It had to start somewhere! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most iconic origin stories in comics.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic origin
00:08stories in comics.
00:09Since we'll be breaking down these heroes' humbling beginnings, some spoilers may be
00:13ahead.
00:23When pilot Cliff Seacord stumbles upon a top-secret experimental flying rocket pack, his whole
00:28life changes.
00:29A helmet is quickly made to go along with it, and soon Cliff ends up saving the life
00:33of a pilot with alcohol use disorder.
00:35He's soon dubbed the Rocketeer, and gets into adventures set across the colourful backdrop
00:39of late-1930s Americana.
00:49He might not have the most explosive origin story, but if anything, that's what makes
00:53this superhero so cool.
00:54No convoluted lore, no multiple retcons, just a period piece about a guy with a rocket and
00:59a heart of gold, and that's really it.
01:01And it's that simplicity that makes this blast from the past so timeless.
01:19Young orphan Billy Batson's world changes when, on one fateful day, a magical subway
01:24train leads him to the Rock of Eternity, where he meets the wizard, Shazam.
01:33Bestowed with great powers, all Billy has to do is say the word Shazam to become the
01:37iconic and adult Captain Marvel.
01:43He's pretty much the magical equivalent to Superman, but what sets him apart is how
01:48he's still just a kid.
01:49He's a superhero who can juggle buildings, but also has to juggle homework.
01:53It's the kind of fairy tale that so many kids wish they could have.
01:56Gain immense superpowers with just a word?
01:58Yeah, we'd take that deal too.
02:12A research scientist working in the Louisiana swamps, Alec Holland created a powerful and
02:16lucrative biorestorative formula.
02:19It was meant for good, but an evil organisation called the Conclave had other plans.
02:23Alec was killed by them, but not before getting bonded to the formula and exposed to the swamp,
02:28turning him into Swamp Thing.
02:37This is probably one of the most out there origin stories.
02:39It's the birth of Swamp Thing, but also the death of Alec Holland.
02:42That's right, he really died.
02:44It's a story of not just style, but also substance.
02:47It raises deep questions about consciousness and identity.
02:50This isn't just a superhero getting their start, it's a philosophical examination
02:54of what makes you, you.
03:11You should know never to make a deal with the devil, but just in case you don't, Ghost
03:15Rider serves as a cautionary tale.
03:17Selling his soul in order to cure his mentor Crash Simpson's cancer, Johnny quickly learns
03:22that Mephisto is only in business for himself.
03:32The demon engineers Crash's demise anyway, and forces Johnny to bond with Xerathos, the
03:37spirit of vengeance.
03:44Ghost Rider's story is a timeless warning not to gamble with forces you can't comprehend.
03:49It's also a Faustian bargain, and you really don't see that in comics too often.
03:53Still, being able to turn into a flaming skeleton and ride motorcycles is pretty freaking cool,
03:58even if you do have to deal with hell along the way.
04:03It's all in the hands, except when you're Dr. Stephen Strange.
04:12The once-gifted surgeon lost the use of them in a devastating car accident.
04:16Stephen sought ways to heal them, but what he couldn't get from medicine, he got from
04:20magic instead.
04:30As Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange defended the Marvel Universe against the strangest
04:34magical beings.
04:35It might sound surprising, but this hero wasn't a very noble person at first.
04:39In fact, he was kind of a jerk.
04:44That's why it's fitting how the mystical Dr. Strange could only really become who he
04:49was after gaining a lesson in humility.
04:51I mean, you can't warp multiple realities without getting your own reality warped first.
05:06What makes this story so interesting is that most probably only know the half of this shell.
05:11Sure, we know that four young turtles got imbued in ooze and became mutated ninja warriors.
05:16But, the very first iterations of these characters are a lot darker.
05:20The original version is mostly the same, but it also involves them battling and brutally
05:23beating any and all foes.
05:25I mean, they practically killed the Shredder in their debut, for crying out loud.
05:29Needless to say, they're a bit of a tonal mismatch to the turtles we know today.
05:40In a way, this origin is like a time capsule.
05:43It's a look into the turtles' past, and a reminder of how far they've come since
05:47the ultra-violent 1980s.
05:58While scientist Saul Erdl toyed around with a teleportation machine, searching for discoveries,
06:03he managed to pull John Jones to Earth, separating the Martian from his family and civilisation.
06:07Unfortunately, John would soon become the last of the Green Martians.
06:13There's a lot of tragedy with this backstory.
06:21His entire people and way of life were extinguished.
06:23It's an origin that's pretty similar to Superman's.
06:25But what makes John's story different is how he was an adult when he lost everything.
06:30He knew what life on Mars was like, which makes his tragedy all the more devastating.
06:34While these losses could break anyone, John instead dedicated his life to protecting Earth.
06:39His inability to let his past break him is nothing if not inspirational.
06:49After Green Lantern Arbenzer crash-lands on Earth, he entrusts his ring to none other
07:03than headstrong pilot Hal Jordan.
07:06Gaining a weapon like a Green Lantern ring can be a bit of a learning curve.
07:09Unfortunately for Hal, he's a quick learner.
07:19He hasn't just excelled as a Green Lantern, he's become arguably the greatest of them
07:23all.
07:24Hal's initiation into the Green Lantern corpse is a wonderful fish-out-of-water tale.
07:28While he can be a bit too cocky at times, that fearlessness of his is what makes him
07:32one of the galaxy's best protectors.
07:37Bruce Banner's life transformed when he was hit by gamma radiation while trying to
07:46rescue Rick Jones from a dangerous testing site.
07:49From there, you already know the drill.
07:50When Bruce gets angry, the Hulk comes out to play.
07:53However, this barely scratches the surface.
07:55His origin is a lot more heavy.
07:57He isn't just a giant green guy punching problems away, he's a monstrous force of
08:01nature that was born from rage and pain.
08:13Writers such as Peter David, Al Ewing and others would expand upon the lore surrounding
08:17Hulk.
08:18More specifically, honing in on Bruce's fractured psyche, a strange relationship with
08:22his father and all its implications.
08:24In short, he's one of the strongest and most complex heroes there is.
08:44Do you believe in the impossible?
08:45You will.
08:46One night, Barry Allen is suddenly hit by lightning while working in his lab.
08:50If that wasn't shocking enough, he's also exposed to highly volatile chemicals
08:53in the process.
09:00The incident permanently changes Barry and allows him to run faster than humanly possible.
09:04No longer an ordinary forensic scientist, he puts his speed to good use and becomes
09:08the Flash.
09:09This backstory helped push superheroes into the Silver Age, an era where heroes were rooted
09:13in science rather than fantasy.
09:15It was also an origin so good that DC used it again, with a similar lightning-fuelled
09:20incident also being how Wally West got his powers.
09:23Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
09:31How many superheroes can claim they were created from a clay statue and given life by Greek
09:35gods?
09:36Growing up on Amazon, Princess Diana enjoyed the benefits of living a secluded life among
09:41immortal women.
09:48For when an American pilot crash-landed on their island, a whole new world opened up
09:52to her.
09:59After she won the right to return the stranger to the outside world, she chose to start a
10:03new life there.
10:04Man's world needed the message of peace and justice, that she brought with her in
10:08her new guise as Wonder Woman.
10:19Frank Castle was a United States Marine with an affinity for getting the job done, and
10:23the weapons to do it properly.
10:25While on leave in New York, he took his wife and children to Central Park, but they did
10:29not have a good time.
10:33The Castles unfortunately found themselves witnesses to a mob hit, and the gangsters
10:37didn't want anyone who saw it to talk.
10:39Frank survived, but his family didn't.
10:42Wrong move, bad guys.
10:44Naturally, he wanted justice, but the police were in the Mafia's pocket.
10:47So Castle put on a costume, grabbed some weapons, and brought vigilante justice to a whole new
10:52level.
11:05Tony Stark had it all, women, money, and genius, but his charmed life took a nasty turn while
11:11demonstrating his new micro-transistor technology in Vietnam, which was later changed to present-day
11:16Middle East.
11:22Stark was injured in an explosion, and ended up with a piece of shrapnel dangerously close
11:26to his heart.
11:27Taken prisoner by rebels, Stark is held hostage and told to engineer weapons for them to be
11:32used against the United States.
11:34Stark pretended to work for his captors, but instead, he created a suit of armour that
11:38protected his heart from the shrapnel and gave him great power.
11:48Using the suit to escape, Stark started a new life as a superhero, eventually going
11:52on to form the Avengers.
12:02While most of the X-Men have interesting origins related to the discovery of their
12:10mutant powers, Wolverine's story is definitely the most fleshed out.
12:13When his adoptive father was killed by his birth father, James Howlett's anger brought
12:17forth his mutant abilities, consisting of bone claws and the ability to heal from almost
12:21any injury.
12:28The healing power kept Howlett young throughout the decades, and helped him pull through some
12:32seriously messy fights.
12:33He eventually became part of a secret government programme, which used a painful procedure
12:37to fuse his bones with adamantium, making his bones and claws almost indestructible.
12:46Wolverine eventually joined up with the X-Men, and sales figures speak for themselves.
12:53One of the few Marvel heroes with a secret identity, Matt Murdock is a lawyer from Hell's
13:10Kitchen.
13:11Matt's father, a boxer who's seen better days, wanted Matt to get an education and
13:14make something of himself.
13:21As a result of an accident with some chemicals, Matt lost his ability to see, but this also
13:26heightened all his other senses, more than compensating for his loss of eyesight.
13:39After his father was killed by the mob for refusing to throw a fight, Matt decided to
13:43fight crime and clean up Hell's Kitchen.
13:45By day, he was lawyer Matt Murdock with a visual impairment.
13:48By night, he was Daredevil, the man without fear.
14:04Scientist Reed Richards' admittedly lofty dream was to explore space.
14:07With buddy Ben Grimm, fiancé Sue Storm and Sue's brother Johnny, Reed piloted an experimental
14:13manned rocket into space.
14:15After being bombarded by cosmic rays, the four found they'd developed unusual abilities.
14:25Reed could stretch his body like a rubber band, while his wife Sue could turn invisible
14:29and project force fields, while Johnny could burst into flame and fly.
14:32Ben, however, got the short end of the stick and his body was permanently transformed into
14:37stone.
14:38This quartet banded together as the Fantastic Four, and overnight reversed the financial
14:42fortunes of an ailing Marvel Comics.
14:56In the days leading up to America's involvement in World War II, a plan was needed to battle
15:00the Nazi spies on the home front.
15:02Ninety-eight pound weakling Steve Rogers was chosen to be the subject of a super-secret
15:07super-soldier project.
15:17Injected with an experimental serum, Rogers became a muscled and agile fighting machine.
15:22Unfortunately, a spy not only killed the creator of the serum, but also destroyed all traces
15:26of the serum itself.
15:27The only beneficiary of the serum, Steve became Captain America, a symbol of the ideals America
15:33would soon be fighting for.
15:46Who doesn't know this story?
15:47With his home planet Krypton facing destruction, baby Kal-El was placed as a rocket and sent
15:52to Earth.
15:53This kindly elderly couple, the Kents, raised him as their son, Clark.
16:02The Yellow Son of the Earth gave the boy powers beyond imagination, and made it clear to the
16:06Kents that their son was indeed someone truly special.
16:09Clark took on the guise of a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet, but he sheds
16:14this disguise to fight crime and save the Earth as the one and only Superman.
16:18Oh, and he also gave birth to the entire superhero genre along the way.
16:22Not bad, eh?
16:33Teenage drama is well-expressed in the story of Peter Parker, a nerdy student who was the
16:37butt of derision by the cool kids.
16:39Bitten by a radioactive spider, Parker found himself gifted with enhanced strength, an
16:44ability to climb walls, and a handy-dandy spider-sense that let him know when danger
16:48Parker's initial reaction to his new powers was to earn money by fighting in a wrestling
16:56tournament.
16:57When a thief ran by him, Peter didn't bother to get involved, and regretted it when the
17:01thief killed his beloved Uncle Ben.
17:08From that moment on, Spider-Man vowed to use his awesome powers for good.
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17:39Billionaire playboys who become heroes, like Green Arrow, got their influence from the
17:43Dark Knight.
17:44As a young boy, Bruce Wayne saw his parents brutally gunned down in front of him.
17:48He spent years training to achieve peak physical and mental condition, in order to fight criminals
17:53like those that killed his parents.
17:58One night, while pondering how he could use criminals' natural cowardice against them,
18:01a bat flew in Bruce's window.
18:03He took that as a sign, and become the dreaded Batman.
18:06The scourge of evil-doers everywhere.
18:10It's been told many times, but it still packs a considerable punch.
18:27So is there a superhero origin that hits close to home for you?
18:31Let us know in the comments.