Line #48 Main/UltimateUniverse


1	->''"Established, popular characters? Check. Reinterpretation of [[Manga/AstroBoy a beloved, classic storyline]]? Check. Stretched-out presentation of the same? Check. Helmed by a popular creator of original works in his own right? Check. Updated characterizations that sometimes toy with the [[Creator/OsamuTezuka original creator]]'s personas? Check. A bigger, more contemplative/brooding/generally 'big' tone? Check. Yeah, it's an Ultimate book, at least as we know them now."''
2	-->-- '''[[http://joglikescomics.blogspot.com/2005/07/lots-of-manga-talk.html Jog]]''', on Creator/NaokiUrasawa's ''Manga/{{Pluto}}''
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4	A kind of ContinuityReboot designed to [[AdaptationDistillation consolidate existing stories and themes]] into a new AlternateContinuity. Most notable regarding a franchise several decades old with multiple concurrent works, as it serves as a chance to wipe the slate clean while introducing new ideas that may not have been well received in the previous continuity. It may or may not replace the previous continuity but is perceived as a newcomer friendly world/story, sometimes as a JumpingOnPoint or GatewaySeries.
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6	Extremely common in {{Retool}}ed {{Crossover}}s, as this allows for storylines the original couldn't have done without a massive {{Retcon}}. The CanonWelding and greater cohesiveness owing to the advantage of foreknowledge that it possesses over the regular serial continuity (which generally more or less introduced new elements and characters [[IndyPloy as it went along]]). With greater control over the established timeline and with inspiration from the parent work, writers are able to lean into known stories and add their own twist without the characters within the story able to comment about it feeling familiar. {{Mythology Gag}}s also tend to be heightened, referencing things from the entire history of the franchise as something modern.
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8	Common hallmarks of an ultimate universe include:
9	# Use of a MetaOrigin, AdaptationOriginConnection, AdaptationalEarlyAppearance or AdaptationalLateAppearance because of trying to create a stronger, ongoing narrative and shuffling around the order of events.
10	# Important characters may be KilledOffForReal, because StatusQuoIsGod only at the original universe, whereas there's more room for creativity here.
11	# Costumes and locations get redesigns that would be considered "too drastic" for the main universe, such as MovieSuperheroesWearBlack.
12	# Backstories are altered to have more depth or outline their progression to become closer to their original character, to make it feel like a fresh take rather than a simple copy.
13	# Creating an AdaptationPersonalityChange with AdaptationalHeroism or AdaptationalVillainy, to shift perceptions of who the character is supposed to be.
14	# Use of a RaceLift, GenderFlip, AgeLift, AdaptationalNationality, or AdaptationSpeciesChange.
15	# New stories may be told [[PragmaticAdaptation using elements of past stories]].
16	# A tonal shift, often of a DarkerAndEdgier variety and a bigger focus on [[{{Deconstruction}} realism]].
17	# Characters may be [[AdaptationalBadass more powerful]] or [[AdaptationalWimp weaker]] than the original version, relative to how their abilities would fair in different circumstances.
18	# Creating an AlternateHistory of the main universe, a "WhatIf" ranging from modernizing their origins or how they would react to the latest political climate.
19	# A character is SparedByTheAdaptation, possibly as a MetaTwist for people expecting it to go through. Though DeathByOriginStory is often set in stone.
20	# Adding [[OriginalCharacter new]] [[CanonForeigner characters]] (heroes, villains, supporters, etc.) to spice things up. If a character from an official adaptation proves to be popular, they'll end up becoming a {{Canon Immigrant}}.
21	# A general drive for individual coherency, taking advantage of the SharedUniverse and planning the CrisisCrossover ahead of time. Whereas the original work may have run against a ContinuitySnarl, the Ultimate Universe has the benefit of hindsight. Writers can cherry-pick the best ideas from the preceding work and streamline familiar story beats.
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23	Named for the Creator/MarvelComics "ComicBook/UltimateMarvel" line, which sought to update and streamline decades of continuity with an AlternateContinuity sub-brand without canceling out the original storyline. Most superheroes under the "Ultimate" umbrella brand are given reboots of their own, but on a smaller scale -- ComicBook/SpiderMan's 'radioactive spider' origin story was replaced with an [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke updated 'genetically engineered spider']] version.
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25	{{Fan Fiction}} writers frequently do this in {{Alternate Universe Fic}}s, essentially rebooting the mythos to incorporate their own ideas, {{Fanon}}, and [[CanonImmigrant other material]].
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27	----
28	!!Examples:
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31	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
32	* This was essentially the hook of the Alternate Universe series of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''. As a result, ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' has '''nine''' of these! (''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G Gundam]]'', ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'', ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam X]]'', ''Anime/TurnAGundam'', ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed Gundam SEED]]'', ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'', ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE Gundam Age]]'', ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans Iron-Blooded Orphans]]'', and ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury The Witch from Mercury]]'').
33	** ''SEED'' is a more explicit example, as it bears a lot of similarities to the original series and is sometimes called "21st Century First Gundam" by Creator/{{Sunrise}}.[[labelnote:*]]''First Gundam'' is a semi-official nickname for the original show.[[/labelnote]]
34	** You can generally tell which series are examples by how big the focus is on their respective GUNPLA line. Seed and 00 have entire separate lines dedicated to them, making them stand out even more as reboot series.
35	** There was also ''For The Barrel'', an obscure LightNovel-styled story featured in Newtype magazine with radically redesigned characters and mecha.
36	* Naoki Urasawa, creator of ''{{Manga/Monster}}'', did this for ''Manga/AstroBoy'' with ''Manga/{{Pluto}}'', which is specifically a slower-paced and more maturely-toned adaptation of the iconic "The Strongest Robot in the World" story arc. One reviewer explicitly compares it to Ultimate Marvel (see page quote). The [[Anime/AstroBoy 2003 animated series]] also arguably qualifies, as it took many of the unrelated storylines from the largely continuity-free classic manga and wove them together into a cohesive story-arc.
37	* The ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' [=OVAs=] have two: ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'', which has all the main characters and more or less a basic outlining of their backgrounds, plus another character and the same BigBad, and ''Anime/TenchiInTokyo'', with pretty much the main characters in the latter.
38	* ''Franchise/{{Negima}} Neo,'' which is [[RecursiveAdaptation based on the anime based on the manga]].
39	* This is Creator/HideakiAnno's stated intention with ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion''. However, there is evidence to suggest it may also be a StealthSequel to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion the original series as well]].
40	* With the announcement [[Anime/PokemonThePowerOfUs of a second film set in the same universe instead of the regular canon one]], ''Anime/PokemonIChooseYou'' can be considered one to the regular Pokemon anime continuity, featuring an Ash starting out his journey once again, but with elements introduced in later parts of the series.
41	* [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003 The 2003 adaptation]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', in the sense that it [[AdaptationDistillation distills]] parts of the manga while giving it a much [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]] tone, handles it a bit more realistically (the fight scenes are often short and brutal instead of epic spectacles, while the villains are a bit more fleshed out and their origins more grounded, so to speak) and deconstructs certain aspects of the original. It also exists as an AlternateContinuity, and adds [[GeckoEnding a new spin to the overall plot]].
42	* After ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean'' ended, [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun Part 7]] and beyond take place in a new continuity, but with a number of familiar (albeit sometimes renamed) characters and concepts, with other similar plot beats, many of which were tweaked to keep the narrative fresh, and mixing in elements from previous Parts (such as Part 8 revisiting the Morioh setting of Part 4, but with the Rock Humans, antagonists that are analogous to Part 2's Pillar Men, along with the protagonist named Josuke being significantly different).
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45	[[folder:Comic Books]]
46	* As mentioned above, Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' is the TropeNamer, as it's the Ultimate Universe version of the normal ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse''.
47	** The primary changes made to the series is the SettingUpdate, with the superhero-mutant era being identified as Usefulnotes/The2000s. The mutant phenomenon is originally the linchpin for the series, with [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] being the GreaterScopeVillain for the series (as opposed to [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]]), the X-Men being the first super-team and ComicBook/TheUltimates (the Avengers' new name) being formed as a response to both Magneto and avoiding dependency on the X-Men. SHIELD is the primary GovernmentAgencyOfFiction and the overall arc for the entire franchise is GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke with many plots and schemes tied back to the idea of recreating the Super Serum that worked perfectly in Captain America but in the hands of Norman Osborn leads to accidents (Peter Parker being bitten by one of his experimental spiders, which leads to Osborn making himself the Green Goblin and so on) and in the case of the Fantastic Four, leads to experiments in the Negative Zone.
48	** Both ''ComicBook/HeroesReborn'' and ''ComicBook/SpiderManChapterOne'' were failed attempts to do this by Marvel before they tried the TropeNamer and some ideas were even reused (like the idea of S.H.I.E.L.D. forming the universe's version of the Avengers rather than the team forming independently and Falcon having served in the military from ''Heroes Reborn'', and the origins of Spidey and his foes having connections to each other from ''Chapter One''). A possible factor in their failure is their attempt to replace the then-current continuity.
49	** Marvel's "Grand Design" comics are based on giving well-known creators the chance to do a same-medium AdaptationDistillation on their favourite characters and turn over fifty years of tangled canon into a coherent narrative. The first was Ed Piskor's ''ComicBook/XMenGrandDesign'', followed by Tom Scioli's ''ComicBook/FantasticFour: Grand Design'' and Jim Rugg's ''[[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]]: Grand Design''.
50	** ''ComicBook/SupremePower'' is a mature Ultimate Universe version of Marvel's ComicBook/JusticeLeague [[CaptainErsatz Captain Ersatzes]], the ComicBook/SquadronSupreme. They even had a crossover with the actual Ultimate Universe once.
51	** Creator/WarrenEllis' short-lived series ''ComicBook/{{newuniversal}}'' is ComicBook/TheNewUniverse's Ultimate version.
52	** In 2023, Marvel launched a reboot of ''Ultimate Marvel'' as a new imprint, ''ComicBook/UltimateUniverse2023''. The series takes place in a world altered by the machinations of the Maker, the Reed Richards of the ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'' in the original Ultimate Universe.
53	* The Creator/DCComics ''All-Star'' line, which had the ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' and ''ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder'' miniseries (with future projects based on ComicBook/WonderWoman, ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}, and possibly ComicBook/{{the Flash}}), was a form of this. The series aren't supposed to take place in any particular continuity (although ''All-Star Batman and Robin'' does [[ContinuitySnarl supposedly]] take place in the same continuity as Creator/FrankMiller's other Batman stories), and are supposed to be a concentration of what makes those characters special. As well, ''ComicBook/{{Justice}}'' is basically ''All-Star {{WesternAnimation/Superfriends}}'', even if it couldn't legally be called that.
54	* The ''ComicBook/EarthOne'' series of trade-paperbacks, consisting of ''ComicBook/BatmanEarthOne'', ''ComicBook/SupermanEarthOne'', ''ComicBook/TeenTitansEarthOne'' and ''ComicBook/WonderWomanEarthOne'', follow the Ultimate Marvel formula more closely than the All-Star line, intending to be a modern reboot in a new continuity rather than another mini-series written outside of continuity. The characters are all younger, more violent and asocial than the regular continuity.
55	* Devil's Due Publishing attempted a more realistic take on the ''Franchise/GIJoe'' franchise with ''ComicBook/GIJoeReloaded''.
56	* Creator/IDWPublishing's ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW Transformers Generation 1]]'' material, but this can be said of damn near all modern ''Transformers'' material.
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58	* In [[Comicbook/TheMultiversity]] Earth-7's [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Essential Comics]] universe was an in-universe Ultimate Universe to the [[Creator/MarvelComics Major Comics]] characters of Earth-8. Both were based on The mainstream Marvel universe and Ultimate Marvel universe respectively.
59	* ''ComicBook/Switch2015'' is this for ''ComicBook/{{Witchblade}}'' and several other Top Cow properties. The series is set in an alternate universe where the Witchblade is wielded by a teenage girl named Mary, and has a LighterAndSofter (and decidedly less {{Stripperific}}) style.
60	* After the release of ''Film/{{Dredd}}'', Rebellion started publishing comics in that same continuity in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'', making it an Ultimate Universe to ''ComicBook/{{Judge Dredd}}''.
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63	[[folder:Fan Works]]
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65	* ''FanFic/{{Spectrum}}'', a ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfiction that serves as a RecursiveFanfiction to ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureau'' and a ContinuityReboot to ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureauTheOtherSideOfTheSpectrum'', weaves in the show's canon, the comics, and its own original lore into one cohesive continuity, while remaining mostly true to canon in a BroadStrokes manner. The "Sunny Equestria" timeline also highlights this, with the backstory being based off what the show presented and the original story's concepts.
66	* ''Fanfic/TheLegendarySpiderMan'': A Spider-Man story that intends to take influences from all aspects of Spider Canon, and giving it its own sheen. In terms of some specifics, the story begins in the year 2021 so cell phones and jet pack technology are more modern aspects of their various lives. The Daily Bugle is described as more of a tabloid paper thanks to Jonah's editorializing, but inflation also means that Peter gets paid slightly more money compared with older pricing. And then there's discussion on how to bring a criminal to justice if they're also a public figure like Wilson Fisk.
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69	[[folder:Film]]
70	* The ''Franchise/StarTrek'' films headed by Creator/JJAbrams and his team are established as taking place in an entirely new timeline from the rest of the franchise, created inadvertently by Nero and old-Spock. As such, viewers can sit back and watch some familiar dynamics (the Kirk-Spock-[=McCoy=] friendship); some new ones (such as the Spock/[[spoiler:Uhura]] relationship); and entirely new fates for Captain Pike, Carol Marcus, and [[spoiler: Khan]], etc.--without taking offense at any violations of canon. Fans have taken to calling this "The JJ-verse" or "[=AOS=]" (Alternate Original Series). Paramount has since confirmed that the name of the alternate continuity is "Kelvin Universe", a reference to the titular spaceship in the opening scene of the 2009 film. When ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' went into development, it was said to be in the "Prime" timeline and not connected to these films, further affirming that it was a different type of playground.
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73	[[folder:Literature]]
74	* The [[Literature/TheSpaceOdysseySeries book sequels]] to ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' are all set in the universe established in the film version (the mission terminates at Saturn in the novel, at Jupiter in the film), but each one is set in a somewhat divergent universe that does not necessarily take all events of the previous novel(s) into account. Thus ''2061'' diverges from and ignores the epilogue of ''2010'', and ''3001'' glosses over several major implications described in the three previous novels. Clarke stated in the introductions to all three sequels that this was deliberate.
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76	* The [[Literature/TheCorneliusChronicles book series]], comprising Creator/MichaelMoorcock's ''The Final Programme'', ''A Cure for Cancer'' and ''The English Assassin'' establish Jerry Cornelius as a globe-trotting, time-hopping, jet-setting secret agent. He is surrounded by immortal characters for whom death lasts precisely until they are needed in a sequel. This is the incarnation used by other writers associated with Moorcock's contribution to the {{New Wave\|ScienceFiction}}. Then ''The Condition of Muzak'' reveals Jerry to be a down-at-heel would-be pop star with an imagination that makes Walter Mitty look like the average Vulcan. The only real death he encounters is that of his mother, which event ends the series.
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81	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
82	* Several campaigns by RPGA managed to receive the Ultimate treatment following their original publisher's demise. To wit, "Living City" became "Living Planar," "Living Greyhawk" evolved into "Blackmoor," and "Living Death" turned into "Fellowship of the White Star."
83	* Creator/WhiteWolf's ''TabletopGame/ChroniclesOfDarkness'' is an Ultimate SpiritualSuccessor of the ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness'', created to tighten focus, tweak rules mechanics, standardize rules between different gamelines, and replace a {{metaplot}} continuity that in just a little over a decade had become as convoluted and incomprehensible as any comic book universe with a more ambiguous, optional, and largely more internally consistent one.
84	** Another White Wolf product, ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', is given this treatment in the third edition, with the map redrawn and multiple new types of Exalt appearing.
85	* The fourth edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' can be considered this to 3.5 edition due to its streamlined, MMO-inspired gameplay, drastic overhaul of many established D&D conventions, and incorporating races, deities, and ideas from different editions and campaign settings.
86	** Fifth Edition even moreso. After the poor reception of 4E, Fifth Edition is an attempt to WinBackTheCrowd by effectively making a stripped-down Third Edition, which makes it feel very familiar to anyone who played 1st or 2nd Edition ''AD&D''; it ends up serving as something of the new-generation Basic D&D, to TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'s status as this generation's ''Advanced TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.
87	* The "Paragons of Freedom" setting in the ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' book ''Worlds of Freedom'' places the ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' characters in the ''Paragons'' setting. Between the more "realistic supers" tone of ''Paragons'' compared to ''Freedom'''s four-colour approach, and the fact superheroes are a fairly recent phenomenon, it feels a lot like an "Ultimised" version of the ''Freedom City'' setting.
88	* After the [=OblivAeon=] event in ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'', the game and the fictional comics focus on two major timelines - the Miststorm, or Tactics timeline, and the RPG, or main timeline. The Miststorm-verse is treated as an Ultimate Universe: it's darker and edgier, characters have different names and redesigns and beloved characters die for real. As a nod to the Marvel Ultimate Universe, the Miststorm timeline is eventually destroyed.
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91	[[folder:Video Games]]
92	* ''VideoGame/ActionTaimanin'': ''Action'' is set in an entirely new timeline from the other entries of the franchise. As a new continuity, it further combines elements of all prior entries of the series, like Yamamoto from ''ZERO'', Asagi being Gosha Academy's headmistress from the third game, the Fuuma clan and story from ''Battle Arena''/''RPGX'', and Oboro and [=NOMAD=] working be as depicted in the second game, just for a few examples.
93	* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'' is effectively the video game equivalent of ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'': streamline the original plots from their licensed ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' installments into one cohesive setting, featuring only their [[OriginalGeneration in-house created characters]] - a particularly interesting example, as ''Super Robot Wars'' is already a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover AdaptationDistillation of many diverse HumongousMecha properties. Things really hit a stride post-ContinuityReboot, as subsequent ''Original Generation'' {{Sequel}}s began adding in obscure Banpresto-developed titles like ''The Great Battle'' series and ''Hero Senki: Project Olympus'' as tie-ins to overall {{Continuity}}. These days, it's expected an ''Original Generation'' installment will incorporate something from Banpresto's library into its narrative, especially when current developer B.B. Studio is treating ''Original Generation'' as this trope.
94	* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' features a number of familiar elements and character names, but significantly reworked to find a way to fit them into the same era, with the plot of the first entry being something of a retake on ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence'', namely [[spoiler:as an origin story for Dracula]] and the second on ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' duology, namely on the idea of events that take place in a more contemporary era, albeit under a more clear AlternateHistory. It also trades the {{Metroidvania}} exploration for a more "''VideoGame/GodOfWar''" style beat em' up and the "vampire hunter/horror" theme for "Judeo-Christian and Paganism" to make it more relevant.
95	* Zig-Zagged with ''VideoGame/{{Doom 2016}}'' and ''VideoGame/DoomEternal''; the games take place in a unique universe with elements from several prior works in the franchise (the general premise, certain monster designs), but tweaked to make the world more developed, and features quite a bit of new lore introduced to the franchise, [[spoiler:but the protagonist is established to be ''the'' original Doomguy, who made his way to this new universe after the events of ''Doom 64''.]]
96	* ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' streamlines many elements from the classic ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series' convoluted story while adding original wrinkles, such as making Dante's mother a literal [[FemaleAngelMaleDemon Angel]], having Sparda tortured after betraying demonkind, and turning Dante's [[{{BFS}} Rebellion]] into a shape-shifting weapon. It also has its own version of the [[BreakoutVillain fan favorite Vergil]], who was killed in the original series' AnachronicOrder via [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 the first game]]. Overall, this continuity reuses some characters such as Sparda, Eva, Dante, Vergil, and Mundus, but redesigns their appearances and rewrites their personalities differently than their original counterparts. The story and dialogue are DarkerAndEdgier, while the setting also leans a lot on modern city UrbanFantasy than the previous games which leaned more on old Gothic-style architecture.
97	* ''VideoGame/DoubleDragonGaidenRiseOfTheDragons'' is described by the developers as an "alternate timeline prequel" to the ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' games. It takes many elements of the mainline games and other media in the franchise and its own unique takes and blend them together in a more grounded form.
98	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' is a {{Retool}}ed {{Crossover}} of ''Disney'' and ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', that sets both in the same continuity alongside characters from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'', Movies by ''Pixar'', and ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou''. When the worlds the player travels to are not a {{Compressed Adaptation}} of the movies they're based on, they and the ''Square Enix'' Characters usually have some thematic relevance with the story of the {{Original Generation}} Characters and the overall series. Creator/TetsuyaNomura has also given drastic redesigns to some of the ''Disney'' and ''Final Fantasy'' Characters, putting them in clothes that are [[AuthorAppeal his preferred aesthetic]].
99	* In a way, ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' is this by being a {{Retool}}ed {{Crossover}} [[CanonWelding that puts many SNK Games into a single shared continuity]], while also featuring many OriginalGeneration characters. From ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' (with later games featuring characters [[VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves from]] [[VideoGame/BurikiOne their]] [[DistantSequel Distant Sequels]]), to ''VideoGame/IkariWarriors'' and ''VideoGame/PsychoSoldier''. More recent titles have also added ''VideoGame/KizunaEncounter'', ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' and ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' into the mix. Some of the characters like Robert, Athena and Terry have also gotten redesigns as the series went on. [[spoiler:And then there's King of Dinosaurs, who is actually Tizoc [[FaceHeelTurn going under a new heel persona]], kind of like [[Characters/UltimateFantasticFour The Maker]] [[AntiRoleModel but much more]] [[DemotedToComicRelief comedic]].]]
100	* The ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam'' crossover confirms that the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' games are separate from the rest of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, being contained inside a magic book kept in Peach's castle.
101	* The cancelled "Maverick Hunter" game by Armature Studio would have been this to the VideoGame/MegaManX franchise, featuring a new realistic design for X, a supposedly darker storyline, and a Creator/BruceWillis-esque [[AndroidsAndDetectives human partner]].
102	* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' is a SpinOff/reimagining of the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' franchise, set in an AlternateUniverse that focuses on a grand development of the internet instead of robotics. It mostly features characters from the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Classic]]'' series, who are all redesigned to fit with the ''Battle Network'' aesthetic. (although Glyde from the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManLegends Legends]]'' series, as well as Zero, the Colonel and Iris from the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX X]]'' series also show up) The series would later recieve a DistantSequel called ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'', which deals with [[ItMakesSenseInContext aliens and Wi-Fi radio]].
103	* The ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' games by Creator/NetherrealmStudios are an odd example of this, much like the ''ComicBook/New52'' they start off a New Timeline by hitting the ResetButton in their [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 First Game]]. After that, they condense the plot of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1992 The]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatII Arcade]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombat3 Trilogy]] in a cinematic Story Mode that involves characters introduced later into the series, With big changes to the events of the timeline being a result of TimeTravel [[ButterflyOfDoom shenanigans]]. ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' adapts the plot of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' and re-introduces some elements and characters from [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance The]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception 3D]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon Era]], [[CreatorsPest while also killing of many others]] in the Prequel Comic or [[DroppedABridgeOnHim off-screen]]. It also introduces New Characters and [[LegacyCharacter Legacy Characters]] into the lore. Then ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' features another big cinematic Story Mode with TimeTravel that has, [[BrokenBase controversially]], changed the personality/backstory of certain characters more so than previous installments. [[spoiler:Such as, for example, [[EvilAllAlong Sindel]].]]
104	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
105	** ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' had Sonic team up with his past self, Classic Sonic. ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' and ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' retcon Classic Sonic to be from AnotherDimension. Though it was later re-retconned back to him being from the past.
106	** The ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' video games, as well as its follow-up [[WesternAnimation/SonicBoom cartoon]], tried to serve as this for the Sonic franchise to give SEGA room to experiment in a new continuity while still being close to the original.
107	* The world of ''VideoGame/YuGiOhBAM'' combines characters, story, and settings from the first three Yu-Gi-Oh anime.
108	* ''VideoGame/YuGiOhReshefOfDestruction'' features both manga-exclusive and anime-exclusive characters, referencing events from both continuities as well as its prequel game.
109	* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins''. While other games in the ''VideoGame/{{Batman Arkham Series}}'' try to focus on incorporating the best elements from across every Bat-adaptation, or showing how dangerous even the cheesiest Batman villain can be, ''Origins'' seems determined to modernize Gotham: Riddler becomes a hacker and cyberterrorist, Anarky resembles a modern "Guy Fawkes" street protestor, and a lot of focus is given to the corrupt prison and police system, both major talking points among the public when the game came out.
110	* ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero'' manages to incorporate nearly every part of the ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'' series into its canon. It is canonically a continuation of the Japanese ''Metafight'' universe, with the English canon added onto it. [[spoiler:The series even sets up the events of ''Blasting Again'' for Jason and Eve's children.]]
111	* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016'' ([[WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank2016 and the movie it's based on]]) retells the original story with a great amount of this trope in effect. Elements such as the Galactic Rangers, hints to Ratchet's origins, Qwark's rivalry with Nefarious and Ratchet's desire to be a hero are all injected into the story. In addition to that are a great amount of world-building such as a diverse array of races, the Megacorp and [=GrummelNet=] companies, President Phyronix, [[Franchise/{{Robocop}} Unicop]], the presence of other galaxies, and even an easter egg for what kick-starts the adventure ''after'' this one. By comparison the [=PS2=] and [=PS3=] titles took the course of a decade to introduce all of these.
112	** [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] with ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction'': the game discarded several modern gameplay elements and re-emphasized old ones ''and'' introduced brand news aspects, such as a higher focus on the story and lore, making it a giant gumbo of the series' best elements.[[note]]To note but a few, it took the multiple upgrade system from [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal the third game]], the lighter tone and personal goal-driven story from [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002 the first game]], the snappy handling from [[VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked the fourth game]] and the difficulty curve from [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando the second game]].[[/note]] What makes this trope a Zig-Zagged one is that at the time, with all the discarded elements and characters picked up over the years, there was fan confusion as to whether the game was a ContinuityReboot or a {{Retool}}. As such, [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureQuestForBooty the]] [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime games]] [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One that]] [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault came]] [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankIntoTheNexus after]] included many throwbacks and references to the pre-Tools titles, ranging from name-dropping beloved characters like Courtney Gears and Ace Hardlight all the way to including a museum that is loaded with ContinuityPorn as if it were a MilestoneCelebration.
113	* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019'' has this in spades:
114	** This time around, while the plot takes cues from the original ''VideoGame/{{Call of Duty 4\|ModernWarfare}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2 Modern Warfare 2]]'' (via a combination of Russian and Middle Eastern terrorists conducting terrorist attacks in their own countries, and against innocent civilians abroad), the action takes place in the current day rather than NextSundayAD, and Captain John Price is expressly YoungerAndHipper (34-35 in this game, versus the 50 year-old incarnation in the original trilogy).
115	** Price still undertook an operation to assassinate Imran Zakhaev in Pripyat; in this timeline, it's all but confirmed that it was an outright success, whereas the first incarnation of that mission ended with Zakhaev [[AnArmAndALeg losing his arm]] but otherwise surviving. Furthermore, Victor Zakhaev is said to be leading the Russian Ultranationalists that were [[ContinuityNod referenced]] earlier in the game.
116	** In this universe, Price is more open with his emotions, swearing more, letting his frustrations show on the surface more often when a situation is going south (like during the defense of the Embassy in Urzikstan) and openly discusses Kyle's emotional concerns with him.
117	** Whereas Task Force 141 was set up in the interim between the first and second game (by Soap, largely in response to what happened with Zakhaev), [[spoiler:this time around, ''Price'' is the one who sets it up, expressly to deal with Victor Zakhaev. Furthermore, Price recruits John [=MacTavish=] (aka "Soap"), PlayerCharacter Kyle Garrick (aka "Gaz") and Simon Riley (aka "Ghost"), along with a number of unspecified operatives]].
118	** At the end of the game it's revealed that [[spoiler:Khaled Al-Asad]] is now the commander of Al-Qatala and is leading an offensive against the Russia city of Verdansk.
119	** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfareII'' continues this in spades, with Task Force 141 working under General Shepherd and together with the PMC Shadow Company, much of the story revolving around the possibility of America being implicated in an attack they didn't take part in (by way of American missiles ending up in Al-Qatala's hands), and [[spoiler:a mid-game betrayal of Task Force 141 by Shepherd and Shadow Company]]. And, once they're dealt with, the last-minute revelation that there's still one more bad guy out there: [[spoiler:Makarov]].
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122	[[folder:Web Comics]]
123	* ''WebComic/DumbingOfAge'' is basically a reboot of ''Webcomic/{{Roomies}}'', minus the MundaneFantastic that eventually took over the strip and plus the hundreds of characters created since then.
124	* ''WebComic/InvertedFate'', while it is a RoleSwapAu, it is also a reimagination of the original ''Undertale''. Frisk has a freshed-out personality instead of being a silent protagonist, a backstory and more interactions with the cast, and Papyrus is a secondary protagonist and party member. The setting is more evolved due to the swaps affecting the story. The lore is also expanded through flashbacks, DummiedOut content being restored and Chara having a major role and impact.
125	* ''Webcomic/TheJapaneseBeetle'' went through this in 2003, retelling stories from its 1998 origin in more modern style. WordOfGod later admitted that this was exactly what he was going for.
126	* ''Webcomic/TailsGetsTrolled Polished'' was an attempt at this. With lazerbot adding shading to his [[StylisticSuck crude drawings]] and correcting his infamous spelling mistakes. Events that in the original Webcomic lasted only two pages were stretched to four, characters introduced later into the story appear much earlier, and new characters and scenes were added, some of which try to add depth to minor characters. All of this with a much more dense tone [[CerebusSyndrome akin to the latter chapters rather than the much more fast paced beginning of the original]]. The goal of this remaster was to make a definitive version of the Webcomic, [[OldShame with lazerbot himself even calling the original a draft]]. His fans weren't pleased, especially since the new project started after the original was left on a {{cliffhanger}}.
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129	[[folder:Western Animation]]
130	%%*
131	* ''WesternAnimation/GodzillaTheSeries'' turns the continuity of ''Film/Godzilla1998'' into this. While the movie is regarded by American and Japanese Kaiju fans as a [[InNameOnly Godzilla in name only]], the Animated Series is a [[SettingUpdate then-contemporary]] [[TheRemake remake]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheGodzillaPowerHour.'' [[TruerToTheText Bringing back familiar elements]] such as his Atomic Breath and a [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monster of the Week format]]. [[WritingAroundTrademarks The show also has Expies of other Toho monsters]], such as Quetzacoatl being the show's version of Rodan, The Nanotech Creature as Hedorah, and The Robo-Yeti as both King Kong and Mechani-Kong. Then there's also Cyber-Godzilla, a mechanized Kaiju that uses the remains of the previous Godzilla, a concept later used for the Millenium Mechagodzilla (Kiryu). Cyber-Godzilla was created by the Tachyons, [[CompositeCharacter which are the show's equivalent to the Simeons and Kilaaks]]. Much like Godzilla himself, [[YouDontLookLikeYou the designs]] and backstory of these Expies are drastically different from their source, and The Robo-Yeti is [[AdaptationalNationality Japanese instead of American]], the inverse of this Godzilla, which is something that the show playfully points out. And finally, there's the thing that it has most in common with it's [[TropeNamer Trope]] [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Namer]], these adaptations are a [[TurnOfTheMillennium product of their time]].
132	* ''WesternAnimation/MegamanFullyCharged'' was meant to be this to the main Classic [=MegaMan=] franchise. In this continuity, Megaman is a young robot boy named Aki Light that has the ability to transform into his Super Fightin' Robot hero identity [=MegaMan=] and lives alongside his creator; war-veteran Dr. Thomas Light, and his human daughter Suna Light (who has nothing to do with Roll), with them fighting a completely new antagonist named Sgt. Night, an anti-robot bigot that manipulates robots such as Fire Man, Air Man, Guts Man, Cut Man and Elec Man alongisde [[CanonForeigner newcomers Hypno-Woman and Blast-Woman]] into becoming dangers to society, with Megaman's twin brother being a CompositeCharacter of [=ProtoMan=] and Bass.
133
134	* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''
135	** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' was made to modernize and reintroduce the franchise to a new, younger generation. It featured mostly the same cast from [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 G1]], but smaller, while adding new characters and ideas of its own. It also had a few elements from [[Film/Transformers2007 the first Live-Action Movie]] and characters from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars''. (According to [[UniverseBible The AllSpark Almanac]], a character from [[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise Robots In Disguise]] exists in this universe too.) Unlike the episodic [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers '80s cartoon]] it rebooted, ''Animated'' had a bigger focus on continuity, with multi-part episodes at the start and finale of each season. Some characterizarion and roles were updated and tweaked too, like Optimus being younger and still figuring things out as a leader.
136	** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' is part of the ''Franchise/TransformersAlignedUniverse'', which exists entirely outside of the Transformers {{multiverse}} in the beginning, and it was deliberately designed to be a universe with the best parts of other continuities. The show itself also had a [[DarkerAndEdgier more serious and brooding tone]] than other Transformers Cartoons.
137	[[/folder]]

Context Main / UltimateUniverse