Retcons are an essential, but often underappreciated part of comic books. With most superhero comics being never-ending stories that take place in the modern day, eventually things need to change for the formula to continue to function. The reason retcons have earned such a hated reputation is because egregious retcons have the tendency to ruin not just stories, but entire characters. Just look at Wonder Woman and the rest of the Amazons, or the infamous, terrible “One More Day” factory-reset with Spider-Man. Still, while retcons can definitely cause a lot of harm, great retcons can enhance stories and completely recontextualize everything in purely positive ways.
The best retcons make you look at a character or event with new light and care even more about them, all without taking away from the great stories that came before. The greatest retcons are treated like plot twists, where they enhance your enjoyment of the story and looking back at older material. There are plenty of incredible retcons, but a brand new one just showed us exactly what a fantastic, constructive retcon should look like. Superman (2023) #31 confirmed Doomsday’s true past and ties with Krypton, and it is the gold standard for all retcons.
Superman #31 serves as a tie-in to the DC K.O. event, focusing on the Justice League’s plan to evacuate the planet in preparation for the tournament. Upon hearing that Time Trapper, aka Doomsday, was pushing for this plan, Lois looked into it herself to see if the villain that once killed her husband had actually turned over a new leaf. She flew to the Fortress of Solitude to interrogate the AI Jor-El, trying to pry information about Doomsday’s origin and King Omega from him. He said the information was illegal, but with Lois asking if he could still share it, Lara replaced Jor-El to reveal the truth behind Doomsday.
Back when Krypton still traveled the stars, they found the same prophecy on every planet. It spoke of King Omega, and how he would bring an end to all life as the final god of everything. Krypton decided to combat this, and had their greatest scientists design the ultimate adaptable weapon: Doomsday. He was created to be the Alpha to counteract Darkseid’s Omega. Where Omega represented destruction and the end, Alpha represented the beginning and life. Doomsday’s ability to adapt to everything and even overcome death comes from that ethos, where his constant rebirths and evolution would make him the perfect counter to King Omega’s endless death. Doomsday is their best shot at beating Darkseid, and only Lois knows.
The first part that makes this retcon incredible is how it is handled. Nothing revealed here actually breaks previously-established canon. Doomsday was always a genetically-modified creature that was created to be the ultimate weapon, and his new origin of being experimented on by Kryptonian scientists does not direcly conflict anything about him. Instead, this information ties him even more closely to Superman and Darkseid, making all of their past interactions that much stronger when read with this in mind. It enhances the story actively being told without taking anything crucial away from past stories. This maximizes the enjoyment of every story involved, and pays respect to the comics that paved the way for where we are today.
Similarly, the second great part about this retcon is the clear intent behind it. This retcon was not done willy-nilly or shock value. Rather, it is very clear that this was done with intention and serious thought put into it. Also, it does not tear anything down to establish itself. No canon or characters are brought low to make it seem like this revelation was even bigger than it is, instead acknowledging the strengths, character, and information presented to the people involved. This is a retcon made out of love for Doomsday and the story it’s telling, which clearly guides it forward and keeps it from veering off the rails.
This retcon functions so beautifully because it works well with what was set up already while clearing a path for future stories to dig into it more, which is everything a good retcon should do. It creates more story, rather than diminishing. In my book, that makes this an absolutely incredible retcon, but what do you think? Is this a win, or should Doomsday’s origin have remained untouched?
Superman #31 is on sale now!
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