History Main / ExternalRetcon

* [[https://www.deviantart.com/darkkomet/art/Veowolf-763399958 Veowolf]] acts in a similar promise to the 2007 Beowulf film mention above, with some cases where two characters have their names changed, like the titular hero being changed from Beowulf to Veowolf and [[spoiler: Grendel to Gramdel]], and Wealthow [[spoiler: is the [[CompositeCharacter same]] [[AdaptationalVillainy character]] as Grendel's mother]] and it is told by the perspective of the main villain, who revealed that the poem is an inacurate version of the real events [[spoiler: like the arm in the meed-hall being fake and Gramdel died of a MercyKill]], the story also has a lack of christainity, making it closer to the possible all pagan story, even some events get a tragic reveal [[spoiler: Hunferth killed his brother with his own sword after her gets turned into a monster like Gramdel and it was used to kill Weltheow, after the BigBad use her powers to brainwash her, unlike the the actual source it was one of Weltheow's daughters who kiled her in self deffense and not Veowolf]], Veowolf leaving the Danes is given a more dramatic reason, [[spoiler:He was exiled by King Hrothgar, due to his presence being believed to bring tragedy to his family]].

* [[https://www.deviantart.com/darkkomet/art/Veowolf-763399958 Veowolf]] acts in a similar promise to the 2007 Beowulf film mention above, with some cases where two characters have their names changed, like the titular hero being changed from Beowulf to Veowolf and [[spoiler: Grendel to Gramdel]], and Wealthow [[spoiler: is the [[CompositeCharacter same]] [[AdaptationalVillainy character]] as Grendel's mother]] and it is told by the perspective of the main villain, who revealed that the poem is an inacurate version of the real events [[spoiler: like the arm in the meed-hall being fake and Gramdel died of a MercyKill]], the story also has a lack of christainity, making it closer to the possible all pagan story.

* ''The Phantom of Manhattan'' was written as a sequel to ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', which was only possible by retconning Erik's death out of the story. This was done in the introduction by explaining why Gaston Leroux's "sources" were unreliable and thus events must have played out differently from how he described them. It is probably no coincidence that the novel fits in continuity with the popular Creator/AndrewLloydWebber [[Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera musical]] exactly.

* According to IDW's ''Comicbook/GhostBusters'' comics [[Film/TheBluesBrothers Elwood Blues]]' real name is Ray Stantz. In the ''Blues Brothers'' universe Ray was orphaned at a young age and rechristened by the Catholic orphanage he wound up in where he became Jake's adoptive brother while in the ''Ghostbusters'' universe his parents survived and he grew up to become an occult researcher. Because both timelines, among others, feed into the same afterlife Joliet Jake's spirit occasionally appears to help out his brother's counterpart in the ''Ghostbusters'' world.

* In the ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4210098/1/Valkyrie_Nights Valkyrie Nights]]'', detectives from the Macross City Police Department chase a serial killer into the under-construction SDF-1 ''Macross''. The serial killer detonates a grenade, [[spoiler: which damages the hyperspace fold drive, thus causing the fold drive to disappear when it is first used to escape the Zentraedi]].

* The ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' fanfic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1797993/1/The_Slide_Home The Slide Home]] reveals what happened to Rembrandt and Wade between Seasons 3 and 4, including their move to Los Angeles, the government funding sliding research, with the Earth Prime versions of Maggie Beckett and Angus Rickman involved, as well as the revelation that [[spoiler: Elizabeth Mallory had a son named Colin who had died at birth]].

** There’s also an example that specifically applies to Kayaba Akihiko’s motivations, which were infamously non-existent in the source material. In episode 11 we learn [[spoiler:he was so hopped up on caffeine and sleep deprivation that, to meet the deadline for release as set by Bethesda and get a good score on Metacritic, he didn't do some critical bug testing after the beta. So players die when their avatars do, and Kayaba, still incredibly sleep-deprived, decided that, [[InsaneTrollLogic to get the best reviews]], he should prevent everyone from leaving and [[IMeantToDoThat claim he planned to put on a massive death game all along]]. After finally getting some sleep, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he realized how badly he screwed up]], but reluctantly decided to keep the game going to keep the cops off his back until he could figure out a plan that didn't result in him getting arrested. However, thousands of idiotic players died within the first few weeks alone, so Kayaba took up the alias of [[WorldsStrongestMan Heathcliff]] to stop the situation from getting worse, which took up so much time that he never got around to finding a proper solution.]]

* ''Film/DoraAndTheLostCityOfGold'' posits that while Dora did go adventures as a kid, the talking objects and {{Edutainment}} aspects were either just the result of [[MrImagination her overactive imagination]] or (given it was the only animated sequence in the film) [[spoiler: being hopped up on hallucinogens the entire time.]]

* In the world of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', it is stated that the White Council of Wizards convinced Bram Stoker to write ''Dracula'' in order to expose the weaknesses of the Black Court of vampires, one of several factions of vampires [[OurVampiresAreDifferent that each conform to different vampire mythologies]]. This resulted in the near destruction of the Black Court, as almost all of humanity learned their weaknesses.
** The licensed RPG, [[DirectLineToTheAuthor written by Billy the werewolf with help from Harry and Bob]], has the three authors discussing this in [[FootnoteFever margin notes]] as well as how this very book could likewise be used to help {{Muggles}} against other supernatural predators.
** According to WordOfGod, Creator/HPLovecraft wrote his books to spread knowledge of Outsiders. Furthermore, Abdul Alhazred the "Mad Arab" was killed by the Gatekeeper and the Necronomicon was a book of rituals that was distributed by the White Council after his death to lessen its power (each ritual can only give so much power at once and when too many people try to draw on a ritual's power source, it is rendered so weak as to be harmless).

* In ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', the reason King Kai told Goku the planet Vegeta was [[RocksFallEveryoneDies destroyed by a meteor]] instead of the real reason was because Freeza [[RetconningTheWiki vandalized the space wiki page]]. King Kai immediately realized something was strange, but [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny Goku quickly lost interest]] and the issue was dropped. Goku also questions Freeza's ability to tell time some time after he says Namek will blow up in 5 minutes, and it’s implied Freeza was guessing in the first place.

Related to {{Demythtification}}, which applies this to {{Mythology}} into HistoricalFiction by DoingInTheWizard. The catalyst of an External Retcon is often a BeenThereShapedHistory character.

When very well done, this can result in interesting and thought-provoking works. When not done well (more often), it can turn into commercially-published HateFic, or a shallow and irritatingly self-righteous attempt to impose contemporary moral or ideological standards on a work written in a different era.

* The ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' fanfic ''Metroid III: Return to Zebes'' has the power suit randomly and inexplicably change Samus' hair color, a reference to how the Justin Bailey suit in ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' switched between brown hair for beams and green hair for rockets (the suit's armor switched between green and blue instead of opening the arm cannon's muzzle), while Samus is canonically blonde. Samus spends most of the story with lavendar hair. It also randomly upgrades or changes its internal workings, justifying why classic ''Metroid and ''Return of Samus'' has one beam at a time, the beams in the novelized game stacked but the ones in Prime didn't until 3, and why the spazer is suddenly compatible with the [[PlasmaCannon Plasma Beam]] in Fusion but not here.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* The ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' is a superhero world, so the retcons often relate to comic books. In-universe it is known that TheBaroness of the G.I. Joe stories was a blatant ripoff of supervillainess Lady Hydra, but she was retired for long enough that the comic book authors didn't get killed. It is also recognized in-universe that the 'age one year every four years' ComicBookTime is in honor of the legendary Miss Champion (later Lady Champion) of the 40's and 50's (who is still aging so slowly that she looks like she is in her early thirties even though she is now a mid-seventies school headmistress).
[[/folder]]

* Disney's ''Disney/RobinHood'' purports to tell the ''real'' story of what happened in Sherwood Forest, using a WorldOfFunnyAnimals cast.

* ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'': The premise is that Disney's original ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'' was based on inaccurate information regarding the title character and her relationship with Princess Aurora. The film's Narrator -- eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:an elderly Aurora]] -- lampshades this at the beginning and end of the film. At the same time, there are enough changes in the film to classify it as an AlternateContinuity.

* In the ''RolePlay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'', the H.G. Wells novel ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'', as well as both the novel's 1953 and 2005 film adaptations, were actually fictionalized accounts of three separate but very real unsuccessful invasions by the alien Daribi.

* Creator/GregoryMaguire, author of ''Literature/TheWickedYears'' (''Literature/LandOfOz''), ''Lost'' (not [[Series/{{Lost}} that]] ''Lost'' - ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''), ''Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'' ("Literature/{{Cinderella}}"), ''Mirror, Mirror'' ("Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs"), etc., has pretty much made a career out of this. ''The Next Queen of Heaven'' is his only novel for adults that isn't a revisionist take on an existing tale or setting.

* Creator/NeilGaiman has done this, most notably with ''Snow, Glass and Apples'' ("Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs" from the stepmother's point of view) and the film adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf|2007}}''.

* In ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', the reason King Kai told Goku the planet Vegeta was [[RocksFallEveryoneDies destroyed by a meteor]] instead of the real reason was because Freeza [[RetconningTheWiki vandalized the space wiki page]]. King Kai immediately realized something was strange, but [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny Goku quickly lost interest]] and the issue was dropped. Goku also questions Freeza's ability to tell time some time after he says Namek will blow up in 5 minutes.

** And an example that specifically applies to Kayaba Akihiko: In episode 11 we learn [[spoiler:he was so hopped up on caffeine and sleep deprivation that, to meet the deadline for release as set by Bethesda and get a good score on Metacritic, he didn't do some critical bug testing after the beta. So players die when their avatars do, and Kayaba,
still incredibly sleep-deprived, decided that he should prevent everyone from leaving and claim this was his plan all long. After finally getting some sleep, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he realized how badly he screwed up]], but reluctantly decided to keep the game going to keep the cops off his back until he could figure out a plan that didn't result in him getting arrested. However, then hundreds of idiotic players began dying in droves, so Kayaba took up the alias of [[TheAce Heathcliff]] to stop the situation from getting worse, which took up so much time that he never came up with a solution to all his problems.]]

* In ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', the reason King Kai told Goku the planet Vegeta was [[RocksFallEveryoneDies destroyed by a meteor]] instead of the real reason was because Freeza [[RetconningTheWiki vandalized the space wiki page]]. King Kai immediately realized something was strange, but [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny Goku quickly lost interest]] and the issue was dropped. Goku questions Freeza's ability to tell time some time after he says Namek will blow up in 5 minutes.

** And perhaps the only example that applies to Kayaba Akihiko: In episode 11 we learn [[spoiler:he was so hopped up on caffeine and sleep deprivation that, to meet the deadline for release as set by Bethesda and get a good score on Metacritic, he didn't do some critical bug testing after the beta. So players die when their avatars do and he really wishes he'd come up with something besides the Kill 'Em All plot he espouses but he only started getting sleep again probably right after he drew everyone into the square at the end of ep1.]]

** The Nexus is theorised to be rather more complex than simply granting its inhabitants the illusion of their hearts' desires; instead [[spoiler:it shows them whatever makes them least likely to leave - whether this is something they want with all their heart or something to make them forget what they already have is dependent on the individual and their circumstances. It then [[LivingBattery harvests energy from them in order to keep moving.]]]] Both Jim and Guinan are troubled by the idea, but they both agree that [[TakeThat it makes a lot more sense than the poster child for]] InHarmsWay [[TakeThat to want nothing more than to settle down in a peaceful-but-boring idyll with some woman he knows nothing about, and never becoming dissatisfied or restless.]]

** The licensed RPG, [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis written by Billy the werewolf with help from Harry and Bob]], has the three authors discussing this in [[FootnoteFever margin notes]] as well as how this very book could likewise be used to help {{Muggles}} against other supernatural predators.

* ''Film/DoraAndTheLostCityOfGold'' posits that while Dora did go adventures as a kid, the talking animals and {{Edutainment}} aspects were either just the result of [[MrImagination her overactive imagination]] or (given it was the only animated sequence in the film) [[spoiler: being hopped up on hallucinogens the entire time.]]

* ''Film/DoraAndTheLostCityOfGold'' posits that while Dora did go adventures as a kid, the talking animals and {{Edutainment}} aspects were either just the result of [[MrImagination her overactive imagination]] or (given it was the only animated sequence in the film) [[spoiler: she was hopped up on hallucinogens the entire time.]]

* ''[[Literature/JamesBond The Moneypenny Diaries]]'' novels and short stories by Samantha Weinberg (writing as Kate Westbrook) chronicle the life and times of MI6 mainstay and James Bond flirting partner Jane Moneypenny.

* Gregory Maguire, author of ''Literature/TheWickedYears'' (''Literature/LandOfOz''), ''Lost'' (not [[Series/{{Lost}} that]] ''Lost'' - ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''), ''Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'' ("Literature/{{Cinderella}}"), ''Mirror, Mirror'' ("Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs"), etc., has pretty much made a career out of this. ''The Next Queen of Heaven'' is his only novel for adults that isn't a revisionist take on an existing tale or setting.

* In the world of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', it is stated that the White Court of vampires convinced Bram Stoker to write ''Dracula'' in order to expose the weaknesses of the Black Court of vampires, one of several factions of vampires [[OurVampiresAreDifferent that each conform to different vampire mythologies]]. This resulted in the near destruction of the Black Court, as almost all of humanity learned their weaknesses.

** The version of the events of ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' told in the second story arc reveals that what killed the Martians was not just Earth microbes, but a virus deliberately engineered by none other than [[Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau Dr. Moreau]], at the behest of a {{steampunk}}ish TheMenInBlack organisation.

This is most common in {{Literature}}, due to their ability to reference other novels hundreds of years old ([[PublicDomainCharacter and out of copyright]]). FanFic, of course, can and does cheerfully ignore the copyright issue, frequently merely to try to justify the source material's tropes by means of FanWank.

Sometimes overlaps with a PerspectiveFlip. See also TwiceToldTale and FracturedFairyTale.

** Michael Kurland's "Professor Moriarty" novels propose that while Moriarty is still a dangerous crook, he's nowhere near as bad as Holmes believes, and has moral principles that go well beyond EvenEvilHasStandards.