10 Unbelievable Retcons That Made Comics Worse
8. Years Of Character Development Erased - New 52
The New 52 had its ups and downs, but one does have to wonder why DC didn't simply fashion it as an alternative to their main continuity - much like Marvel did with the Ultimate Universe a decade earlier - rather than making it a direct replacement.
The old, post-Crisis DC universe had its issues, but it was also unquestionably unique. It was an eclectic mix of genres, continuities and story-arcs that contributed to form one unique whole, with decades of material informing then beloved characters and relationships. So, when DC decided to hit the reset button in 2011 with a line-wide reboot, controversy was inevitable.
On paper, the New 52 could be considered a successful experiment. It galvanised interest in DC's books and provided an obvious gateway for new readers to jump into their mythos - an obviously good thing. However, it came at the expense of longtime readers, as those aforementioned characters found themselves brought back to square-one in a new continuity that was somehow even more confusing than the one that came before.
Barbara Gordon returning as Batgirl, Green Arrow and Black Canary losing their relationship and Wally West vanishing from existence were just the tip of a large and painfully tragic iceberg, but one that DC have thankfully since addressed with the advent of DC Rebirth.