diff --git a/src/validation.cpp b/src/validation.cpp
index df690f2548b..067e9b1695f 100644
--- a/src/validation.cpp
+++ b/src/validation.cpp
@@ -3690,7 +3690,7 @@ bool Chainstate::InvalidateBlock(BlockValidationState& state, CBlockIndex* pinde
     // To avoid walking the block index repeatedly in search of candidates,
     // build a map once so that we can look up candidate blocks by chain
     // work as we go.
-    std::multimap<const arith_uint256, CBlockIndex *> candidate_blocks_by_work;
+    std::multimap<const arith_uint256, CBlockIndex*> highpow_outofchain_headers;
 
     {
         LOCK(cs_main);
@@ -3699,13 +3699,12 @@ bool Chainstate::InvalidateBlock(BlockValidationState& state, CBlockIndex* pinde
             // We don't need to put anything in our active chain into the
             // multimap, because those candidates will be found and considered
             // as we disconnect.
-            // Instead, consider only non-active-chain blocks that have at
-            // least as much work as where we expect the new tip to end up.
+            // Instead, consider only non-active-chain blocks that score
+            // at least as good with CBlockIndexWorkComparator as the new tip.
             if (!m_chain.Contains(candidate) &&
-                    !CBlockIndexWorkComparator()(candidate, pindex->pprev) &&
-                    candidate->IsValid(BLOCK_VALID_TRANSACTIONS) &&
-                    candidate->HaveNumChainTxs()) {
-                candidate_blocks_by_work.insert(std::make_pair(candidate->nChainWork, candidate));
+                !CBlockIndexWorkComparator()(candidate, pindex->pprev) &&
+                !(candidate->nStatus & BLOCK_FAILED_MASK)) {
+                highpow_outofchain_headers.insert({candidate->nChainWork, candidate});
             }
         }
     }
@@ -3755,11 +3754,14 @@ bool Chainstate::InvalidateBlock(BlockValidationState& state, CBlockIndex* pinde
         }
 
         // Add any equal or more work headers to setBlockIndexCandidates
-        auto candidate_it = candidate_blocks_by_work.lower_bound(invalid_walk_tip->pprev->nChainWork);
-        while (candidate_it != candidate_blocks_by_work.end()) {
-            if (!CBlockIndexWorkComparator()(candidate_it->second, invalid_walk_tip->pprev)) {
-                setBlockIndexCandidates.insert(candidate_it->second);
-                candidate_it = candidate_blocks_by_work.erase(candidate_it);
+        auto candidate_it = highpow_outofchain_headers.lower_bound(invalid_walk_tip->pprev->nChainWork);
+        while (candidate_it != highpow_outofchain_headers.end()) {
+            CBlockIndex* candidate{candidate_it->second};
+            if (!CBlockIndexWorkComparator()(candidate, invalid_walk_tip->pprev) &&
+                candidate->IsValid(BLOCK_VALID_TRANSACTIONS) &&
+                candidate->HaveNumChainTxs()) {
+                setBlockIndexCandidates.insert(candidate);
+                candidate_it = highpow_outofchain_headers.erase(candidate_it);
             } else {
                 ++candidate_it;
             }