The DC Universe underwent a monumental reboot called the New 52 following the Flashpoint event that altered the timeline. Almost every character and team was given a complete overhaul from origins to costumes, and the timeline was truncated to five years of superheroes instead of the generations that existed in the previous universe.
Unsurprisingly, fans had quite a few issues with the line-wide reboot that included a number of character and story retcons that either didn't go anywhere or failed to respect the history of the characters. There were a number of retcons in the New 52 that were very poorly received and went down in history as some of the worst changes made to the DC universe.
10 Martian Manhunter's History With The Justice League Was All But Erased
The history of the Justice League was erased in the New 52 as a new team came together that resembled the iconic roster with a few key differences. Former Teen Titan Cyborg was now a founding member while original founding member Martian Manhunter was removed from the team altogether.
Martian Manhunter was shoehorned onto the New 52's version of Wildstorm's StormWatch team, though his characterization was quite a bit different. The Justice League's history with the Martian Manhunter was later teased with a quick flash of a massive battle between them, though it did little to honor his years of service with the League.
9 The Loss Of Clark Kent's Parents Changed The Character's Personality Dramatically
One of the characters who was most affected by the New 52 reboot was Superman, whose upbringing was altered due to the loss of his human parents when he was much younger. Ma and Pa Kent instilled a number of positive morals into young Clark Kent, and without their guiding presence in his life, Superman became a bit of an arrogant jerk that fans grew to hate.
The loss of his parents was essentially off-panel before Clark even began adventuring as Superman, which took them out of the equation without giving their loss any depth. The New 52 version of Superman was eventually erased and replaced with the Pre-Flashpoint version of the character along with Lois Lane and their son Jon Kent/Superboy, invigorating the character.
8 The JSA Was Wiped From DC's History And Reimagined On A Different Earth
The Post-Crisis reboot in the 1980s reimagined the Justice Society of America's place in the DC timeline that honored their place as wartime heroes who inspired their own legacies of crime-fighters and returned to train a new generation in the modern era.
The New 52 reimagined the JSA's original origin by placing them on a new version of the alternate Earth-Two which featured some interesting new designs and found a fanbase, though most agreed that wasn't worth the lost history of the team. The JSA eventually returned in their original forms, though some changes from the New 52 reboot remained.
7 Lobo's Failed Redesign Was Made Even Worse With The Classic "Imposter" Version
Some of the problems with the New 52 reboot were some of the odd decisions that proved the editorial team wasn't all on the same page. A version of Lobo that resembled the Post-Crisis version appeared in Deathstroke before a new modern version later appeared to star in his own solo series.
The new sleek and "cool" Lobo made it his mission to hunt down and kill the "imposter," though fans did not get behind the New 52's oddest redesign. The failure of the new version of Lobo led to the return of the original in the DC Rebirth era without much explanation about what happened to the new version for fans.
6 Barbara Gordon's Miraculous Healing Erased Her Motivations And Other Batgirls
After spending years as DC's information broker known as Oracle for the various superheroes both in Gotham City and other organizations like the Suicide Squad and Justice League, Barbara Gordon returned to her original role as Batgirl.
Unfortunately, her return to the role negated the existence of the other characters like Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown who had carried on the legacy over the years. It also erased Barbara Gordon's original motivations to remain in her chair when opportunities to cure her paralysis arose before the New 52 miraculously cured her, which turned off a few long-time fans.
5 Teen Titans Bart Allen And Tim Drake Were Given Odd Retcons
The shortened timeline of the New 52's universe caused problems with teams like the Teen Titans, which had a generations-spanning roster. The young heroes that made up the new Teen Titans were reworked characters like Tim Drake/Red Robin and Bat Allen/Kid Flash, pale imitations of their former selves.
Tim Drake lost his part in the legacy of Robin and played a background role in his own team while also receiving a confusing retcon about his parents being in the witness protection program. Kid Flash was an entirely different version of the character named Bar Tor who was revealed as an escaped prisoner from the future with no connection to the Flash family. These new versions failed to win fans over.
4 Booster Gold And The JLI Wasted Years Of Development And A Solid Launch
Fans of Booster Gold watched the character grow from a grandstanding corporate hero from the future obsessed with fame and wealth to a protector of time working with other time travelers to unravel the mysteries of the DC universe. The New 52 quickly reverted Booster Gold back to his former corporate fool status before largely dropping the character altogether.
However, he did star in the Justice League: Generation Lost mini-series that wonderfully set up the debut of the New 52's Justice League International. However, that series failed to capitalize on the successful launch, contradicted recently established details of the characters in the New 52, and became one of the worst initial series in the New 52.
3 The Question Was Given A Supernatural Origin That Never Went Anywhere
Vic Sage was the original faceless detective known as The Question before he trained his successor Renee Montoya to take his place. However, the New 52 reboot gave The Question a new mysterious origin with supernatural connections. While certain details about The Question's past were teased or changed along the way, it never amounted to much.
The Question was now a member of the Trinity of Sin alongside the Phantom Stranger and Pandora, though his actual sin was never revealed. The Question's usually grounded origins were giving an unnecessary supernatural overhaul that largely went nowhere and left the character in limbo for a few years.
2 The New 52's Superboy Was The Clone Of The Evil Superboy From The Future
Prior to the 2011 Flashpoint event, Conner Kent/Kon-El had been Superboy since the "Death of Superman" event in the '90s. He had a dedicated fanbase and a rich origin as the clone of both Superman and Lex Luthor. The New 52 introduced an entirely new version of Superboy created by the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. organization that ironically went nowhere in the rebooted universe.
Superboy believed himself to be a clone of the Man of Steel, though it was eventually revealed that he was actually a clone of Superman and Lois Lane's evil son from the future, Jon Lane Kent. Kent eventually traveled to the past and temporarily replaced his clone before both disappeared forever. It was a convoluted story that abandoned the fan-favorite character for one that never quite hit.
1 Wally West Was Replaced With A New Kid Flash Before He Later Returned In Rebirth
One of the biggest retcons in the New 52 was also one of the worst received among fans. After Barry Allen's return as The Flash led to the reality-altering Flashpoint event, he returned to the New 52 as a solo hero without the legacy of the Flash Family. This meant that his former sidekick Wally West no longer existed in the New 52 universe.
Wally spent years as The Flash after he took up the mantle of his mentor after Barry Allen's sacrifice during the Crisis. The New 52's abandonment of Wally West was a great disservice to the Flash legacy, and the introduction of a new take on the character did little to appease fans. The original Wally later returned after it was revealed that Doctor Manhattan had removed him from the timeline.