A fan gets Jossed when the elaborate EpilepticTrees or {{Fanfic}} that they've lovingly built upon canonical elements is abruptly disproved by further canon or by the WordOfGod. Some authors do this on purpose, after reading fan theories (even plausible, good ones) to make sure that the fans will be surprised at further developments they didn't think of, or just to [[TakeThat stick it to their fans]]. Needless to say, some are now afraid to openly theorize in fear that the authors will notice and not use it even if it was similar to what they planned all along.

Named after JossWhedon; ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' was notorious for this, as fans would come up with detailed and elaborate theories or plots during summer hiatuses, most of which got completely thrown out within three episodes of the new season.

May lead to {{discontinuity}} when disgruntled {{fen}} prefer their own {{fanon}} to official facts.

This trope has two opposites: IKnewIt, where the fan theory is proven to be true by a twist that was planned all along, and SureWhyNot, where the author decides to promote some {{Fanon}} elements to {{Canon}} status. Compare SchrodingersGun.

Note: In some circles, the term "Jossed" refers to a [[AnyoneCanDie gutwrenching main character death]], which JossWhedon is also famous for. This definition entered the populace when during a Q&A session at an Australian university, a young Aussie girl noted his tendency to do horrible things to on screen couples, and to much laughter, said "We call it getting 'Jossed'".

It should be noted that "Jossed" does ''not'' mean "I disagree and here is evidence contrary to your theory." If someone claims that, in ''{{Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan}}'', Spock dies from ExplosiveInstrumentation during a Klingon attack, the fact that this turns out to be the Kobayashi Maru simulation [[strike:does not]] only "Josses" the claim for fans who had based the theory on trailers, ''before'' the actual film was released. The term only rightly applies when ''new'' information discredits {{Fanon}} or WildMassGuessing.

Nothing to do with Joss Stone.
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[[foldercontrol]]

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* The new {{OVA}}[[AlternateContinuity -verse]] ''TenchiMuyo!'' installments jossed many of the assumptions the fanbase had come to hold dear -- for instance, that Tenchi's BumblingDad Nobuyuki was a [[{{Muggles}} Muggle]], instead of being [[spoiler: in on the {{Masquerade}} with Katsuhito/Yosho]]. Fans tend to [[DisContinuity ignore the new installment]], but usually ''not'' because of the Jossing.
** Did anyone see [[spoiler: Washu as a goddess]] coming? Talk about Jossing. It completely altered any theorizing about Washu and Dr. Clay's previous relationship. And poor Kagato...
*** Not sure if this counts, as that aspect of her was hinted at all the way back in OAV1, shortly after she appeared. It certainly doesn't alter any of those relationships. Now, a better example would be any of the Japanese material that gets brought over. There's a lot of stuff that's canon but was never shown onscreen.
**** Tenchi's dad was specifically stated to be a descendant of Yosho in the Tenchi 101 book.
***** But given that Yosho has been living on Earth for 700 years, chances are he's got lots of descendants. There was no reason to think that Nobuyuki was anything special, and fans just (quite reasonably) assumed he was too distant a descendant to have any way of knowing that Yosho was still alive and was his father-in-law Katsuhito.
* ''[=~Pokémon~=]'''s been particularly vulnerable to Jossing lately: [[spoiler:"Ash will get Buizel" (Dawn does, but Ash does trade for it later), "Ash will get Hippotas" (no-one does), "Ash will get Shieldon" (same), "Ash will get a clue" (shut it), "Paul is a starting trainer (he's been a trainer as long as Ash has)"]].
** For what it's worth, people have been making those predictions for most of the anime...
* ''MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'':
** Caren, Noel and Coco, upon their return in the middle of season two, will get their own plot arc and be important again. (Jossed by the first episode in which they reappear, in which it is [[WallBanger blatantly pointed out]] that they can't defeat a member of the new QuirkyMinibossSquad to themselves, and have to go be comic relief. They do, however, get a brief shining moment in the manga.)
** Lucia and Kaito will get a duet. (Became more and more likely when an extra song called "Birth of Love" was announced on the album. Then it was used in the show... as a new Seira song.)
** The Great One is Michal. (Jossed by the episode with Rihito's concert.)
* In ''TsubasaReservoirChronicle'', almost all the fans were ''certain'' that Syaoran was the same Syaoran as in ''CardCaptorSakura'', coming off as slightly reluctant to woo his obvious crush because he was already committed to her AlternateUniverse-equivalent. Turns out, [[spoiler: he isn't CCS Syaoran, but the son of an alternate universe version of CCS Syaoran, using his dad's name and abilities. [[OedipusRex He's been romancing an alternate universe clone of his]] ''[[OediupusRex mom]]''...and always ''known'' about it.]] Cue the AbandonShip of a ''canon pairing'' by a decent chunk of the fanbase.
** This has actually been even further Jossed, in that [[spoiler:the theories spawned by finding out who his parents basically are (so to speak. Damn dimensional doubles.) were all wrong. The second Syaoran is actually the son of the clones reincarnated as opposed to the CCS couple, which has quite broken a lot of brains, thankyouverymuch.]]
* In ''CodeGeass'', the popular fan theory that [[spoiler:Lelouch faked his death at the end of the series]] has been Jossed in official materials released after the ending, as well as numerous interviews where ''the entire staff and cast'' says that [[spoiler:he's [[KilledOffForReal dead for real]]]]. Then for good measure the Official Guide Book mentions it 5 times, and the special addition DVD replaces the entire last scene (''which sparked the fan theory in the first place'') with a monologue by C.C stating clearly that [[spoiler: Lelouch is dead]].
* ''OnePiece'': Boa Hancock being Luffy's mom was a pretty popular theory for a while, even though it's only basis was that they sorta looked alike. (''in a manga story where young-ish characters kind of look alike anyway.'') It got Jossed when she fell in love with him.
** This example is probably going to go down in history because of how ''obsessed'' fandom was with this theory at some point despite the utter lack of real evidence. [[DeaderThanDisco Pretty embarrassing for a lot of people in retrospect.]]
* ''{{Hellsing}}''. The true species of the Major ([[spoiler: he's a cyborg]]) was only introduced in the last chapters, and before that he was considered either a vampire or some weird magical human. And then of course in the aforementioned last chapters, [[spoiler: almost everybody died]]. This troper kicked herself after a fic she wrote was Jossed by the latter a day after it was uploaded to FanFiction.net.
* ''Naruto'' Jossed everyone using both Tobi, Pain and Itachi because turns out [[spoiler: Itachi is a good guy, Tobi is actually Madara Uchiha and the big bad Pain's real body is Nagato]].
** Countless fanfiction and fanart depicts an older Naruto as the Sixth/Rokudaime Hokage, all of which got Jossed when [[spoiler: Danzou got that title.]]
*** Not exactly. [[spoiler:Danzou is only the acting Hokage, and whether he'll get to become the true Rokudaime Hokage as he intends is far from certain.]]
**** The reveal that [[spoiler:the Tailed Beasts were once a single ten tailed entity called the Jubi, that was sealed and split by the Sage of 6 paths, countermands countless interpretations of the tailed beasts that depict them as being separate and ancient entities.]]
* ''KatekyoHitmanReborn'' to an extent too because there was Ryohei/Kyoko, Ryohei/Colonello, Ryohei/whoever the hell people liked pairing with him but Amano Jossed everyone by pretty much canoning [[spoiler: Ryohei/Hana]] but saying that'll probably end with a Ship War. Not that many people gave a crap about Ryohei anyway. Amano likes Jossing people a lot seeing as most of her plot points descend from random possibly LSD caused ideas. Or so it would seem...
** Tsuna's box animal was also up for debate for a long time until it was pretty much canon'd going against pretty much everyone's ideas.
** The 6 real furneral wreaths [[spoiler: did anyone honestly guess that Kikyo is the CLOUD guardian???]]
* In ''{{Bleach}}'' Kubo Tite Jossed a theory that almost the entire fandom thought to be unquestionable truth: [[spoiler:that Ichigo is Kaien's reincarnation. However, it turned out that Kaien's soul never reincarnated but was trapped in Aaroniero until Rukia freed him.]] Reactions varied, especially in the shippers' corner where many [=IchiRuki=] fans had regarded the theory as the ultimate proof that the pair was destined to be together. Of course it might have been a hint that while Rukia, Ukitake and Byakuya noticed Ichigo's resemblance to Kaien, Kaien's actual siblings apparently didn't.
** Also Jossed was [[spoiler:the notion that Ichigo's BumblingDad Isshin was nothing more than what he seemed]], and thus beyond being able to see spirits there was nothing special about Ichigo until Rukia's power was transferred to him. Most fans just assumed his rapid growth in power was merely the result of him being TheHero in a {{Shonen}} series, combined with the unique method used to restore his Shinigami powers when he lost them. But then it was revealed that [[spoiler:Isshin is a former Shinigami Captain, who was just ''pretending'' to be a moron all along, and thus Ichigo was half-Shinigami from the start (as are his sisters, for that matter), and thus his later experiences largely just unlocked potential that was there all along.]]
*** Naturally, this revelation has produced a whole new set of EpilepticTrees that Kubo may or may not Joss in the future. Most notably, the idea that [[spoiler:rather than being Kaien's reincarnation, Ichigo is instead his cousin, with Isshin having been a member of the Shiba Clan before leaving Soul Society.]]
*''HunterXHunter'' has [[DroppedABridgetOnHim dropped a Bridget]] on many fanboys in the form of the Databook. First there was Kurapika, then Karuto, and then there was the whole business of Pitou's gender.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Board Games]]
* Apparently there was some fanfic of the then-fictional board game "Escape from Zyzzlvaria" invented for a [[http://web.mit.edu/puzzle/www/02/round2/04/Puzzle.html 2002 MIT Mystery Hunt puzzle]], written when it was announced the board game would be [[{{Defictionalization}} defictionalized]] for the [[http://web.mit.edu/puzzle/www/09/ 2009 Hunt]]. When game character "Captain Blastoid" first appeared in the flesh, played by Jennifer Braun, the fic about a male Blastoid was suddenly a GenderFlip.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films]]
* Prior to the release of the ''StarWars'' prequels, it was widely accepted by fans that the Clone Wars were fought by the Republic ''against'' an army or armies of clones, and that the Clone Wars happened well before the Empire formed. When the Essential Guides (compendiums of movie and EU knowledge) were revised and republished starting after the release of ''Episode II'', a lot of time was spent {{retcon}}ning the previous versions of the Guides, often with the excuse that in the wake of the Empire's rise, much information was lost or destroyed, and there were some rogue clones.
** Much of Boba Fett's EU history was tossed out in the Prequels as well. There is no mention of Mandalorians, and Fett winds up being a clone of his "father". In all fairness, he had in-universe cultivated multiple pasts for himself to increase his mystique.
** Jedi family life! And then the movie implies celibacy, but Lucas Josses that again with a statement in [[AllThereInTheManual an interview]] that [[AuthorAppeal the Jedi have casual sex and only casual sex]].
* Far more reprehensibly, the press for [[TheBlairWitchProject a certain movie about the Blair witch]] was pitched all over the place as an actual paranormal experience. It was not until the very end of the credits that the movie itself fessed up it was all a fairy tale. (That was at least deliberate, malicious as it was.)
* The promotional campaign leading up to the release of ''{{Cloverfield}}'' was more or less ''intended'' to produce EpilepticTrees of all varieties, which it did. Fan speculation identified the monster, unseen in trailers, to be any number of previously established beings - [[CthulhuMythos Cthulhu]], {{Godzilla}}, {{Voltron}} - instead of what it actually was, [[spoiler: an immature sea creature that was awakened from dormancy from a falling satellite and became huge after exposure to a soft drink additive. This is not spelled out in the movie, but it's AllThereInTheManual.]] ''Prob''ably...
* It is likely that DavidLynch's [[ShrugOfGod reluctance to confirm or deny anything]] about the ambiguous aspects of his work is to avoid offending his fans in this way.
** In part. Lynch is also an artist, and knowing that art is in the eye of the beholder, the man is truly serious about leaving space for you to fill in details. But not ticking off those that make their own conclusions is no small side benefit, either..
* It was taken as gospel that the Audi 8 [[TransformersFilmSeries Decepticon]] was a reformatted Barricade. However, he was recently revealed as Sideways.
** Wait, that was an Audi? There seriously was an [[LeastICouldDo Audibot]]!?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Many theories about ''HarryPotter'' have been repeatedly Jossed with the release of each successive book, with ''[[HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows The Deathly Hallows]]'' Jossing the most. Numerous {{Fan Fic}}s featuring a female Blaise Zabini got [[GenderFlip Jossed]] when ''[[HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince The Half-Blood Prince]]'' was released.
** ''After'' the release of ''DeathlyHallows'', a rapid succession of ship-related Jossings ensued when WordOfGod informed the eager fans that three of their beloved characters ended up with love interests who were not even introduced in the series. This earned a fan nickname of its own: "Getting Rolfed," named after one of the characters who was introduced in this way.
*** Also after ''DeathlyHallows'', Rowling even managed to Joss the fanfiction writers who speculated about [[TheDumbledore Dumbledore]], particularly his romantic feelings. Given the many bizarre ideas written about him, [[WordOfGod stunning the fan base with the news]] he was: 1) [[AmbiguouslyGay gay all along]]; and 2) smart enough to keep it in his pants and out of the ''Quibbler'' was actually the nicest way in the world to snap back at the ficcers.
** Not to mention the constant speculation as to what each book would be called. A persistent one was ''HarryPotter and the Green Flame Torch'', a [[MemeticMutation meme]] originating in a {{continuation}} {{fanfic}} on the Harry Potter Connection which spread across the internet. [[Quotes/{{Jossed}} J.K. Rowling herself memorably sporked the speculation]] but even today "Green Flame Torch" turns up 86 hits on ThePitOfVoles.
* The most popular ''WheelOfTime'' theory was that the Forsaken Demandred was in disguise as Mazrim Taim, the false Dragon who knew how to test to see if a man could channel. Their where also other hints that compared the two, but the whole thing was Jossed when Robert Jordan blankly stated that Mazrim Taim was not Demandred.
** Aside from that and a few other instances, though, Jordan was notorious for refusing to give straight answers, reputedly because he was amused by the rabid fan discussions on some of the more hotly debated topics.
* In the ''{{Dragaera}}'' series, a popular fan theory was that Kragar was actually legendary assassin Mario Greymist, even though the author Steven Brust insisted something like "no one is anyone else" [[spoiler: which isn't actually true since Sethra Lavode and Kiera the Thief are one in the same]]. This was jossed in ''Dzur'' where Mario makes an appearance.
* Between publication of Book I and Book II of ''{{Don Quixote}}'', several novels written by another author featuring the title character were published. In Book II, Cervantes specifically referred to the non-canonical books as being false, going so far as to have the characters in the novel read these alternate stories and deriding them as ludicrous inaccuracies, making this trope OlderThanSteam.
* After the early books in the ''{{Twilight}}'' series, many fans were asking about the idea of vampire babies, and Stephenie Meyer apparently Jossed this by saying that vampires couldn't get pregnant. Cue outraged claims of outright lies when ''Breaking Dawn'' came out and Edward gets Bella pregnant...at which point Meyer calmly points out that her ExactWords were that vampires couldn't ''get'' pregnant, and that she had never outright addressed the concept of a male vampire impregnating a human female, instead relying on the fans' own assumptions to keep that plot detail a secret until she was ready to reveal it -- turning this into an IKnewIt.
* Fans of ''HitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' tried to find hidden meaning in the fact that the Ultimate Answer to Life, The Universe and Everything was "42" while the Ultimate Question was "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?". Some observed that, in Base 13, 6 x 9 '''is''' 42. Adams famously responded "I don't write jokes in Base 13". In the same vein, attempts to assign deeper meaning to the number 42 in the first place were {{Jossed}} when he said he pretty much picked the number at random, decided it sounded good, and went with it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* Sometimes even official sources get Jossed. An example of this is the online animated ''DoctorWho'' story "Scream of the Shalka", starring Richard E. Grant as the Doctor, which was meant to be the official continuation of the series from where the TV movie left off... Until the actual show came back on and totally disregarded it.
** ''Who'' fans are used to being Jossed by now; the new series in particular takes a perverse pleasure in contradicting {{Fanon}} without having violated any actual {{Canon}}. The Doctor's references to his family in "The Empty Child" and "Smith and Jones" have evoked particular Jossing (including the problems it causes for one of the ExpandedUniverse BigFinish audios, in which the Doctor clearly and unequivocally says that he has never been a father). [[spoiler: The Doctor's reaction in "The Sound of Drums" to the suggestion that the Master is his brother is a particularly self-aware example.]] Even though his granddaughter Susan is introduced in ''the very first episode''. One uncharitable theory is that the Doctor was retconned this way by his more rabid fans on the principle that if ''they've'' never had sex, why should he...?
*** There's a couple theories about Susan, and they're all equally valid until Jossed. The first is that he'll father one of Susan's parents later on, but (as Susan's backstory involves her hailing from the early days of Gallifrey) she wound up back in time and hooked up with the first Doctor as her patience has naturally reached its end. The second is that he adopted her and refused at that point in his generation (aged) to be "Father". Thus, she called him "Grandfather". The third.. that's the freakiest. The doctor is known for very strange regenerations from the frequency and severity of his various deaths, and on one occasion his male and female personalities EACH incarnated. It's just barely possible the Doctor (as the Valyard) is a ''mother''..
* The creators of ''{{Lost}}'' have specifically shot down the fan theory that the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 are actually [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory all dead and in a kind of purgatory]], despite the belief that this was the only explanation that actually made Season One make any kind of sense. Lingering hopes of this being true have been ''thoroughly'' Jossed as [[spoiler:the last season actually does allow many of the main characters to escape the island and return to the real world.]]
** Although [[spoiler: in either a TakeThat or a ShoutOut, one of those returnees "now" holds the theory that he and the other "Oceanic 6" are in fact dead.]]
* ''StarTrekEnterprise''. Nearly every episode went against some bit of fanon, but careful examination reveals the writers never went against canon, with near Magnificent Bastard precision (with the exception of cloaking devices appearing much earlier than previously established).
** Of course, if they had planned all along for the Time War to create the Mirrorverse of the Terran Empire, a certain MagnificentBastard in the ranks of the Q Continuum may have been literally Jossing history.
** For example, several well-known alien species are encountered in ''{{Enterprise}}'' had originally received first contact later in the chronology. The dialogue carefully avoided mentioning the species by name to keep canon intact. One episode featuring the Borg managed a certain degree of reversing VillainDecay, while folding {{Canon}} back into itself in a remarkable way. Unfortunately, this reliance on bending canon only added more to argue with an UnpleasableFanbase.
* In ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', it was something of a [[IncrediblyLamePun no brainer]] (so to speak) that Sylar [[BrainFood ate the brains of his victims]]. He makes frequent use of EvilTastesGood dialogue, and WordOfGod itself stated that he was originally supposed to eat the brains, but they couldn't figure out a way to show it on-screen without being silly. And yet brain-eating is explicitly Jossed in a very funny scene in the first episode of Season 3.
-->[[spoiler:'''Claire:''' Are you going to eat it?\\
'''Sylar:''' Eat your brain? Claire, that's disgusting!]]
** To be fair, many fans used the term "eating brains" as code for "whatever Sylar does with the brains that gives him the victim's powers".
** Apparently, Brain-Eating was actually accepted as what Sylar did by the cast and writers for the first season. So much so, Zachary Quinto (who played Sylar) would go into interviews saying that's what his character did. However, Kring felt that it made him seem to zombie-like and conceived a "less disgusting" method. This also leaves several inconsistencies with the first and second season (such as, where did the brains go?)
* This occasionally happens in ''PowerRangers''. The problem is that much of the info comes from casting scripts or pre-season profiles; this info has been repeatedly wrong and/or changed when the show begins airing since 2002, but the fans keep using it as source material for fic.
* The idea that ''{{Smallville}}'''s Chloe might change her name to become "Lois Lane" later in life was pretty thoroughly Jossed when the ''actual'' Lois Lane showed up in season 4 (and several times afterwards by [[WordOfGod word of God]]).
** Now that it has been revealed that the character called "Jimmy Olsen" was not the Jimmy we know of in the comics, but his brother, the theory has (probably unintentionally) gained a bit of plausibility again.
*** I don't see how. That's not a twist they could pull more than once (especially considering the overwhelmingly negative reaction it's received from all quarters -- it was even implied by the PTB that it may be reversed at some point in the show's future).
** When Jor-El's voice began telling Clark that it was his destiny to rule the people of Earth with strength, fans believed either General Zod was Clark's biological father, or that Zod had somehow intercepted the ship and placed a message inside. This was jossed by the PTB who assured fans that Jor-El was still Clark's father.
* A recent example from ''BattlestarGalactica'': one episode revealed that there was originally a number 7 Cylon named Daniel, but Cavil destroyed them all. The fanbase went wild with EpilepticTrees over this, saying that Daniel was Starbuck's father, Starbuck herself, any or all of the imaginary friends, the thirteenth lord of Kobol, etc. Then WordOfGod said that no, Daniel is not Starbuck's father, will not play any part in the finale, and was only created to explain why there was no number 7, while adding to Cavil's evil backstory to boot.
* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': the possible trope namer is the fandom reaction to the season 5 revelation that Drusilla sired Spike. Until this point, it was assumed that Angelus siring Spike was canon (what with Spike outright referring to Angel as his sire at least twice); suddenly almost all existing Fanged Four and Angel/Spike fics were 'Jossed'.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* The first ''KingdomHearts'' game probably inspired many theories about Ansem that were invalidated by ''Kingdom Hearts II''. Theories about "Unknown" from ''Final Mix'' and the knights from the second game's secret ending were also invalidated.
** There was also quite a bit of speculation about Roxas, known only as the "Blond-Haired Kid", or BHK, after a few previews of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' were released. Many theories were in the correct vein, but as Roxas is linked to a group of people who were never mentioned at all in the first game, it was virtually impossible for anyone to guess his true identity.
*** It got easier to pin "BHK" post-''Chain of Memories''. However, people had no clue how to take [=DiZ=], with the common theory having him as the "Superior" of the Organization and Ansem's Nobody.
**The fourth installment in the series, ''358/2 Days'', tossed [[StrangeGirl a mysterious new Kairi lookalike]] into the events concurrent to ''Chain of Memories'' and preceding ''Kingdom Hearts II''. While WildMassGuessing provided [[MarySue many]] [[DieForOurShip theories]] that attempted to {{retcon}} her absence from "Days"' chronological antecedents, [[TakeThat no one could have foreseen]] [[spoiler:that [[GainaxEnding she was in fact]] [[OppositeSexClone Sora]] [[YouFailBiologyForever with a vagina.]]]]
* ''DevilMayCry 4'' inspired a lot of fan-thought that Nero was Sparda or Vergil reincarnate, or that his Devil Bringer arm held either spirit, and would be possessed by them. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, neither showed up in the game.]] Also, Dante's seemingly uncharacteristic assassination of Order leader Sanctus at the game's start inspired much speculation about his motives and whether he had pulled a FaceHeelTurn. It was eventually learnt that [[spoiler:he was pulling a ShootTheDog and trying to kill the game's BigBad.]]
** As a point of interest: while not [[IKnewIt confirmed]], Nero's link to Vergil is still hinted at quite a lot in the game. He wields the Yamato katana -- Vergil's weapon in ''[[DevilMayCry Devil May Cry 3]]'' -- and in [[DeadlyUpgrade Devil Trigger form]], he is overshadowed by a demonic spirit that resembles Vergil's own Devil Trigger. DemonicPossession isn't off the table just yet.
** Not to mention that the [[CrystalDragonJesus Crystal Dragon Pope]] explicitly stated that [[spoiler:Nero carries the blood of Sparda.]]
* Prior to ''{{Halo}} 3'', Halo fans began concocting elaborate theories regarding the Forerunners' relationship to humanity and the Flood, Cortana's "ulterior motives" and what the Prophet of Truth's motivations were for wiping out the Elites. [[spoiler:Turns out, the Forerunner simply encountered and fought the Flood, humans happened to be one of countless species the Forerunner preserved in the Ark, Cortana is always on the good guys' side, and Truth is simply a religious zealot who believed the Elites weren't faithful to the Covenant's religion.]]
* Surprising this wasn't mentioned sooner. After countless ''ChronoTrigger'' fanfics about the mystery behind [[UrbanLegendOfZelda Schala]], ''ChronoCross'' comes along with a conclusive answer, making many of them obsolete.
** Then the [=DS=] remake of ''Trigger'' Jossed even more fan theories with its new ending.
* After years of speculation surrounding the ''MegaMan'' series (namely, that Zero went berserk and killed the original cast), Keiji Inafune casually dismissed the theory in a question and answer session, offhandedly stating that "it was not in Zero's character." Jossed.
** This is made a bit odd when you consider that, presumably from the time of his creation til his fight with Sigma, he was infected with his "Zero Virus"... and therefore not his usual self. So while it may not be in Zero's character to go berserk and kill the original cast, Zero himself wasn't in character anyway. Doesn't change the Jossing, though.
* The [[GainaxEnding ambiguous ending]] to ''FinalFantasyVII'', set 500 years into the future, deliberately refused to answer whether or not humanity had survived the clash between Meteor, Holy, and the Lifestream. Then along came the Compilation (some say [[FanNickname Complication]]) of Final Fantasy VII, which continued the story only a few years after said event.
* Pre-release materials for ''{{Banjo-Kazooie}}: Nuts & Bolts'' revealed the Lord of Games (L.O.G) and his role in the story, where he settles [[BigBad Grunty]] and Banjo's conflict with a contest. Some people didn't simply see L.O.G as a facilitator, and begin to speculate that Grunty might be a FakeBoss, with L.O.G being the TrueFinalBoss plotting a XanatosGambit against Banjo. Later, Rare opened {{Facebook}} accounts for some of the game's characters for fans to post some questions to their walls for a limited time, with [[http://www.facebook.com/pages/LOG-Lord-of-Games/33513137116 L.O.G himself among them]]. This gave the Banjo theorists the chance to direct their accusations to L.O.G before the game is released. His response?
-->"What's all this talk of evil? I may be [[McDuck occasionally fallible and self-indulgent]] -- [[OrSoIHeard or so I'm told]] -- but I certainly wouldn't describe myself as evil."
* ''[[FinalFantasyVII Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core]]'' pretty much Jossed everyone's fanfictions. Especially Zack/Cloud ones. Since turns out Cloud was not as emo as they wanted to believe. And Zack didn't meet him by saving him from bullies either...Angeal also served as a tool for Jossing too since...well...he was never even referred to until he showed up in CC thus everyone had to assume Zack randomly got the Buster Sword which...Isn't true.
* {{Final Fantasy}} in general has been Jossing a lot of fan theories and fanfics since Squeenix finally started making sequels and spin-offs set in the worlds of the individual games. Apart from the Compilation of FFVII, there are also the sequels to [[FinalFantasyX2 Final Fantasy X]] and [[FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears Final Fantasy IV]]. On an [[NoExportForYou equally annoying level]], there are also the Japanese-only Ultimania information books, which often contain details, histories, and character backstories that aren't even remotely hinted at in the games, some of which would look like outrageous {{Epileptic Trees}} if they had been fan theories.
* Despite heavy-sometimes-bordering-on-{{anvilicious}} hints to the positive, the theory of the Wrecked Ship in ''Super {{Metroid}}'' and the Pirate Mothership in ''Metroid Zero Mission'' being the same was Jossed by Zero Mission's director not long after people started espousing it.
* It's not exactly the same, but pretty much any update Kevan applies to ''UrbanDead'' tends to fly in the face of every one of the regular's beliefs about the game.
* Any popular fan theory on [[UminekonoNakuKoroni Umineko no Naku Koro ni]] usually gets Jossed the very next episode, or is confirmed the next episode.
** An example of this is the [[spoiler:Kinzo is already dead]] theory, which was initially planned to be confirmed in episode 5, but was instead revealed in episode 4 because it became so popular after episode 3.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* In the ''GunnerkriggCourt'' fandom, the two most popular theories about the identity of the third girl from the photo (that she's a relative of Gamma's, and that she's a young Jones) were immediately {{Jossed}} by [[WordOfGod the author]] on the forum. Since most of the fans don't hang out on the forum, these theories remained popular, until TheRant below [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=365 this page]] put them to rest in the bluntest way possible. Also parodied in the rant on [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=336 this page]]. The first three theories that Tom facetiously shot down were {{Shout Out}}s to to actual EpilepticTrees from the fandom.
* Rich Burlew, the author of ''{{The Order of the Stick}}'', tends to do this with many fan theories, such as [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0465.html Miko being zombified by Xykon]], [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0436.html the results of a misfired poison arrow]], and [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0567.html whether Belkar's prophecy had come true]]. From the FAQ:
-->"In fact, I try not to read anything where people suggest upcoming plot ideas because I hate it when people guess what is going to happen. I feel the uncontrollable urge to change what happens, just to prove them wrong. Petty? Probably."
** The popular fan theory that the world of ''The Order of the Stick'' was an actual campaign was Jossed in strip #606.
--->'''Shojo:''' No, the wisdom is simply this: Play the game.\\
'''Belkar:''' Uh, OK, but I thought we weren't actually representing a game campaign, we were just living in a world where the laws of...\\
'''Shojo:''' ''(while he and Belkar are playing Dungeons & Dragons)'' Not ''this'' game!\\
'''Belkar:''' Oh, whew!
* The author of ''{{Keychain of Creation}}'' has a neat way about handling this. He insists, constantly, that every single [[EpilepticTrees epileptic tree]] is completely true, as sincerely as possible -- no matter what context: IM, forum, in actual discussion... He insists they are always correct, so that in the end, everyone, including him, is proven wrong.
* Following [[spoiler:Black Belt]]'s death in ''[=~8-Bit Theater~=]'', many fans clamored for his return and pointed out that this could be accomplished by [[spoiler:de-petrifying his stone doppleganger]]. Clevinger responded by having White Mage attempt exactly that, and botch it horribly. The page where this happens is even titled, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/11/10/episode-622-now-shut-up/ "Now Shut Up"]].
** Episode 434 was also a heavy point of speculation due to its ambiguous nature. Fans believed it to be part of an epic battle. It was neatly jossed in a strip appropriately titled [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/19/episode-1129-there/ "THERE"]]
* The ''MetalGearSolid'' webcomic ''{{The Last Days of Foxhound}}'' has been so thoroughly and consistently Jossed -- after each new game release since the series began -- about so many things, from the manner in which one character lost an eye to [[spoiler:his very state of existence]] -- necessitating [[AWizardDidIt massive]], [[HandWave unconvincing]] [[RetCon retcons]] that even the ''characters'' [[LampshadeHanging find sketchy]] -- that you could make a convincing argument for changing the name of this trope to "Kojima'd!" (The apostrophe and exclamation mark are mandatory.) Not that this is ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike, however. The author is aware of this phenomena, and generally does a good job of covering it up. In one of his last blog posts, he says "if I'm lucky, I can be done before [=MGS4=] is released and my entire backstory is contradicted. Again." He was, and it was. Again. What's even more ironic is that the comic ended ''just under two weeks'' before [=MGS4's=] release.
* Despite attempts to reasonably, albeit comically, tie into the storyline of ''Half-Life'', the comic ''{{Concerned}}'' was pre-Jossed when their depiction of the [[http://hlcomic.com/index.php?date=2006-08-02 delivery of the Xen Borderworld sample]] was already undone by ''Half-Life: Decay''.
** ''Half-Life: Decay'' wasn't produced by Valve themselves, and is, along with the other non-Valve titles produced by [=GearBox=], including Opposing Force and Blue Shift, widely considered to be non-canon, or at least not referenced by valve.
*** Even though the characters of Barney Calhoun originated from Blue Shift, and Gabe Newell has said that he wants to bring Adrian Shephard back into the storyline.
* Randy Milholland seems to love to do this to his fans in ''SomethingPositive''. In fact, it could be said the only thing more enjoyable to him than not giving the fans what they want is giving them what they explicitly ''don't''. "Dont Give Him Any Ideas" is uttered regularly on feed commentaries.
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[[folder:Web Original]]
* Here's an actual example of Joss jossing something: less than a week after fans announced the [[DrHorrible Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog]] prequel [[http://horribleturn.com/ "Horrible Turn"]], Joss announced a [[http://io9.com/5398188/prequel-comic-reveals-dr-horribles-childhood-origins prequel comic book]] that appears to be covering the same topics (meeting Captain Hammer, turning evil, etc.).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''[=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]'':
** Jet is [[HesJustHiding still alive]] -- Jossed by WordOfGod.
** [[spoiler:Suki is [[BusCrash dead]]]] -- Jossed by "The Boiling Rock".
** Zuko's mother [[DeathByChildbirth died in childbirth]] ("... I was lucky to be born.") -- Jossed by "Zuko Alone".
** Zutarans. Shh, [[ShipSinking don't wake them]].
* ''[[Series/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'': All widely accepted EpilepticTrees jossed with the release of the script of the unaired finale. The kids did ''not'' die in a rollercoaster crash, they are ''not'' in Hell, and Dungeon Master is ''not'' {{Satan}}.
* During the first two seasons the ''TransformersAnimated'' fandom came up with a number of theories as to the isolated, motherless Sari's actual identity, the most popular being some variation of [[spoiler: Sari actually being a robot or cyborg created by Professor Sumdac, possibly made by reverse-engineering Megatron.]] During the second season finale Sari [[spoiler: injured her elbow, revealing circuitry underneath her skin]], which seemed to support this idea. However, while the theory was right about Sari's true nature, it wasn't entirely correct about her origins. [[spoiler: Sari wasn't constructed by Sumdac or made from Megatron's parts, she was a technorganic protoform created by the Allspark using Sumdac's DNA.]]
** Also that [[spoiler: Ironhide]] was TheMole, which came up in the first case becauseof a screwup involving faction symbols.
* Literally hundreds of ''TeenTitans'' [[FanFic fanfics]] about [[spoiler: Terra's resurrection]] were written in the interim between the end of season two and the series finale "Things Change". When it was revealed that [[spoiler: Terra is alive as a schoolgirl who may or may not remember everything that happened to her in season two, and [[IJustWantToBeNormal just wants to live as a normal girl]]]], 99.9% of these fanfics were Jossed. Fans were left with two choices for future [[spoiler: Terra resurrection]] FanFic: write according to the new, official continuity, or [[{{Discontinuity}} ignore the last episode entirely]] and write FixFic about how [[spoiler: Terra ''should'' have been resurrected]].
* ''{{ReBoot}}'' had an UnCanceled season ''three years'' after it had previously ended, and with a major storyline left untouched. Many fan fics were dedicated to telling this story, especially with the idea that we would never see the show continue. When the creators were able to tell their story, one concern they had was when fans had predicted many of the story points they were going to use, so it was a tough case of doing something ''no one'' thought of while allowing some fans the satisfaction of IKnewIt.
** And if it ever comes back from its current hiatus (probably not), they'll have to do the same thing, considering the massive cliffhanger the show ended on.
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zscrv7OJ3TU It's back.]]
* A lot of fanfiction for ''TheSecretSaturdays'' has now been Jossed because we now know the reason behind Zak's cryptid powers [[spoiler: he has cryptid powers because he's Kur]]. Also, most fanfictions related to the actual plot of the show have been Jossed because of the end of the latest episode [[spoiler: when we find out that Zak is Kur]], which resolved the story arc with a surprise ending.
* Due to having so much WordOfGod around, this has happened ''many times'' in regards to ''{{Gargoyles}}'' on issues such as gargoyle customs and breeding habits, Elisa and Goliath's ability to reproduce, Lexington's sexuality, Katana's physical appearance, etc. Looking at older fanfics can sometimes be a very strange experience...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* RealLife does this to you all the time.
** Note on this Wiki [[ScienceMarchesOn Science]], [[TechnologyMarchesOn Technology]], [[HistoryMarchesOn History]], and [[SocietyMarchesOn Society]] Marching On.
[[/folder]]

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