10 Inexplicable Examples Of Comic Book Retconning

2. Superboy-Prime's Retcon Punch

To make this convoluted explanation very simple, alternate universe versions of Superman, Lois Lane, Superboy and Alexander Luthor were trapped in an extra-dimensional bubble after €˜Crisis on Infinite Earths€™. Upset over their continued existence in this bubble, Alexander Luthor and Superboy-Prime, as he became known as, enacted a plan to restore their original worlds. To do this, Superboy-Prime punched the walls of their bubble so hard it reverberated throughout the universe and reality itself, causing changes to many characters histories which included Jason Todd€™s return from the grave. And that is the birth of what is commonly known as The Retcon Punch. Further changes to the DC Universe brought about by The Retcon Punch included several of Superman€™s origins, including the previously mentioned flip-flopping of Lex Luthor€™s time in Smallville, streamlined into one cohesive origin, members of the Doom Patrol returned to life as well and the exclusion of Hal Jordon€™s time as an ex-con among other changes. What is so staggering about The Retcon Punch is there were many simple solutions to the changes DC wanted to make, such as the case with using a Lazarus Pit for Jason Todd, but they went with a reason that was completely outside the norm. DC obviously felt they could hit several birds with one stone in an attempt to simplify the changes, but it not only felt forced, it came off as incredibly silly and ill-thought. The Retcon Punch is still mocked as one of the most ludicrous examples of retconning within the industry.