Board Thread:Administrative/@comment-61022-20141130210313/@comment-61022-20141203042126

I don't entirely agree with that, the retcons weren't totally pointless. Yeah the Angela thing was a bit of a stretch for sure, but I think that was Marvel's way of giving the character stronger ties to the Marvel Universe since they purchased the rights to Angela from Neil Geiman.

The Iron Man/Hulk story I actually thought was an interesting story twist. It kind of gives an inter-connectivity between characters that wasn't originally established when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created these characters back in the 60s. From a story telling stand point, Stan and Jack were probably playing it safe by not tying characters together too much to start because their viability in the market place was an unknown. Logically, it seems hard to believe that any of the super-geniuses in the Marvel Universe DID not interact with each other prior to gaining their powers. The idea that Stark would be around when Banner was developing the Gamma Bomb makes sense because at the time Stark Industries was also building weapons for the military. Yes, the storyline didn't have any massive repercussions per-se, but it followed the basic formula of a Marvel style super-hero brawl: two heroes end up fighting over a misunderstanding. This story of course added more complexity and deeper implications to the whole thing. I think it also explained why Banner would have even bothered making the gamma bomb to begin with. It also showed the characters struggling with problems before they became super-heroes. Stark's alcoholism -- which comes back to haunt him in the present. And Banner's need to be recognized for his work in order to try to revolutionize the world for the better. Which also had it's own problems for Banner in the future.

I think the Dugan LMD retcon was one of the most needed ones of the bunch, primarily due to the Sliding Time Scale. Up until Original Sins, the only explanation for why Dum Dum Dugan didn't age over the years was a quick sentence in the Marvel Handbooks that suggested that contact with Fury's Infinity Formula affected blood also increased Dugan's longevity (this has been suggested of all the surviving Howling Commandos) It seemed kind of silly. Also -- and admittedly this is obscure -- there is an issue of Captain America (I forget what issue specifically, but it was in the late 70s or early 80s) where Dugan is seemingly killed. He then pops back up again alive with no explanation. The LMD retcon neatly explains everything and clears up any plot holes in Dugan's history.