Which characters have been most hurt by origin tweaks?

[Mike_Murdock]

For me it is easy and that is Apocalypse. When he burst on the on scene he was quickly moved up to one of the top 3 X-Men villains alongside Sinister and Magneto. Then the retcons started. First the garbage 12 storyline were Apocalypse was reduced from and immortal bad ass to a parasite that has to jump from body to body. Then came the whole pawn of the Celestials thing from the Dark Angel Saga with the whole "death seed" thing. It seems like everytime they mess with him he gets worse and worse.

I'm pretty sure the jumping from body to body thing was established in Askani'son. It was the whole reason Stryfe had been kidnapped and raised by Apocalypse. That being said, Louise Simonson's vision for Apocalypse (that he wanted humanity to grow strong because he feared the Celestials) was a more interesting path than what they ultimately went with when it comes to his survival of the fittest shtick.

[Mike_Murdock]

Well, it does destroy the whole point of the House of M event. In the actual version, Wanda and Pietro just made up an entire reality ruled by a man that isn't even their father, and then depowered 90% of mutantkind because of a huge misunderstanding lol.

Son of M even more so because the themes are whether Pietro is becoming his father in going to unforgiveable extremes to save his people.

[MyriVerse]

The whole Mr. Sinister fixation with The Summers was a death-spiral of mess.

I disagree completely with this. Sinister was a great boon to everyone involved. And Sinister's origin was great.

Sage is a neat character. The backstory of her as as Professor X's Black Op inside The Hellfire Club was straight up trash.

Again, disagree. Sage is a goddess.

[Michael Watkins]

Xavier's a pretty interesting dude when you think about it. he's lived an extremely odd life. it doesn't surprise me that someone with his powers would become a jerk. how many people could handle that high level of telepathy? it drove Gamesmaster insane. Charles has trauma from his military service and abuse from his stepfather & stepbrother.

[Michael Watkins]

i'm cool with Natalya being Wanda's mother. the witch's road stuff is interesting enough. but they totally threw Quicksilver under the bus. he hasn't benefited at all by the change in parentage. and he was so much like Magneto personality-wise, that he's been left without an identity.

[DrNewGod]

Anybody noticing that most of the negative examples are coming from the X-properties?

[DrNewGod]

I disagree completely with this. Sinister was a great boon to everyone involved. And Sinister's origin was great.


Again, disagree. Sage is a goddess.

Your mileage may vary. I do agree that they're both great characters, but the reveals all served to shrink the MU into even a tighter, in-bred cluster. As to Mr. Sinister in particular, good as he was, I always somewhat preferred the original idea for him.

[JudicatorPrime]

Wolverine was kind of ruined by giving him an origin period. He was such a better character when his origin was a mystery. Let's not even talk about that horrible Loeb story about Wolverine being some wolf mutant.

I totally agree. There are some characters that have to be mined for origin-specific detail. But others are just fine without it. Perfectly so in Logan's case. Other than hinting at some connection between Sabretooth and Logan, they should have left the rest to the reader's and conspiracy theorist's imaginations.

[Michael Watkins]

nothing to do with her origin. but Tigra has been hurt more than most characters, imo. she's on her 4th or 5th mind-controlled-by-a-villain rampage.

[JudicatorPrime]

Anybody noticing that most of the negative examples are coming from the X-properties?

Likely a reflection of fan interest more than anything.

I am shocked that Thor or Hulk haven't been mentioned yet.

[Digifiend]

Probably because while their characterisations have changed, their origins haven't. Banner still became Hulk because of the gamma bomb, Thor was still awakened when Don Blake found Mjolnir disguised as a walking stick.

[joebleau]

When they start messing with the mythology of the asgardians

The Serpent (Cul), Angela ...

[kilderkin]

Not a change to the character perhaps

But I think the change to mjolnirs history, with the god storm, is a rather negative thing

For me it's turned thors relationship with the weapon from it being almost his best friend, strange as that is to one where it's actually a trap for a cosmic being like thing

From a symbiosis to almost a slave held against its will

That's an oversimplification but I font find it has any positive aspects to it

Certitude relationship to odin now I find has gone from creator to enslavement and I really dislike that

[leokearon]

How about the Sentry who has multiple origins, all which could be true

[Mike_Murdock]

Not a change to the character perhaps

But I think the change to mjolnirs history, with the god storm, is a rather negative thing

For me it's turned thors relationship with the weapon from it being almost his best friend, strange as that is to one where it's actually a trap for a cosmic being like thing

From a symbiosis to almost a slave held against its will

That's an oversimplification but I font find it has any positive aspects to it

Certitude relationship to odin now I find has gone from creator to enslavement and I really dislike that

I recognize the issues with the retcon. That being said, I do think there are some positives. It makes Mjolnir all that more unique. There are other Uru hammers in the universe, but Mjolnir can never be replicated, even by Odin.