A situation, in a soap opera or similar serial fiction, in which a new storyline explains or changes a previous event or attaches a new significance to it.
2003. Glen Cadigan, The Legion Companion, p. 152:TLC: What do you say to the Legion fans who have become disenfranchised with the series due to its various retcons and reboots?
2005. Rhonda Wilcox, Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, p. 9:Fans talk of retcon—retroactive continuity—giving information that explains an earlier event, especially seeming plot contradictions or lacunae.
2006. Glenn Yeffeth, ed., The Man from Krypton: A Closer Look at Superman, p. 155:It's a little trick called retcon, short for "retroactive continuity," ...Yet I'm unsure even Millar is fully aware of the power given him by the retcon.
Full definition of retcon
Verb
To employ such a device.
2003. Jean-Marc Lofficier, The Nth Doctor, p. 5:While ‘retconning' the scripts, I came up with a number of theories that throw new light on the Doctor, his past, and various other elements...
2004. Eric Nolen-Weathington, Modern Masters Volume 3: Bruce Timm, p.79:A lot of people were like, "Oh, they just retconned their own continuity. They should have used Kyle. I don't like that." So we just threw Kyle in there to say, "No, no, Kyle's still there. He still exists in the animated universe; he's just not stationed on Earth at the moment, regularly."
2006. Len Wein, ed., The Unauthorized X-Men: SF and Comic Writers on Mutants, Prejudice, and Adamantium 92:Retroactive continuity (aka retconning), would reveal that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are also Magneto's children, showing that this was a guy who was really committed to his cause
2006. Michael Eury, Daniel (CON) Best, Glen (CON) Cadigan, Mike (CON) Esposito, David (CON) Mandel, The Krypton Companion, p. 157:Luthor appeared a handful of times, Gary "retconned" the Toyman and created Terra-Man, and Superman would get a worthy opponent whenever Len Wein did a fill-in.
