15 Comic Book Characters With Inconsistent Canons

Wonder Woman has had many confusing changes to her origin, but she is easier to follow than others in the DC Universe.Wonder Girl..

Wonder Girl started as Princess Diana as a teenager, just like Superboy was for Superman. This worked for four years in print. Then, when she joined the Teen Titans in 1965, things shifted. Instead of being Diana young, Wonder Woman rescued her and gave her Amazonian powers.

WhenCrisis on Infinite Earths.hit the DC UniverseDonna Troy.Donna Troy got another origin change. Titans of Greek mythology schooled her on New Chronus, but her memories were erased. When restored, she renamed herself Troia, causing strange events afterward.

Later, she became a magical copy of Wonder Woman, who lived many lives. This explained her history as Donna Troy, Troia now, and any future name.

Power Girl.Power Girl made sense at first. Like many DC characters, she faced issues.Crisis on Infinite Earths.The crossover event changed her permanently. She began as an alternate-reality Supergirl from Earth-Two, home to the DC Universe's Golden Age heroes.

The crisis hit, and they completely revamped her. She came from Atlantis, not Krypton like Supergirl and Superman. This made little sense in the DC Universe's setup. She lost some powers moving from Kryptonian to Atlantean, but otherwise, she remained the same character.

She had a child and joined the Sovereign Seven. This seemed real, but the changes made her less appealing to readers. DC fixed this by giving her back her original costume and returning her origin to Krypton.

Donna Troy has an odd origin story that works with her early and recent appearances. But read anything in the middle, and you will get lost.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl.Hawkman and Hawkgirl are two of the most retconned characters in DC Comics. Hawkman was originally Carter Hall, an Egyptian prince who reincarnated. He made a special Nth metal belt that gave him flight. The wings steered and controlled his flight.

But he is actually Katar Hol, a police officer from the planetThanagar.Katar Hol came to Earth hunting a criminal. He chose to stay, became Hawkman (later joined by Hawkgirl), and tried the superhero life.

Carter Hall was the character kids read in the 1940s. In the next decade, he became Katar Hol. He changed then to include a reincarnation story. This explains how he finds his love, Hawkgirl, and vice versa, in every generation. The modern take, which merges these two origins into one, squares this circle. Anyone who reads Hawkman sporadically will get confused.Hawkman.Sporadic readers are sure to be confused.

When Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver first introduced themselves,they became villainous members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Soon after, they left that group to join the Avengers when Captain America took charge and reformed the team. They stayed with the Avengers for a long time, yet their origin story shifted over years.They were villainous members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Captain America took command and reformed the Avengers; they left that group then. They stayed with the Avengers for a while, but their origin story shifted over time.

They were revealed to be Magneto's children. Readers believed this was canon for years, though the books did not state it clearly. Marvel made some changes recently, and the twins are nowno longer Magneto's children.Supergirl's origin story was simple. She was Krypton's last daughter and Kal-El's cousin, the boy who became Superman. She was born on a piece of Krypton that survived the planet's destruction and was sent to Earth before meteorites destroyed it. She arrived as a teenager and adopted the name Linda Lee Danvers while also being Supergirl.

Everything worked well for the Kryptonian teenager until Crisis on Infinite Earths shook the DC Universe. She became a main victim of that chaotic reshaping of all characters, but she did not vanish forever. She returned as Matrix, a synthetic being Lex Luthor created (though, things got more complex since it was a different Lex Luthor than the original).

Eventually, Matrix merged with Linda Danvers, making her a sort of celestial being. This lasted only so long. Matrix left, leaving Linda Danvers as Supergirl, but that did not last either.Supergirl mostly disappeared from the DC Universe for a time. Then Kara Zor-El found her way back through alternate timelines, repeatedly confusing any reader trying to know which character version they read.Supergirl's origin story was simple. She was Krypton's last daughter and Kal-El's cousin, the boy who became Superman. She was born on a piece of Krypton that survived the planet's destruction. It arrived on Earth before meteorites wiped it out. She became a teenager, taking the name Linda Lee Danvers and the role of Supergirl.

Everything went well for the Kryptonian teenager untilCrisis on Infinite Earths shook the DC Universe.This event affected many characters. She was a main loss from the reshaping. She returned as Matrix, a synthetic being created by Lex Luthor (a different Lex Luthor than the original).

Matrix eventually joined Linda Danvers, making her a celestial being. This did not last. Matrix left, leaving Linda Danvers as Supergirl—but that also ended.

Supergirl mostly left the DC Universe. Kara Zor-El found her way back through alternate timelines repeatedly. This confuses readers trying to track which version of the character they read.

Jessica Drew, AKASpider-WomanSpider-Woman (Jessica Drew) has three origin stories since her debut. The High Evolutionary first planned to create a new humanoid species using animals. For Jessica, this plan involved a spider evolving into a human form.

Later, she became the daughter of scientists. Their lab near a uranium deposit poisoned her with radiation. Her father made a serum from spider genes to cure her. He put her in a "genetic accelerator" to speed things up. This process created a young woman with spider-powers. The accelerator aged her to adulthood, and her original story turned out to be false memories implanted in her.

The final change to heroriginThe "Spider-Woman: Origin" came out. Drew's parents worked on grafting spider genes onto humans. During an experiment, Jessica's mother, who was pregnant, got zapped by a beam. This gave the unborn child spider powers while in the womb.

Originally,SuperboyThe books introduced Superboy to tell stories about Superman during his teenage years. Fans loved them. The books showed what happened between Superman's first appearance and adulthood.

Superboy was Kal-El, and Kal-El was Superboy. Things changed after theCrisis on Infinite EarthsOne major book from that event was John Byrne'sThe Man of Steel, which rebooted the Last Son of Krypton. Byrne's Superman was not Superboy, causing issues for the character.

His books removed the link. Superboy then ceased to be a character. Earlier books did not match the Bronze Age events. Superboy previously traveled to the 30th century to fight the Legion of Superheroes. Removing Superboy meant Superman did not do those things.

The name "Superboy" now applies to many characters. This includes a clone, Superboy Prime, the Superboy from a pocket universe, Superman's kid, and others.

Many fans think they know everything about Elizabeth "Betty" Braddock, AKAPsylocke, you must watch closely to see who thismutantfirst appeared as Captain Britain's twin sister. She used that name briefly. Eventually, she joined the X-Men, but things became strange.

After walking through a mystical portal, she lost her memory and became an instrument of The Hand. Her body swapped with Kwannon, a Japanese assassin. She later formed a relationship with Archangel. After he died, she left Earth-616 and arrived in another reality through the pages of.X-Treme X-Men.

After some time, she returned to the main Marvel Universe. There, she joined theUncanny-X-Force.

Several people in the Marvel Universe have taken the role of theGhost RiderThe entity itself has changed a lot over the years. This makes the character's story hard to follow.

When the character first appeared in the 1970s, he was Johnny Blaze, a daredevil motorcyclist. He sold his soul to Satan, hoping to save his mentor. This makes sense (where damnation means becoming a flame-headed spirit of vengeance). However, the origin has changed many times.

Marvel started by changing the Devil into Mephisto. The only reason that demon made the deal with Blaze was to spiteZarathosa rival demon.

This mythos remains similar. Recently, Ghost Rider has been trapped in Hell. There, he learned his powers might not come from Zarathos but from an angel. Plus, the fact that Daniel Ketch might be Blaze's long-lost brother and fellow Ghost Rider makes sorting out the Spirit of Vengeance tricky.

Thor'soriginis one of the most confusing in the Marvel Universe. Changes happen constantly. Initially, he was Thor, the god of thunder. He could only appear when Donald Blake, a disabled medical student, stomped his cane.

He instantly became Thor, though he forgot he was a god. Later, it showed Blake was always Thor. Odin enchanted his son and sent him to Midgard (Earth) to learn humility.

Thor's origin kept changing. Some versions show him as a Norse mythology god. Others show him as a superhero with false memories of godhood. Some depictions show Odin ordering the hammer, Mjolnir, to be made, while others show Thor making it himself.Mjolnirwhile in others, it was Thor himself who did this.

Odin 'removed' Donald Blake from Thor. Decades later, Blake returned when Thor fell into a void. There, Blake told Thor he was trapped when Odin split them apart, and Thor needed Mjolnir again to return to Midgard. Doing so reunited the two characters. This split between the two makes the thunder god one of the most confusing heroes from the Silver Age.

Thor has also changed from a name to a title. This became clear whenJane FosterThor took up the mantle as Thor in 2014.

Venom avoids a retcon, unlike most characters on this list. However, the origin of his alien costume gradually gained more complexity.

A dark alien costume appeared first. Spider-Man found it in a lab during the "Secret World" event. He used it to replace his torn red and blue suit. Then, it became clear the costume was an intelligent alien symbiote. This symbiote wanted to bond permanently with Peter Parker. He removed it; it found Eddie Brock, who hated Spider-Man, and Venom was born.

Later, the symbiote fed on negative emotions, meaning it came from the Negative Zone. This worked for some time. Then, the symbiote changed; it came from another planet, and they do not all feed on negative emotions. Each change altersfundamentally changeswho and what Venom is. Expect changes as the character develops.

Nathan Summers, AKA Cable, has a complex world due to all the time-travel events surrounding his character.Cable, is so convoluted.

Mr. Sinister orchestrated Cable's birth. He was born to Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey. Apocalypse gave the child the techno-organic virus. This forced his parents to send him far into the future for a cure and training as a future mutant savior. Upon returning, he was an adult who witnessed major conflict in the alternate future he grew up in. He then gathered a team of New Mutants to fight his evil clone, Stryfe.

Cable first focused on his alternate future. Then, Marvel shifted him to become the savior of all mutants. All the cloning and time-travel experiences made his history confusing.

VampirellaVampirella has existed for a long time. Over the years, she received several adjustments to heroriginstory. In the 1970s, Vampirella appeared as an alien vampire from the planet Drakulon. Landing on Earth, she found a world full of supernatural vampires. She quickly used her outfits to distract them.

Later, Vampirella got a retcon making her the daughter of Lilith. However, she was also brainwashed to believe she was from Drakulon in the past. She grew up in the Garden of Eden hunting monsters and her evil siblings. Later, Lilith became a villain, which changed things for Vampirella. Lilith shifted from evil to good over time, making Vampirella's backstory somewhat chaotic.

Drakulon later became a real place; it was in Hell, not a planet. Dynamite Comics took over the character. Vampirella's memories show two origin stories, making both true and false at the same time. By 2016, she returned as an alien with no memory of the other story.

WhenWonder ManWonder Man was first introduced inThe AvengersIssue #9 featured Wonder Man as Simon Williams, a villain. Williams was established as an ex-con who blamed Tony Stark for all his problems. He went to Baron Zemo, who gave him powers. This allowed him to join the Avengers, then betray them.

Before the story finished, he changed his mind and died. He perished in his first appearance, but like many comic book characters, he did not stay dead long. The Avengers saved his brain patterns, and villains exploited them over years.

Eventually, his brain patterns became a new form of Simon Williams, pure energy. Whomever writes him now makes him either immortal or someone who can be stopped by a big blast. They took him out several times; he returns as often as he dies.

AquamanAquaman has seen many changes over the years. He debuted in 1941, and much has happened since then.

He started as a response to Timely Comics' (Marvel) introduction of Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Aquaman shared traits. He could talk to fish and breathe underwater, initially because he grew up in undersea ruins. Later, writers changed him to be the son of a woman exiled from Atlantis, giving him his powers through his family line.

Over the decades, he got small adjustments and became the King of Atlantis. He lost a hand, had a child, vanished, and returned. Readers find him completely different in any decade over the last 80 years compared to the ones before or after.