It’s safe to say that Marvel Comics has changed quite a lot over the years. When it comes to teams such as the X-Men, their stories have an ebb and flow to them. While some changes feel natural and organically woven into the narrative, others can be more jarring. And then there are the retcons. These can save or ruin continuity, depending on the application. There are certainly more than a handful of X-Men retcons that fans will argue are the worst.
Retcon is short for retroactive continuity, and generally, it refers to changes made after the fact. So, for example, when characters get a backstory years after their introduction, this could be considered a retcon, particularly if it changes key details about the character.
10 Bailey Hoskins Was Famous For His Death
But He Appeared Again, This Time on Earth-616
«Bailey, essentially, what I was able to discern is that you have the ability to explod on command, and control both the density and shape of the combustion … … a kind of human firework.»
-Beast to Bailey Hoskins
Bailey Hoskins originally made his Marvel debut in X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever. While not part of the primary universe (Earth-616), Bailey’s story set the standard for bad mutations. See, he was lucky enough to be a mutant, and he was thrilled about the news. Unfortunately, the news kept coming, as it was revealed that Bailey’s mutant ability let him explode, but it came with no ability to help him survive this explosion.
Bailey’s story is tragic and oddly poignant in a way that only X-Men can manage. However, he may have already made his way into the Earth-616 continuity, and fans are quick to say this reduces the impact of his tale. In Empyre: X-Men #4, a few strange things happen, starting with the zombified versions of many mutants. Among those is a zombie named Explodey Boy. Since he’s already dead, he doesn’t need to worry about his explosions killing him. When Krakoa allows for resurrections, the living Explodey Boy has a chat with the zombie version.
9 Azazel Suddenly Became Nightcrawler's Father
Changing Family Lines and Character Origins
«Never confused a physical passion for a condition of the heart, my dear. Since the dawn of mankind, the two have rarely gone hand in hand. Now go back to the Baron, stay safe and warm in the cozy, comfortable, protected little world you’ve married into, and raise our child—my child—as his.»
-Azazel to Mystique
Most X-Men who have been around long enough have experienced at least one retcon during their time. Nightcrawler has experienced many retcons, with a shocking amount of them aimed at his family history. His history changes include revealing his mother (Mystique, fans have long accepted this one), messing around with his biological siblings, and even giving him an adopted sister (as Mystique famously took in Rogue).
However, one of the more controversial changes to Nightcrawler’s family history involves Azazel. This retcon made it so that Nightcrawler was the child of Mystique and Azazel. Fans didn’t love this addition, as it changed Nightcrawler’s family tree and fundamentally changed Azazel’s character (demon to mutant). Since then, the X-Men have changed a few details here and there to equally poor reception.
8 The Revelation That Charles Xavier Had Been Secretly Married
To Mystique, of All People
«Now that I am gone, I have no choice but to leave this for you to handle. The story of how this came to be and what you now need to do is my darkest secret…»
-Professor X
Sometimes, reveals and twists are what a story needs. Other times, they’re simply shocking for the sake of content. One big retcon occurred between Charles Xavier and Mystique. It’s important to understand that this reveal happened after Charles Xavier had passed away. The will was read in Uncanny X-Men #24 (2013), and it touched upon a secret marriage with Raven Darkhölme.
That retcon was shocking and upsetting enough. Then there are the events of All-New X-Men #27 (2012), which are now considered an alternative timeline event. This series of events showed Mystique carrying Professor X’s child, though she would later give the baby up for adoption. It’s easy to see why fans didn’t love this arc, especially as it played around with Xavier 2.0.
7 Shatterstar's Family Revelations
Strange Family Ties to Longshot
«Y’know, Star, I was wondering… you and Longshot look and even talk kinda similar. And you both have the eye thing, and come from Mojo world …»
-Rictor to Shatterstar
The family tree drama never ends, with many retcons making their stories intertwine in strange ways. One of the strangest retcons hails from Shatterstar and Longshot. Both characters come from Mojoworld, so fans were anticipating some reveal that they were related. It made sense, given their looks and origin. However, fans were not expecting the full weirdness of this one.
Most fans probably expected Marvel to reveal that Shatterstar and Longshot are siblings. They’re not. A retcon made it so that Longshot is the clone of Shatterstar. That part is all good, but the strangeness happens with the next detail. Dazzler and Longshot would later have a child, Shatterstar. So, effectively, they’re each other’s fathers. So their family tree looks more like a rootball.
6 Rogue Had a History With Sentry
It All Came Out at His Funeral
«I went for the longest time unable to touch anyone. He was the only person who could hug me, and now he’s gone.»
-Rogue at Sentry’s funeral
Rogue is a famous and beloved member of the X-Men team. One of her most iconic story elements is her inability to touch anyone, at least not without seriously harming them in the process. While Rogue would later learn enough control to touch others, it was hard fought and took years, even in comic terms.
However, one retcon revealed that there was at least one person Rogue was able to touch. The story came out at Sentry’s funeral, with Rogue dashing off, unable to witness how the rest of the event plays out. This is because Rogue apparently had a history with Sentry. The whole thing felt uncomfortable to readers, starting with digging up romantic history involving a then-deceased character. Then there’s the gossipy way in which the story comes out.
5 Magneto was Xorn, Before a Retcon Changed That
Ironically, a Previous Retcon It What Made Him Xorn in the First Place
«Did no one tell them my name? Magneto? Master of Magnetism?»
-Xorn/Magneto
Xorn was once a new character introduced in the New X-Men Annual 2001 as a new member of the X-Men team. He quickly struck up a friendship with many heroes, including Charles Xavier. So it’s easy to imagine how shocking the following reveal was. In New X-Men #146, Xorn announces that he’s actually been Magneto this whole time, with his helmet offering a disguise and excuse for Xavier’s inability to read his mind.
There were clues teasing at the truth, making it a solid and well-planned twist. Unfortunately, all of this hard would would later be undone. It began in New X-Men #150, in which Xorn (wearing the helmet) was decapitated by Wolverine. Excalibur #1 would double down on this twist, with the supposedly dead Magneto reappearing on the scene. He explains his presence as this: Xorn was impersonating Magneto, not the other way around.
4 Adding Vulcan to the Summers Family
Not All Fans Loved This Move
«I fear… I fear the fire within me has been extinguished.»
-Vulcan
As already mentioned, a lot of retcons end up dealing with X-Men family trees, and that can make them incredibly complicated. Take the Summers family tree — this tree has everything from Space Pirates (Corsair), to clones, children of clones, and children from the future/alternate timelines. Fans will happily argue about which changes improved or hurt the family tree.
However, most will agree that adding Vulcan to the Summers family tree was a bit much. Gabriel Summers, aka Vulcan, is one of Scott Summers’ half-brothers. His introduction includes a memory purge (explaining how the family forgot this long-lost sibling), time spent in the Shi’ar Empire, and an interstellar war. The whole story felt like a hat on a hat, explaining its reception at the time.
3 Wolverine's Never-Ending Backstories Changes
They Just Can't Leave His History Alone
«Silver Fox is dead!»
-Wolverine
Wolverine is an iconic and fan-loved hero who just so happens to have survived centuries. In other words, he’s been around long enough for his story to change and grow. To put it simply, Marvel has consistently messed with many elements of Wolverine’s story, from his origin (including his age and events he’s connected to) to his family history, and everything in between.
Over the years, X-Men’s Wolverine has gone through dozens of retcons, if not many more. The comics have changed how his healing factor works, introduced layers to his claws, forced him into dozens of plots or teams, changed his real name, gave him a long and complicated history with Silver Fox, and messed around with his family tree.
2 Phoenix Force Shenanigans
There Have Been So Many Changes to the Phoenix
«I did. And in you’ve forgotten, my small-but-volatile friend— the name is PHOENIX!»
-Phoenix/Jean Gray
As with many X-Men characters, the history and power scale of the Phoenix have changed quite a lot since its introduction. Most fans still talk about how Jean Grey sacrificed herself for the sake of her team. It was a strong and powerful moment. That impact was arguably reduced when later comics revealed two things. First, that Jean was alive, and second, that the Phoenix Force had duplicated Jean’s body, giving the appearance that she died during that iconic scene.
Now, fans don’t want to consistently lose amazing characters, and keeping Jean Grey dead (in the long run) would have been a tragedy. However, one does have to admit that a longstanding or even permanent death can add meaning to the story or sacrifice. For this reason, fans have not historically loved all the Phoenix-themed retcons and changes.
1 When X-Men Revealed Magneto Wasn't Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver's Father
The Maximoff Twins Were Previously Retconned to Be Related to the Iconic Villain
«You have no family Magnus, you are truly alone.»
-Scarlet Witch to Magneto
Finally, there’s the whole drama between Magneto, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver. Years ago, their story was retconned, revealing that Magneto was secretly the twins’ father. It got a bit confusing from there, as the creators had to explain why the twins had been separated and raised by a different family. While strange, it was a change that most fans came to accept and even love.
Unfortunately, this retcon was later retconned, as Uncanny Avengers #4 (2015) made it known that the twins were never Magneto’s children. This split the family, though Magneto still considers the twins his children at heart, especially Wanda. As a bonus, Magneto continued to regard Pietro’s daughter like a granddaughter. The retconning continued with another reveal, this time removing the mutant status from the twins.
