It is a sign of the clever writer to be able to back yourself into a corner, and find an ingenious way out. However, some scribes have taken some leaps that are both unique and utterly mind-boggling. Keeping that in mind, please enjoy this list of movie retcons so bonkers, we were left confused as a result.
Rey Is A Palpatine? - Star Wars: The RIse of Skywalker
If you listen very carefully when watching Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, you can hear the echoes of people becoming frustrated by this very twist. After two movies of uncertainty surrounding the parentage of Rey (Daisy Ridley), the ninth Star Wars movie in order tells us that she’s actually pretty important…and she’s the descendant of a clone from none other than Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).
Sandman Really Killed Uncle Ben - Spider-Man 3
For such a pivotal moment in the history of Peter Parker, Spider-Man 3 does seem to have a loose memory of the past. The infamous three-quel’s version of events saw poor Uncle Ben taken out by Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), a tragic villain who accidentally helped inspire Spider-Man. As opposed to a random thug Peter let go in a fit of pettiness, which in turn formed his moral code. Oops.
John Connor Is Dead - Terminator: Dark Fate
The Terminator franchise has tried to innovate the best sci-fi movies into a long-term saga, and not even creator James Cameron has had much luck past T2. Cameron himself helped develop the story for Terminator: Dark Fate, which decided to kill off John Connor (Edward Furlong) in the cold open. For anyone who was wondering whether Terminator: Genisys’ controversial decision to turn the savior of humanity into a killing machine would ever be outdone, you’ve got your answer.
Han Lives - Fast 9
For years the decision to have Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) kill off Han (Sung Kang) in the Fast and Furious timeline was something that had fans pushing for #JusticeForHan. Apparently that “justice” involved the first huge twist shown off in F9, which retconned Han’s death into a big DSS smoke screen - with Deckard being the “trigger man.” Which, in theory, renders Furious 7 nearly useless.
Wolverine’s Big Timeline Merge - X-Men: Days Of Future Past
There are a lot of questions that arise out of the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past. Quite possibly the largest concern stems from the fact that by the time we see Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) reuniting with Professor X at the end of the time-jumping adventure, a practically utopian future exists. If it wasn’t for most of the original X-Men movie cast being present, we might not be scratching our heads as much as we were in that film’s successors.
Rocky Balboa Is Totally OK To Fight - Rocky Balboa
Rocky V set up Sylvester Stallone’s legendary boxer for retirement, thanks to medical necessity. By the time Rocky Balboa played the same “one last fight” card, the disgraced sequel felt wiped off of the franchise’s record. On the plus side, people seem to really like that sixth entry in the series, and it technically means that those financial troubles never happened.
Wait, The Firefly Family Survived?! - 3 From Hell
If there was a fitting way for the Firefly Family (Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, and Sheri Moon Zombie) to go out, it’s in a hail of gunfire set to “Freebird.” That’s exactly what The Devil’s Rejects convinced us had happened, at least until 13 years after the fact. 3 From Hell resurrected this trio of torment and terror, for one last ride, and depending on who you talk to it was either a welcomed return, or a decision that helped the flick live up to its title.
Jamie Lloyd Isn’t Pure Evil - Halloween V: The Revenge Of Michael Myers
Apologies, as the Halloween movies in order have been anything but easy to reconcile. In fact, that’s part of why the 2018 legacy-quel made the decision to overwrite the entirety of the sequel canon. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is one of those reasons, as it squandered the ending of Halloween 4. Instead of building on the notion that Michael’s niece Jamie (Danielle Harris) was possessed by the evil that turned her uncle evil, that bold choice is discarded with barely a reference.
Harry Hart’s Medical Miracle - Kingsman: The Golden Circle
No one wanted to see Kingsman agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) die before his time. That being said, the explanation that Kingsman: The Golden Circle gives for his resurrection is just a bit too far. Using some special medical technology that only spies have access to, Harry’s fatal run-in with The Secret Service’s diabolical villain was undone - with a bit of amnesia and a lost eye as a side effect.
Jason Voorhees Becomes A Zombie - Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Iif Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter’s big cliffhanger had been honored, young Tommy Jarvis could have been the new hockey-masked slasher. Sadly, that never happened. After an ingenious copycat story in A New Beginning, Part VI: Jason Lives brought the man himself back from the grave - thanks to some conveniently placed lightning.
Greedo Shot First - Star Wars: A New Hope
This one’s straight out of the Greatest Hits collection of confusing retcons and Star Wars lore. Depending on which Special Edition you’re watching, either Greedo shoots Han (Harrison Ford) first, or at the same time as the Corellian smuggler. It’ll never be as cool as the original version, in which George Lucas gave us an anti-hero to root for, who knew to take out his enemies before they got the drop on him.
What Suicide Squad? - The Suicide Squad
Despite Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) being one of the surviving Suicide Squad members present to play in The Suicide Squad’s sandbox, the continuity of DC’s much-maligned 2016 offering was never really settled. If you need an explanation, it’s probably something similar to how Dame Judi Dench was still M in Casino Royale. But if you don’t need a reason, it’s ok…James Gunn’s DC Films reboot has already zapped this pair off the map.
David’s Creation Of The Xenomorphs - Prometheus
It kind of doesn’t help that Sir Ridley Scott was stopped short in his ambitions to bridge Prometheus to the later portion of the Alien movie timeline. But even with the initial framework of android David (Michael Fassbender) being the actual creator of the Xenomorphs, fans have still been questioning why this twist itself was created.
Wolverine Loses His Memories To An Adamantium Bullet - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
What happens when an Adamantium bullet hits an Adamantium-enhanced skull? Well if you’re going by the scientific expertise of X-Men: Origins - Wolverine, it leads to Hugh Jackman’s titular superhero forgetting a pretty huge chapter of his life. That explains why Sabretooth and Wade Wilson are vastly varied based on appearance.
Robert Neville Never Died - I Am Legend
2007 saw the powers that be thinking that Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) would be at his most heroic by sacrificing himself for humanity. Years down the line, a potential legacy-quel came a’callin, reinstating the I Am Legend ending even the studio preferred. While we’re no closer to a cure for the Krippen Virus, it does fit better with Smith’s character and his overall story.
Marcus Brody Is Actually An Idiot - Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
Whether you’re on board with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’s brand of adventure or not, there is a rather upsetting development that sticks out from time to time. The previously sage and wise Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) turned into a bit of a klutz in 1989’s attempted franchise closer, which still upsets Raiders of the Lost Ark fans.
Billy And Stu Were Puppets - Scream 3
Soap opera twists go with slasher movies like chocolate goes with peanut butter. Even with that in mind, Scream 3’s twist that Roman Bridger (Scott Foley) was the mastermind behind Billy and Stu’s killer rampage in the original Scream is a bad move. It’s totally understandable if you ignore this chapter’s plot twists, and continue to think of those Woodsboro youths as criminal masterminds.
The Yautja Visited Earth Way Earlier Than Expected - Prey
Throughout the entirety of Predator, the existence of the Yautja species was unknown to humanity, setting up one of the best action movies as quite the harrowing first contact scenario. Decades later, the amazing action of Prey saw that ugly monster fighter visit our planet in 1719 - and somehow without leaving much of a trace in North American history.
Dr. Gordon Was An Apprentice All Along - Saw: The Final Chapter
While Saw: The Final Chapter used the return of Cary Elwes' Dr. Gordon as the ultimate twist, it did kind of come at a cost. And that cost was sanity, as fans were probably pumping their fists right before scratching their heads when realizing that Saw's survivor had been hiding in the shadows for so long. It would also not be the "final chapter," which saw things only get more confusing with Jigsaw's addition to the canon.
Bail Organa Doesn't Erase R2-D2's Memory - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith
Somehow, Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) thought merely wiping the memories of C-3PO would be enough protection to hide Luke and Leia after Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. To be fair, it’s not like Darth Vader used his technical know-how much once he turned to the Dark Side. Though if he had, the Galactic Empire might have crushed the Rebel Alliance pretty decisively.
Laurie Strode And Michael Myers Are Related - Halloween II
Admittedly, Halloween II’s major plot twist has been nullified by the 2018 legacy-quel starting a new series of continuity. But even if that hadn’t taken care of things, creator John Carpenter’s anecdote about writing this sequel sees the horror legend siding with his fans. It also has him admitting that the influence of beer and a deadline fueled that choice, so do with that knowledge what you may.
Scott Calvin’s Naughty Telephone Prank Is Deleted - The Santa Clause
Tim Allen’s Scott Calvin had a line cut from all versions past the VHS release. According to Snopes, the story is indeed true, and it’s thanks to a young child calling a very naughty number dropped by the soon-to-be Santa in a very on-brand joke.
Agent Monica Fuentes Returns For A Ghost Story - Fast Five
With just a post-credits teaser appearance in Fast Five that saw Agent Monica Fuentes tease the fact that Letty is still alive, people’s hopes for her full return were given flight…and then dashed through all subsequent films. On the plus side, Mendes did retire on her own terms, so it’s not like she’s been snubbed in any sort of feud.
The Shaws Are Good Actually - The Fate Of The Furious
Fast and Furious 6 opened up a new frontier of big bads known as the Shaw family. As Owen (Luke Evans) and Deckard (Jason Statham) represented a brewing threat to the Toretto crime family, that plot quickly fizzled. What’s more frustrating than Deckard Shaw being forgiven for the death of Han Liu? Try Owen being forgiven for no discernable reason, other than he helped rescue Dom’s kid.
The Highlanders Are An Alien Race - Highlander 2: The Quickening
There can only be one…reaction to the fact that the Highlanders are not merely singular immortals. In a sequel that has gone on to represent some of the worst tendencies of would-be franchises, Highlander II: The Quickening saw Connor Macleod (Christopher Lambert) helping us learn that Highlanders are actually aliens.
A Ton Of Important Mutants Get The Axe - X-Men: Days Of Future Past
X-Men: First Class had an ending so thrilling that you kind of forgot that Professor X would eventually be wheelchair ridden by the end. Days of Future Past wasn’t so lucky when it debuted, as the fan-beloved Marvel midquel saw a ton of characters set up for a battle of mutant good and evil quickly dispatched through a disturbingly convenient file full of mutant autopsy photos. People definitely noticed.
Arthur Fleck Isn’t The Joker - Joker Folie á Deux
2019’s Joker acted as a lo-fi origin story that followed Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) on his journey into madness, becoming a variant of DC’s iconic Batman villain. So what did Joker: Folie á Deux do for an encore? It brought Fleck back from the edge of madness, and turned him back into a manipulated sad sack that isn’t the clown prince of crime…through the power of song!
Professor X And Magneto Get Their Powers Back - X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand is a baffling movie on so many fronts, with plenty of questionable decisions. None of which will ever beat the decision to kill off Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and to “cure” Magneto (Ian McKellan) of his mutant powers…only to undo both of those choices in a pre-MCU example of endings and post-credits scenes meant to keep the door open past that “last stand.”
Danny Ocean’s Finest Are So Easy To Catch - Ocean’s Twelve
Ocean’s Eleven taught the world a lesson in cool, competent thievery that still shines brightly to this day. Ocean’s Twelve, on the other hand, is a pretty hot or cold entry when it comes to Steven Soderbergh’s heist comedy trilogy. It’s a fair reaction, as the whole picture is built on the crew we saw slickly stealing $165 million (plus interest) being absurdly easy to find and blackmail into a new crime.
A Major League Joke Swaps Movies - Major League
Cutting your original ending doesn’t count as a retcon, unless the studio decides to side with the original finale to create sequel potential. However, there is a joke between Tom Beringer and Charlie Sheen seen in the trailer for 1989’s Major League that was cut from the first installment, only to wind up in 1994’s Major League II. Someone must have really liked that joke.
The Guns And Walkie Talkies Debate - E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial
Stretching the adage of how works of art are never completed but merely released, Steven Spielberg’s attitude towards E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial’s presence of firearms saw an interesting revolving door of changes. For the 2002 anniversary of the classic blockbuster, the director had scenes altered to replace weapons with walkie-talkies. But in the years that followed, Spielberg admitted the swap was a mistake.
Jigsaw’s First Apprentice - Jigsaw
Who was the first apprentice to Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), and why? There’s several different answers, and 2017’s Jigsaw had the final say on the matter, revealing potential victim Logan Nelson (Matt Passmore) as the winner. While the Saw series continuity feels like a messy plate of spaghetti, even on a good day, this retcon takes the cake.
