35 Years Ago, One Cult Fantasy Sequel Created The Worst Retcon Of All Time
The fantasy sequel Highlander II: The Quickening has often been called not just one of the worst sequels of all time, but also one of the worst movies of all time. And yet, if you’re a real Highlander fan, then you know that part of loving this franchise is getting really invested in the silliest, most nonsensical aspects of it. And so, for this reason, one cannot simply dismiss Highlander II, and that’s because, yes, it’s quite bad, but it’s hilariously, uniquely bad. The singular, bizarre nature of Highlander II makes it, in many ways, the best entry in the series to revisit, because you can hardly believe what you’re seeing.
In other words, we should never be angry that Highlander II exists, no matter how angry it makes us. And that’s because this batsh*t crazy movie is a gift to humankind, precisely because it exists, and, oddly, in 2026, is difficult to watch in its original, most-ridiculous format.
Released theatrically in 1991 on November 1, Highlander II: The Quickening could hardly be called a hotly anticipated sequel. Although the original 1986 film had a cult following, it was, on paper, a financial disappointment in the U.S., which led to the sequel largely being funded by European backers. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, who helmed the original movie, various creative pressures from investors resulted in a film that Mulcahy was so embarrassed by that he walked out of the world premiere. One would assume that this means that there’s a perfect, better version of Highlander II out there, and, if you want to watch the movie right now, the version you will find, oddly enough, is closer to the director’s original vision. In 1995, there was a straight-to-VHS cut of the movie called Highlander II: Renegade Version, and then in 2004, a “Special Edition.” These versions have effectively replaced the theatrical cut, which contained the most absurd retcon in the entire series: In the movie fans saw in theaters in 1991, we learned that the immortals were actually aliens from a planet called Zeist, and all the interesting, mysterious magic about their powers and immortality comes from that distant origin.
So, in theory, the Renegade Version and Special Edition fixed all that and made Highlander II a better movie? Right? Of course not! While it may have been gospel in comic book stores in 1996 to say that Highlander II: The Renegade Version was much better than the theatrical version, the truth is, the Renegade Version is oddly worse, because it’s still the same movie, but one that refuses to own its inherent silliness.
There are two things present in Highlander II, which nobody should have ever put in a Highlander sequel, ever: A dystopian plot about an energy shield that fixes the Earth’s ozone layer, and the idea that Sean Connery’s Ramirez is brought back to life for no reason whatsoever. These two details are present in every single version of the movie, but in the theatrical cut, both of these plot points make a little more sense, or, at the very least, feel like part of the same movie.
Here’s the thing: Highlander II presented a strange retcon that Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) and Ramirez had known each other long ago on the planet Zeist, and their memories were erased (or something?) when they met in 1541 in the Scottish Highlands. The Renegade Version just suggests this happened “a long time ago,” but the result is the same; the retcon establishes that Connor and Ramirez really weren’t who we thought they were in the first movie, which means, in a sense, they’re basically brand new characters in this movie, too. The closest analogy to how both characters are treated in Highlander II would be like the moment when Sigourney Weaver was brought back as a duplicate of Ellen Ripley in Alien: Resurrection. The crucial difference is that at least in that film, the text of the film tells us this is not really Ripley. The text of Highlander II says that yes, this is Connor and this is Ramirez, but the subtext accidentally (on purpose?) suggests that these are Connor-ish and Ramirez-ish characters, despite being played by the same actors.
Which takes us back to the retcon. For years, fanboys maintained that the problem with Highlander II was suggesting that the immortals were from outer space. On paper, this is actually not the worst idea, and, in a very different movie, might have worked. The real problem with the retcon is that, regardless of where (and when) Connor and Ramirez are from, the idea that they had a partnership that predates their formative master-and-apprentice relationship in the original film destroys almost everything that matters about the characters to begin with. Only through Ramirez’s teaching, and, crucially, his sacrifice, did Connor become the man he was in the first film. But in all versions of Highlander II, we learn they were always buddies, and their bond will exist throughout time and space.
Now, had Highlander II been the first film, honestly, this is less of a problem. But because Highlander II’s first-act flashback utterly rewrites the rules of the first movie’s magic system, it’s almost best watched as a standalone sci-fi film. And that sci-fi film is, oddly, when separate from the Highlander mythos, somewhat generic. Two space sword-wielding resistance fighters, who lived in a Dune-ish universe, turn up on Earth in the future and battle other sword-wielding maniacs, as well as corporate corruption. In a sense, Highlander II’s plot is a little like the new Masters of the Universe, but in this version, He-Man would have turned into an old man in the future, and only become young and hot through a rebooting of very old magic.
All that being said, the cast of Highlander II is, honestly, pretty great. In addition to Connery and Lambert — who are always watchable, even here — the film’s villain, confusingly named Katana (like the sword), is played by the fantastic Michael Ironside, the everyman character actor of 1980s and 1990s sci-fi. By 1997, Ironside would get (probably) his best sci-fi role ever in Starship Troopers, but if you’re going to hire somebody to follow in Clancy Brown’s heavy bootsteps as a Highlander baddie, Ironside is a great choice. Additionally, Highlander II boasts a massive upgrade in the cursed, star-crossed lovers romance department, because Connor’s love interest, Louise Marcus, is played by the immensely talented Virginia Madsen. No shade to Roxanne Hart, who played Brenda in the original film, but Madsen in a Highlander is both perfect and surprising. In another dimension, this could have been one role she would have been remembered for.
So, with an iffy premise and a great cast, can we find some new love for Highlander II? I think the answer is a qualified “yes.” In all versions, it’s a movie that tried to remake characters fans loved into something different. It failed, very badly. But as failures go, Highlander II is spectacular.