Sometimes a movie sequel decides toabandon certain parts of its predecessorsbecause it’s more convenient than strictly adhering to continuity. While this often leads to contradictions within the movie’s universe, filmmakers must make tough decisions when it comes to delivering the movie they want to make and avoiding the repetition of past mistakes.
This could bebringing characters back from the dead, ignoring previously established plot points, orundoing twists that had serious consequences for the movie’s universe. It might be controversial, but these movies were not shy about blatantly ignoring the past in order torewrite the rules, reset the stakes, or course-correct stories audiences were not happy with.
10F9 (2021)
Han Lue is one of the most popular characters in theFast & Furiousfranchise, although the series always faced one challenge when including him in different sequels. That’s because Han died in his very first appearance inFast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, meaning that every film beforeF9was presented as a prequel taking place before his untimely demise.
Han Lue first appeared in Justin Lin’s 2002 filmBetter Luck Tomorrowbefore being incorporated into theFast & Furiousfranchise.
By the timeF9came around, making yet another movieset between the events of2 Fast 2 FuriousandTokyo Driftwas becoming increasingly ludicrous, so the series just decided to retcon his death altogether. With a confusing revelation that Han had faked his own death with the help of Mr. Nobody, he was brought back.
9Rocky Balboa (2006)
A major plot point ofRocky Vwas thatthe once world champion boxer played by Sylvester Stallonehad been diagnosed with irreversible brain damage and needed to retire. However, the legacy sequelRocky Balboaopted to ignore this entirely by stating he was able to fight again without any long-term health risks.
While there was an implication that Rocky’s original diagnosis was incorrect,Rocky Vat no point indicated that his condition could be misdiagnosed or temporary. However, this major retcon felt necessary, asRocky Vstands as the worst movie in the entire franchise and, just like its underdog hero, needed to be redeemed with a much better film.
8Alien 3 (1992)
The controversial sequel,Alien 3,has received its fair share of criticism, but one story decision promptedAliensdirector James Cameron to speak out against the movie. Cameron called the decision to unceremoniously kill off Newt and Hicks “a slap in the face” (via SlashFilm), and that director David Fincher had been handed “a big mess on a plate” with the film.
As a decision that went totally against the emotional stakes of the previous movie,Alien 3made these characters’ survival feel totally pointless. While Fincher may have been going for a darker, bleaker tone, the result was something that many viewers saw as a betrayal of previously established character arcs.
7I Am Legend 2 (TBC)
The long-awaited sequel toI Am Legendhas been in development for years now, but we already know it will ignore a major plot point from the original movie. That’s becauseDeadlinehas reported this sequel will follow the film’s alternate ending, where Will Smith’s character lives, and things don’t go well for humanity.
Featuring Smith and Michael B. Jordan,I Am Legend 2will trade the theatrical ending of the movie for a version that was featured on the special edition DVD release of the film. This was more accurate to Richard Matheson’s original novel and was the version favored by many critics at the time.
6Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003)
Terminator 2: Judgment Daystands as one of the greatest movie sequels of all time, and every subsequent entry in the franchise has struggled to live up to the lofty expectations it set. Having ended with the T-800 sacrificing himself for the good of humanity,Terminator 3threw away this iconic conclusion by having Judgment Day be merely delayed.
The entire message ofT2was that there is no fate but what we make, yetTerminator 3asserts Judgment Day is inevitable. These contradictory beliefs should not coexist within the same franchise, and it’s disappointing choices like this that the series has never been able to overcome, being trapped in a continual barrage of reboots with diminishing returns.
5Scream 3 (2000).
Wes Craven’sScreamfranchise completely revitalized the slasher genreas it imbued it with self-referential, tongue-in-cheek style. This made for enjoyable viewing, but it also played up horror series' tendency to rewrite history, ignore developments that they find problematic, and undo previously established character motivations.
This was seen through Roman Bridger inScream 3,Sidney Prescott’s disgruntled half-brother, who was revealed to be the mastermind behind the original killings inScream. While the original movie was a dark exploration of suburban life, the retcon of Roman’s motivations made Ghostface more like an outrageous soap opera figure than a grounded threat.
4Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
No horror movie villain has gone through more outrageous character changes than Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise. While this series started as a gritty revenge slasher with Jason’s mother, Pamela, as the main antagonist, it shifted and changed over time to become almost unrecognizable from its source material.
Jason was originally a deformed, human killer who tirelessly tracked down his victims, yet in the sixth installment,Jason Lives, the series went through a controversial change as it embraced its supernatural implications. From this point on,Jason was no longer grounded in reality, and it opened the doors for him to explore Hell and even space in later sequels.
3No Time To Die (2021)
The final installment in Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007 traded the gritty, brooding MI6 agent James Bond for a more lighthearted and emotionally open characterization. The culmination of this iconic spy’s character arc, Bond was more concerned with love, family, and vulnerability as heexplored his relationship with Madeleine Swannand his rediscovery that he has become a father.
Previous entries were criticized for misogynistic undercurrents to Bond’s treatment of women, andNo Time to Dieshowcased him viewing Madeline as an equal and being respectful toward the new 007 Nomi. This was a pivot in style that highlights how much culture has evolved sinceCasino Royalewas released in 2006 and featured a Bond for the 2020s.
228 Years Later (2025)
28 Weeks Laterincluded a game-changing twist as a group of infected emerged from a Paris Métro station near the Eiffel Tower, revealing that the Rage Virus had spread to mainland Europe. However, when this franchise was revisited with28 Years Later, this development was totally ignored.
Instead,28 Years Laterbacktracked on this twist and retconned the outbreak as being contained to Britain and Ireland. This confusing canon makes sense consideringAlex Garland was the writer of both28 Days Laterand28 Years Laterbut was not involved in the franchise’s second film and opted to follow his vision rather than strictly adhere to continuity.
1Halloween (2018)
While horror franchises usually don’t have the best continuity, one of the most haphazard and contradictory wasHalloween. As a series with many different opposing timelines, the 2018 rebooted sequel,Halloween,decided to wipe the slate clean and ignore every film after the 1978 original.
It makes sense why the filmmakers did this, butHalloweenalso undid decades of lore and erased shocking revelations like Michael Myers and Laurie Strode being brother and sister. This was a controversial story decision that had plagued the franchise sinceHalloween II, and removing the familial link allowed Michael to reemerge as a figure of pure, mindless evil.
