How to Make a Hero

Creating a super hero isn’t easy work. There’s enough proof of this in the annals of comic book history. For instance, virtually every member of the Great Lakes Avengers from the Marvel universe is a dud. There’s Flatman, whose power is to have a flat body. That's pretty much it. Then there’s Squirrel Girl, who has the ability to communicate with squirrels. She, as some kind of comic book joke, has actually defeated worthwhile super villains, such as Dr. Doom. And also there is Grasshopper, who has robotic grasshopper legs that allow for super-sized leaping. These heroes aren’t quite on the same level as Batman or Spiderman. So, with duds like these, what exactly makes a good super hero?

The origin story is the start. If you’re hero doesn’t have an interesting and believable origin story, then it’ll be that much more difficult for it to take off. Origins can be assigned to different categories. There’s the science origin, like Spiderman, where he acquires his powers by means of scientific happenings. There’s the mutant origin, such as the X-Men, where the heroes are either born with their powers, or their powers develop without external coercion as they grow up. There’s the technology origin, such as Iron Man, who doesn’t have any actual super powers, but uses machinery and gadgets to fulfill his duty. There’s the magic origin, such as Dr. Strange, where the hero’s powers are based in spells and other sorts of mysticism. And lastly, there’s the natural origin, such as Superman and the Punisher. Superman’s powers are natural because where he comes from, Krypton, everybody has those powers (or would if they were in the presence of a yellow sun). His powers are normal for his species, so they would be considered natural. The Punisher also has a natural origin because he has no actual superpowers. Anything he can do anybody could do with the proper training.

The origin of the hero’s powers makes a difference because some origins, such as mutant and natural, are more believable to the audience than other origins, magic and science. Of course, comic books aren’t real, but there is an amount of believability in every comic book, and if that believability is pushed to far, the audience may decide the comic is too preposterous and stop reading.

The second important thing regarding the origin of a super hero is how exactly he or she receives his or her powers, and what instigated the hero wanting to use their powers for heroism. Spiderman is a well put example. He received his spider-like powers by being bitten by a radioactive spider while at a science facility. The science origin works well enough, although slightly pushes the believability. But when Spiderman realizes his powers, he doesn’t want to use them for good. He instead wants to make some money by winning a wrestling match. He doesn’t decide to use his powers for good until his Uncle Ben’s death, which Spiderman felt responsible for. This feeling of guilt and responsibility led Spiderman down the path of becoming a super hero.

So, a popular and effective characteristic when creating a science or technology origin for a super hero is tragedy. The death of Uncle Ben, the murder of Batman’s parents, and Iron Man being kidnapped by terrorists all use tragedy. It makes the character relatable while still granting them super powers. And along the same lines, although slightly different, is the use of prejudice in mutant origins. In the X-Men, people fear the mutants and hate the mutants because they’re different from them. This sense of unjustifiable prejudice is something most people can empathize with, whether it’s a minority facing racism or a fat kid being made fun of his weight.

Besides the origin, the main component of a super hero is his or her power. The power needs to be original, but still be based upon a sort of standard. Robotic grasshopper legs are definitely original, but it strays too far away from the standard. Leaping high is OK and robotic legs are OK, but actually specifying the legs to be “grasshopper” legs is a push too far. Super strength and stamina are necessary for most super heroes, but those powers wouldn’t make the grade by themselves. There is a list of already created super powers, and most of them would be good for a stand alone character. A large pitfall for any super hero, though, is for them to have too many powers. Martian Manhunter and Superman are both examples of this. Having too many powers makes the hero too powerful. If the hero is too powerful, then his ordeals aren’t so dramatic anymore. If there’s no drama, then there’s no pull to keep reading. An ultimate, unbeatable super hero is a nice idea in theory, but would get boring and repetitive fast.

And lastly, every super hero needs a worthy super villain. Some super villains are cool because of their own merit, such as Dr. Doom. But at the very minimal, the super villain must be the antithesis of the super hero. The relationship between the hero and villain must be more than the fact the hero doesn’t let the villain do bad stuff. Every great hero-villain relationship has deep rooted emotion in it. Batman and the Joker, Wolverine and Sabertooth, Superman and Lex Luthor, and Thor and Loki each have their own personal histories with each other. This long term relationship adds more drama into the comic, which creates more interest.

Really, there's no hard and fast rules to making super heroes. Different ideas appeal to different people at different times. Heroes like Flatman and Squirrel Girl might be popular in the future. Also, heroes like Batman and Spiderman may eventually be forgotten. However, for right now, at least, this seems like a good set of rules to follow when making your own super hero.