Definition of "retcon" [retcon]

• 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 (noun)
• To employ such a device (verb)

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• "A portmanteau blend of "retroactive continuity", retcon comes from the world of comics and represents the idea of "correcting" past facts to represent a new desired reality."
• "In the pages of a comic book, or in turning the inevitable setbacks in life into learning experiences, retcon is the way we (re -) invent the universe."
• "I also don't really think the word retcon is a dirty word either - Spider-Man, for instance, is enjoyable to me for the first time ever in comic form and has me looking back at the pre-marriage era - and can be a useful tool, assuming they're used properly and fans don't get their panties in a bunch over the most minute details."