What is going on with all the retcons of longstanding characters lately?

[Chris0013]

Hasn't he been depicted that way since Fraction's run on his solo?

Pretty much since he came back after Avengers: Disassembled. Same with Scott Lang after Children's Crusade.

[Nazrel]

But generally not so numerous in a short period like this that I can remember.

Are they more numerous or just more lazy?
I admit I've not done some extensive analysis, but it seems like they used to be "Here's an elaborate explanation of how this all actually makes sense", but now days it just seem like "We're just going to contradict ourselves, if it doesn't make sense, $%#@ you.", so they stick with you more.

Edit: There were also a lot of accidents on the part of writers misunderstanding something, which gave rise to "Elaborate explanation of how this all actually makes sense." to fix it; so we've gone from that which done by mistake, is now done by intent.

[Triniking1234]

Can't even blame synergy because of some of retcons have nothing to do with the MCU. Why make 616 Carol half-Kree when the movie still uses the human exposed to Kree tech origin? Why retcon America Chavez's origin when Doc Strange 2 still uses the alien Amazon origin?

Pretty sure it's just writers trying to make their mark and putting out nonsensical stories.

[Anthony W]

Because the modern writers aren't that good.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Can't even blame synergy because of some of retcons have nothing to do with the MCU. Why make 616 Carol half-Kree when the movie still uses the human exposed to Kree tech origin? Why retcon America Chavez's origin when Doc Strange 2 still uses the alien Amazon origin?

Pretty sure it's just writers trying to make their mark and putting out nonsensical stories.

I think Ms. America and Carol's retcons were related to the movies, but that the two departments just simply don't talk to one another. So the comics went in a direction they thought the movies might be taking.

I mean, we know the movie guys and Agents of Shield guys didn't talk to one another...

[Frontier]

I think Ms. America and Carol's retcons were related to the movies, but that the two departments just simply don't talk to one another. So the comics went in a direction they thought the movies might be taking.

I mean, we know the movie guys and Agents of Shield guys didn't talk to one another...

Which is even weirder now that Feige is basically running everything but it seems like he's too busy to worry about that.

[Bruce Wayne]

I think it's more like he gives directives to the publishing and they implement them. I think Ewing talked about it that they don't give them concrete plots, but rather orders like more attention or promoton for this character or that character. For example I think the recent attention to Clea was one of these directives following her appearance in MoM.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I think it's more like he gives directives to the publishing and they implement them. I think Ewing talked about it that they don't give them concrete plots, but rather orders like more attention or promoton for this character or that character. For example I think the recent attention to Clea was one of these directives following her appearance in MoM.

Yeah, I doubt he has time to micro-manage stuff. But hopefully soon he'll tap into the Disney money and hire some people for better coordination.

[Digifiend]

I think Ms. America and Carol's retcons were related to the movies, but that the two departments just simply don't talk to one another. So the comics went in a direction they thought the movies might be taking.

I mean, we know the movie guys and Agents of Shield guys didn't talk to one another...

Yeah, they retconned Carol as being Car-Ell, thinking the movies would got that way - turned out her thinking she was a Kree in the movie was just because she had amnesia - even the name didn't match, as her alias was Vers there.

[JudicatorPrime]

Define lately? Because for as long as I have been reading comics, I started in 2007, this has always been a fairly regular thing.

Exaclty.

I'm just waiting for someone to do something creatively different and impactful with a character that I like. Parts of his origin needs to be reworked -- or at least better explained.

[Zero Hunter]

I always laugh when Marvel brags about never doing a reboot like DC has, but pretty much every major character has been retconned half a dozen times at least.

[H-E-D]

Lately?

Cap being frozen in 1945 per Avengers 4 as opposed to his 1950's appearances.
Did the Original Human Torch become the Vision?

Writers have long been redoing what they see as mistakes or just something they can do better.

Yeah, this is the same old complaint from decades past. If the CBR forums hadn't been wiped a few years back, I guarantee we could dig up people saying the same stuff back in 2007.

Hell, Sins Past was in 2004. What retcon in the past ten years has even come close to touching that?

[Thor-Ul]

Yeah, this is the same old complaint from decades past. If the CBR forums hadn't been wiped a few years back, I guarantee we could dig up people saying the same stuff back in 2007.

Hell, Sins Past was in 2004. What retcon in the past ten years has even come close to touching that?

Clone Conspiracy and the Kindred Saga.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I would argue that there's been a vast uptick in retcons that don't matter.

Take Cap being unthawed in Avengers. That changed the character, but also made him forever a man 'out of time', a paragon of another time, etc. It altered the character in a way impossible to ignore.

As did the Winter Soldier story. And there are other stories that change or alter stories, like Avengers Forever.

But lately, it seems like the retconned stories are designed more to provoke longtime fans, or be inserted into canon and ignored effortlessly.

Like Sins Past. Crappy story, but no one expects Peter to stop swinging through the city, horrified at the thought of Gwen banging Norman and producing some bastards.

Or Captain America's current Outer Circle arc, where somehow everything up until now has always been their evil plot and his shield has always been their secret symbol.

Retcons these days feel more like they're written to be trivia articles, smoothly slipped into canon without ever intending to rock the boat of even change its direction.

[Chris0013]

I would argue that there's been a vast uptick in retcons that don't matter.

Take Cap being unthawed in Avengers. That changed the character, but also made him forever a man 'out of time', a paragon of another time, etc. It altered the character in a way impossible to ignore.

As did the Winter Soldier story. And there are other stories that change or alter stories, like Avengers Forever.

But lately, it seems like the retconned stories are designed more to provoke longtime fans, or be inserted into canon and ignored effortlessly.

Like Sins Past. Crappy story, but no one expects Peter to stop swinging through the city, horrified at the thought of Gwen banging Norman and producing some bastards.

Or Captain America's current Outer Circle arc, where somehow everything up until now has always been their evil plot and his shield has always been their secret symbol.

Retcons these days feel more like they're written to be trivia articles, smoothly slipped into canon without ever intending to rock the boat of even change its direction.

This is really what I am getting at. I know they happen...but lately it is more about drastic changes to the past to fit the current story being told.