In entertainment, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist, and adds to the overall study of a narrative, often giving reasons for their intentions.
In comic books, it also refers to how characters gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains. In order to keep their characters current, comic book companies, as well as cartoon companies, game companies, children's show companies, and toy companies, frequently rewrite the origins of their oldest characters. This goes from adding details that do not contradict earlier facts to a totally new origin which make it seem that it is an altogether different character.
A pourquoi story, also dubbed an "origin story", is also used in mythology, referring to narratives of how a world began, how creatures and plants came into existence, and why certain things in the cosmos have certain yet distinct qualities.
In The Superhero Reader (nominated for a 2014 Eisner Award for Best Scholarly/Academic Work), edited by Charles Hatfield (Professor at University of Connecticut), Jeet Heer (Toronto-based journalist), and Dr. Kent Worcester (Professor of Political Science at Marymount Manhattan College), the editors write in "Section One: Historical Considerations": "Almost all superheroes have an origin story: a bedrock account of the transformative events that set the protagonist apart from ordinary humanity. If not a prerequisite for the superhero genre, the origin... is certainly a prominent and popular trope that recurs so frequently as to offer clues to the nature of this narrative tradition. To read stories about destroyed worlds, murdered parents, genetic mutations, and mysterious power-giving wizards is to realize the degree to which the superhero genre is about transformation, about identity, about difference, and about the tension between psychological rigidity and a flexible and fluid sense of human nature. ... When surveying the superhero genre, preliminary questions often turn to the problem of roots." The book has a wealth of pertinent bibliographies.
English professors Dr. Alex Romagnoli and Dr. Gian S. Pagnucci, of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, discuss in their book Enter the Superheroes: American Values, Culture, and the Canon of Superhero Literature "the nature of superhero origin stories and how the writing of these origin stories helps make superhero narratives a unique literary genre." For example, they write, "Superheroes get very complicated when it comes to their histories, but one part of their stories remains forever constant and important. Even more than 'death' stories, crossovers, event stories, and attire changes, origin stories are the core of superheroes' existences. Origins not only reflect the sociohistorical contexts in which heroes were created, but they also reflect a culture's understanding of what makes superheroes storytelling unique vehicles." Thereafter, Romagnoli and Pagnucci go on to explain why the origin story is as important to the audience as to the generations of writers who continue heroic tales.
Dr. Randy Duncan (comics scholar and professor of communication, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas) and Dr. Matthew J. Smith (Department of Communication, Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio) use the origin story of Spider-Man as an example of how a character can be created by the persistence of a writer who has definite preferences in creating a character's personality, even if the publisher resists. "It is difficult to discern which is more often told: Spider-Man's origin or the tales told around that origin. All reveal fascinating aspects of a teenage loner fatefully 'bitten by a radioactive spider' to find himself with 'the proportionate strength and agility of an arachnid'." Duncan and Smith explain how Stan Lee butted heads with publisher Martin Goodman, who worried about an "ick factor," but Lee prevailed. "The entire Spider-Man concept resonates with the primary attributes of many genres and traditions," the authors say. "Like a heady puree of [Mary] Shelley's Frankenstein, Bob Kane's Batman, and Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, Spider-Man's origin invokes gothic and crime fiction motifs like the ostracized genius, doomed loved ones, the misuse or misfiring of science, the gritty noir city, the driven vigilante, and the fateful 'return of the repressed'." The authors proceed to investigate these various issues of the origin story.
Heroes
Batman - His parents murdered by one of the muggers, Bruce Wayne used his vast family fortune to become Batman and wage a one-man war on crime.
Spider-Man - Bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter Parker found himself bestowed with spider-based superpowers. He was motivated to fight crime by his uncle's death, which he blames on himself.
A 2012 comic book specifically addresses the origin of Peter's transformation: The Amazing Spider-Man: An Origin Story (authors given as Marvel Staff, Scott Peterson, Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko; 64 pp.; ISBN 978-1-74283-234-0); as well as its identically named revision The Amazing Spider-Man: An Origin Story (2013; ISBN 1742837271).
Works both scholarly and entertaining discuss Peter's origin story and its variations.
Superman - Born on the planet Krypton, infant Kal-El was sent to Earth before an explosion destroyed his home planet. His strong moral code motivated him to fight for justice.
Wonder Woman - Diana, the princess and appointed champion of the Amazon warrior women, who left her homeland to battle injustice in the world of men.
Iron Man - American industrialist Tony Stark was captured by Communist Vietnamese military and forced to build weapons for them. Instead, he built powered armor to escape. He then uses his armor to fight crime.
Fantastic Four - Four astronauts (Reed Richards, Sue and Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm) who were exposed to cosmic rays, which gave them superpowers.
The Flash - Barry Allen, a forensic scientist, was struck by lightning and bathed in electrically charged chemicals, connecting him to the Speed Force and giving him super-speed.
Incredible Hulk - Dr. Bruce Banner, belted by gamma rays, now turns into the super-strong Hulk whenever he gets very mad.
Green Lantern - Test pilot Hal Jordan receives a power ring from the dying alien police officer, Abin Sur, and becomes a member of the Green Lantern Corps.
James T. Kirk - Inspired by both the adventures of Captain Jonathan Archer, and his own father, Kirk joined starfleet in order to explore the stars and defend the united federation of planets. In the 2009 film, Kirk was inspired by his father's sacrifice and chose to bring back the honor that his name once held.
Sabrina Spellman - Hilda and Zelda Spellman mix magic potions and ingredients to create an evil, wicked witch. Unfortunately, they accidentally got a wrong potion as an extra ingredient and then Sabrina Spellman is born.
Bobby Generic - Born on Bobbyland, a bright and happy magical world where he can play, have fun and having the exciting adventures happen every day as Bobby uses his imagination. One day, Bobby is banished to Earth and meets the Generic family, Roger the dog and pig-tailed tomboy, Jackie.
Sophie Karamazout - Mr. Karamazout is the inventor, which he had no wife and even no children. So, he decided to have his own daughter. He mixes the ingredients to create a little girl using a mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice. Then, Sophie Karamazout is born.
The Powerpuff Girls - Professor Utonium mixes the ingredients to create the perfect little girls using a mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice. However, he accidentally spilled an extra ingredient called "Chemical X" into the mixture, due to being pushed by his monkey lab assistant, Jojo, creating, instead of the perfect little girl, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup.
Judge Dredd - Awoken from his sleep with his clone Rico, Joseph Dredd witnesses nuclear war going on. They then split up. Rico becomes an evil-doer, Joseph becomes the toughest judge yet — Judge Dredd.
Gigantor - Built as the 28th creation of a kind professor.
Astro Boy - A robot created to replace his creator's son, who was killed in a car accident in the anime and by a robot in the film, and was equipped with weapons that he uses to fight crime.
Inspector Gadget - John Brown is a security guard, who is dreaming of becoming a police officer. Brown chases Sanford Scolex (Dr. Claw) down in his car, which leads to it being killed by Scolex's explosive cigar, leaving Brown died. He was resurrected as a cyborg. Under Brenda’s guidance, John Brown becomes Inspector Gadget.
Turbo - Theo is a garden snail who dreams of becoming a racer. As he wanders onto a freeway to admire the traffic, he wishes he was fast on the first star. Suddenly, he gets into a freak accident when he gets sucked into the supercharger of a drag racer, fusing his DNA with nitrous oxide, giving him super speed.
Atomic Betty - Born on the planet Bane of Fragnog, she began training with her martial arts master, Spindly Tam Kanushu. As she grew up, she came to the planet Earth.
Turbo Teen - Brett and his car were driving through a stormy mountain, and then a tree swerved them off the road into the path of Dr. Chase's experiment. He and his car are now one — Turbo Teen.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - When a boy was walking, carrying his four turtles in a bowl of water, a toxic slime truck stood in his way. All four turtles and the slime fell into the sewers, where Splinter raised the turtles. They then came to fight an evil that invaded New York in the form of the Shredder.
SuperTed - He was a discarded toy given life by Spotty and superpowers by Mother Nature.
Optimus Prime - In the cartoon, Optimus Prime, his Autobots, and the Decepticons, led by Megatron, are at war with each other until they crash landed on Earth in a 4-million-year-old sleep. That is until they scanned vehicles, weapons, and animals in order to become the Transformers we know. Optimus Prime scanned the truck he is now.
The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - They were five ordinary teenagers chosen by Zordon to become the world's colorful superpowered heroes, the Power Rangers.
Masked Rider - Dex was given powers by his grandfather, the king of Edenoi, and is sent to our world to protect it from the advancing evil of Count Dregon. Dex was raised by a family, and learns to live as a human. With his companion Ferbus by his side, Dex is ever vigilant, ready to call on his powers in order to become Masked Rider.
RoboCop - Originally, Officer Alex Murphy is killed in the line of duty and brought back to life as a crime-fighting cyborg called RoboCop; in the remade film, he is horrifically wounded and rebuilt as a cyborg.
Captain America - While taking on the Red Skull, Captain America fell into the sea, where he was frozen until the present day.
Thor - Thor was banished from his home realm, Asgard, and ended up on Earth.
He-Man and She-Ra - They were brother and sister twins, separated due to their enemies Hordak and Skeletor. He-Man lived in Eternia, She-Ra lived in Etheria.
Xena - Xena was the chosen one to fight all that is evil, although she was separated from her parents during war.
Conan the Barbarian - Conan's family was killed in the films or turned to stone in the cartoon. He swears to destroy all evil within his land.
Daredevil - He was blinded by chemicals, and he devotes to fight crime as Daredevil, but he's normally Matt Murdock.
The Punisher - His family was killed by mobsters, and Frank Castle devotes to fight crime as the Punisher.
Harry Potter - He is a wizard and his parents were killed by Voldemort, who left him with a scar.
Wolverine - After he got bone claws, his claws fused with adamantium, and he escapes the pool he was in, the very same pool which made his bones become adamantium.
Ghost Rider - He is a motorcycle stuntman. Possessed by a demon to take on crime.
Machete - Machete was a man with an injured leg befriended by his priest brother.
The Biker Mice From Mars - They came from Mars, their world that was enslaved by Plutarkians (1993) and Catatonians (2006), to our world. They consist of Modo, Vinnie, and their leader Throttle.
Captain Marvel (Shazam) - A boy named Billy shouts "Shazam!" to become Captain Marvel.
Strider Hiryu - A brave assassin sent by the Striders to kill Grandmaster Meio.
Mega Man - Mega Man was the second creation of Dr. Light/Dr. Wright after the failed Proto Man. Dr. Wily, a world dominator-to-be, wanted Mega Man dead or alive by turning Dr. Light's creations against the good doctor.
King Arthur - According to legend, when he was a child, he pulled out a sword from a stone, thus becoming king.
Puss in Boots - He was an orphaned talking cat, who befriended Humpty Alexander Dumpty at an orphanage. They both stole different types of beans in the search of the magic beans. After some time, Puss gave up stealing things. But, Humpty, unable to steal without the cat's help, tricked him into a bank robbery. From then on, Puss became a fugitive from law, searching a way to clear his name.
Arrow - Oliver Queen was a billionaire playboy who was shipwrecked on an island in the middle of the Pacific. Five years later he returns home on a quest to save his city.
Danger Mouse - How Danger Mouse got his eyepatch remains a question, but one origin story in the 2015 series is that his eye got damaged by Baron Silas Greenback.
International Rescue - Formed by the Tracy family and run by their father Jeff, who supposedly perished in a boat or jet collision caused by their nemesis the Hood.
Peter Pan - In the 2015 film, Peter was kidnapped by Blackbeard. Then he befriended his future enemy Captain Hook. From the Indians of Neverland, he got his powers and his crowing to defeat Blackbeard.
The Loonatics - In the year 2772, a meteor strikes the planet Acmetropolis, knocking it off its axis. It gave Ace Bunny, his sister Lexi, Danger Duck, Slam Tasmanian, Tech E. Coyote, and Rev Runner special superpowers.
Mr Woo - In 1969, Frank Woo was about to get married to his wife, Madame Wong, when a man who was secretly being controlled by the evil Fuzzball stole their ring. The couple chased after him, taking them on their first big adventure. Along the way, the two learned how to use various weapons and powers by utilizing mysterious manholes. In the Mr Woo Land series reboot, as the events of Mr Woo Land 3 never happened, Mr Woo and Madame Wong instead learned their abilities during this game.
Villains
The Joker - Famous for not having a definitive origin story, claiming that he remembers his start in villainy under different circumstances, but the generally accepted (though not definitive) origin is described as follows: an unnamed criminal using the persona of the Red Hood fell in a vat of chemicals that turned his hair green, his skin pale, and his lips red. Driven insane by this trauma, he then makes various gag-themed weapons and a toxin that kills people and leaves them with hideous grins frozen on their cadavers' faces. During his criminal career, he becomes Batman's arch-enemy.
Mojo Jojo - A chimpanzee named Jojo, Professor Utonium's hyperactive lab assistant who always broke everything he touched. He pushed the Professor towards a beaker of Chemical X, which caused an explosion, mutating his simian DNA, turning his skin green and causing his intelligence and brain to enlarge, growing out of his skull.
Dr. Two-Brains - Professor Steven Boxleitner was one of WordGirl's best friends. He is a kind, but easily distracted scientist. He made a device that was supposed to help people read into the minds of rodents. While doing this experiment, he was hooked up to a lab rat named Squeaky. When Boxleitner wasn't looking, Squeaky pushes a button and the result fused his mind with Squeaky's. This causes him to turn his hair white and grew whiskers on his cheeks. When Boxleitner became Dr. Two-Brains, he became one of WordGirl's arch-enemies.
Dr. Claw - After an exploding cigar kills John Brown (Inspector Gadget) and destroying his car, a bowling ball coming from the fiery blast of the car crushes Sanford Scolex's hand, forcing him to replace it with a mechanical claw. Sanford Scolex is becoming Dr. Claw.
Two-Face - District Attorney Harvey Dent had the left side of his face horribly scarred after criminal Salvatore Maroni threw acid in his face on trial. Harvey took a two-headed silver dollar and carved one side to make a coin he'd use to decide if he would do an act of good or evil. Since that moment, Harvey Dent became the criminal Two-Face.
Denzel Quincy Crocker - As a young boy, Crocker happily lived in Dimmsdale with his fairy godparents. Unfortunately, after Timmy time travels to the year 1972, Timmy and Cosmo accidentally reveals Crocker's secret about his fairies in front of the whole town who had gathered to celebrate a day honoring Crocker. Because of this, Jorgen Von Strangle is forced to erase Crocker's memory of him ever having fairies, and because of an overdose from the memory wipers, Crocker lost his fairies and he became horribly disfigured, the town's people who had now completely forgotten all the nice things that Crocker did with his fairies assumed that they must be an angry mob and chased him down. He remembers nothing but he finds a DNA tracker device that Timmy left behind in the past on which he wrote "Fairy Godparents Exist" on the back before his mind was wiped, Crocker uses it to try and find the fairies.
Green Goblin - Norman Osborn became the insane and malevolent Green Goblin after a side effect to his experimental super serum. He then invented weapons to use to combat Spider-Man.
Doctor Octopus - Otto Octavius became one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies after an accident fused four mechanical tentacles to his body.
Bizarro - An imperfect and evil duplicate of Superman formed from an attempt to clone the Man of Steel.
Batman: Year One (1987)
Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals (1987)
Judge Dredd: Origins
Secret Origins
The origin of Superman
Superman: Birthright (2004)
The Man of Steel (1986)
Superman and the Men of Steel (2011)
Rise of Apocalypse (1997)
Origin - Wolverine
