History Main / DiscontinuityNod

* DC teen superhero duo, Hawk and Dove, who debuted as teenagers (so much that they were part of the ComicBook/TeenTitans), suddenly aged up into adulthood when they guest-starred in Brave and the Bold. The writer wanted to explore the characters' roots in sixties politics and [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece how the world had passed them by since then]]. It was, admittedly, a pretty good story and deconstruction of the characters - but forgot to account for their presence in the larger DC universe, where their fellow teen titans HADN'T aged. So, they were back to being teens when they cameoed in Donna Troy's wedding. Her husband remarks that he thought they'd be older and Don remarks "[[LampshadeHanging Lately, everyone's been saying that!]]"

* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': One of the 70's era Titans was Mal Duncan, a BadassNormal who [[LegacyCharacter eventually adopted the name and costume]] of the Golden Age hero the ComicBook/{{Guardian}}. Post-Crisis, this never happened, and Mal instead called himself the Herald, a change that carried over to the ''ComicBook/New52''. However, in the ''Comicbook/DCRebirth'' ''Titans'' series, Mal steals a suit of tactical body armor from Characters/{{Nightwing|DickGrayson}} that looks suspiciously like a modernized version of his old Guardian costume, complete with a gold mask.

* Dr. X, an Utrom scientist in the Image ''Comicbook/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Mirage}}'' comics, was written out of canon along with everything else in Vol. 3. An Utrom scientist with the same name has since appeared in the current ''Tales of the TMNT'' book.

* ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesAdventures'' had a 3-issue miniseries tie in called "The May East Saga," which was reviled by fans due to its ridiculous story about a super-powered witch who was an ancestor of April's and its particularly bad artwork. One of the later issues that consisted of a WholeEpisodeFlashback saw the 3-parter floating in a bunch of sewage among other trash, while a special had April tell Turtles [[AllJustADream about the 3-parter's plot as some ridiculous dream she had]], while the Turtles comment it sounds more like a nightmare.
* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'': ''ComicBook/TheBeastWithin'', a comic infamous for its grimdark story involving a Dinobot combiner, is mentioned in the page quote for CanonDiscontinuity. However, this didn't stop Hasbro from introducing actual Dinobot combiners in its toylines (one of them, Mega-Dinobot, was equally bad, but for different reasons, namely that it had several defects in its construction), eventually making the well-received Volcanicus, essentially the titular Beast with a less freakish design. In the online game ''VideoGame/TransformersEarthWars'', in a scene written by Simon Furman (who was consulted for ideas by the writer of this comic and therefore knew about it even before it gained its current status in the fandom), Swoop expresses concern that merging (to form Volcanicus) might cause them to "lose all sense of individuality and become some monosyllabic, blundering oaf with less sense than a lug nut", like what happened to the Beast, who doesn't exist in the game thanks to Volcanicus.

* When ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'' began, it inexplicably shifted Prowl's characterisation from "manipulative jerk" to "willing to thoughtlessly risk his life for a Decepticon". By the beginning of the next series, ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise'' Prowl had turned back to his previous characterisation, and never looked back (outside of a brief {{Handwave}} explaining the change)... except in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersSinsOfTheWreckers'' the BigBad accuses Prowl of having tried being a better person before, only to go back to form sooner or later.

* ''Series/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians2023'': When Percy first arrives at Camp Half-Blood and meets Dionysus, the Greek god [[MaliciousMisnaming maliciously misnames]] him as "Peter Johnson", a reference to an in-joke among [[Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries the series]]' fandom claiming that [[Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians the prior film adaptations]] had [[InNameOnly so little in common]] with the books that they may as well have been called the Peter Johnson movies.

* Wrestling/KofiKingston first joined the WWE with heavy Jamaican theming [[FakeNationality despite being from Ghana]] (it was Kofi's idea; he came up with the gimmick while wrestling in the indies), and was pushed as being from Jamaica for the better part of a year before it was suddenly phased out in 2009, with Kofi dropping the fake accent and [[{{Retcon}} retroactively establishing himself to be from Ghana]]. The change went with surprisingly little fanfare or concern for how big it was, but it was still referenced a few weeks after the change by Wrestling/TripleH during a promo, who asked Kofi to his face [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall "Hey, aren't you supposed to be Jamaican?"]] (Wrestling/ShawnMichaels changed the subject before Kofi could provide a proper response).

* {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion Madoka's Rebellion Story]]''. While it rendered Madoka [[spoiler:becoming a Goddess and disappearing forever]] non-canon, they made it a very in-universe discontinuity nod by having [[spoiler:the DarkMagicalGirl do the retconning by basically usurping God and becoming Satan in the process,]] with nobody, not even the BigBad [[spoiler:(mainly because of them [[EvilerThanThou getting upended by said Satan]]) or [[SelfInflictedHell said Satan]]]] enjoying a single moment of it.

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'': In Episode 20, Daphne notices a statue of the [[TheScrappy infamous]] Scrappy-Doo, and has this to say:
-->'''Daphne:''' Wow! I haven't seen--\\
'''Fred:''' Look away, Daphne! We all promised each other that we would never speak of it. Not ever!
* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': In [[Recap/MollyOfDenaliS1E34PuppyPalooza Puppy Paloozal]]," Molly gets to name the puppies. She considers naming one after the famous Siberian husky Togo, which is a sharp contrast to "Welcome Home, Balto," which recognized Balto rather than Togo as the hero of the 1925 Serum Run.

** In the "Deja Vu" mission in ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Ground Zeroes]]'', logos of almost every game in the ''Metal Gear'' series are scattered across the U.S. Naval prison facility. When the player views a logo from a mainline ''Metal Gear'' title (i.e. the Kojima-directed games), contacting Kaz will cause him proclaim the title out loud, mention the number of pixels/polygons that composed Snake's character sprite/model in said game, and quote a line or two. On the other hand, if the player finds a logo for a spinoff title (including ''Portable Ops'' or ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Revengeance]]'') Kaz won't recognize the title and doesn't even try to pronounce it, instead noting "it mustn't be that important."

* In ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'', the opening cutscene in Snow Way Out jokes about how the game takes place before the many ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' games developed after the UsefulNotes/PlayStation trilogy.

* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar 2'' has several veterans of the campaigns from the original game and its expansions. The campaigns on Tartarus (original game) and Kronus (''Dark Crusade'') are remembered as great victories for the Blood Ravens SpaceMarine chapter. Kaurava was "a mistake, and it shouldn't be mentioned ever again" in the words of Cyrus, the Scout Marine Sergeant [[spoiler:and one of the few survivors of that campaign]]. Guess which one of the three was in the outsourced, disliked addon [[note]]A: ''Soulstorm''[[/note]].

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformers'': ''ComicBook/TheBeastWithin'', a comic infamous for its grimdark story involving a Dinobot combiner, is mentioned in the page quote for CanonDiscontinuity. However, this didn't stop Hasbro from introducing actual Dinobot combiners in its toylines (one of them, Mega-Dinobot, was equally bad, but for different reasons, namely that it had several defects in its construction), eventually making the well-received Volcanicus, essentially the titular Beast with a less freakish design. In the online game ''VideoGame/TransformersEarthWars'', in a scene written by Simon Furman (who was consulted for ideas by the writer of this comic and therefore knew about it even before it gained its current status in the fandom), Swoop expresses concern that merging (to form Volcanicus) might cause them to "lose all sense of individuality and [[TakeThat become some monosyllabic, blundering oaf with less sense than a lug nut]]", like what happened to the Beast, who doesn't exist in the game thanks to Volcanicus, [[TheScrappy and we couldn't be happier]].

** Another nod was made to the New Fantastic Four in the Venom arc, Circle of Four, with spin off characters of those that made the New FF (Spidey, Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider) forming the circle of four to stop Earth from being swallowed by Hell; namely, Comicbook/{{Venom}}, [[Characters/IncredibleHulkCentralRoguesGallery Red Hulk]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsLauraKinney X-23]] and the third ComicBook/GhostRider.

* In the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' series ''ComicBook/DCRetroactiveSuperman'', it is lampshaded by [[spoiler:the fake]] Destiny when he states that there will be a future ''ComicBook/{{Identity Crisis|2004}}'', and it will be so terrible that everyone "will agree to forget it ever happened".

** Characters/{{Deadpool|WadeWilson}} has been known to remark that he'd "be crucified if there was a clone in [[MediumAwareness this book]]".

** Another nod was made to the New Fantastic Four in the Venom arc, Circle of Four, with spin off characters of those that made the New FF (Spidey, Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider) forming the circle of four to stop Earth from being swallowed by Hell; namely, Comicbook/{{Venom}}, [[Characters/IncredibleHulkCentralRoguesGallery Red Hulk]], [[Characters/X23LauraKinney X-23]] and the third ComicBook/GhostRider.

** One of the tidbits of advice that Peter gave [[Characters/UltimateSpiderManMilesMorales Miles Morales]] during the ''ComicBook/SpiderMen'' crossover was to never ''ever'' allow anyone to clone him. Also never lend any money to Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}} or Characters/{{Mockingbird|MarvelComics}}.
* A very meta BreatherEpisode of ComicBook/SpiderManDeadpool had Deadpool refer to the Green Goblin as "the guy who knocked up your girlfriend then killed her." Peter [[CanonDiscontinuity responded with confusion]].

* Characters/{{The Punisher|FrankCastle}} was involved in a better-off-forgotten miniseries called ''[[ComicBook/ThePunisherPurgatory Purgatory]]'', where Frank was killed and turned into an avenging angel who went after demons. It was quietly dropped when Creator/GarthEnnis took over writing for Frank. Years later, in ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'', Frank is at death's door when [[ItMakesSenseInContext an angel feather acquired by Deadpool]] is instantly drawn to him, healing all his wounds. When everyone wonders why the feather was drawn to Frank, he just says, "Don't want to talk about it." Olivier, the BigBad of ''Purgatory'', also went on to cameo in ''Nightcrawler'' and ''ComicBook/FearItself''.

A Discontinuity Nod is a ContinuityNod that is made towards something that has been written out of canon, something fans [[FanonDiscontinuity want to be written out]] of canon, something creators [[OldShame wish they had never made canon]], or even [[ContinuityReboot an entire old Continuity]] that is no longer canon. May be a sign of CanonDiscontinuity, a callback to something a lot of people miss, or just making a joke at the fanbase's widespread hatred. WhoWritesThisCrap

* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'': The second of the movies, ''Runaway Digimon Express'', was made without the input of the head writers. A Drama CD (''Message in a Packet'') released later depicts the Tamers a year after the events of the anime, ''without'' their partners, effectively {{retcon}}ning the movie out of existence. However, in a remarkably respectful nod, [[BrokenBird Ruki]] is heard humming ''Promise of the Setting Sun'', the song she sings at the movie's climax. One of the aforementioned head writers, Chiaki Konaka, noted on his website that he enjoyed the movie and the psychological way it explored Ruki's relationship with her absent father -- something Konaka deliberately chose not to emphasize, since he didn't want to give the impression that his absence was the reason Ruki was a standoffish tomboy at the beginning of the series.

** When ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' got a full-color reprint of the manga, Creator/AkiraToriyama wrote a number of new articles [[WorldBuilding expanding on the setting]] or answering long-standing questions. One article discussing Dr. Gero's Androids mentions that #13, #14, and #15 are nearly complete but not yet ready to be activated; this is a nod to the NonSerialMovie ''[[Anime/DragonBallZSuperAndroid13 Super Android 13]]'', where those three Androids (designed by Toriyama himself) were completed by Gero's supercomputer after his death at the hands of a rebellious #17.

* In the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' series ''ComicBook/DCRetroactiveSuperman'', it is lampshaded by [[spoiler:the fake]] Destiny when he states that there will be a future ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', and it will be so terrible that everyone "will agree to forget it ever happened".

* {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion Madoka's Rebellion Story]]''. While it rendered Madoka [[spoiler:becoming a Goddess and disappearing forever]] non-canon, they made it a very in-universe discontinuity nod by having [[spoiler:the DarkMagicalGirl do the retconning by basically usurping God and becoming Satan in the process,]] with nobody, not even the BigBad [[spoiler:(mainly because of them [[EvilerThanThou getting upended by said Satan]]) or [[SelfInflictedHell said Satan]]]] enjoying a single moment of it. Naturally, the movie itself then became a subject of discontinuity among some fans.

* {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion Madoka's Rebellion Story]]''. While it rendered Madoka [[spoiler:becoming a Goddess and disappearing forever]] non-canon, they made it a very in-universe discontinuity nod by having [[spoiler:the DarkMagicalGirl do the retconning by basically usurping God and becoming Satan in the process,]] with nobody, not even the BigBad [[spoiler:(mainly because of them [[EvilerThanThou getting upended by said Satan]]) or [[SelfInflictedHell said Satan]]]] enjoying a single moment of it.

** In the episode "Day of Honor" Tom Paris states that he's never "navigated a transwarp conduit." This is possibly a Discontinuity Nod to the earlier episode "Threshold", widely considered to be one of the show's worst (and up there with "Spock's Brain" as a contender for worst in the entire franchise), which is based around Paris entering a distinct phenomenon also referred to as "transwarp" and [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs wackiness ensuing]].

** Another nod was made to the New Fantastic Four in the Venom arc, Circle of Four, with spin off characters of those that made the New FF (Spidey, Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider) forming the circle of four to stop Earth from being swallowed by Hell; namely, Comicbook/{{Venom}}, ComicBook/RedHulk, ComicBook/{{X23}} and the third ComicBook/GhostRider.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' series ''ComicBook/DCRetroactiveSuperman'', it is lampshaded by [[spoiler:the fake]] Destiny when he states that there will be a future ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', and it will be so terrible that everyone "will agree to forget it ever happened".

* In Franchise/TheDCU, the ''original'' Bat-Girl, Betty Kane, was retconned Comicbook/PostCrisis into always being called "Flamebird" aka Bette Kane, because writer Marv Wolfman hated that version of the character. But years later, in ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'', Flamebird meets another ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} and immediately says, "Batgirl? Been there, done that."

* ComicBook/ThePunisher was involved in a better-off-forgotten miniseries called ''[[ComicBook/ThePunisherPurgatory Purgatory]]'', where Frank was killed and turned into an avenging angel who went after demons. It was quietly dropped when Creator/GarthEnnis took over writing for Frank. Years later, in ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'', Frank is at death's door when [[ItMakesSenseInContext an angel feather acquired by Deadpool]] is instantly drawn to him, healing all his wounds. When everyone wonders why the feather was drawn to Frank, he just says, "Don't want to talk about it." Olivier, the BigBad of ''Purgatory'', also went on to cameo in ''Nightcrawler'' and ''ComicBook/FearItself''.

* A [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/File:Star_Wars_Marvel_2015_Jaxxon_Variant.jpg variant cover]] of the first issue of ''ComicBook/StarWars'' features the much-maligned [[FunnyAnimal Jaxxon]] trying to force himself into the comic while the rest of the cast resists.

* ''Theatre/MyFairLady'': "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" includes a long TakeThat to the idea of Eliza marrying Freddy as Shaw confirmed in his own continuation of ''Theatre/{{Pygmalion}}'', with Higgins explaining how their marriage would be bound to fail.

* Wrestling/KofiKingston first joined the WWE with heavy Jamaican theming [[FakeNationality despite being from Ghana]] (it was Kofi's idea; he came up with the gimmick while wrestling in the indies), and was pushed as being from Jamaica for the better part of a year before it was suddenly phased out in 2009, with Kofi dropping the fake accent and [[{{Retcon}} retroactively establishing himself to be from Ghana]]. The change went with surprisingly little fanfare or concern for how big it was, but it was still referenced a few weeks after the change by Wrestling/TripleH during a promo, who asked Kofi to his face [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall "Hey, aren't you supposed to be Jamaican?"]]

** Another much reviled episode, "The Principal and the Pauper", involved Skinner being revealed as taking the name of an army lieutenant he thought was killed during Vietnam with his real name being Armin Tamzarian. Ultimately the show goes back to the [[StatusQuoIsGod status quo]] by putting the real Skinner on a train and "Armin" resuming the name with there even being a law that no one will speak of the incident again. In a later ep, "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", Lisa sees two cats she has being killed before her eyes before finally getting another and deciding to dub it Snowball II to avoid having to get a new dish. Skinner, walking by, notes this.

'''Skinner:''' I'll just be moving along, Lisa. Snowball II.

* A subtle blend of this and MythologyGag can be seen in the fourth anime season of ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''; when a chart displaying the various {{Big Bad}}s of the setting is shown, while the two slain in ''Next'' (Hellmaster Phibrizzo and Demon Dragon King Gaav) have their images dented, the image of Dark Star Dugradigdu, the ultimate Big Bad of ''Try'', is left intact. This reflects the fact that Kanzaka [[CreatorBacklash has famously proclaimed his disapproval of the Try season]], due to it being all-original material even if he was involved in creating it.

* In the season 3 premiere of ''Series/{{Revenge}}'', season 2's overarching plotline is casually resolved with a couple lines of dialogue including a DeusExMachina. Emily and Nolan then speak for the people who didn't care for said plotline: