Entertainment
7 Worst Retcons in Movie Sequels
There is an unspoken Hollywood adage: With a long-running franchise, comes a more ridiculous retcon. Retcons themselves can be a useful storytelling tool when they’re used to expand a universe or add new layers to beloved characters. Without retcons, there would never be X-Men: Days of Future Past and a Creed trilogy. Even the Fast & Furious franchise would be dead decades ago if they did not retcon Dominic Toretto into globe-trotting heist masterminds. However, most of the times, retcons are just simply lazy excuses when the filmmakers ran into a storytelling obstacle. And yes, unfortunately, the Toretto family is guilty of some of the worst ones.
The movies on this list, except for one, are part of enduring movie franchises. These movies have the responsibility to continue and therefore, make increasingly weird choices in order to do so. These retcons include undoing hard-earned victories or resurrecting obviously dead characters, and these choices frustrated fans and even left lasting scars on some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises.
7
‘Fast X’ (2023)
With all the villains from the previous movies being either locked up or turned into one of the family members, Fast X introduces Dante Reyes, played by Jason Momoa as the big bad for the final installments of the physics-defying franchise. Dante is revealed to be the son of drug lord Hernan Reyes, the villain defeated in Fast Five. Dante was present in the events of that movie and has spent the last decade meticulously planning revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family.
While not impossible, this retcon is hilarious because during their recon in Brazil, Dom and his crew never even noticed the hulking son of their main target. Dante himself is a larger-than-life character so it feels difficult to suspend disbelief that he is part of the Reyes family. He could very well be his own man. Momoa’s performance is entertaining, and arguably one of his best yet, but this is just another example of the series trying to reach for straws. The franchise has increasingly relied on surprise connections to create new villains, and by this point the formula was becoming predictable. In their defense, it’s the tenth film in the long-running franchise after all.
6
‘Spider-Man 3’ (2007)
The first Spider-Man established that Uncle Ben’s death was caused by a criminal Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) selfishly allowed to escape. That tragic mistake formed the foundation of Peter’s guilt and ultimately inspired him to become Spider-Man. Spider-Man 3 rewrites this history by revealing that Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), who later becomes the Sandman, was actually the man who fired the fatal shot.
Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man movies, albeit great and influential, follow a formula. The villain has to have a personal connection with Peter and later, Mary Jane becomes the damsel in distress. In this third film, there are too many coincidences, and Sandman being the person who killed Uncle Ben, is the biggest offender of them all. The reveal feels unnecessary because Sandman was already a sympathetic and complex villain without being connected to Uncle Ben. Instead of enriching the story, the retcon makes the universe feel smaller as though New York City only consists of ten people max.
5
‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ (2017)
The first Kingsman film features one of its most shocking moments when Harry Hart (Colin Firth) is shot directly in the head by the big bad, right after defeating a congregation of crazed villains. His death serves as a turning point for Eggsy’s (Taron Egerton) growth, forcing the young recruit to step into the role of hero. Instead of committing to it, Kingsman: The Golden Circle reverses this by revealing that Harry survived thanks to advanced medical technology developed by the American Statesman organization.
The retcon damages the emotional weight of the original film because Harry’s death was supposed to matter. It demonstrated that the superspy world is dangerous and that even the best spy could die. Bringing him back feels very much like an empty fan service, even though Colin Firth is spectacular and charismatic. The explanation itself stretches credibility even within the fantastical world of Kingsman. In doing so, the film kept it small and went back to Harry, instead of expanding the universe and putting the focus on new characters like the Statesman agents, who are practically window dressing in the film.
4
‘Halloween: Resurrection’ (2002)
Halloween H20 appeared to provide a definitive ending to Laurie Strode’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) story. After years of trauma and fear, Laurie finally confronted Michael Myers and decapitated him in a brutal final showdown. Released just four years later, Halloween: Resurrection immediately undoes this by revealing that Michael had secretly switched places with a paramedic before the decapitation. Laurie had unknowingly killed an innocent man while Michael escaped unharmed, allowing the killer to continue his rampage.
H20‘s ending was celebrated because it gave the franchise a rare sense of closure. So naturally, fans hated this retcon because it invalidated one of the most satisfying endings in slasher history. Laurie’s victory was meaningful because she finally overcame the monster that had haunted her life. By introducing a last-minute body-switch explanation, the sequel effectively tells audiences that the emotional payoff they celebrated never actually happened. Nevertheless, the film shows that the Halloween franchise is everlasting. This is evidenced by five films, including three that continued Laurie’s story, released after this one.
3
‘Spectre’ (2015)
For decades, Ernst Stavro Blofeld is portrayed as the ultimate James Bond’s nemesis. After losing the rights to the character for several years, Spectre brings the adversary to face off against Daniel Craig‘s Bond. However, the new backstory reveals that Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) and Bond grew up together after Bond was taken in by Blofeld’s father. Blofeld became jealous of the attention Bond received and spent years building a global criminal empire. Taking a page from Fast & Furious villains, Blofeld claimed that all his previous enemies are part of his organization.
But that sounds like a stretch, right? What are the odds of Britain’s greatest spy and the world’s most dangerous man being foster brothers? In previous iterations, Blofeld was frightening because he represented a vast criminal threat with ambitions beyond Bond himself. Turning him into a jealous surrogate brother reduces his mystique and makes his motivations petty. Skyfall was acclaimed because it explored Bond’s personal side, but Spectre took it too far, making it downright ridiculous. Instead of being personal for Bond, this somewhat mirrors Austin Powers and Dr. Evil’s story, in which they are secretly twin brothers.
2
‘F9: The Fast Saga’ (2021)
The writers of the Fast & Furious franchise are like The Avengers travelling in time. They have moved timelines to work around Han’s (Sung Kang) death in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. As the breakout character of the spin-off, Han was brought back until his death seemed certain in the post-credit scene of the sixth film. Apart from revealing that Dom has an actual brother, one of the most surprising moments in F9: The Fast Saga is that Han is actually alive, thanks to the help of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell).
As one of the fan-favorite characters, many fans are happy to see Han return. But the problem is that the explanation requires audiences to disregard years of established continuity and emotional investment. Han’s death shaped major storylines, particularly Deckard Shaw’s (Jason Statham) redemption arc. Once Han is revealed to be alive, many of those emotional beats lose their impact. The retcon highlights a growing problem in the franchise where death becomes increasingly meaningless because any character can potentially return. Up next, Gisele (Gal Gadot) is slated to return in Fast Forever, even though her death set up Han’s journey in Japan. It’s so confusing.
1
‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019)
Perhaps no modern blockbuster retcon generated more backlash than the revelation that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) somehow survived his apparent death in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This reveal undermines Anakin & Luke Skywalker’s story from the previous six films. Palpatine is said to be a clone created by Sith cultists, and shares a lineage with Rey (Daisy Ridley). The movie couldn’t even muster a proper explanation, as Oscar Isaac‘s Poe said it best: somehow Palpatine returned.
The retcon is widely criticized because it shows that the sequel trilogy was made without a clear plan in mind. The previous films never properly set up Palpatine’s return. But after the fan backlash for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the folks at Disney and Lucasfilm thought they needed to course correct and win back those fans who had blown things out of proportion. They opted for the safe route: bring back J.J. Abrams and reinforce nostalgia by bringing back Palpatine, instead of developing Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) further to threaten Rey and the new rebellion. Star Wars never fully recovered after this mess. The franchise resorted exclusively to making shows set in past timelines and never explored post-Rise of Skywalker storylines. This hopefully will change with next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter.
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