Superhero ABCs: Letter O

O is for Origin Story.

Every journey has a beginning, they say, and superheroes are no different. We want to know how heroes got where they are, what compelled them to wage war on crime, and the circumstances leading to their incredible powers. All these little threads weave together to create an interesting hero (or at least we hope so).

The origin story has become such an integral part of comic book adaptations that nearly every comic book movie includes the origin story. Superman did it. Batman (1989) did it (and Bats did it again with Batman Begins). Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Fantastic Four, and Captain America were also origin stories.

There's a reason for this, of course. Part of it is because studios feel that audiences who aren't familiar with a certain character need to find out how that hero came to be. The other reason is that superheroes have some great origin stories.

-bitten by a radioactive spider
-doused by gamma rays
-sent from an alien planet to Earth
-gifted with a magical power ring
-inspired by the death of a parent

Tomorrow: An antihero still looking for a credible movie adaptation.

Previous Entries:

N is for Nite Owl
M is for Metropolis
L is for Lois Lane
K is for Kal-El
J is for J'onn J'onzz
I is for Iron Man
H is for the Human Bullet
G is for Green Lantern
F is for the Flash
E is for Events
D is for Dr. Fate
C is for Captain America
B is for Batman
A is for The Avengers

Superhero ABCs: Letter A

Day 1 of my Superhero ABC's starts, of course, with "A."

It's a very good place to start!

A is for The Avengers. Sorry for those of you expecting Aquaman.

Yes, yes. I know. Everyone's excited about the movie. We should be! After all, we get to see Thor, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and AGENT COULSON on the big screen together!

However, I'm not really writing about the Avengers here. I mean...I am, but I'm not. The group started in the 1960s when Marvel wanted to put some of its top-selling characters together. Since the original lineup (Iron Man, Ant-Man, Thor, Wasp, the Hulk, and eventually Cap), the makeup of the Avengers has changed too many times to count. I believe Wolverine and Spider-Man have joined the group from time to time.

For the purposes of my Superhero ABC's, the group represents a favorite trope of the comic book world: the superteam. We see this time and time again, although the two most famous groups are Marvel's Avengers and DC's Justice League. Each team boasts varied lineups based on storylines, current comics in circulation, and other factors.

From a fan's perspective, there's nothing better than taking popular heroes and throwing them together for a great, epic adventure. The Avengers and Justice League both feed this fantasy to see how the big egos and personalities will play off one another. Group members sometimes clash and disagree on the best course of action before their more heroic instincts kick in. At the end of the day, they usually save the planet together.

TOMORROW: "Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot..."