Super-writer Grant Morrison was given an interview on The List about his book, Supergods. In the interview, he mentions this little tidbit. It seems that he is trying to point out the nigh-mythological level that superheroes reach, while at the same time our modern storytelling demands that we, incongruously, keep such myths "grounded."
"A lot of the superheroes, like Flash, don’t even need a great backstory. If you look back to the early Zorro film, which influenced Batman, Zorro just turns up and starts kicking ass. There’s no indication why he became Zorro or why he chose to dress like that. The modern approach to comic superheroes only came in later, when adults started to ask dumb questions like, ‘Why would he do that? How could he afford to do that?’ These are really stupid questions to ask of fantasy, but people did ask them, and then try to answer them" (Morrison).
Is this why all of our superhero movies must include an origin story? Do our modern storytellers think that audiences won't accept the story unless they consider the whys and wherefores? (Or it could also be the answer to my earlier Story Theory post about how it's only the "origin" story that has a definite and recognizable beginning-middle-end.) Or perhaps it's simply because that origin story is often the purest version of the simple superhero *theme* -- something about overcoming great odds, rising above your circumstances, choosing the responsibility that comes with power, etc. Put simply, when your story is about becoming a hero, then the clear theme will be "Be Heroic."
But this basic theme can be in *any* superhero story, to some extent. It's the whole reason to READ such stories, in my opinion. We all need this theme on a mythological level, to inspire us all to do heroic things even in our ordinary lives. I think that is the unspoken assumption in Morrison's quote, above-- that we don't need questions that ask "dumb questions" since the "stupid questions" get in the way of the fantasy, or more specifically, get in the way of the "be heroic" theme we need.
Spidey's origin? Be heroic. His overcoming of the Sinister Six? Be heroic. His grief over Gwen Stacy's death? Be heroic. His recent decision that "no one dies" under his watch? Be heroic. So it comes down to what flavor of "be heroic" you want to say. After all, Spidey's heroics are different than Superman's All-Star stories, or War on Krypton, or Walk Across America.
Some of these are quite easily recognizable, in which case these stories are ripe for introduction WITHOUT a long origin story.
- She-Hulk: "Be heroic in balance" with a story about juggling crimefighting criminals in and outside of courtrooms, and juggling her private life and personal life, and juggling her Jennifer and Shulkie sides.
- Captain America: "Be heroic for your ideals" as he overcomes corruption both literal and figurative.
- Black Knight: "Be heroic in your legacy" as he finds modern ways to fulfill ancient responsibilities.
etc. etc., with different nuances and flavors for each one, complete with a villain or antagonist that serves as a foil for the hero's own journey. Change your hero's situation too much, then you risk changing his/her theme. (Although, alternatively, if you don't vary things too much, then often the themes become interchangeable, such as making it hard to distinguish between, say, Moon Knight stories and Nighthawk stories, between Black Widow stories and Nick Fury stories.)
It takes good writers, you see, of episodic storytelling to share the same message (or at least a nuanced variation of it) in bright new packages every time.
But it's something I, for one, need constant reminders about, which is why I return to superhero stories all the time!
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