 5 New 52 retcons present that it was really cool, with the large modifications to Cyborg headlining the checklist.
5) Leftist Superman Is Bestest Superman
Superman within the New 52 was a combined bag for quite a few causes. It felt just like the Superman workplace by no means actually knew what they needed to do with the character, which is unusual while you do not forget that the Man of Metal had the right begin on this daring new DC Multiverse. Grant Morrison was given the reins of Motion Comics and, together with artists Rags Morales, Andy Kubert, Ben Oliver, Gene Ha, and Journey Foreman, rebooted the primary DC hero for the millennium. Morrison is a scholar of traditional DC and determined to achieve again to the start of the Final Son of Krypton for his or her new tackle the character.
Joe Siegel and Jerry Shuster made him for the Nice Despair, making him right into a leftist progressive character who was simply as prone to battle corrupt policeman, enterprise homeowners, and authorities officers as he was alien invaders or supervillains. Morrison did the identical with Superman, altering the Reagan period origin retcons to the character. Morrison returned the character to his leftist roots and it was an incredible new starting for the hero. Some readers have gone as far as to go canon within the occasions of Morrison’s run (which is nineteen points that inform one lengthy story) to the official Superman origin. It was the right retcon for the best superhero of all of them.
4) Retconning Crimson Hood’s Resurrection So It Makes Sense
Jason Todd was the second Robin and has at all times been one thing of a failure. It didn’t matter what DC did with the character within the ’80s, followers simply didn’t wish to like him. He was killed in “Demise of the Household”, by reader vote no much less, and was changed by the rather more in style Tim Drake. Ultimately, the writer would resurrect the character within the mid ’00s, bringing him again because the villainous Crimson Hood. They left how he got here again a secret, revealing it throughout Infinite Disaster in Batman Annual #25. It was revealed in Infinite Disaster Secret Recordsdata and Origins #1 (the outdated “Secret Recordsdata and Origins” comics have been superior) that Superboy-Prime punched the partitions of actuality, which prompted issues to vary and that was how Todd was resurrected.
This was nonsense, even in comedian books, and followers had no drawback calling it out, however the New 52 would change it. It established that Talia retrieved the physique of Jason and put him in a Lazarus Pit, bringing him again to life. She nursed him again to well being and retrained him in fight, making him much more potent than ever and permitting him to grow to be the Crimson Hood. It was actually the way in which they need to have resurrected him from the start.
3) Alan Scott Coming Out as Homosexual
Alan Scott is a DC icon, having debuted because the Inexperienced Lantern again in 1940. He was one of many best Golden Age DC heroes and has since grow to be one thing of an elder statesmen within the superhero neighborhood, working with the youthful heroes and serving to them to grow to be legends. He’s been a key a part of the Justice Society for many years and has lengthy been probably the most in style characters who debuted within the Golden Age not named Superman, Batman, Surprise Lady, or Captain America. Through the years, he’s been a gradual presence within the DC Multiverse, however the New 52 dropped a change on him that may enable him to grow to be a significantly better character.
The primary challenge of Earth-2, the house of the Justice Society within the new DC Multiverse, established that Alan Scott was a homosexual man. This might carry over to the subsequent iteration of the DC Multiverse, with World Warfare II Alan established as a gay as effectively, which resulted within the incredible Alan Scott: Inexperienced Lantern #1-6 and gave him his personal arch-nemesis, the Crimson Lantern. Making Alan a closeted homosexual man within the many years earlier than, along with his buddies all understanding however not saying something, was an ideal addition to the character and has made him even higher than he was.
2) Darkseid Because the Justice League’s First Enemy
One of many issues concerning the New 52 that excited readers off the bat was that it felt just like the writer was attempting to rebuild the material of the DC superhero neighborhood, beginning with the Justice League. It was proven as the middle of the neighborhood, with its start changing into the official begin of the age of superheroes within the New 52. The origin of the League within the New 52 was made to be the largest attainable story by including one essential ingredient – Darkseid. The lord of Apokolips had grow to be the large unhealthy of DC Comics over the many years, so having him be the risk that introduced the group collectively made extra sense than the unique origin, particularly for the trendy day.
Earlier than, the League first appeared battling Starro, with even the post-Disaster retcon beginning there. It was a cool starting, however there’s one thing extra thematically satisfying about Darkseid being the primary enemy of the multiverse’s best protection power. It additionally helped promote Darkseid as the last word unhealthy man for this new iteration of DC. It was a retcon that labored so effectively that it’s grow to be the canon origin of the staff, with 2025’s The New Historical past of the DC Universe enshrining it as a part of the continuity.
1) Cyborg’s New Origin
Talking of the Justice League retcons, it’s time to speak about Cyborg. So, the unique founding line-up of the League was Superman, Batman, Surprise Lady, Aquaman, Inexperienced Lantern, the Flash, and Martian Manhunter. Considered one of this stuff isn’t like the opposite and that was Martian Manhunter. For the New 52, it was determined that he wasn’t going to be a founder and he would get replaced by Cyborg. The previous Teen Titan had grow to be massively in style over the many years and followers had been begging for him to get a call-up to the large time for years. The large modifications of the New 52 was the right alternative to push the hero.
His origin was modified – he was caught in Darkseid’s assault and bonded to a Mom Field, creating the cybernetic physique that may make him a hero. He helped defeat the God of Evil and have become a member of the staff, staying there till Darkish Knights: Demise Metallic in 2020 retconned DC historical past once more. His New 52 origin was so beloved by followers that DC stored it as canon, solely barely modifying it; this time, he first appeared with the League after which was put into hibernation, along with his father Silas Stone experimenting on him for years with a purpose to good his cybernetic kind, resulting in his return throughout the occasions of New Teen Titans #1.
What’s your favourite New 52 retcon? Do you hate any of those I’ve right here? Pontificate within the remark part under.