Smoother retcons won't be distinguishable as such, and can even make what was initially an Ass Pull later look like everything was Just as Planned. A good way to get away with a retcon is to reveal new implications or motivations for events that have already been established. Some, but not all retcons are Ass Pulls, and a good retcon can actually improve the current narrative. See also Ass Pull, which is something that was not properly set up before it is sprung on the audience, and Cliffhanger Copout, in which a perilous situation is retroactively changed to allow the characters to escape. In Marvel Comics, the person who pointed out the problem and at the same time provided a plausible explanation was awarded a Genuine Marvel Comics No-Prize by editor Stan Lee, a tradition that was kept alive by other editors after he became publisher. Often, it's used to serve a new plot by changing its context or expanding an existing setting however, it's also done when the creators are caught writing a story that violates continuity and isn't very plausible. While the term comes from comic books, dating to All-Star Squadron #18 in 1983 and shortened to 'retcon' by the end of the decade, the technique is much older. An ideal retcon clarifies a question alluded to without adding excessive new questions. The most preferred use is where it contradicts nothing, even though it was changed later on.

In its most basic form, a retcon is any plot point or detail that was not intended from the beginning, but treated as if it always had been (contrast this with The Reveal, where the author usually intended such an addition from the beginning). However the current story requires a space elevator, so it's been added and treated as if it's always been there. Take the page image: a pre-existing space elevator is in the city, but one did not appear to exist earlier in the work despite the fact that a building reaching up into space would be plain to see in any wide shot. Reframing or adding to past events to serve a current plot need.

State of survival ad 2022