“The Psychology Behind Superhero Origin Stories”

Notes

Superheroes typically undergo three types of life altering experiences—trauma, destiny, and chance.
The first experience, trauma, is true for Batman. After seeing his parents murdered, Bruce Wayne (Batman) decided to dedicate his life to fighting crime. Many people, after trauma, experience “stress-induced” growth—and as a result, they try to help others, even becoming social activists.
The second force is destiny. For example, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is about a normal teenager who discovered she’s destined to be the “Chosen One.” Buffy is initially reluctant to accept this, but eventually she starts to enjoy her new job.
The last experience is just chance—this is true for Spider-Man. Initially, he used his power for selfish purposes until his beloved uncle was murdered by a street thug. (RIP Uncle Ben) Spider-Man can be an example of how random negative events can cause people to choose a different, sometimes more positive path in life.
Comic book writers could have omitted origin stories, but the writers were observant of human nature. By studying human nature, the writers make their stories more compelling by reflecting aspects of psychology that were confirmed by researchers later on.

Superheroes often originate from three transformative experiences—trauma (Batman), destiny (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and chance (Spider-Man). These experiences shape their paths toward becoming heroes.
Comic book writers are observant of human nature, and they use this to include psychological elements into their stories. This, in turn, makes the stories more compelling and relatable.
The transformative experiences that many superheroes relate to also reflect real-life concepts such as stress-induced growth, the acceptance of fate, and personal growth from traumatic events.

How do origin stories that reflect psychological experiences make the audience connect more with the characters?