Warning! Spoilers ahead for Dragon Ball Super chapter 78!
Fans could be in store for more shocking secrets about Goku's father Bardock in the pages of the Dragon Ball Super manga. The Namekian Monaito, who crossed paths with Bardock long ago, was about to divulge how the Saiyan survived against the powerful Gas in the latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super before he was rudely interrupted by the the summoning of the Cerealian's wish-granting dragon.
Dragon Ball Super has been extensively retconning Bardock's character ever since his reintroduction in the revamped Broly movie. The latest change transpires in the manga's recent flashback, courtesy of Monaito, who recounts how Bardock saved him and Goku's enemy Granolah the Cerealian when Frieza initially hired the Saiyan to kill all the inhabitants of planet Cereal. Monaito reveals in chapter 78 that, to protect them, Bardock later faced and defeated the villain Gas, the "muscle" of an intel group allied with Frieza known as the Heeter Force. This surprises Vegeta since Bardock was a low-level Saiyan and Gas, as Monaito explains, is quite strong. Monaito is in the middle of explaining how Bardock won when the Heeter Force summons the wish-granting dragon of planet Cereal's Dragon Balls to make Gas the strongest warrior in the universe.
Fans who have been following Dragon Ball for decades are understandably voracious about everything concerning Bardock. Dragon Ball Z initially introduced his character in the 1990 film Bardock: The Father of Goku and never bothered to revisit him again. Bardock didn't just appeal to fans then because he was Goku's father, but because he was more of a stereotypical, blood-thirsty Saiyan unlike his peaceful and naïve son. Additionally, he is later plagued by an intriguing curse that alters his personality considerably. In Broly's retcon, viewers are not shown Bardock's potentially sadistic side when he fights his enemies, only witnessing what he's like at home with his wife Gine and son Kakarot (later renamed Goku). The manga successfully hid "Bardock the warrior" from readers further even during an all-out battle when the Saiyan was in his Great Ape form. He's first seen catching a glimpse of Granolah's mother running away with her child from the corner of his eye, and by the time he reaches them, he's transformed back into his normal form and decides to protect them. While Bardock has been shown standing up against the Heeter Group, it was only used as a diversion.
Basically, fans want to see how Dragon Ball Super's rendition of Bardock fights in battle and especially how he could defeat a powerful enemy like Gas. Even though it's highly unlikely, there's a possibility that Bardock possessed a strange ability that could give him the upper-hand on unsuspecting enemies. In the original Bardock: The Father of Goku film, an enemy curses Bardock with the "gift" of foresight, which allows him to see Frieza destroying planet Vegeta. Bardock uses this information to help his son escape before Frieza destroys the planet. The Broly film retconned this dynamic by replacing Bardock's curse with intuition and paranoia. Bardock doesn't foresee Vegeta's destruction; he just finds it odd that Frieza wants all Saiyans to gather on the planet when he could have just messaged them.
In other words, Dragon Ball Super has been actively restoring certain aspects of the original story but with some alterations. The same could happen with Bardock's gift of foresight. In addition to the above example, the Broly movie explored Bardock's love for his son as well as his wife Gine. The manga later expanded on this dynamic by having these feelings affect Bardock in battle. It's therefore likely that Bardock might have a special technique like his curse in the original film. Bardock has always been somewhat of an enigma, even in this latest interpretation of him. The difference is that Dragon Ball Super is both continuing and expanding upon his story, but presenting it in bits and pieces, fueling speculation and interest.