headcanon

English

Alternative forms

• head canon

Etymology

From head +‎ canon. First attested in c. 2007.

Noun

headcanon (countable and uncountable, plural headcanons)

1. (fandom slang) Elements and interpretations of a fictional universe accepted by an individual or small group of fans, but not necessarily found within or supported by the official canon.

   In my own headcanon of Rocky IV, Ivan Drago is a Russian Mafia enforcer instead of a Red Army Captain.

   • 2012, Maggie K, "Let's talk about socks: Gender performativity in Terry Pratchett's Monstrous Regiment", Queer Vertigo 2012 (University of Technology, Sydney), unknown date, page 17:

     Technically, the social context of Borogravia is such that the actual external difference between a trans man and a woman disguised as a man is practically indiscernible – the technology level means they’re indistinguishable by the bodily modification standard (although now that I think about it, there's no reason Igors couldn't perform sex changes, and that's going in my headcanon now), and there does not appear to be a space in the language for self-identification.

   • 2012 June 11, Bea Huff, “Love the character, not the actor”, in Daily Nebraskan, volume 111, number 151, Lincoln: University of Nebraska, page 3:

     That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that they just fill in the missing information with whatever headcanon (one's personal belief of what is true to the universe) they want instead of actually trying to find out more about the character.

   • 2013, Kristal Frenero, "Fifty shades of fan crazy", The Talon Newsmagazine (John A. Ferguson Senior High), Volume 10, Issue 2, February 2013, page 8:

     Don't forget if they can write pages and pages and pages of “headcanon” information for an already developed character, probably changing his or her already set personality or even expanding upon it.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:headcanon.

See also

• fanon

Verb

headcanon (third-person singular simple present headcanons, present participle headcanoning, simple past and past participle headcanoned)

1. (fandom slang) To interpret in the form of a headcanon.

   I headcanon her as gay.

   • 2022 November 30, Rachel Choi, “The babygirlification of Ghost in COD is threatening the incels”, in The Berkeley Beacon‎^[1]:

     From headcanoning him, kicking his legs, and blushing at a compliment to wearing cat ears, Ghost’s menacing persona is being accepted as a cute little quirk to the girlies. In response, much of COD’s male fanbase is accusing this mostly-female demographic of babygirlifiers of sexualizing him.

Further reading

• “Words We’re Watching: ‘Headcanon’”, in Merriam-Webster