The 10 Best Re-Tellings Of A Superhero's Origin

Anyone who has picked up a superhero comic or watched a costumed avenger movie in their life knows that any great character’s journey has to begin with a memorable origin story. Whether they were bitten by a radioactive insect or sent to Earth from a doomed planet, the heroic protagonists featured are given intriguing backgrounds. Most of the time, the origins are told during the span of a single issue and afforded very little room for detail and depth; while that worked well back in the day, comic book fans have grown to crave more over the years.

Noticing this problem, comic book publishers recently began retelling back-stories in order to introduce more character development. Since then, countless writers and artists have attempted to re-imagine these stories for new generations of fans, while also staying true to the originals. Though most comics wind up being unnecessary and redundant, a few of them have actually improved upon their respective predecessors and brought some classic heroes into a whole new direction.

Starting this Wednesday, DC is launching “Zero Month," during which each issue of the company’s various superhero comics reverts to #0 in order to retell the characters’ origins within the new DC 52 universe. In that same spirit, we’re taking a look back at the The 10 Best Re-Tellings Of A Superhero’s Origin. Hopefully “Zero Month” can emulate the results seen here.

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Written by Jason Serafino (@serafinoj1)

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Oliver Queen, a.k.a. the Green Arrow, is the perpetual middle child of the DC Universe. Some people just see him as a pale imitation of Batman, while others view Oliver as a Robin Hood wannabe. The truth lies somewhere in between all of that, but when done right, he's one of DC's most complex characters. And in 2007’s Green Arrow: Year One, writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock reminded us why the emerald archer is so damn cool.

The story retells Queen’s early days as a drunken playboy who doesn’t truly appreciate any of the gifts that a life born into wealth has given him. But after his friend/loyal bodyguard betrays him on his yacht, Queen soon finds himself marooned on an unmarked island. Stripped of all of his wealth and privilege, Queen has to survive on this island through the use of his archery skills and the help of the downtrodden natives who are being enslaved by a dangerous drug cartel.

By making Oliver Queen a metaphor for certain selfish members of the upper class, Diggle brought back the social commentary that made the character work in the '70s. His redemption is then made all the more rewarding because we actually see it happen, instead of just being told.

In the last issue of their criminally-brief tenure on Captain America, writer Roger Stern and artist John Byrne presented readers with a new take on the Cap's origin that still holds up today. It didn't change much from the original Joe Simon/Jack Kirby story from the ‘40s, but Byrne and Stern added a bit more detail and characterization to the back-story as they took a wider look at his WWII adventures and his impact on the world stage.

The story's most memorable part is when Cap met with FDR for the first time to receive his new shield. This is something the original origin didn’t do, and it helped give us a better understanding of Cap’s greater importance to the country as a whole. Other stories have gone on to give us darker and more realistic takes on the same premise in the years since, but with a nostalgic eye and good old-fashioned Nazi pounding, Captain America #255 is a must-read for fans looking for the character’s definitive coming-of-age.

Over the years, numerous writers have added to the Hulk’s origin by introducing childhood trauma and a psychotic father into his backstory. But when writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale gave their interpretation of the gamma bomb explosion that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk, they ushered in one of the best Marvel stories of the decade.

In Hulk: Gray, the focus is on the star-crossed love affair between Bruce and his future wife, Betty Ross. In retelling their early romance, Loeb makes Betty's eventual death in recent comics (which has since been reversed) even more emotional to deal with by actually making her a real character and not just a prop.

From battles with the military to a brief tussle with Iron Man, Hulk: Gray perfectly depicts the intense rage and madness from the character’s first appearance. And though Loeb’s scripts bring plenty of nostalgia and emotion to the tale, it’s the art by Sale that really sticks out. One moment his visuals are dreamlike and serene, while the next they are explosive and nightmarish. Hulk: Gray is at its strongest is when the narrative is focused on the quiet moments between Hulk and Betty as their complicated dynamic begins to take shape in a way that's reminiscent of an indie rom-com.

For anyone that thinks the Hulk is nothing more than a one-dimensional beast, Hulk: Gray should change your mind after the first issue. It’s heartfelt, action-packed, and the perfect example of how to retell a familiar story while adding in a few new wrinkles.

When Iron Man’s first origin was told back in the ‘60s, Tony Stark was imprisoned in a Vietnam military compound before escaping without harm within a few pages. That worked back then, but in the modern world, Ol’ Shell Head’s first adventure needed an update to better reflect the world that we’re in today. And in Warren Ellis’ “Extremis” storyline, the writer used flashbacks to retell Stark’s classic origin, but used the war in Afghanistan as the backdrop for the action. Despite only seeing glimpses of the origin here, Ellis managed to make these flashbacks as interesting as the main narrative.

In this story, Stark’s character is further fleshed out as we take a look inside of the head of the man who began as a war monger and turned himself into a hero. The tragic elements that Stan Lee, Don Heck, and company brought to the character’s first origin are still intact, and Ellis did a tremendous job updating them for our current world and political climate. Assisted by Adi Granov's fantastic art, “Extremis” has become one of the best Iron Man stories to date.

After Geoff Johns resurrected Hal Jordan from his temporary death back in 2004, the writer then decided to go back into the character’s past and update his origins to more accurately reflect the changes made in the modern Green Lantern title. The result was “Secret Origin,” a retelling of Jordan’s first mission as a Lantern with some updated plot points and more well-rounded characterizations. Despite retaining some familiar elements to satisfy longtime fans, Johns made this version completely his own and solidified himself as the definitive writer of Hal with this story.

For years, Hal Jordan had been a cookie-cutter stock character with no real personality, but under Johns' watchful eye he became an immersive hero with real flaws and a personality that stood out among DC’s roster of other heroes. In this story, his partnership with Sinestro is formed, the Guardians are introduced, and Atrocitus takes his revenge on the Lanterns.

None of those plot points are as black-and-white as they seem, though, and they each take on a bigger meaning in later Green Lantern stories. If you’re brave enough to take the journey through Johns’ immense run on the title, you have to start with “Secret Origin.”

It might be hard to imagine now, but there was a time in the late ‘90s when Spider-Man was on creative life support. Years of convoluted stories turned fans off to the character’s adventures, and Marvel was worried that he was slowly becoming obsolete. So instead of sitting back and allowing it to happen, Joe Quesada brought in writer Brian Michael Bendis to completely re-envision Spidey as part of the company’s Ultimate Universe.

Retelling Peter Parker’s origin with a modern twist, Bendis made the Wall Crawler’s early days more accessible to new fans that weren’t familiar with the years of comic book continuity; yet, at the same time, this opening story arc on the Ultimate Spider-Man title was also familiar enough for longtime fans to enjoy. It didn’t quite uproot the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko origin as the definitive Spider-Man tale, but “Power and Responsibility” gave movie directors and comic book writers a blueprint for how to bring the character into the new millennium.

Garth Ennis’ Born doesn’t retell the familiar origin story of the Punisher’s family getting gunned down by the mob that we have seen countless times before; rather, the title focuses on his time in Vietnam and how that experience really shaped his later life as the skull-wearing vigilante. Other writers have touched on the Punisher’s time in the war over the years, most notably in The 'Nam back in the day, but never before has someone peeled back the psychological layers of the character in such an in-depth way as Ennis.

Here, we meet a young, obsessed, robotic Castle as he leads his platoon against the opposing army in the besieged Valley Forge base. Throughout the series, Castle’s unwavering character is revealed as he does everything in his power to fight for his country, his unit, and his own salvation. While this is happening, a mysterious voice in his head promises to give him the strength to survive – at a price.

It’s an enigmatic and challenging story that gives us a new perspective on the Punisher and adds to his pre-established origin. Most people think the character was born on the day his family was killed, but, as hinted at in the story’s title, he was around way before then.

It’s easy for fans of Daredevil to be torn over which retelling of Ol’ Horn Head’s origin is better: Man Without Fear or Daredevil: Yellow. We, however, will quickly choose the former. Man Without Fear presents the character’s early days with the backdrop of a crime drama, as opposed to the more nostalgic take from Yellow. Readers watch Matt Murdock evolve from a blinded child to an angry orphan after his father’s murder, and, eventually, a burgeoning superhero. Along the way, writer Frank Miller weaves in a smattering of tragedy as Matt’s life is formed by the violence that surrounds it.

By working on Man Without Fear years' worth of Daredevil assignments throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, Miller was able to bring elements in from his earlier run and incorporate them into this story. Even though Stan Lee didn’t conceive of Stick, Kingpin, or Elektra by the time Daredevil #1 hit stands in the ‘60s, Miller put them in this story in order to flesh out the title and give more gravitas to the later comics. What we’re left with is a blood-soaked drama that manages to bring dense writing into the superhero genre. It’s tragedy of the highest order, and it’s the kind of story that Marvel and DC need to put out more often.

After DC relaunched most of its comic book characters following Crisis on Infinite Earths, writer-artist John Byrne was brought into the fold to retell the origin of Superman in The Man of Steel. By toning down his powers a bit and making Clark Kent a more introspective and proactive character, Byrne attempted to bring Supes into the modern world of comics by making the godlike being more relatable for his audience.

Though not everything in Man of Steel does justice to the character, most of Byrne's innovations and ideas completely work. The Kryptonian origin is still there, but this time the planet is depicted as cold and sterile, much like the 1978 movie version. Even Lex Luthor got a makeover as he was portrayed as a calculating businessman in the story, rather than a mad scientist, which people could identify with during the Reagan administration. Byrne also got rid of the Superboy stories, the other Kryptonians from the Silver Age, and some of the cornier elements from the early comics.

Aside from having to take care of a lot of exposition and housekeeping in this story, Byrne still managed to bring some great art and action into this story as well. Even though this story was written out of existence during Superman: Birthright in 2004, which was then written out during “Secret Origin,” which itself was written out during New 52, many fans still cling to this as the definitive depiction of his early days.

Easily one of the best Batman stories of all time, “Year One” is also the quintessential retelling of a superhero’s origin. By bringing us the familiar elements of Batman’s early days with some new plot points added in, Frank Miller expanded upon the first moments of the character’s career in a way that was both utilitarian and artistic. Miller's story established both the look and tone for the new version of the Caped Crusader in the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths, but it also reads beautifully as a standalone crime drama.

This story puts its focus squarely on James Gordon and Bruce Wayne as both men come to Gotham City in order to fight for justice and clean up the streets. For Gordon, he is overmatched by the corrupt police department around him; Wayne, meanwhile, has the money and physical skills to fight crime, but not the method. As both men find their calling, their paths inevitably cross and they quickly realize they need each other in order to succeed. Miller’s script is hard-boiled and gritty as the city of Gotham takes on a violent and bleak personality of its own. But it’s in David Mazzucchelli's art where the story transcends all other origin tales.

No longer is Batman decked-out in fancy gadgets and armor; instead, Mazzucchelli takes a minimalist approach to the character that makes him seem more like a rookie than ever. Everything is low-tech and realistic as both Miller and Mazzucchelli take all of the glamour out of the Dark Knight to show fans his humble beginnings.