What is an origin story?

An origin story is a backstory or narrative that explains how a superhero gained their powers and what events occurred that lead them to dedicate their lives to the role of the hero. An origin story is crucial in informing the reader of the motivation behind a superhero's actions.

This backstory is often explained at the beginning of the story in order to give context to the rest of the tale, but it can also be explained in flashbacks. Explaining a hero’s past in flashbacks is an effective way to add mystery to your character and keep the reader intrigued as to their motives.

An origin story also usually introduces the hero's nemesis or the villains of the story. These enemies may have a personal connection to your hero or may be the reason they became a hero in the first place.

What are the elements of a superhero origin story?

Listed below are some of the most important elements to factor into the creation of your character’s origin story:

• The characterisation of your hero: Think about what kind of person your character is. Will your protagonist lead an ordinary human life with a secret hero identity? Is your character a human or are they a different species or being entirely?

• Powers/ abilities: What powers does your character possess and how did they get them? Are they a confident hero or are they struggling with their powers and responsibility.

• Past life/ significant events: Did something happen to your character in the past to make them want to become a hero? Do they have a tragic backstory and want to protect others from the same fate? Or maybe they suffered a loss and are seeking revenge against evildoers.

• Setting: Where is this story taking place? Are they on earth or another planet or even in another universe? Did they get their powers from this same place or somewhere else?

Examples of origin stories

There are many different origin story ideas for superheroes, all with their own unique elements. However, each type of origin story has a certain number of recurring tropes that allow them to be placed into a particular category. Down below are some examples of the types of origin stories you can use to create your own superhero:

• Being chosen - In this example your hero can have their powers passed onto them by a powerful being who chooses them. Your character might have been seen in a prophecy as the saviour of the universe. They may be pure of heart or soul which deems them worthy of receiving great powers to use for good.

• Scientific experiments - Your hero has undergone some form of scientific enhancement. This could be from an injected serum or a special machine that enhances your DNA. They may have been selected as a test subject for these experiments or they may have been subjected to these tests against their will.

• Beyond human - This group of characters are not from our world. They might be aliens from another planet or universe. They could even be gods from another realm. Their powers could be normal where they’re from but in the setting of your story, their abilities have never been seen before.

• A creator or engineer - This person could be a normal human who uses their intelligence and creative skills to make something that gives them special abilities. This could be something like building a suit that makes them indestructible or making a cape that can make them fly. These characters often lead secret hero lives as their technology is too precious to let fall into the wrong hands.

• Inheritance - Your character could be the child of other superheroes or they may have had their powers passed down through their family. Often these powers might not reveal themselves until a character hits a certain age. This new discovery element can be a great plot point for a superhero story.

• Magic - Your hero may have come across a magical object that gives them their powers such as a spellbook or mystical gemstone. These relics could be what give the heroes their powers or could be the key to unlocking the powers they had hidden within them all along. Heroes with magical powers often have enemies who want to steal the source of their power for their own.

• An accident - Your character was in the wrong place at the wrong time when they got their superpowers. They might have been struck by lightning or exposed to toxic chemicals that gave them new abilities. Either way, part of this trope is that your character was a normal person before all this happened. Their ascent to superhero status was not easy and they often struggle with the responsibility placed on them as someone who was happily ordinary in the past.

• Will power- This ordinary person decided to dedicate their life to being a hero without having any initial powers. They instead turn themselves into a hero with strict training like building their strength and stamina and becoming skilled fighters. These types of characters often sacrifice their normal life to become the hero that is needed and help others.