Comic books have redefined pop culture since the superhero genre was born in #1. action comics in 1938. DC and Marvel have often led the way with innovative stories and new characters in between, and many look to them for understanding the comics. As well-known and iconic as many heroes are, they have also undergone many changes.
The redesigns changed everything from powers and personalities to origin stories and ethics. Often an idea of who a character should be resonates in such a way that it redefines them for the audience. Many of these “retcons” prove so popular that they endure and previous incarnations of the character are forgotten. Virtually all of the main characters have had their histories rebuilt in significant ways, with mixed results.
10 Venditti’s Hawkman Origin Spread Immediately
While longtime Hawkman fans remember a more confusing history for the character, Robert Venditti’s recent update on Carter Hall’s backstory is now definitive. His revamped story makes a lot of sense and clarifies the confusion surrounding the Falcon enough for fans to embrace it.
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With a more cohesive origin story, Hawkman retroactively filled in many gaps in the character’s backstory and, therefore, fan confusion. This retcon was a marked improvement, erasing the confusion that had plagued fans for decades and raising Carter Hall’s profile as a hero.
9 Shazam Can’t Use His Original Superhero Name 
Shazam was originally created by Fawcett Comics to rival Superman. However, in his Golden Age debut and well into the modern era, he was called Captain Marvel. Due to legal issues with Marvel Comics, which had its own Captain Marvel, DC changed its name to Shazam, the name of the wizard who created the hero.
Over the years, Captain Marvel has become Shazam, and in an effort to minimize confusion, he’s no longer called Captain Marvel. The change may be understandable, but it’s unfortunate that few fans know the hero’s true original superhero title.
8 The Question Wasn’t A Conspiracy Theorist 
Although the original question looks a lot like its animated counterpart, there is one key difference. The comic book version of the hero isn’t the conspiracy theorist the animated series made him out to be. Justice League Unlimited. This change was due to the popularity of the Rorschach in watchmen.
Rorschach was based on Question by Steve Ditko and JLU turned the tables on him by turning him into a parody of Rorschach. However, that portrayal worked almost too well, and fans continue to regard him as a man more concerned about fluoride in the water than the Legion Of Doom. Although this idea is mentioned from time to time, for the most part it doesn’t appear in the comics, an unofficial retcon with little official support from DC.
7 Green Lantern Wasn’t A Space Cop 
Instead of being an intergalactic policeman powered by Oa’s central battery, Alan Scott, the original Golden Age Green Lantern, was a magical vigilante. When he found his lantern and ring after a train wreck, Alan Scott became the first Green Lantern.
Hal Jordan’s status as a member of an intergalactic peacekeeping force did not come until the birth of the Silver Age. Green Lantern’s space exploits are now synonymous with name and character, but his origins were very different. To smooth things over, DC even tried subtly tying Scott’s green magic to the Guardians of Oa.
6 Len Wein’s Swamp Thing Wasn’t A Green Protector 
Although Swamp Thing was created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Saga by Alan Moore is the definitive version of Protector of the Greens. As a result, many of the changes Moore made to Alec Holland’s story completely overshadowed Wein’s origin for the character.
In Len Wein’s story, Holland was transformed by his bio-repairing formula, building him a new body from the swamp. Alan Moore, on the other hand, added a whole mythos to the hero, turning him into an animated plant of Holland’s spirit, and created the mythical Green who animated Swamp Thing as a protector and emissary.
5 Wolverine’s Claws Were Not A Mutation 
Wolverine is one of the greatest comic book heroes and one of Marvel’s iconic champions. The hero, who made his debut in Pontoon #180, is known for his tough attitude, healing powers, and unbreakable claws. Modern comics explain that the hero’s claws are retractable bones coated in Adamantium, but that wasn’t always the case.
In his earliest appearances, Wolverine used custom retractable claws built into his gloves, not as part of his mutation. The revised power is so popular that it has been the go-to choice for all of Wolverine’s on-screen appearances, and fans have never looked back since.
4 The Hulk’s Skin Wasn’t Always Green 
The Incredible Hulk wasn’t originally the “green giant” hero fans know and love today. In his earliest appearances, the Hulk was a gray-skinned homage to Stevenson’s Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde. Thus, Lee could tell the story of a hero who is not associated with any race, to appeal to all readers.
Famously, the Hulk turned green due to coloring issues, with colorist Stan Goldberg experimenting with different inks. The Gray Hulk only lasted a few issues and has been mostly forgotten since, except when Marvel wants to reference him with variants like Joe Fixxit and other Gray Goliaths.
3 Deadpool Wasn’t Really Deathstroke’s Impersonator 
One of the many comic book myths floating around among fans is the idea that Wade Wilson/Deadpool was designed to be a seamless copy of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke. However, as Rob Liefeld himself pointed out, Deathstroke was not initially named Slade Wilson and their similarities developed in later series.
Deadpool’s similarities to Deathstroke were almost all after Liefeld’s stories, but later Marvel writers and editors relied on them. Suddenly, many fans are convinced that the anti-hero was created to copy or parody Slade Wilson. However, almost all of Deadpool’s current character is a retcon.
2 The Golden Age Batman Loved Guns And Murder 
Batman is famous for both his brutality and his aversion to killing his enemies. He has been seen in many situations where he was tempted to assassinate his enemies, but found he was worth more than that. His hatred of guns, the weapons that killed his parents, is also famous. However, none of this was originally part of Batman’s story.
The Golden Age Batman, though always reluctant to kill his enemies, had no code against him. In fact, when he first encountered the Joker, Batman thought he had killed the evil clown. Additionally, in early Batman stories, the Caped Crusader was directly inspired by The Shadow and carried an automatic pistol. Obviously, this has nothing to do with the modern era Batman of the comics.
1 Superman Couldn’t Always Fly 
Today, Superman is considered the most powerful superhero in comics. Over the decades of its existence, its powers have gradually diminished. At this point, there’s little the hero can’t lift, and he can even match the Flash for speed. However, it has not always been so.
The Golden Age version of Superman was more or less a basic superman. As the classic stories would tell, he was as fast as a bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This made him the most powerful man in his world, though those feats pale in comparison to modern Superman.