Whether they’re radioactive spiders or extraterrestrial parents, aren’t superhero origin stories actually important?
Where do we come from?
Why are we the way we are?
What makes us… us?
What drives our behavior?
Is it nurture or nature?
Are we governed by our hopes or our fears?
Whether considerations of the species or the self, these are weighty and fascinating questions to ponder…
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To which I say:Iron Man 2.
No, its that when done correctly I believe a detailed origin story is entirely necessary.
Why this rush to get to the fully formed hero capable of kicking unholy amounts of bottom?
The best stories are, after all, journeys.
All these facets are inherent to an origin story and gold dust in terms of character development.
Superhero movies are often singled out in this respect.
No one complained that it took almost the entire film for Jeff Goldblum to mutate intoThe Fly.
Maybe its an issue of misleading advertising?
Maybe ifStar Warshad been calledLuke Skywalker: Jedi Master, it would have received more of a backlash.
This, of course, isnt an issue with origin stories.
Conversely, how many sequels can you think of that suffer from final fight fatigue?
More than a few, Id wager…
But heres the main reason we should all embrace the origin story: it fundamentally informs the character.
But origin tales are far from necessary chores; the best stuff is often held within their confines.
And thats in part because they rushed his origin.
These are, after all, completely different characters to the versions we met on-screen several years ago.
The same could not be said ofThe Amazing Spider-Man.
And Bens famous speech is iconic for a reason dont fluff it because youre shy about repeating yourself.
That film highlights another benefit of the origin movie that people often overlook the opportunity to ground the fantastic.
Origin stories can help steady the ship in this respect.
