What are some character storylines or retcons that you just found...unnecessary?

[bat39]

Since we're mentioning so much Superman, I'm gonna go with what was probably the most pointless retcon (or is it reboot?) of all, Superman Birthright. I actually liked Waid's take on Supes and his origins, with his own particular tweaks (which some I liked, and others I didn't), but thew were almost instantly forgotten in favor of the tweaks and retcons that Johns wanted to put in his own Superman run. A shame, for I really didn't care much for Johns love letter to Richard Donner's Superman The Movie and to the Pre-COIE Superman.

Peace

Funnily enough, I remember reading Birthright reviews back when it first came out (20 years ago now!) where it was described as being heavily inspired by the Donner movie.

But yeah, its a shame that it only got to be the official origin for like a year or two. I suppose its lasting legacy is that it got the ball rolling on restoring certain Pre-Crisis elements to the Superman franchise - most notably the return/reboot of Kara Zor-El.

[Holt]

Turning Jason Todd into the "angry bad Robin" after his death was unnecessary, and went hard against pretty much everything he was as Robin. And they've been "sneaking" more and more of that in there, even after he came back (which was awesome, and introduced him to Gens Y and Z whom love underdog stories), they've done a few of those.

To stay on the topic of Jason; Lost Days is generally well liked, except for a certain part in it that most in both the Talia and Jason fandoms wished was never written. It did nothing except make both characters look bad, and their fanbases cringe. Though, with New52 and Rebirth, it does seem to have been retconned with Jason joining the All Caste. Which, the All Caste is a cool addition, just wish that writers outside of Redhood would use it a bit more. Like, if it were acknowledged, he would be a fun choice for the Justice League Dark.

It’s very bizarre reading Wolfman’s New Titans, where Jason is written as a nice kid who mostly gets along well with the others, and then reading later stories that try to regard him as a fuckup that everyone hated.

I'd question that Tim being bi came out of nowhere. There's a pretty big fan base of people who read Tim as bi for years. His friendship with Conner had a lot of queer subtext to it, particularly with Tim's reaction to Conner's death going far beyond his reaction to other losses including his parents. It's said that Tim being gay - that's the way it was phrased - was a sort of inside joke in the DC offices.
That's not to say it's been handled well, but there was something there that some people saw.

One Year Later really hammered it home for me. Granted, at least some of that was the way editorial was clearly trying to downplay Stephanie Brown after he death, but that really stood out to me.

[Dr. Skeleton]

Zeus being the father of Wonder Woman

Alan Scott and Tim Drake's coming out

Prof. Martin Stein's merging of Ronnie Raymond becoming Firestorm revealed as plotted instead of accidental

Magog no longer being Lance Corporal David Reid, but Boy Thunder now

[Stanlos]

I get that. But honestly, I like the idea of Morrison's T-shirt and jeans Superman existing separately in his own world. The problem is that they just haven't done anything with him

In hindsight though, they just have just had Superman Reborn reveal that the Post-Crisis Superman was the 'real' Superman of Earth 0, the New 52 Superman was from another earth (and shunt him back there), and fully restore the Post-Crisis continuity, including the Kents being alive, in one go. The whole idea of a Superman 'Red' and 'Blue' and merging the two versions was ultimately pointless, since practically nothing from the New 52 version was preserved...apart from the fact that he once wore the New 52 armor in the past, and that the Kents were dead (which eventually got undone anyway).

I may be in the clutches of the Nostalgia Monster, but....#YesPlease!

[Mutant God]

Etta Candy looking like a younger Amanda Waller to me

[Refrax5]

I doubt Bart ever becomes Kid Flash again. Wally's daughter could fulfill that role again but she now has her own identity and people seem comfortable with Wallace being Wally's Kid Flash.

Yeah, I much prefer Bart as Impulse. He's his own unique character and not just another legacy when he's Impulse.

[Tzigone]

Yeah, I much prefer Bart as Impulse. He's his own unique character and not just another legacy when he's Impulse.

I completely agree. That's his identity.

[married guy]

I still hate Barry's mum being murdered.
HATE IT!

[Nomads1]

Yeah, I much prefer Bart as Impulse. He's his own unique character and not just another legacy when he's Impulse.

I completely agree. That's his identity.

Agreed.

Peace

[lemonpeace]

anything/everything related to Doomsday Clock. specifically the idea that the entire universe revolves around superman.

[Will Evans]

The Jester becoming a villain after being in the Allstar Squadron world war 2.
I really love the 1994 Starman series, it if it’s going to briefly show Jester being evil, but then do nothing with it. What was the point?

[Cap808]

No more versions of Hawk and Dove, please. I think Hank Hall and Dawn Granger are perfect. Just need to find a writer with a passion to write them.

[Thor-Ul]

No more versions of Hawk and Dove, please. I think Hank Hall and Dawn Granger are perfect. Just need to find a writer with a passion to write them.

How about Don Hall and Hank Hall better?

[Cap808]

How about Don Hall and Hank Hall better?

Unfortunately, I don't think Hank and Don were that popular or that interesting. I feel like Hawk and Dove really blew up with Hank and Dawn. In fact, I feel the tension between the two (who were not dating in the beginning) was part of the book's underlying dynamic. The fact that they were avatars of order and chaos just added to the forbidden chemistry. Sadly, I think that when they resolved that they shouldn't be a couple, the book lost a little steam.

[SuperX]

Superman's invulnerability not being an inherent trait. Which isn't so much the bio-aura as the fact he can lose his invulnerability (or grow up for any portion of his life as vulnerable as an ordinary person)

Superboy (Kon-El) having any kryptonian powers- as opposed to the early stories implication that he had powers that allowed him to mimic Like tactile TK for strength and invulnerability.

Superman should have infinite strength and speed,high durability,and super senses that obey the laws of physics WITHOUT the bio aura,after he powers up over years he gets invulnerable,flight,heat vision,super.breath,carry things perfectly,which solves your problem with his dropping to human levels,which is dumb,he would still have his natural powers even with his soalr enhanced (bio aura) powers gone.

Even back in SBs OG series he alwsys was gonna get heat vision and super.hearing,but yeah he wasn't supposed to have those powers,but the retcon is here for eternity now,so he has both,and geoff atleast kept the OG origin intact when he added the lex and Clark's dna origin to him