To retcon, which stands for retroactive continuity, means to alter facts in a previously established story, mostly works off serial fiction. In comic books, it’s fairly common for creators to retcon some aspect of a character’s history. But what about comic book movies? For the most part, when a studio wishes to hit the do-over switch, they just reboot the series. However, news from across the pond in the UK indicate that Marvel Studios might be retconning their blockbuster hit ‘The Avengers’.

For the sake of the one or two people who haven’t seen the best superhero of the summer/ever (That’s right, I said it!), what follows contains huge spoilers for ‘The Avengers’.

According to Bleeding Cool, the DVD and Blu-ray release of ‘The Avengers’ in the UK, which is titled ‘Avengers Assemble’, has been edited. In their version of the film, a crucial part of the film that occurs towards the end of Act II. The scene in question is the one where Loki kills Agent Phil Coulson with his spear. Check out these pictures:

The top image is from the original version of the film and the bottom one is from the UK home releases. If you notice, the blade protruding from Coulson’s chest is noticeably missing. But why?

Now that the killing blow has been rendered less definitive, could this mean that we’ll be seeing Agent Coulson again? After his death, there was a huge outcry to bring him back, potentially as the android/cyborg hero known as The Vision. With this edit now out there, could this version become Marvel Cinematic Universe cannon so that Coulson’s return would be more plausible?

Well, maybe and maybe not. Reports indicate that the change has not been made on the upcoming US release or the release in any other country. It’s possible that the UK discs got mastered from an early disc without that element added in yet.

If you live in the UK and want the original version of the film, Bleeding Cool notes that the US version is Region Free, which means that it will play in any player, and that it contains even more special features than the UK one.

So as it stands right now, don’t take the retcon theory too seriously, but what are your thoughts on the possibility that there could be truth to the theory? Share your thoughts in the comments below.