Sweet!
ConstipatedWatson
joined 1 year ago
Hahahahahahaha, touché!
The hero we need, but not the one we deserve
That's a very correct point of view. Janeway IS cool and the show had such potential, but there are so many wasted opportunities...
You're right! I initially ruled Daredevil out but, as I was reading answers, I concurred Daredevil actually has a "believable" origin story (in that chemicals heighten his spatial senses)
That's an interesting take, because it is a plausible origin story arising from an "implausible" one! What I mean is that, according to the (admittedly not well defined) "bounds" of my original post, mutants have a less believable origin story since they're just born with powers, but Deadpool becomes a superhero since he already lives in a universe where mutants and healing factors exist and so it makes sense they make experiments on it!
I didn't know Norman Osborn tried to kill Deadpool with a cure for cancer. That's a neat plot device!
I'm trying to answer everyone and you pointed out correctly something I didn't define well in my original post: I was trying to find either "believable" powers (in the sense of being well constructed) or "believable" origin stories. They didn't need to come from radioactivity only. The reason I was excluding mutants in my original post was that they have powers since they have a different gene, but that is a very "cheap" way of creating a superhero, since no other explanation is necessary!
Wolverine (as pointed out in the first answer to your comment) is born a mutant and later on given an indestructible skeleton.
Make no mistake: the post is not about superheroes being or not being cool because of their origin story or super powers. I really like Wolverine and Sabertooth!
These are all great answers. As discussed in another answer to a comment (the one on Poison Ivy and Mr Freeze), I agree that "believable" experiments gone wrong based on actual science provide a source of "believable" super powers.
On the other hand: Ghost Rider and Spawn have really nice origin stories which also place restrictions on what they can do not to make the characters god like.
That's a great and involved origin story. Jack takes the mantle though he wants no part in it and becomes a superhero to protect and avenge his family.
It's interesting to have superheroes who are born out of revenge, like the Punisher mentioned in another comment. I guess revenge is also part of the Spiderman lore, though it isn't involved in what makes him Spiderman in the first place (and also isn't shown acting out of rage, like the Punisher).
I admit to not knowing Starman enough so I don't know if he's shown acting out of rage (like the Punisher) or of justice (like Spiderman)
Your comment nailed perfectly one of two the things I was aiming at with my post which I realized wasn't as well defined as I was hoping (the other thing being a colorful or original origin story, even if the power is unbelievable).
The Phantom is a perfect example: he's got no superpowers, but he managed to create an immortality myth around himself which makes him scary to others. That's great!
Watchmen is a great answer! All characters are normal people, save for Dr Manhattan and, even if the source itself of his super power is "sketchy" (in that it involves a radioactive event that just makes it true, without real explanation), there is a long section showing us how he tried to reassemble himself very very slowly while learning how to use his new powers which makes for a great and detailed origin story.
Doctor Strange is also a great answer since it taps into something that people have believed existing for centuries (aka magic) and Stephen Strange goes on to study it to save his own hands. It's a great origin story!
Green Lantern is also awesome in that it's a very unexpected origin story with aliens from Oa and lanterns being used to give this incredible power. I would say it's unbelievable as a power (with respect to the restrictions I was thinking about in my post), but the origin story and lore is much more unexpected than so many other superheroes
You mean like Captain Picard Day?