diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/filter/ColumnFilter.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/filter/ColumnFilter.java
index e28d1e0161bb..64f7a8df4e83 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/filter/ColumnFilter.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/filter/ColumnFilter.java
@@ -598,7 +598,10 @@ public boolean allFetchedColumnsAreQueried()
         @Override
         public boolean fetches(ColumnMetadata column)
         {
-            return true;
+            // A column dropped after this filter was built is absent from fetchedAndQueried, and
+            // answering true for it would fetch cells that fetchedColumns() cannot then encode as a
+            // superset. Use allEver() to read dropped columns deliberately.
+            return fetchedAndQueried.contains(column);
         }
 
         @Override
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/rows/Row.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/rows/Row.java
index 4137c42ca242..6a0f9abcda50 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/rows/Row.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/rows/Row.java
@@ -916,6 +916,12 @@ protected ColumnData getReduced()
                 }
                 else
                 {
+                    ComplexColumnData.Builder complexBuilder = this.complexBuilder != null
+                                                               ? this.complexBuilder
+                                                               : ComplexColumnData.builder();
+                    List<Iterator<Cell<?>>> complexCells = this.complexCells != null
+                                                          ? this.complexCells
+                                                          : new ArrayList<>(versions.length);
                     complexBuilder.newColumn(column);
                     complexCells.clear();
                     DeletionTime complexDeletion = DeletionTime.LIVE;
diff --git a/test/unit/org/apache/cassandra/db/compaction/differential/DroppedColumnDifferentialCompactionTest.java b/test/unit/org/apache/cassandra/db/compaction/differential/DroppedColumnDifferentialCompactionTest.java
index f1dc9ea0d21e..74faa4493702 100644
--- a/test/unit/org/apache/cassandra/db/compaction/differential/DroppedColumnDifferentialCompactionTest.java
+++ b/test/unit/org/apache/cassandra/db/compaction/differential/DroppedColumnDifferentialCompactionTest.java
@@ -23,7 +23,17 @@
 import org.apache.cassandra.db.ColumnFamilyStore;
 import org.apache.cassandra.db.LivenessInfo;
 import org.apache.cassandra.db.Mutation;
+import org.apache.cassandra.db.ReadCommandVerbHandler;
+import org.apache.cassandra.db.SinglePartitionReadCommand;
+import org.apache.cassandra.db.Slices;
+import org.apache.cassandra.db.filter.ClusteringIndexSliceFilter;
+import org.apache.cassandra.db.filter.ColumnFilter;
+import org.apache.cassandra.db.filter.DataLimits;
+import org.apache.cassandra.db.filter.RowFilter;
 import org.apache.cassandra.db.partitions.PartitionUpdate;
+import org.apache.cassandra.schema.TableMetadata;
+import org.apache.cassandra.utils.ByteBufferUtil;
+import org.apache.cassandra.utils.FBUtilities;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
@@ -95,6 +105,55 @@ public void cellsNewerThanDropRetained() throws Exception
         assertCursorMatchesIterator(cfs);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void complexCellsNewerThanDropRetained() throws Exception
+    {
+        createTable("CREATE TABLE %s (pk bigint PRIMARY KEY, m map<text, bigint>)");
+        ColumnFamilyStore cfs = getCurrentColumnFamilyStore();
+        cfs.disableAutoCompaction();
+        TableMetadata metadataBeforeDrop = cfs.metadata();
+
+        execute("UPDATE %s USING TIMESTAMP " + FUTURE_TS + " SET m['a'] = 1 WHERE pk = 0");
+        flush();
+        execute("UPDATE %s USING TIMESTAMP " + FUTURE_TS + " SET m['b'] = 2 WHERE pk = 0");
+        flush();
+
+        alterTable("ALTER TABLE %s DROP m");
+
+        SinglePartitionReadCommand commandDeserializedBeforeDrop =
+            SinglePartitionReadCommand.create(metadataBeforeDrop,
+                                              FBUtilities.nowInSeconds(),
+                                              ColumnFilter.all(cfs.metadata()),
+                                              RowFilter.none(),
+                                              DataLimits.NONE,
+                                              metadataBeforeDrop.partitioner.decorateKey(ByteBufferUtil.bytes(0L)),
+                                              new ClusteringIndexSliceFilter(Slices.ALL, false));
+        ReadCommandVerbHandler.instance.doRead(commandDeserializedBeforeDrop, false);
+        assertTrue(executeNet("SELECT * FROM %s").all().isEmpty());
+        commitCompaction(cfs, cfs.getLiveSSTables(), false, cfs.getDefaultGcBefore(FBUtilities.nowInSeconds()));
+        assertTrue(executeNet("SELECT * FROM %s").all().isEmpty());
+
+        alterTable("ALTER TABLE %s ADD m map<text, bigint>");
+        assertRows(execute("SELECT m FROM %s WHERE pk = 0"), row(map("a", 1L, "b", 2L)));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void droppedComplexCellsDoNotConsumeReadLimit() throws Throwable
+    {
+        createTable("CREATE TABLE %s (pk bigint, ck bigint, v bigint, m map<text, bigint>, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck))");
+
+        execute("UPDATE %s USING TIMESTAMP " + FUTURE_TS + " SET m['a'] = 1 WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0");
+        execute("UPDATE %s USING TIMESTAMP " + FUTURE_TS + " SET m['a'] = 1 WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 2");
+        execute("UPDATE %s SET v = 7 WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 1");
+        flush();
+
+        alterTable("ALTER TABLE %s DROP m");
+
+        assertRowsNet(executeNet("SELECT * FROM %s WHERE pk = 0 LIMIT 1"), row(0L, 1L, 7L));
+        assertRowsNet(executeNet("SELECT * FROM %s WHERE pk = 0 ORDER BY ck DESC LIMIT 1"), row(0L, 1L, 7L));
+        assertRowsNet(executeNetWithPaging("SELECT * FROM %s WHERE pk = 0", 1), row(0L, 1L, 7L));
+    }
+
     /** DROP then ADD: pre-drop cells are filtered, post-re-add cells survive — the resurrection shape. */
     @Test
     public void droppedColumnReAdded() throws Exception