In Abandoned an' Forsaked, we examine comic book stories and ideas that were not only abandoned, but also had the stories/plots specifically "overturned" by a later writer (as if they were a legal precedent). Today, we look at how even Triumph's own messed up retcons were, themselves, retconned!

I covered the initial retcons involving Triumph in an old Abandoned an' Forsaked here, but I will give you a quick recap to set up the retcons that came about later on.

Okay, during Zero Hour, we got our first Triumph retcon, which is that a character named Triumph existed PERIOD. Not only that, but Triumph, you see, was the hero that brought the Justice League together back in the early days of the Post-Crisis Justice League (in this version of the League's history, Wonder Woman wasn't an original member but Black Canary was - Batman and Superman were also not founding members)...

He got lost in time along with the alien menace that he formed the Justice League to stop. With him erased from everyone's mind, the other heroes eventually decided to form a League together. Well, during all of the time shenanigans of Zero Hour, Triumph was released from his time trap and popped up in present day DC Universe. The problem for him is that he is still the same age he was back in the day while all of his fellow "rookie" heroes are now elder statesmen in the DC Universe.

Since he is so young, he ends up joining a new team led by Martian Manhunter called Justice League Task Force that consists of the Martian Manhunter being a teacher for a group of young and/or inexperienced superheroes.

It was pretty humiliating to be taught by his own former peers, but Triumph went along with it. However, naturally he had plenty of conflicts along the way. At one point, the demon Neron offered Triumph a candle. In exchange for his soul, Neron would send Triumph back to the past and he would never have become lost in time. Triumph pondered it.

In the final issue of Justice League Task Force (by Christopher Priest, Ramon Bernardo and Nick Napolitano), we see Triumph finally get over his damage and just enjoy Christmas with his friends...

However, without knowing what it would do, the Ray accidentally lights the candle that Nero gave Triumph, thus completing their deal. Triumph is now no longer lost in time...and it doesn't matter! Things all worked out the same. Someone else saved the people that he saved...

It's like if It's a Wonderful Life ended with, "Damn, I guess you really ARE better off dead"....

Bold stuff by Priest. Messed up stuff, but bold!

However, even Triumph's tragedies are not immune to retcons...

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So that was it for Triumph until Grant Morrison brought him back in JLA. However, Morrison then more or less abandoned and forsook the ending of Justice League Task Force, and just played Triumph up as the superhero who has all the bad luck...

Now with an evil Thunderbolt powering him, Triumph finds Gypsy and Ray and mind controls them into being his "new Justice League"...

Morrison does a strong job playing up with the notion of superhero "tiers" and how the ones in the lower tiers are jealous of the more popular heroes, with this all being given voice by the clearly insane Triumph (Christopher Priest later noted that he thought Triumph not having a soul after JLTF #37 played into his ability to turn evil like this)...

Superman, of course, doesn't see things that way...

That'd be a more powerful moment if Morrison hadn't started JLA with the lower-tier heroes being kicked out of the Justice League satellite to make room for the new JLA.

Triumph reflects on his foolishness before the Spectre then turns him into a human ice sculpture...

The Justice League keep him in their moon headquarters, giving him full credit as a Justice League founding member...

The JLA's headquarters is later destroyed, however, and Triumph is killed in the process.

Bleak stuff.

This is actually somehow NOT it for Triumph, but that's for another time.

If anyone has suggestions of notable comic book retcons, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!