You've probably heard it in a dark theater or a crowded cathedral. One minute someone is talking about a Marvel superhero's backstory, and the next, a historian is discussing the life of a medieval mystic. The word "canonized" gets thrown around a lot. But what does canonized mean, exactly? Depending on who you ask, it’s either a formal stamp of holiness or a fan-driven debate about whether a certain TV episode "actually happened."
It’s a weird word. It sounds heavy. Official. It carries the weight of history and the passion of modern fandoms.
Basically, to canonize something is to place it into an official, authoritative list. It’s the process of saying, "This is the real deal. This counts." Whether we are talking about the Roman Catholic Church or the lore of Star Wars, the core concept remains the same: drawing a line between what is official and what is just noise.
The Holy Origins: How the Church Defined the Word
If we’re being honest, the religious definition is where the heavy lifting started. Long before we argued about Han Solo, the word was strictly about saints. In the Catholic Church, canonization is the final step of a grueling, multi-year process that declares a deceased person to be a saint.
It isn't just a popular vote.
The Vatican has a literal office for this—the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. They look for "heroic virtue." They investigate every scrap of writing the person ever did. They even require proof of miracles. Usually, that means two medically inexplicable healings attributed to the person's intercession. It’s an intensely bureaucratic, legalistic journey. Once someone is canonized, their name goes into the "Canon of Saints," a list of people the Church officially recognizes as being in heaven and worthy of veneration.
But here is a nuance people often miss: canonization doesn't "make" someone a saint. According to theology, the person was already a saint because of how they lived. The act of being canonized is just the earthly church catching up and making it official for the public record.
Beyond the Altar: Canon in Books and Movies
Now, let's pivot to why you probably see this word on Reddit every five minutes.
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In the world of entertainment, the "canon" refers to the body of work that is considered the "true" story by the creators and the audience. If you’ve ever been annoyed by a movie sequel that ignores the events of the previous film, you’re experiencing a canon conflict.
Take Sherlock Holmes. The "canon" consists of the 56 short stories and four novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Anything else—like the Benedict Cumberbatch series or the Robert Downey Jr. films—is considered non-canonical or "fan work" in the eyes of a purist. They are adaptations, sure, but they aren't part of the original, "official" timeline.
Fandoms get protective. They care deeply about what does canonized mean because it validates their emotional investment. If a character dies in a non-canon comic book, nobody cares. If they die in a "canonized" film, it’s a tragedy that changes the entire universe forever.
The Great Star Wars Purge of 2014
One of the most famous (and controversial) examples of redefining canon happened when Disney bought Lucasfilm. Before 2014, there was a massive "Expanded Universe" of books, games, and comics. Fans spent decades memorizing these stories. Then, Disney essentially said, "Actually, none of that is canon anymore."
They rebranded the old stories as "Legends."
This move showed the power of the word. By deciding what was canonized and what wasn't, Disney effectively erased thousands of pages of history to make room for their own new movies. It proved that "canon" is often about control and brand management just as much as it is about storytelling.
Why Do We Care So Much?
It feels like a small thing, but humans are obsessed with order. We need to know what the "rules" are.
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If everything is true, then nothing is true.
In literature, the "Western Canon" refers to the books, poems, and plays that have most shaped our culture—think Shakespeare, Dante, and Homer. Critics like Harold Bloom spent their entire careers arguing over who belongs in this list. When a book is canonized in academia, it means it’s taught in schools and preserved in libraries. It’s the difference between a pulp novel you read on a plane and a masterpiece that defines a generation.
Different Contexts, Same Core Idea
To keep it simple, let's look at how "canonized" shifts its shape depending on the room you're in:
- In Gaming: If a developer says a certain ending to a game is "canon," it means that’s the starting point for the sequel. Your other choices, while fun, didn't "really" happen in the main timeline.
- In Music: Think of the "Great American Songbook." These are canonized tracks. They are the standards that every jazz musician is expected to know.
- In Tech: Sometimes we talk about "canonical" versions of software or data. It's the "single source of truth." If you have five copies of a file, the canonical one is the master version.
It’s all about authority.
The Downside of Making Things Official
There is a dark side to canonization. It can be exclusive. For a long time, the "literary canon" was almost entirely made up of white men. This led to a huge movement in the late 20th century to "open up the canon" to include voices from different cultures, genders, and backgrounds.
When you define what is "official," you are inherently saying that everything else is "unofficial" or "lesser."
In fandoms, this leads to "gatekeeping." You’ve probably seen it. A "true fan" tells someone they aren't real fans because they don't know some obscure canonized fact from a 1984 manual. It’s a way of using knowledge as a weapon.
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How to Use the Term Like a Pro
If you want to use the word correctly in conversation, just remember it’s about the "official record."
If you're talking about a saint, it's a religious ceremony.
If you're talking about a movie, it's about the timeline.
If you're talking about a person's reputation, it means they've been elevated to a status where they are beyond criticism—like how we "canonize" figures like Martin Luther King Jr. or Mother Teresa in our cultural memory.
It’s a powerful verb. Using it means you are recognizing that something has moved from the realm of the "maybe" into the realm of the "definitely."
Understanding Canon in Your Own Life
While you might not be deciding the fate of the Star Wars universe, you likely deal with "canons" every day. Think about your family stories. There are the "official" versions of how your parents met that get told at every Thanksgiving. Those are canonized. Then there are the side stories, the rumors, and the "what ifs" that stay on the sidelines.
To get a better handle on how this works in the real world, try these steps:
- Identify the Source: Whenever you hear something is "canon," ask who decided that. Is it the original creator? A corporation? A religious body?
- Look for the "Legends": Some of the best stories are the non-canon ones. In comics, these are often called "Elseworlds" or "What If?" stories. Just because something isn't canonized doesn't mean it isn't valuable or well-written.
- Watch for Retcons: Short for "retroactive continuity." This is when a creator changes the canon after the fact. It happens in history books and comic books alike. It's a reminder that even "official" lists can change.
Whether it’s a saint in a stained-glass window or a protagonist in a video game, what does canonized mean is ultimately about our desire to make sense of the world through structured, agreed-upon truths. It’s the way we decide what stays and what gets forgotten.
Actionable Takeaways
- Check the Source: In pop culture, only the copyright holder (like Disney or Warner Bros) truly decides what is canonized.
- Acknowledge the Process: In a religious context, remember that canonization is a legal process, not just a spiritual one.
- Differentiate Lore: Understand that "lore" is the background information, while "canon" is the specific subset of lore that is confirmed as true.
- Respect the "Headcanon": In fan communities, "headcanon" refers to things fans believe are true even if they aren't officially canonized. It’s a great way to enjoy a story without fighting over the rules.
The next time you see a debate online about a character's "true" origin or a discussion about a historical figure's legacy, you’ll know exactly what’s at stake. You're looking at the messy, human process of building a canon. It’s how we turn a chaotic pile of stories into a history we can actually follow.