It's been a while since I played DA2, so I admit the nuances escaped me. But I still consider it a huge retcon because the actual explanation for his non-death in game was [a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BibpNMwC4O4"]pretty much how I described it[/a], even though your explanation is much better. Justice is never even mentioned - it's just him walking away from the battle while nobody was watching. Another thing to consider is that it's possible not to recruit Anders in Awakening (you can hand him over to the templars after the first quest). Yet, if you import that scenario, he still somehow encounters Justice, and gets possessed by him. I mean, it's possible... but contrived as hell.cursedseishi said:Anders isn't a retcon. During Awakening, you already see Anders talking to Justice (the same spirit thats within him now) about the whole "possessing body" thing, as well as his curiosity about the whole process. He even shows an interest in the thought of becoming a vessel. And that's precisely what happens, either way obviously enough Justice possesses him, which either saves him and drives him nuts, or just drives him nuts.
But I didn't know about the Ashes losing their potency; I never sided with the cultists in my playthroughs (I honestly didn't even know Leliana could die until after I completed DA2), and I certainly never heard Gaider's remark. I guess that is a lot worse.
Darn, the more I learn about DA2 the dumber it gets.
I don't mean to be nitpicky either, but you can kill Anders in the final act of the game... but it's still too little too late. Would've loved to see a *****-slapping brother mechanic though. I'm just glad he's absent for most of the game.I wish there was an option to kill him outright.