You Ret-Con the Whole DC Universe

[Mr. Croup]

How would you ret-con the DC Universe?

[glennsim]

Been through this a few times, I'll just hit the highlights:

Option 1: "soft reboot".

Spend about 3-4 months within each series (plus some added miniseries and one-shots) retelling the history of all of the characters. Within the retelling, things are simplified, only the major events are kept, and anything I think is dumb is left out or changed.

Those issues are now the character bible. Nothing published before those issues matters. Nothing that happened in the issues prior to that can be referenced, unless they were also mentioned in the character bible issues.

Every year, an Annual comes out that summarizes what has happened with the characters (if anything)

The result: everyone knows exactly what the history of the characters is. No more keeping up with too many years of publishing. All a new writer has to read is the bible issues and the Annuals.

Option 2: Major reboot.

The high points:

New heroes created for the Golden Age that will eventually become Power Girl's cousin or uncle, Huntress's father, and Fury's mother.

JSA members, along with their loved ones, disappear shortly after the 50's and return "30 years ago", so they can have kids young enough to be super-heroes today.

Non-JSA members who would normally have kids with powers now have grandkids with powers instead.

Superman was Superboy.

Batman's a reasonably pleasant, if very busy and driven, person.

Hippolyta rescued Donna Troy and took her to Paradise Island.

Wonder Woman is a contemporary of Superman, Batman, etc.

Barry Allen Flash still died.

Hal Jordan didn't turn evil and die, he just went away for a while.

Oliver Queen didn't die, he just went away for a while.

Katar Hol is a contemporary of Superman, Batman, etc.

Supergirl never died, she just went away for a while.

Now, if I REALLY wanted to shake things up:

Superman only looks human because he adapted to Ma and Pa Kent immediately upon contact. When he turned 8 or 9 years old, he learned he could modify his musculature, enabling him to look puny as Clark and muscular as Superboy/man.

Thanagarians have a yellow tint to their skin or something. They don't look completely human. Maybe that can be why he wears such a big mask.

Rannians are an offshoot of humanity.

(you get my point - tired of aliens looking like Earthlings)

Other than the above, there has been maybe 1 or 2 alien contacts over the years. Also, the only "hidden civilizations" are Atlantis and Paradise Island.

(you can still have little pocket sub-dimensions where Mera comes from, stuff like that, but no more "hidden cities")

Metropolis and Gotham City are the only "unreal" cities. Hal Jordan operated out of Los Angeles, Green Arrow out of Seattle, Hawkman out of Chicago, later New Orleans.

[Typo Lad]

Easy.

1) Move Captain Marvel and kin to the Golden Age. Leave them where they belong. Have him be the original "big gun".

2) Fill out the "silver age" of the DCU with Infinity Inc. Move them up time-wise.

3) Wonder Woman shows up the same time as the rest of the Leaguers/

My only real changes.

[bones mccoy]

Easy.

1) Move Captain Marvel and kin to the Golden Age. Leave them where they belong. Have him be the original "big gun".

2) Fill out the "silver age" of the DCU with Infinity Inc. Move them up time-wise.

3) Wonder Woman shows up the same time as the rest of the Leaguers/

My only real changes.

i've always thought that the whole GA superman spot should have been filled by captian marvel.
seeing how the JSA has more magical based characters it makes sense.
and bilyl batson could still be a child now along with his kin because of the magical energies granted by shazam making him timeless.

[Typo Lad]

i've always thought that the whole GA superman spot should have been filled by captian marvel.
seeing how the JSA has more magical based characters it makes sense.

He also "fits" better into that time period. I mean, in Giffen and DeMattis's JLI, Cap was supposed to be 15.

15!

His reactions were more like a seven year olds.

Just because a hero has the brain of a child doesn't mean he has the "mind of a child" you know?

and bilyl batson could still be a child now along with his kin because of the magical energies granted by shazam making him timeless.

See, I would have done it in a way to tie in with the Rock of Eternity. Something like...

A dire threat (Black Adam maybe) makes the Modern Day JLA travel back in time to "borrow" Captain Marvel. They take him to the future via the Rock of Eternity. However, when he sees what has happened to his legacy (I'm thinking Mary and Jr had a kid, much linke in Kingdom Come) he sticks around.

Here you have someone who would basically be a living legend that even Superman would be in awe of, but isn't just a kid in an adult's body, but a temporally displaced kid. His very ideals are out of place in this day and age.

[bones mccoy]

He also "fits" better into that time period. I mean, in Giffen and DeMattis's JLI, Cap was supposed to be 15.

15!

His reactions were more like a seven year olds.

Just because a hero has the brain of a child doesn't mean he has the "mind of a child" you know?



See, I would have done it in a way to tie in with the Rock of Eternity. Something like...

A dire threat (Black Adam maybe) makes the Modern Day JLA travel back in time to "borrow" Captain Marvel. They take him to the future via the Rock of Eternity. However, when he sees what has happened to his legacy (I'm thinking Mary and Jr had a kid, much linke in Kingdom Come) he sticks around.

Here you have someone who would basically be a living legend that even Superman would be in awe of, but isn't just a kid in an adult's body, but a temporally displaced kid. His very ideals are out of place in this day and age.


wasn't captian marvel entombed for a millinea in one of the JSA's TPB?
that could account somehow for him being active in the 40's too.

[Masterman]

How would you ret-con the DC Universe?

Wow, what a question. I think that every DC fan probably has some kind of plan or another to redesign this entire universe. For me the first thing I would do is bring back All-Star Comics.

[Alan2099]

Hal Jordan didn't get taken over by a fear Monster. We went temporaily mad and then just became bitter and cynical. I'd turn him more into a cosmic version of the Punisher or soemthing. He's out there doing stuff the others don't care to get their hands dirty with. he may go over the line too often, but he thinks he's doing the right thing.

[Mr. Croup]

i've always thought that the whole GA superman spot should have been filled by captian marvel.
seeing how the JSA has more magical based characters it makes sense.
and bilyl batson could still be a child now along with his kin because of the magical energies granted by shazam making him timeless.

That's a pretty good idea. He is Superman's inspiration, it could also be that many people thought that Superman was his grandson, or something. You could have a Captain Marvel, but he is the grandson or great-grandson of the original.

Gotham would be Boston, and Metropolis would be New York City.

Paradise Island is actually between times. Depending on which way you travel from the island, you could end up anywhere from 1942 to 2618. The energies of the island only make women unaging, men age at a slower rate, but they still age. The sons of Paradise Island go to the Outer World to set-up and maintain a support system from the Wonder Woman. Every thirty years, a hero is sent from Paradise Island to help the Outer World. It has only been in the latter half of the 20th C and the 21 C that they have taken on the mantle of superhero. The latest is Princess Diana, walking the footsteps of her mother, Hippolyata, who was Wonder Woman in the 1940's. Diana has a half sister who follows her into the Outer World, she takes the name, Fury.

Alternate Realities still exist.

[Typo Lad]

See, I'm all for the fictional cities.

Bring back Gateway, Midway, Civic City, Federal City... all of them.

I don't WANT to read about the real world. I weant my heroes settings to be as large as life as the heroes themselves.

Besides, Marvel puts everyone in NY and it's annoying. For one thing, Marvel's Hell's Kitchen bears zero ressemblance to the one here.

[Lex]

How would I ret-con the DCU?

I'd make it fun again. Not Silver Age silly fun. But, a lot more fun than it is right now.

[Lex]

See, I'm all for the fictional cities.

Bring back Gateway, Midway, Civic City, Federal City... all of them.

I don't WANT to read about the real world. I weant my heroes settings to be as large as life as the heroes themselves.

That's why I enjoy the fictional cities too. It's like you're exploring a brand new place as you're reading the book. Just like part of the fun of Lord of the Rings or Star Wars is the the fictional places that the characters inhabit.

[Alan2099]

Also, I'd like to retcon the Shaggyman into talking like Austin Powers.

"I'll shag you rotten, baby! Yeah!"

[Dhusk]

Hal Jordan, Ollie Queen, Jason Todd, Metamorpho STAY DEAD. Like the Flash, let Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Robin and Metamorpho be heroic legacies instead of dependent on just one character. They were kind of going in this direction a few years ago, but too many silver age whiny boys complained too much, and what we got was a bunch of crappy, badly-done, retconned resurrections just to please them.

So major retcon #1: Dead is DEAD. The afterlife shouldn't be a revolving door. There can be exceptions once in a great while (Superman, maybe.)

Major Retcon #2: Keep Heaven and Hell off-stage. Related to #1. Christ, when did the realms of the dead become the next best thing to a vacation spot? Getting a glimpse of the afterlife should be a major event in a character's life, but now they're all blase whenever they end up in one of those places, like its just another day at the office. Focus on Heaven and Hell's agents on Earth, and keep the afterlife mysterious.

Major Retcon #3: No JSA, NO WWII superheroes. Stick with the modern versions of the characters. Its been 60 years already. Constantly going back to that era for no other reason than nostalgia gets tiresome and is beginning to really stretch credibility.

Major Retcon #4: Superman and Batman should appear within weeks of each other, and are the very first superheroes. The one exception here could be Martian Manhunter, who has been hiding out on Earth for decades and doing stuff in secret. NO SUPERBOY. How could anyone seriously suggest that Clark should have a superboy career nowadays? Its 2005, not 1955. .

Major Retcon #5: Other Superheroes are introduced gradually, so each premiere is something special. They should be spaced out over the course of a year or two. I have no problem with Wonder Woman coming in a year or two after Batman and Superman.

Major Retcon #6: Severe limits on time travel stories. At most one per year for the entire line.

Major Retcon #7: Byrne's Krypton is established as the definitive Krypton. Its the only version that was ever actually interesting and not just some silver age flash gordon/buck rogers rip-off.

Major Retcon #8: Superman is the ONE AND ONLY survivor of Krypton. Period.

Actually, I don't have too many problems with a lot of the "major events" in DC over the years (Crisis, Zero Hour, Emerald Twilight, etc.) I'd rather have characters change and evolve rather than remain static, boring, and uninteresting. I just wish DC would have the spine to actually stick with it convictions.

[Ontir]

Wonder Woman and the Marvel Family began their careers in the 1940's. Cap takes the place of Superman in the "JSA," while Sandman has a greater roll, totally replacing Batman.

Wonder Girl, Donna Troy, has her original origin (through her wedding) back, and Lyta Trevor is the daughter of Diana and Steve.

Connor Kent is a child who was born of Clark Kent and a girlfriend in college (not Lana), and Clark was never told, until they met when Connor showed up claiming to be SuperBOY.

Connor and Kara are both inducted into the Legion of Super-Heroes.

[Titan Slade]

How would you ret-con the DC Universe?

1. I would hire Alan Davis after his Exclusive Marvel deal expires, to re-start the JLA at issue #1 having him write and draw the book along with his JLA The Nail collaborator Mark Farmer.

2. I would have Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire/Sears(Maguire and Sears rotating story arcs to make sure the title has quality art month in, month out), as the creative team on a monthly team book consisting of the B-D list characters they handle so well(and Ted would be alive and well as the Blue Beetle in the series).

These are the only things that I would care to do with the DC universe.

[Suzanne]

I'd retcon the more confusing aspects of the post-Crisis DCU by following two principles:

1. Let the dead rest in peace.
2. Anything that DID NOT happen on paper didn't happen.

Of course, I'd bend these rules as I see fit but not to the point of confusion. I think my guidelines would keep things neat and clean and wouldn't forsake decades of comic history that actually happened in print.

[thehod]

I’ve never really given much thought to this at all, but my take on it would be a bit like Crisis, having the current DCU, be transformed into a similar, but slightly altered DCU.

Why? I loved Crisis, so to do it all again would be kinda fun for me.

Anyway, merging out of the universe the new timeline would have the following characteristics.

1. Golden Age.
Would run fairly close to how it is at the moment. All-Star Squadron is the wartime version of the JSA. Members of the JSA include Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman (Hippolyta) and Power Girl. Power Girl is a powerful young woman who was brought up by her parents who found her, as a child, in a rocket ship. Showing remarkable, but erratic powers, Power Girl takes the name Karen and joins the JSA. She was feared lost in attempting to stop the bombing of Hiroshima, but she has, in reality been thrown into the timestream. James Robison’s Golden Age series becomes cannon, with a few minor amendments, (more heroes survive the final battle for a start) The JSA disappears not long after the HUAC starts investigating them, and then vanishes entirely after an incident with Captain Marvel and the Rock of Eternity.

2. Silver Age.
After the events of the Golden Age, the concept of superheroes becomes redundant for a thirty years. Task Force X, and the Suicide Squad work in the shadows. The Doom Patrol and Global Guardians are all active, as well as small fringe groups such as the Justice Experience but none of these are widely accepted by the public at large, and are considered to be little more than freaks.
This changes in the early eighties, when in a burst of activity, and riding on a wave of nostalgia, a new bread of heroes emerge. Taking their cue from the heroes of the Golden Age, a new Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, Black Canary, as well as new heroes, Aquaman, the Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Animal Man, the first Blue Beetle, Elongated Man and others arrive on the scene. The Justice League is born.
Soon after, an investigation by the League uncovers the Rock of Eternity and the JSA is reawakened to the world. The children a few of these long lost heroes come forward with their own incredible powers and with the sidekicks of current heroes form the Titans. Hippolyta returns to Paradise Island with a burning desire to become a mother. All over the globe (rather than just North America as it is with DC now) heroes are coming forward. A bright new future is dawning.

3. The Modern Age
Twenty years later this bright future is loosing its sheen. The Flash has been killed saving the Earth and countless others like it in other dimensions from the dimensional schemes of the Anti-Monitor. Green Lantern crushed over the responsibilities that his job entails has handed in his ring and has disappeared into the hills near his native coast city. The Justice League has lost a great deal of public approval ever since it was revealed that, with the help of mystic Zatanna, they had been altering the personalities of supervillains rather then letting the authorities deal with them. Whilst the League still operates, many, including the still active JSA, are calling for the League to disband. The Titans, revealing a schism between the attitudes of the older generation and the new has imploded. Aquaman, gaining the throne of Atlantis, has returned to the ocean, whilst the original Blue Beetle disappeared somewhere in Egypt. The once bright Gotham City is now riddled with corruption and crime. It looks like the Age of Heroes is once again over.
Then in an explosion of activity, three heroes arrive which change the thoughts of the global populace. First, in Gotham City a shadowy figure starts a one man war on the crime and corruption there. Those who have seen him say he fights for the common man and he is looked upon as saviour to the people, and scourge of the underworld. He is known as The Batman.
In the Middle East, a young woman, claiming to be the daughter of the original Wonder Woman, has impressed both sides of that age-old conflict with her firm but fair diplomacy. She has the power to keep the peace whilst assisting both sides to heal old wounds.
Finally, in Metropolis a hero unlike any have seen before explodes onto the scene with the dawning of a new millennium. He is the embodiment of truth, and justice. He has incredible powers and he quickly becomes not only the protector of the city and the nation, but of the globe. In a rapidly darkening age, he sets the standard for other heroes to live up to. He is Superman.
Quickly the age of heroes is re-ignited. A new Flash, the sidekick of the original takes up the mantle in honour of his mentor. Green Lantern, re-energised and re-inspired takes up the ring once more. A new Blue Beetle emerges, along with old Justice Leaguers with the desire to once more fight the good fight. The JSA undertakes to train a new generation of heroes, and their ranks swell to replace original members who have since retired. The League quickly recruits Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman and they begin to restore the publics faith in the Justice League. The Titans reform, this time lead by the colourful sidekick of The Batman; Robin the Boy Wonder. A young woman appears from the timestream and is instantly drawn to Superman. Her journey through the timestream has revealed that she is Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin. Abandoning her Power Girl identity she becomes Supergirl. Aquaman restores his links with the surface world along with his two children who, much to their annoyance, he insists should be known as Aquaboy and Aquagirl. In Britain, the superhero group Albion forms. (Why? Because I want a British DC supergroup dammit!!!)

4. The Future
I like the Legion so much at the moment, I wouldn’t change a thing, other than have Supergirl, at some point, again leap forward in time to become a member.

Nah. I haven’t really given this a great deal of thought at all. :o

[Sk8maven]

Major Retcon #3: No JSA, NO WWII superheroes. Stick with the modern versions of the characters. Its been 60 years already. Constantly going back to that era for no other reason than nostalgia gets tiresome and is beginning to really stretch credibility.That's Reason #1 why I wouldn't be interested in your version of the DCU. Sorry, but I like the old guys, and I'll take any explanation I can get that keeps them around and fighting the good fight.

Maven