Line #60 Main/SuperHeroOrigin


1	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avengers_by_matt_4458.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:320:Franchise/TheAvengers as explained by [[http://mattcantdraw.deviantart.com/gallery/35239567 Matt Cowan.]]]]
3
4	->''[[ComicBook/SpiderMan I got bitten by a radioactive bug]]\
5	[[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica I tried an]] [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica experimental drug]]\
6	[[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk I went for a stroll on a gamma testing range]]\
7	[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor I found an enchanted Uru cane]]\
8	[[ComicBook/AntMan I made a serum that made me small\
9	I modified the serum so it would make me tall]]\
10	[[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} I got a radioactive isotope in my eyes]]\
11	[[ComicBook/GreenLantern A dying alien helped me accessorize]]''
12	-->-- '''Music/OoklaTheMok''', "Super Powers"
13
14	Every {{Superhero}} has an origin story, telling how they gained their powers and decided to fight crime. It may be revealed in their first appearance, or not until an eventual {{flashback}}. But once established, it sets ground rules for which tropes are applicable to that particular superhero.[[note]]Superheroes that never get an origin story tend to be either a) not important enough to get an origin story, or b) intended as mysterious, a la ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger[[/note]]
15
16	The in-story explanation may be that the ultimate source of the hero's power is magic, {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s, or WeirdScience. However, the actual origin tends to boil down to one (or more) of these:
17
18	# '''Lucky Accident''': A FreakLabAccident, one-in-a-million malfunction, or what have you; e.g., ComicBook/SpiderMan, ComicBook/TheFlash, ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk, ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} or [[ComicBook/FantasticFour The Fantastic Four]]. This is one of the most common superhero origin tropes. Whether temporary or permanent, it may improve their lives significantly or have them angsting over becoming an EldritchAbomination and reminiscing about the days when they [[WasOnceAMan Were Once a Man]].
19	# '''TheChosenOne''': Given powers by an [[MentorArchetype ancient and wise being]], such as an [[TouchedByVorlons alien]], one of the PowersThatBe, or a being that's a [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien combination of the two]]; e.g., Captain Marvel (who is [[IAmNotShazam not Shazam]]) or MediaNotes/{{the Silver Age\|of Comic Books}} ComicBook/GreenLantern, or [[BequeathedPower the previous wielder handed it down]]. They were probably granted these powers because they were deemed worthy to handle them or, maybe, as part of a [[TheProphecy prophecy]]. Note that the transfer of power isn't always positive as they may now be BlessedWithSuck thanks to a GypsyCurse; e.g., ComicBook/GhostRider.
20	# '''Non-Human Hero''': They're superhuman because they're ''not'' human at all; e.g., aliens like Franchise/{{Superman}} or ComicBook/MartianManhunter; after all, they're [[SpaceIsMagic from space]] or they're from a mystical realm like Franchise/WonderWoman or ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} or they're deities/demi-gods like [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]. They might alternatively be [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered]], a [[WeCanRebuildHim cyborg]] (inevitably involuntary and {{Angst}}ing over his [[WhatHaveIBecome condition]]), or otherwise a [[ArtificialHuman creation of science]]; e.g., WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls. In this case, expect them to be a PhlebotinumRebel. They may also be anthropomorphic creatures with human characteristics; e.g., ComicBook/RocketRaccoon or even Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog.
21	# '''My Own Creation''': A scientist, engineer, or other makes-cool-stuff type invents something that gives them powers and uses it to help people; e.g., ComicBook/IronMan; or [[ProfessorGuineaPig experiments on himself]] and gets powers; e.g. Henry Pym (Ant Man/Giant Man/Yellowjacket/Goliath/Whatever he calls himself now). These types [[ReedRichardsIsUseless rarely sell their secret or use it to empower others]], usually on the basis of "I can't trust anyone else to use X responsibly" or "TheWorldIsNotReady".
22	# '''AppliedPhlebotinum''': Their powers may not directly derive from ''them'', but rather from using a MagicalAccessory, an UpgradeArtifact or even an ArtifactOfDoom they just happen to come across; e.g., ComicBook/GreenLantern, ComicBook/TheMask. It could also be a powerful substance that renders them impervious; e.g., Film/{{Blankman}}. Naturally goes hand in hand with My Own Creation and The Chosen One and may overlap with Lucky Accident. Often invokes WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility as well as YoureNothingWithoutYourPhlebotinum.
23	# '''Augmentation''': Be it [[BioAugmentation biological]], genetic, physical, chemical or cybernetic, they achieve powers from implementing external enhancements of some kind whether it was of their own volition or done [[UnwillingRoboticisation against their will]]. Perhaps, they participated in an experiment taking a SuperSerum to become a SuperSoldier (e.g. ComicBook/CaptainAmerica). Maybe they suffered a near-fatal accident and were made to undergo an EmergencyTransformation or to be used as a HumanWeapon (e.g. Franchise/{{Robocop}} or WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget). They could also be {{Professor Guinea Pig}}s and ''decided to use themselves'' as test subjects with varying results (a JekyllAndHyde scenario might come to mind). More-or-less often overlaps with The Chosen One, Non-Human Hero, My Own Creation or Applied Phlebotinum and, like Lucky Accident, may lead to WasOnceAMan.
24	# '''Pure Will''': A suitably motivated [[BadassNormal mere mortal]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower achieves a high degree of competence in crimefighting]] owing to a combination of [[TrainingFromHell extreme training]] and/or scientific/engineering ability along with native ingenuity; e.g., Franchise/{{Batman}}, the second ComicBook/BlueBeetle (Ted Kord).
25	# '''EvolutionaryLevels''': Sometimes, they're just simply born with superpowers maybe as a result of a BizarreBabyBoom, a mere biological fluke of some kind or other mysterious circumstances. Who knows what [[HumansArePsychicInTheFuture the future holds in store]] for humankind. These powers could manifest at any point in their life, though many examples have them especially occur [[PubertySuperpower during puberty]]; e.g., the [[ComicBook/XMen X-Men]].
26	# '''SuperpowerfulGenetics''': They inherited their powers (whether the same or completely different) from, at least, one superpowered parent or ancestor; e.g., Spider-Man's daughter ComicBook/SpiderGirl, Violet and Dash from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', [[ComicBook/{{Magneto}} Magneto's]] twin children ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} and ComicBook/{{Scarlet Witch}} or the entire student body of [[Film/SkyHigh2005 Sky High]]. Tends to overlap with Evolutionary Levels.
27	# '''Random Selection''': Something totally random that nevertheless isn't an "accident"; e.g., any [[{{Mutants}} mutant]] character. Tends to be {{retcon}}ned into one of the others later.
28
29	...each of which has its associated tropes. Any of these may be {{retcon}}ned into each other, whether in part or in full.[[note]]"Yes, you had a lucky accident, but the only reason you were able to ''survive'' that accident is because you're actually half-martian!"[[/note]] {{Supervillain}}s can also get their powers in these ways, though their accidents tend to be more unlucky, thus initiating their StartOfDarkness. Occasionally, these can be compounded across several characters with a MassSuperEmpoweringEvent. Note also that sometimes these powers aren't always so "spectacular", if you will. They can be particularly unusual, or only occur under weirdly specific circumstances, or may even be ultimately useless leading to WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway.
30
31	That's how they ''get'' their powers; motivations to actually fight crime include:
32
33	* TheCape
34	* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong
35	* OrderVersusChaos
36	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility
37	* BloodKnight
38	* BoisterousBruiser
39	* BecauseDestinySaysSo
40	* LegacyCharacter
41	* ItsPersonal
42	* LaResistance
43	* LetsGetDangerous
44	* SmallNameBigEgo
45	* TheAtoner
46	* IJustWantToBeNormal (e.g. if a scientist wants to reverse his FreakLabAccident, or if the Chosen One has a task that's possible to complete.)
47	* ContrivedCoincidence
48
49	Often, the hero to be gets both powers and motivation in the same event, wrapped in one neat package. They may also get a supervillain arch-nemesis to fight, motivated and empowered by that same event.
50	----
51	!!Examples
52
53	[[foldercontrol]]
54
55	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
56	* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' has Jiren the Grey of the eleventh Universe and strongest member of the [[SuperTeam Pride Troopers]]. In fact, he has one that wouldn't be too out of place for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''. [[spoiler:He was an ordinary child who came home to find his village destroyed and his parents murdered by an evil entity. He was taken in by a man who became his mentor and taught him how to fight. The same evil entity would later murder his mentor and most of his fellow students, and Jiren's intentions to avenge his fallen comrades caused the remaining students to abandon him out of fear. The hardships in his life would cause him to develop an obsession with strength as a means of attaining peace, leading him to join the Pride Troopers and become the strongest being in Universe 11]].
57	* ''WebComic/OnePunchMan'': Saitama was your average Japanese salaryman until one day, when he saves [[ItMakesSenseInContext a butt-chinned boy from a Lobster-Man]], which reignites his passion to be a hero. After that, he trained every day, doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and running ten kilometers, until all his hair fell out and he was strong enough to beat opponents with one punch.
58	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' has a mix of Types 1 and 2. Izuku Midoriya had wanted to be a superhero his entire life, but [[UnSorcerer wasn't born with the powers to make it happen.]] He ends up meeting his idol, [[BigGood All Might]], through sheer dumb luck (albeit not before nearly getting suffocated to death by a sludge villain). After being admonished by All Might for his unrealistic dream, Midoriya's selfless drive to help others, along with his bravery during an incident in which several heroes including All Might himself were hesitating to act, impresses him enough to decide that Midoriya was worthy of inheriting his unique and powerful Quirk: [[SuperEmpowering One For All]]. Setting him on the path to achieve his dream and become a Hero.
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
62	* The first two episodes of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' are a [[FiveEpisodePilot two-part pilot]] that provide the story of the origin of the Supermen (sans Careful S., who forms later). The evil general Big M. from Planet Gray tries to use all but one of his ultimate weapon, the Jixie Stones, but they don't do anything once they attach to vehicles floating in space. The vehicles plummet to Planet Xing, where the mechanic Doctor H. fixes them up; later, when a monster formed from Big M.'s remaining Jixie Stone rampages through the city, exposure to electricity turns the vehicles into TransformingMecha containing the Supermen, and the heroes quickly defeat the monster. So, essentially, the Supermen had their powers from the moment they formed because they're robots.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Comic Books]]
66	* Jack Hawksmoor of ''ComicBook/{{The Authority}}'' has a particularly odd origin: He was repeatedly abducted and altered by what he thought were aliens, who were in fact [[spoiler:time-travellers from the 70th century, in order to use him as a weapon to fight a rampaging Kansas City by bonding with Tokyo]]. ...yeah.
67	* {{Deconstructed}} by the post-Crisis ComicBook/CaptainAtom, whose actual origin was kept secret by the military, which "revealed" his pre-Crisis, [[MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]], Charlton comics origin as his origin to the public.
68	* Creator/DCComics' ComicBook/AmbushBug claims that his costume was sent to Earth by a scientist who predicted (wrongly) that his planet would explode; along the way the clothes were bitten by a giant space radioactive spider. Obviously, this is a send-up of both ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s and ComicBook/SpiderMan's origins. Considering Ambush Bug is crazy, he likely made up the whole thing.
69	* Subverted in ''ComicBook/KryptonNoMore'' when ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} claims she and Franchise/{{Superman}} are genetically-engineered humans and "Krypton" is nothing but Superman's delusion. Superman comes to believe it until he realizes several details don't add up, confronts Kara and she admits she was cajoled into lying to him.
70	* DC, at one point, had a lot of heroes with the "lucky accident" origins whose accidents had been rendered laughable as [[ScienceMarchesOn science marched on]]. To reconcile this, they introduced the concept of a "metagene", a dormant gene carried by all these characters that activated in the presence of these accidents that would have crippled or killed any other person who lacked the gene, thus transforming their "lucky accident" heroes into "random selection" heroes.
71	* In ''[[http://johnnysaturn.com Johnny Saturn]]'', most of the superheroes (called ''[[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual metaheroes]]'') are modern versions of Greek gods. Many of the metaheroes have descended from higher dimensions, or are alien hybrids, or non-powered ''mystery men,'' such as Johnny Saturn himself.
72	* A running joke in Ed Brubaker's ''ComicBook/SleeperWildStorm'' is that bored supervillains like to kill time by telling third-person, slightly hokey versions of their own origin stories. These are accompanied in the story by an ArtShift to brighter colors and a more traditional panel lay-out.
73	* WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls origin is already established, but the comic book story "Everything You Know About The Powerpuff Girls Is Wrong" (issue #40, DC run) plays with this. The students of Miss Keane's kindergarten class offer up their own interpretations of how the girls came about, using the origins of Superman, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four as parallels.
74	* ''ComicBook/Robin1993'': The new hero Dodge's HeelFaceTurn is foreshadowed by his origin, which involved stealing a prototype teleportation belt from S.T.A.R. Labs. It's not a good sign for your superhero career if you kick started it by stealing from the good guys.
75	[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
78	* Parodied in Creator/PhilFoglio's ''What's New? with Phil and Dixie'', in which a single hero-to-be is subjected to so many different origins that he's [[DeathByOriginStory reduced to ashes]] by their cumulative effects.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Fan Works]]
82	* In ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy'', Izuku turns down an alleyway instead of a shady underpass, getting bitten by a genetically-altered spider that gives him powers.
83	* In ''Fanfic/AForceOfFour'', ComicBook/PowerGirl retells Jimmy her origin in the first chapter.
84	* ''Fanfic/LastChildOfKrypton'' is an origin story detailing how Shinji Ikari gained Kryptonian powers and became his world's first and greatest hero.
85	* The first few chapters of ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12459102/1/Loud-heroes Loud Heroes]]'' serve as the Superhero Origin for [[WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse the Loud siblings]], chronicling how they got their superpowers in the first place (a lab accident from Lisa that led to them being hospitalized), their motivation (Lincoln suggesting the principle of WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility) and the superhero identities they adopt (under the team name of the L-Crew). Quite coincidentally, the fanfic's first few villains (outside of mundane criminals) also show up around this time, with numerous other antagonists (including both characters who start off as evil straight away and those who initially begin as normal but later become villains) appearing over the course of the fic; most of their backstories are left vague, though.
86	* ''Fanfic/MCURewrites'': ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/11613921 Black Widow]]'' details Natasha Romanov's origins: from her training in the Red Room to be conditioned into a cold-blooded killing machine to meeting Clint Barton and being offered a chance at redemption.
87	* ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku's arrival on Earth and subsequent adoption is detailed in the first chapter. He doesn't learn about the Kryptonian side of things until he rediscovers his spaceship when he's 14.
88	* ''Fanfic/SOE2LoneHeirOfKrypton'' details how Asuka Langley Sohryu finds out about her powers and heritage and becomes Supergirl.
89	* ''Series/Supergirl2015'' fic ''Fanfic/{{Survivors}}'' is the origin tale that tells how [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara Zor-El]] and [[Franchise/{{Superman}} her cousin]] arrived on Earth, were raised by a family and became the first super-heroes.
90	* {{Discussed}} and [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]] in ''Fanfic/TalesOfKarmicLiesAftermath'', a [[RecursiveFanfiction Recursive Fic]] for ''Fanfic/TheKarmaOfLies''. Alya tries to invoke My Own Creation by getting genius classmate Max to make equipment for everyone, only for him to explain that they simply can't ''afford it'' or access the materials required. She then seriously considers trying to stage a Lucky Accident, with her friends pointing out just how unlikely it would be for that to turn out favorably. Nino specifically notes that it's more likely to end up like the start of a ''horror movie'' instead.
91	* In ''Fanfic/TheVampireOfSteel'' crossover, one entire chapter is devoted to ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer exchanging origin tales after having a run-in with some vampires.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
95	* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', where the BigBad Syndrome [[CreateYourOwnVillain created the Omnidroid]] with the [[EngineeredHeroics express purpose]] of [[FakeUltimateHero staging his own debut as a superhero]], being the only person that could defeat it on account of having a remote to control it. Unfortunately, in order to make it the ultimate threat, he [[AIIsACrapshoot gave it an artificial intelligence that can learn from its opponent]], causing it to [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming rebel]] and disarm him, leaving the actual superheroes to save the day.
96	* Interestingly, both Metro Man (a SupermanSubstitute) and his arch-nemesis WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}} have the same initial origin mirroring Superman's - they're both from neighboring planets that were sucked into an UnrealisticBlackHole. The difference is, Metro Man looks human but has Superman's powers. Megamind has a large cranium, is completely blue, and is devilishly smart (he can also survive a MegatonPunch but otherwise has no powers). Also, while Metro Man was raised by loving, rich parents, Megamind was raised by (also loving) convicts in prison.
97	* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' affectionately plays with this. Every Spider-Person gives their introduction via a comic-book-styled flashback showing how they got their powers and highlighting various moments of their lives since then, with each flashback beginning by having its respective character's comic being added to the pile of the previous Spider-People's. This is all done with a knowing wink; it starts with Peter Parker outright admitting in his introduction that the audience probably already knows his origin story, and by the time SP//dr, Spider-Man Noir, and Spider-Ham join the team, their origin retellings are all shown at the same time, ending with Peter getting impatient and cutting their flashbacks short. However, when [[spoiler:Miles Morales's own comic is shown being added to the pile, it becomes clear that ''Into the Spider-Verse'' is actually Miles's own origin story, and the film ends with Miles giving his own introduction after finally proving himself capable of carrying the mantle of Spider-Man]].
98	-->[[ArcWords "Alright, let's start at the beginning one last time..."]]
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
102	* Deconstructed in ''Film/BatmanBegins'': [[{{Mooks}} Mook]] Joe Chill kills Bruce Wayne’s parents. BadCopIncompetentCop Gotham police cannot deliver justice to him. TheMafia Don Carmine Falcone gives Bruce Wayne a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that forces him to begin TheHerosJourney, then he is trained by the [[MurderInc League of Assasins]] and outsmarts CorruptCorporateExecutive Earl to become Franchise/{{Batman}}. A possible explanation is that Gotham was a CorneredRattlesnake and it is trying to produce a superhero to survive: Notice that all of the forces oppressing Gotham were ThresholdGuardians that created the {{Superhero}} that will fight them.
103	* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
104	** ''Film/ManOfSteel'' is Superman's origin story in that universe.
105	** While ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' mostly {{avert\|ed trope}}s the trope as redoing an origin story was felt redundant following ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'', there's still a {{flashback}} of the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents and their burial, along with Bruce overcoming his fear of bats. The film and ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' also elaborate on how Victor Stone/Cyborg got his powers.
106	** ''Film/{{Wonder Woman\|2017}}'' tells the story of Diana of Themyscira, how she acquired her uniform and other equipment, how she received her mundane name, how she came to be involved in the world of man and how she found out about her divine parentage.
107	** ''Film/{{Aquaman\|2018}}'' is Arthur Curry/Aquaman's origin story and the story of how he came to reclaim the throne of {{Atlantis}}.
108	** ''[[Film/Shazam2019 SHAZAM!]]'' is the story of how Billy Batson [[spoiler:and his FamilyOfChoice]] got empowered by the wizard Shazam.
109	* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
110	** Most of the films in Phase 1--namely, ''Film/IronMan1'', ''Film/{{The Incredible Hulk\|2008}}'', ''Film/{{Thor}}'', and ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger''--act as this for their titular characters, who are the four "super-powered" members of the Avengers, so the audience will know who they are and how they became who they are when they all come together in ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}''. ''Film/IronMan2'' is the sole exception, continuing Iron Man's story (though it does introduce Black Widow, another future Avenger, but she doesn't have superpowers and doesn't receive an origin story). As with their comic book counterparts, Iron Man is Type 4 (he made his original Iron Man suit [[MemeticMutation IN A CAVE! WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!]]), Hulk is Type 1 (lab experiment gone wrong), Thor is Type 3 (an Asgardian, whom the Norse gods are based on in this universe but are really {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s), Captain America is Type 2 (was chosen to be made into a SuperSoldier by the scientist in charge of the program).
111	** This also holds true with other characters who are introduced in their own movies and have their own adventures before meeting others from the MCU, including ''Film/AntMan1'' (the original, Hank Pym, being Type 4, and his successor, Scott Lang, being Type 2), and ''Film/{{Doctor Strange\|2016}}'' (also Type 2).
112	** The MCU version of Spider-Man notably ''averts'' showing the titular hero's origin, likely because there were already two major film series (Creator/SamRaimi's ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' and ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'') that went into Spider-Man's origin story. In his first appearance in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', Peter has already been Spider-Man and had his powers for some time, and his own subsequent solo movie, ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'', doesn't deal with his origin at all outside of a brief mention of the radioactive spider that bit him. Presumably it's the same as his origin in other versions. Eventually, the MCU would explore the origins of their Spider-Man with a Prequel animated show, ''Spider-Man: Freshman Year''.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Literature]]
116	* Literature/{{Captain Underpants}}'s origin story is told in [[ShowWithinAShow one of George and Harold's comics]] - he was born as "Little Baby Underpants" on the planet Underpantyworld, which was under attack by the Wedgie Warlords. Little Baby Underpants's father, Big Daddy Long Johns, created an amulet intended to prevent the planet's destruction from the spray starch the Warlords were using, but it ends up in his son's underwear. Big Daddy Long Johns and his wife, Princess Pantyhose, reluctantly decide to save Little Baby Underpants instead, and they slingshot him (using his underwear) to Earth, where he is adopted and renamed "Captain" by an old couple. Captain's birth parents eventually appeared to him in a dream, revealing his origins and inspiring him to become a superhero. Outside of the comics, Captain Underpants was created when George and Harold use a 3D Hypno Ring on their [[SadistTeacher mean principal]] Benny Krupp and can't properly undo the hypnotic trance as they lost the instructions. Resorting to breaking the trance by dumping water on his head, Krupp can be put back in the trance at the snap of a finger. He later gains superpowers as Captain Underpants when given superpower juice, though wearing clothes as Mr. Krupp keeps these powers dormant.
117	* In the book ''Superpowers'' the character telling the story directly refuses to explain what happened to give the students their powers. Partly this is to keep the information out of the wrong hands, but mostly it's to avoid an avalanche of snide letters telling him his science is all wrong.
118	* An odd retroactive example in the Literature/{{Leviathan}} trilogy by Creator/ScottWesterfeld turns the ''entire'' trilogy into one for a couple characters due to the ending. [[spoiler: The main characters Deryn and Alek make a career change from, respectively, a bio-zeppelin midshipman and Prince-in-exile to agents under the employ of the powerful Zoological Society. Some cryptic remarks in conjunction with the skills they learned throughout the trilogy and the experiences they've had would seem to suggest that they were recruited to be international espionage or diplomatic agents of some sort. However, we're never actually shown what the Zoological Society has planned and the trilogy is done at that point. Whatever the case, after the trilogy they are set up to become powerful and professional figures in the field of political intrigue, whereas they were competent but ragtag amateurs working off limited resources during the trilogy.]]
119	* The titular hero of the pulp detective series ''Literature/BlackBat'' was a DA who was blinded by a criminal during a hearing. One day, a woman came to him and offered him a surgery that would cure his blindness. After the surgery he had super-human traits, like better hearing, due to his time as a blind man. He decided to become a masked vigilante to stop people more personally than he can with his day job.
120	* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' and ''Literature/{{Ward}}'', there are generally two ways to acquire powers, each a mix of Superpowered Genetics and one of the other methods. In order to have the ''potential'' for powers, you must be born with a novel brain organ called a Corona Pollentia. Most people who have one then acquire powers by undergoing a ''trigger event'', an experience so physically or psychologically traumatic that the source of powers gives you superpowers in order to deal with it; however, it seems impossible to determine in advance who will be born with a corona, nor does it appear to be possible to intentionally force a trigger event to occur, so there's an element of Chosen Ones here as well. Superpowers can also be acquired by [[spoiler:purchasing them from the amoral secret conspiracy ''Cauldron'', in a form of Applied Phelbotinum.]] Of course it turns out that both of these methods rely on [[spoiler:the true source of powers--[[StarfishAliens giant, inter-dimensional aliens called entities]] who grant powers to "lesser" life forms [[BlueAndOrangeMorality as a means of testing power interactions and gaining data]] [[BizarreAlienBiology as a part of their reproduction cycle]], which is why trigger events can't be forced: the entities only grant powers to people they think will use them in interesting ways. Cauldron's power-granting vials are derived from material harvested from a dead entity, and imbibing one basically "forces" the connection that would normally occur "naturally".]]
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
124	* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Buffy is explicitely referred to as TheChosenOne (though, even when we finally get told how Vampire Slayers came to be, who or what does the choosing is still left vague) and fights evil mainly BecauseDestinySaysSo and, with great ass-kicking ability, [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility comes great responsibility]].
125	* ''Series/{{Angel}}'', meanwhile, had its main character be of non-human stock (namely, a vampire) who fights other demons because he's TheAtoner who, if he plays the right role in the coming apocalypse, might [[IJustWantToBeNormal get to become human again]].
126	* ''Series/DoctorWho'' gradually revealed the Doctor's identity and backstory over the course of the show. In 1969, "The War Games" established the Doctor as a {{Sufficiently Advanced\|Aliens}} {{Human Alien\|s}} called a JustForFun/TimeLord, and revealed that the Doctor stole his TARDIS. In 1973, "The Time Warrior" gave the Doctor's home planet a name: Gallifrey. In 1976, "The Deadly Assassin" introduced Gallifrey as a [[SoiledCityOnAHill once-great world that fell into decadent corruption]], and explained that the TARDIS was a decommissioned "museum piece" in a government stockpile before the Doctor swiped it. In the late eighties, showrunner Creator/AndrewCartmel [[WhatCouldHaveBeen planned to establish the Doctor as one of the original founders of Gallifrey]], but [[AbortedArc the show went off the air before this "Cartmel Masterplan" could come to fruition]]. And starting in 2005, [[GreatOffscreenWar the Time War]] is part of the new series backstory, taking Gallifrey out of the picture and leaving the Doctor as the LastOfHisKind.
127	* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' initially starts out as an origin story for Commissioner James Gordon from ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'', having recently moved to Gotham and struggling to deal with the corruption in the police force, while also showing the origins of iconic Gotham villain like the Penguin and the Riddler, with Bruce Wayne himself attempting to deal with the loss of his parents.
128	* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'': [[Recap/TheIncredibleHulk1977Pilot The original pilot movie]] recounts the gamma radiation experiment that Dr. David Banner does on himself which causes his transformations into the Hulk. He is unaware that the machine he used was labeled incorrectly, so he gives himself a substantially higher dose than he intended. A shot of him using the machine is included in the series' weekly opening sequence, and the narration refers to the accident as well.
129	* ''Series/Merlin2008'' is intended as this, featuring a [[AgeLift much younger version]] of the famous [[Myth/{{Merlin}} wizard]] as he attempts to master his magical abilities. However it also played fast and loose in regards to the original myths, such as having him be the manservant to the future Myth/KingArthur, who he must protect from many threats.
130	* ''Series/{{Pennyworth}}'' proposes an origin story for Alfred Pennyworth, the future butler of [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne/Batman]], and also features Bruce's parents. The only thing is, it's very much AlternateHistory, and [[AdaptationDeviation it gets weirder from there]].
131	* ''Series/{{Smallville}} is an origin story for ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}, with the first half of the series showing him trying to learn more about his origins and gain better control of his powers while dealing with many MonstersOfTheWeek and doomed friendship with his future ArchEnemy Lex Luthor. The second half moved the setting to Metropolis as Clark started working at the Daily Planet and had him deal with many of his iconic enemies, essentially being a ''Superman'' show without having Clark being Superman.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
135	* Obscure MediaNotes/D20System superhero game ''Deeds, Not Words'' lets players mix power origin, race, and class to make their own SuperHeroOrigin, with a PointBuildSystem to help custom-build to fit whatever the player wishes. Most of the origins listed above specifically correspond to power origins you can take, such as [[SuperpowerfulGenetics supernaturals]], [[EvolutionaryLevels mutants]], [[TheChosenOne avatars]], or [[AppliedPhlebotinum channelers]]. Class choice is the go-to for origins such as "My Own Creation" or "Pure Will" types, however.
136	* ''TabletopGame/TruthAndJustice'' encourages players to outline their character's Origin, but it doesn't automatically have any kind of mechanical relevance -- it's there for the GameMaster to mine for plot ideas. A player can choose to make it matter mechanically by basing their Weakness on their powers (such as a Superman character listing "Kryptonite"), or if the player takes a Meta-Power for their character, a package of shared powers and vulnerabilities based on that Origin.
137	[[/folder]]
138
139	[[folder:Video Games]]
140	* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', the above 5 origins are organized thusly: Magic, Kheldian/Natural, Science, Technology/Natural[[labelnote:*]]Natural can be "[[BadassNormal you're just that tough]]" OR "this is normal for your species"[[/labelnote]], and Mutant.
141	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''': Early on, localizations attempted to give Sonic multiple, inconsistent origin stories to explain his SuperSpeed. These were all [[CanonDiscontinuity dropped]] when ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' brought the original Japanese storyline into the western territories, which keeps Sonic's past vague and it's assumed he was always just fast:
142	** The internal ''Script/SonicTheHedgehogBible'' was the original American backstory behind ''Sonic''. Despite this, it was quickly abandoned in North America but was commonplace in ''Europe'' (where it was featured in ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic''). In it, Sonic was a brown hedgehog who met a human named Dr. Kintobor. Eventually, a freak accident gave Sonic super speed, fused his spines, and turned him blue. The same accident turned Dr. Kintobor into the evil and {{gonk}}y Dr. Robotnik.
143	** At one point the American ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' website listed a backstory. It described Sonic gaining his abilities from playing with the WoodlandCreatures he rescues:
144	--->''Sonic the Hedgehog grew up with his forest friends in the Green Hill Zone of the planet Mobius. Orphaned at an early age, Sonic fell in with a clan of rambunctious animal friends who taught him a variety of skills and tricks that you'll see him use in his video games today.''
145	--->''Johnny Lightfoot, a rabbit, showed Sonic how to outrun every creature in the forest, while Sally Acorn, a squirrel, taught Sonic how to jump incredible distances. A bluebird Flicky, influenced Sonic with his happy fearless approach to life: Joe Sushi, a walrus instructed Sonic on how to dive and swim, while a penguin, Tux, taught Sonic how to breathe underwater. With the help of his many friends, Sonic developed cleverness, speed and a certain amount of "forest smarts."''
146	--->''Perhaps the most important lesson of all was from Chirps, a chicken, who inadvertently helped Sonic develop the Super Sonic Spin Attack. You see, as Chirps was learning to fly, he tumbled head over heels out of his nest. Sonic teased Chirps by imitating him as he tumbled. Soon Sonic had gathered so much speed from imitating Chirps' tumble that he became a blur of quills and fur.''
147	* In ''Videogame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'' the in-game tutorial for the various classes takes the form of Cartman dictating your character's in-universe backstory of how you gained your powers and you changing classes is him deciding to revise it. They all involve a group of burglars breaking into your house and you walking in on your parents having sex, though as the game goes on Cartman adds in such details as a baby and an alien. Eventually [[spoiler:you travel back in time to learn that the burglars are just your social media followers desperate for a follow-back and your parents were arguing rather than having sex]].
148	[[/folder]]
149
150	[[folder:Web Animation]]
151	* ''WebAnimation/TheMostEpicStoryEverToldInAllOfHumanHistory'': The third episode shows that Epic-Man got his powers because... [[VoodooShark the Epic Narrator bestowed them on him.]]
152	[[/folder]]
153
154	[[folder:Web Comics]]
155	* "One day, at the scene of a fire, the cop found the perfect fireman axe. That was the day he became... ''Webcomic/AxeCop''." Yes, that's his whole origin.
156	* Parodied in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob,'' when [[WeirdnessMagnet Bob]] ends up randomly stumbling through five different super hero origins in the space of a few minutes (alien ring, radioactive spider bite, cosmic rays, sadistic Canadian scientists, etc.), resulting in his becoming so powerful that he can barely move without destroying his surroundings.
157	* Webcomic/CiemWebcomicSeries. Stan Flippo was experimented on by aliens, who fused his genes with those of a mutated centipede. His ''[[LamarckWasRight daughter]]'' gets superpowers.
158	* The current story arc of ''Webcomic/M9Girls'' is their origin story: the Girls get their powers at the scientific job they are working as interns.
159	* Elliot of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' [[http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/File:MPost20657-e22115fa0c_o.jpg reminds]] why most try keep their origin secret.
160	* Appears in [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=6 this]] ''[[{{Webcomic/Mezzacotta}} Comments on a Postcard]]'' strip. Allegedly.
161	[[/folder]]
162
163	[[folder:Web Original]]
164	* ''[[{{Literature/Takotsubo}} Takotsubo: The story of a superhero]]'' is a {{Deconstruction}} of this: Cord Cai is an unassuming Asian-American young man, [[TheAtoner who's trying to be good]] after a life of street gangs and homophobia. After his fiance Roland gets shot, the police barely manage to help, and Cord [[InterruptedSuicide attempts to jump off the Golden Gate, but gets spotted and taken to the hospital]]. Desperate for justice, Cord tracks down the murderer... [[BestServedCold and then shoots him.]] And then ''[[GenericEthnicCrimeGang starts a gang]]'' instead of becoming a superhero, [[TragicVillain because he thinks he's not good enough to get out of the streets.]] Of course, this will clearly be a {{Reconstruction}} since his alias is ''the TinMan,'' his gang works with the police [[NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters to clean up civilian crime]], and the story's tagline states that this is ''"[[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre the story of a superhero.]]"''
165	* Several episodes of ''WebAnimation/SocietyOfVirtue'' including "Choices", "Adopted Son" and "The Impressives"
166	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': While [[EvolutionaryLevels super-powered mutants]] are the primary focus of both the titular SuperheroSchool, Whateley Academy, [[MetaOrigin and the series as a whole]], examples of damn near every other possible origin can be found in the series as well. This has been lampshaded multiple times. For example, when a superhero team with no mutant members find out that they are pretty much [[OpenSecret the only ones who had been kept in the dark about Whateley]], everyone else was surprised to find out they didn't know about the school already. Since most of the other teams had had at least one mutant who had been a Whateley student, [[YouNeverAsked it never occurred to anyone to mention it to them]]. Conversely, others suspected that the reason that SPECTRUM didn't have any mutant members was because they were all [[FantasticRacism bigoted against mutants]], so they didn't want to spill the beans, though most figured they would have heard about it anyway.
167	* ''{{Literature/Deviant}}'': The very first scene shows the main protagonist discovering her powers, somewhat disastrously.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Western Animation]]
171	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' lays it out in the OpeningNarration before every episode. [[labelnote:All together now:]]\
172	'''Katara:''' Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the [[ElementalNation four nations]] lived together in harmony. [[MemeticMutation Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.]] Only the [[TheChosenOne Avatar]], master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the [[LegacyCharacter new Avatar]], an [[BlowYouAway airbender]] named [[TheHero Aang]]. And although his airbending skills are great, he still has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I believe Aang can save the world.[[/labelnote]]
173	* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'': Harley explicitly decides to redefine her Origin Story from the day that she choose to jump into the same vat of chemicals as Joker in order to prove her love to him, to the day Harley broke up with him and decided to be her own villain.
174	* The origin of Shego's powers are given in the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "Go Team Go". Shego and her four brothers were hit by a rainbow comet as children, giving them superpowers and changing their overall colours. Shego and her brothers were a part of Team Go, but Shego broke off when she decided to become a supervillain.
175	* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', the protagonists combine TheChosenOne and AppliedPhlebotinum. The Season 1 finale reveals that after the villain Hawk Moth began a one-man war on Paris, the Guardian of the Miraculous chose Marinette and Adrien to wield the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses in the city's defense. Later episodes have Marinette choose people to wield more Miraculous; Chloe adds Lucky Accident because she got a Miraculous Marinette dropped and was only chosen later on.
176	* ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls'' were created by Professor Utonium in an attempt to make "the perfect little girl" through artificial means. He intended on only using [[MadeOfGood sugar, spice and everything nice]], but accidentally added a fourth ingredient named [[LetXBeTheUnknown Chemical X]] (the source of the Girls' superpowers) to the concoction, courtesy of a lab monkey named Jojo shoving him.
177	* The ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Mermaid Man Begins" has the titular hero tell [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick his origin: Mermaid Man was a normal human who took a nap while on the beach. A wave drew him into the ocean, where he was sucked into a whirlpool. Luckily, mermaids saved him. They gave him a magic sea-star mask that allowed him to breathe underwater. He eventually became lonely with no one to talk to under the sea, until one day when he encountered a young boy scraping barnacles off the underside of a ship. Worried that the boy might drown doing this, Mermaid Man used his telekinetic powers to replace his lungs with barnacles. Seeing as both would spend the rest of their lives breathing underwater, they team up to become superheroes. [[spoiler:Then a [[MarathonRunning TV marathon]] reveals the ''real'' origin: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy were just roommates who got caught in a TechnoBabble-filled ClicheStorm of superpower sources (radioactive bug bites, falling into a vat of acid, etc.)... which amounts to nothing. Then, while having a movie night, they ate popcorn that got slightly overcooked while those clichés were taking place, becoming superheroes as a result.]]
178	* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'': Several of the young heroes have different origins than their comic counterparts.
179	** Roy Harper/Speedy in this continuity is actually two people, regular Roy and a clone Roy. The clone Roy who takes up the identiy of , Red Arrow, is the one we see in Season One who is later revealed to have been a ManchurianAgent for [[LegionOfDoom The Light]]. The real Roy had been kidnapped by the Light to create the clone and was kept [[HumanPopsicle cryogenically frozen]] for Eight years. In Season Two, clone Roy manages to finally rescue real Roy after Five years of searching, real Roy then takes the identity, Arsenal, to differentiate between himself and clone Roy. And in Season Three, clone Roy changes his name to Will to establish his own identity.
180	** Static along with several [[WesternAnimation/SuperFriends Superfriends]] expies were kidnapped by an Alien race known as the Reach. Who then preformed horrific experiments on them and other kidnapped teenagers to research the "Metagene" and create [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals Metahumans]].
181	** Geo-Force and Terra who are siblings in this contiunity, were the victims of a SuperHumanTrafficking Syndicate who kidnapped them and forcefully turned them into Metahumans.
182	** Halo also gained her powers after being victimized by the same Trafficking Syndicate. [[spoiler: Later its revealed that Halo is not a Metahuamn, but the soul of a living machine known as a Motherbox fusing with the dead body of a young girl, bringing her back to life and granting her a wide array of powers via [[ComicBook/NewGods New God]] technology.]]
183	[[/folder]]

Context Main / SuperHeroOrigin