7 Stupid Retcons That Ruined Famous Movie Franchises

6. Riggs' Wife Was Murdered - Lethal Weapon 2

Though they're mostly renowned today for being explosive action movies, the original Lethal Weapon movie actually had a lot of heart. Whilst the series became progressively more "comic" with every instalment, the first film was a lot more serious in tone. In said film, then, it's established that suicidal cop Martin Riggs is careless towards his own life because he's mourning the death of his late wife, Victoria. In Lethal Weapon, audiences are told that she died in a car crash. In Lethal Weapon 2, though, the filmmakers decide to betray this crucial, honest moment when they reveal that - oh wait - Victoria was actually murdered by evil South Africans who were targeting Riggs. Yep: they bumped the car off the road in an attempt to kill him, thinking he was driving. And it's a totally unnecessary retcon, all things considered. It feels totally unrealistic and completely unbelievable that said South African bad guys attempted to kill Riggs prior to the events of the movie. Having them be responsible for Vicky's death felt a lot like manipulation on the filmmakers' part; said retcon marked a real low point for the series.