One of the many things that the X-Men are known for is their complicated and confusing retcons. When a franchise has as many characters and stories as the X-Men, things like origins and backstories will get lost in the weeds. You also have to factor in creative team shakeups and the pitfalls of long-form storytelling.
Ask any X-Men fan, and they can rattle off their best and worst retcons involving beloved characters like Wolverine, Magneto, Charles Xavier, and others. For those unaware, a retcon is short for “retroactive continuity,” which is the act of changing a previous story after the fact. Sometimes it’s meant to improve a narrative, but the results vary.
Retcons can drastically alter what fans know and love about their favorite heroes and villains. The X-Men have been involved in several controversial retcons during their long and storied history, with many of their changes still being felt today. But when it comes to the X-Men’s worst retcons, a select few stand tall above the rest.
Key Takeaways
- X-Men Retcons: The X-Men franchise has a history of complex retcons that can confuse fans.
- Character Changes: Major characters like Storm and Black Panther have undergone significant narrative changes over time.
- Controversial Decisions: Retcons often lead to heated debates among fans regarding character origins and relationships.
- Ongoing Impact: Many of these retcons continue to influence current storylines in the Marvel Universe.
10
Storm And Black Panther’s Love Story
Their Wedding United The X-Men And Avengers Franchises
Storm and Black Panther operated separately in the Marvel Universe for several years, as members of the X-Men and Avengers, respectively. But in the early 2000s, Marvel decided to expand the stories of both heroes by bringing them together romantically. Black Panther and Storm were also two of Marvel’s most popular Black superheroes.
Before the wedding of Black Panther and Storm, a tale from their past was retconned to turn them into childhood sweethearts. The story of how they first met was originally revealed in an 1980s issue of Marvel Team-Up, and then later updated in a Storm miniseries, solidifying their bond right ahead of their big wedding day.
9
Franklin Richards: Is He A Mutant Or Not?
Marvel Can’t Make Up Its Mind When It Comes To Franklin’s Mutant Heritage
The son of the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards and Sue Storm is one of the most powerful figures in the Marvel Universe. While his parents got their powers from a cosmic space accident, Franklin Richards was born with his. You would think this makes Franklin a mutant, but it’s never that easy.
Franklin Richards has vast reality-warping powers, even creating an alternate Earth that became the home of the missing Avengers and Fantastic Four characters during the Heroes Reborn event. His mutant status was never much of an issue until the X-Men relocated the majority of Marvel’s mutants to the island of Krakoa.
An early miniseries during the Krakoan era was X-Men/Fantastic Four, in which the X-Men attempted to recruit Franklin to Krakoa, thereby severing his ties to the Fantastic Four. Franklin was considered an Omega-level mutant, so he was highly sought after. Ultimately, X-Men/Fantastic Four does a better job of setting up tension between the teams.
Readers finally learn that Franklin only thought he was a mutant, hence his powers making it appear that he was one and tricking the likes of Cerebro and Charles Xavier. Franklin’s immense power levels have been a tricky bag for writers to navigate, with the conclusion being to depower and detach him from mutants and the X-Men at large.
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Will Nightcrawler’s Real Parents Please Stand Up?Nightcrawler’s Parentage Is An Ever-Evolving Story Subplot For The X-Men
The many twists and turns involving Nightcrawler’s true parents can be as convoluted as his good buddy Wolverine’s backstory. A decision was made to make the longtime X-Men villain, Mystique, the mother of Nightcrawler, which then made Rogue Kurt Wagner’s adopted sister. But things would get complicated when the demonic Azazel was introduced as Nightcrawler’s father.
This retcon turns Azazel into a mutant and turns Nightcrawler into the prophesied offspring who would be Azazel’s undoing. This controversial change was then the subject of yet another retcon, as Marvel finally reveals the secret history between Nightcrawler, Mystique, and her lover Destiny. Mystique and Destiny are Nightcrawler’s parents, with Mystique being his father and Destiny his mother.
Mystique uses her mutant ability to transform her body into a man at the genetic level, impregnating Destiny. The reason none of the characters involved are aware of this is because Destiny and Mystique forced Charles Xavier to erase the memory from their minds. But after Mystique’s psyche is fractured during the Fall of X, the memories come spilling back.
7
Stryfe, Not Cable, Is Cyclops’ Real Son
The Identity Of The Missing Summers Brother Is Revealed In Deadly Genesis
We’re back with another discussionofparentsandtheir kids , except this time it includes pesky time travel . Cyclops has to sendhis son , Nathan Summers , into the futureto savehis life fromthe techo-organic virus . What readers don’t realize until much later is thatX – Force ‘s leader , Cable , is really Nathan , all grown upfromthe future .
The truth behind Cable is exploredinX-Cutioner’s Song , where Stryfe , wholooks just like Cable , believes himselfto be thereal Nathan Summers ,andthat Cable is Stryfe ‘s clone . Nathan is clonedin the futureas apotentialhostfor Apocalypse ‘s consciousness . The truthis later confirmed , with Stryfe beingthe cloneandCabletheoriginalNathan Summers .
Jean Grey Was Never The Dark Phoenix Force
Jean Grey And The Phoenix Will Always Be Linked Together
Jean Grey And The Phoenix Will Always Be Linked Together
Jean Grey And The Phoenix Will Always Be Linked Together
Jean Grey And The Phoenix Will Always Be Linked Together
Jean Grey And The Phoenix Will Always Be Linked Together
Jean Grey And The Phoenix Will Always Be Linked Together
Jean Grey And The Phoenix Will Always Be Linked Together
Jean Grey And The Phoenix Will Always Be Linked Together
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