10 Inexplicable Examples Of Comic Book Retconning

7. Lex Luthor Did/Did Not Grow Up In Smallville

A popular element of Superman€™s Silver Age incarnation was his time as Superboy when he was still a teenager in Smallville and befriended a young, rich scientist named Lex Luthor. Lex€™s youth in Smallville has been a factor which has repeatedly been contradicted throughout Superman€™s history with writers going back and forth on the idea Lex had grown up in Smallville to never having set foot in the small town his entire life. DC often utilises this backstory whenever they feel like it adds to his and Superman€™s relationship, but it is usually only a matter of time before its removed from canon once again. After the Smallville television series, which featured Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, became a success, DC decided to put his time in Smallville back into the main continuity. In Mark Waid€™s Superman: Birthright, the Luthor€™s moved to Smallville for a time where Lex became friends with Clark Kent, though he still held dark ambitions even then. This was then once again taken out of continuity, only to be added back during Geoff John€™s run on Superman, where he not only grew up in Smallville, but his sister still lived there. This change didn€™t last long as Lex once again never grew up in Smallville in the current New 52, another sign that DC can€™t make up their minds regarding this aspect of Superman€™s history.