A video episode over on Ifanboy recently tried breaking down super-hero origins into their basic types, and came up with around 6 different basic origins. I thought I’d have a go myself;
1.Revenge
I/we/family have been wronged, i will dedicate my life to getting back. In a silly costume.
(Batman, Punisher, etc)
2.Guilt
I’m to blame for something that happened, I’m an angsty doughball, i will dedicate my life to working through that guilt. In a silly costume.
(Spiderman)
3.Fate
I’m from another time/place, or a wizard picked me, or i’m half-god (on my mothers side) or an alien ring chose me because i have some hidden quality. I’m going to wear a silly costume.
(Superman, Captain Marvel, Green Lantern, Thor, etc)
4.Curse
I was born with, or given along the way, something that makes me an outcast in normal society. And yet, I’m going to fight for them. In a silly costume. Or leather. Depends.
(Mutants)
5. The Mary Shelly/Ian Malcolm tribute origin for fucked up science.
We’ve opened up Pandora’s box, we’re playing god with powers we shouldn’t harness. And as a parable on how evil and dangerous this is, I’m going to get really cool super powers and fight crime. I might not get a silly costume, but i may get to wear shredded purple pants.
(Hulk, Flash, FF)
6. The Duck origin.
I’m a duck.
(Howard the duck)
It’s interesting to look at how Marvel and DC breaks down to this formula. DC seems to have more of 1 and 3, whereas Marvel seems more focused on 2, 4 and 5. Then there’s characters like Daredevil and Spidey who cover more than one. Spidey is given his powers by origin 5, but what makes him Spiderman is the guilt he feels over uncle Ben. DD was given his powers by origin 5 (Stan Lee version) or his powers come from origin 3 but are revealed by origin 5 (Miller version) and his reasons for being DD come from either 1 or 2, depending on Miller or Lee.
The heroes who click with the general public are the ones who stick to one or two of these simple driving origins, Bats, Spidey, Supes, Hulk. The one’s who’ve not quite stuck with the masses or who have needed Robert Downey Jr to make them click, are the ones who’s origins can’t be so easily broken down, such as Iron Man or Hawkeye.
Then there’s the case of Wolverine. His origin was…well…he didn’t have one. He didn’t know who he was, or why, or anything. And there was something compelling about that, but since it was also something of a cheat i didn’t feel it merited a seventh category. But then, they went and started to give him an origin or three, and things got a bit muddled and crap.
It does seem like the Mary Shelly origin has died out, but i’m sure it’ll return next time there’s a big leap forward in another major technology. Or when the oil runs out. the fate origin never seems “cool” to use, but is the one that can always be accepted for explaining super powers because, hey, it’s fate.
What say you?
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