The Psychology Behind Superhero Origin Stories
How does following the adventures of Spider-Man and Batman inspire us to cope with adversity?
- By Robin Rosenberg
- Smithsonian magazine, February 2013, Subscribe
“Why is every superhero movie an origin story?” complained Entertainment Weekly film critic Adam Markovitz after seeing a trailer for this summer’s Man of Steel—yet another version of the 75-year-old Superman saga. Perhaps we love origin stories, Markovitz suggested, because they “show the exact moment when a normal guy goes from being Just Like Us to being somehow better, faster, stronger.”
I’m inclined to disagree. As a clinical psychologist who has written books about the psychology of superheroes, I think origin stories show us not how to become super but how to be heroes, choosing altruism over the pursuit of wealth and power. I’ve learned this through hundreds of conversations at comic book conventions, where fans have been remarkably candid about their lives and the inspiration they draw from superhero stories.
In one form or another the superhero origin story has been around for millennia: A hero battles “supernatural” forces and returns home “from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man,” as the mythologist Joseph Campbell wrote.
In my surveys of the genre, I’ve found that superheroes undergo three types of life-altering experiences that we can relate to.
The first is trauma, which lies at the heart of Batman’s origin story, in which Bruce Wayne dedicates himself to fighting crime after seeing his parents murdered. In real life, many people experience “stress-induced growth” after a trauma and resolve to help others, even becoming social activists.
The second life-altering force is destiny. Consider Buffy the Vampire Slayer, about a normal teenager who discovers she’s the “Chosen One”—endowed with supernatural powers to fight demons. Buffy is reluctant to accept her destiny, yet she throws herself into her new job. Many of us identify with Buffy’s challenge (minus the vampires) of assuming a great responsibility that compels her to grow up sooner than she wants to.
Lastly, there’s sheer chance, which transformed a young Spider-Man, who was using his power for selfish purposes until his beloved uncle was murdered by a street thug. Spider-Man’s heroism is an example of how random adverse events cause many of us to take stock of our lives and choose a different path.
At their best, superhero origin stories inspire us and provide models of coping with adversity, finding meaning in loss and trauma, discovering our strengths and using them for good purpose. (Wearing a cape or tights is optional.)
Comic book writers could have chosen not to endow their characters with origin stories. (In fact, Batman’s back story wasn’t published until the comic’s seventh installment.) But those writers were keen observers of human nature. And they were able to translate those observations into captivating stories reflecting aspects of psychology that were confirmed by researchers decades later. In doing so, they tap into our capacity for empathy, one of the greatest powers of all.
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Comments (6)
Bravo on a well thought out and meaningful explanation... A rarity among those who attempt to explain everything
Posted by Anthony Saitta on January 28,2013 | 04:30 PM
The clearest form of the superhero archetype is the hero versus the dragon. That is where challenges of life and despair attempts to swallow up each one of us. Jung calls that confrontation with the self. Taoism calls this obstruction (hexagram 38) and adversity (hexagram 47) whereby difficulties throws one bac upon oneself and ultimately leads to greater consciousness, The ultimate goal of every man is Christ in you (the atman) - the hope of glory - the firstborn of every creature
Posted by John Walker on January 28,2013 | 09:43 AM
Interesting! I hope that everyone's Sunday is going great and safe, plus I hope that they had a nice MLK Day! Batman is cool!
Posted by Mike on January 27,2013 | 04:12 PM
Almost right, there almost right. I feel that the superhero movies are origin stories for a couple of reasons: firstly, to introduce a new audience for the character, whom may not have read the comics. But there is a bigger issue at stake. The origin stories are highly dramatic- they have to be, to 'sell the series'. The writers and editors spend more time and effort, starting comic titles, than continuing them. They are so dramatic, that the comic tales themselves refer again and again to the same origin story. The reason for this is that the origin story is nothing less than a CREATIONIST MYTH, of which every culture has. (Joseph Campbell should read that.) This points up the flaws in comics, though. The idea for a character may have the 'potential for literature', but then the writing of the origin story has 'extra baggage', meaning gets less and less as the comic rolls through issue after issue, and then once in while, some writer has an idea to infuse the character with something new, but then, the comics, like so much media, has the appearance of change, without real change.
Posted by Nathan Shinder on January 27,2013 | 03:40 PM
Frankly I believe the super-hero image and appeal in American culture reflects the tragic flaw of the American character in its history that has caused so many deaths in so many wars. Certainly had we not engaged the Axis powers of WWII, our grandparents would have spent the rest of their lives in German prison camps and we would have never been born. But WWI, Vietnam and to some degree the Civil War that just filled the inner city poverty with black slaves who couldn't fend for themselves? We have yet to recognize these people's plight, much less effectively address it. Bottom line, contrary to our forefathers who defied the British and built this great nation with Constitutional Law that we set aside, we forgot the source of those freedoms for that very reason. And we compensate for that failure with visions of social reform by superheroes that costs millions of lives. It's the same old utopian mania which is the last century cost anywhere between 10-30 million lives PER DECADE by utopian communist Regimes. Declaring the greater good for the greater number they disarmed their populations. Then they proceeded to execute , imprison and or starve them. Before you slap me with a tin foil hat take a look at Obama's mentors.
Posted by Brian Lantz on January 27,2013 | 03:25 PM
Recently, a gene has been found that may create born heroes. It is a leadership gene, known as rs4950; an "inherited DNA sequence associated with people taking charge." The researches go on to states that "the gene may provide the vital push" to make someone a leader. (http://www.skynews.com.au/health/article.aspx?id=836130) This brings up the possibility that heroes indeed are made, and that any of the three events mentioned in the article may act as a trigger to activate that gene. (Just like in DUNE: The sleeper awakens!)
Posted by Calvin on January 27,2013 | 02:28 PM