DC has existed for over over eighty years, creating some of the most respected heroes of all time. DC began the superhero craze as it's known today, with many of their Golden Age icons surviving to this day. While they've been through some changes over the years and have started heroic legacies that have been passed down to a myriad of successors, many of these characters have one thing that hasn't changed, and that's their origins.
Origins are extremely important to comic characters, and while a lot of things have changed since the Golden Age, these origin stories have stayed the same for decades.
10 Alan Scott May Have Changed But His Origins Haven't
The first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, is a very interesting character. Gaining his power from a magical lantern after a train crash, he became one of the powerhouses of the early JSA and has survived to this day. The power of his lantern has changed, as it's now known as the Starheart and gives him relative immortality and agelessness, and he may have come out of the closet, but none of that has changed how he became Green Lantern.
Alan Scott's legacy and iconography would go on to inspire the later Green Lantern and the Corps, making him a true legend in the DC Universe.
9 Jay Garrick's Power Source Has Changed But Not How He Got It In The First Place
Jay Garrick started the legacy of the Flash, even though the Flash was very different back then. This was before the Speed Force, with Garrick getting his powers from inhaling hard water fumes after an experiment. He'd also join the JSA, like most DC characters of his time, and battled supervillains and the Nazis.
He'd be shunted over to Earth-2 like the rest of the Golden Age heroes and would be the first character of his time to appear in the Silver Age. He's been through a lot over the years and many things about him have changed. His origin has not changed, though, and it's stuck with him for all of these years.
8 Hourman's Circumstances Have Changed Over The Years But His Origin Hasn't
Hourman has become one of the most complicated Golden Age characters. Rex Mason was a chemist who created Miraclo, a drug that gave him an hour of super strength and durability. He became Hourman and changed the formula over time, making it more powerful and allowing him to take more than one a day. He also eventually became addicted to Miraclo, adding an extra wrinkle to the character.
It's that extra dimension to Hourman that makes him so interesting, but it doesn't really change the origin of the character, as his Miraclo addiction doesn't develop until later.
7 The Atom May Have Gained Powers Later, But That Doesn't Change How He Started
Al Pratt was always small for his age and got bullied. This treatment spurred him to work out, and he would become the crime fighter known as the Atom, packing a huge punch in a small package. As time went on, he gained super strength and an atomic punch from battling the villain Cyclotron, but this change didn't affect his origin.
The Atom was always one of the JSA's more interesting members, as he didn't really have any powers or cool gimmicks. He was just a really strong guy who got made fun of and wanted to help people, and that was something that never changed.
6 Sandman's Origin Had An Addition, But It Didn't Really Change
The Golden Age Sandman always seemed a little out of place in the Justice Society. He was more of a detective than the other characters and had a much spookier vibe. His origin was also kind of cliche for a time, as he was yet another wealthy gentleman with a variety of skills who had prophetic dreams that drove him to crime-fighting.
The source of his dreams was eventually revealed to Dream of The Sandman fame, but that didn't really change his origin at all.
5 Johnny Thunder's Origin Is A Modern Genie Story
Johnny Thunder was always known as the mascot of the JSA. The young man found a magic pen, which contained the Thunderbolt, a genie that would grant him wishes and help him battle evil when he called upon it with the words, "Cei-u." He and the Atom were the youngest members of the team, but each one approached things differently. The Atom was a serious crime fighter while Johnny was anything but.
Eventually, the Thunderbolt was revealed to be a Fifth Dimensional imp, but this was a change that really had nothing to do with Johnny's origin and how he found the pen.
4 Mr. Terrific Was Yet Another Rich & Highly Skilled Man
Terry Sloane had an origin much like several other Golden Age DC heroes. He was a smart, talented rich man who decided to fight crime and embody the term "Fair Play." Mister Terrific didn't have any superpowers, but his variety of skills served him well in battle until he was killed by his nemesis, the Spirit King, who had possessed Jay Garrick.
Mister Terrific's heroic legacy would inspire Michael Holt to later take up the name of Mister Terrific. His time as a member of the Justice Society made him a legend, and his origin had always stayed the same.
3 Dick Grayson's Tragic Origin Has Always Stayed Intact
It's weird to think of Dick Grayson as a Golden Age hero, but the character debuted in 1940. The first, and some would say best, Robin, Dick Grayson's origin is just as tragic as his mentor's. Much like a young Bruce Wayne, Dick's parents were taken from him because of crime. However, in Dick's case, it happened in front of a circus audience during a performance of the Flying Graysons.
Over eighty years and several iterations of the DC Universe later, Dick Grayson's origin has remained the same. He was a young boy who watched his parents die in front of him, and it has motivated him ever since.
2 Batman's Origin Story Is Holy Writ In The DC Multiverse
If there's one thing every Batman fan has seen a million times, it's Batman's origin. On a terrible night, young Bruce Wayne watched as his parents were gunned down in front of him after a showing of The Mask of Zorro, an event that would set him down the road to becoming Batman. Even the night he decides to become Batman has remained the same.
Many things have changed about Batman over the years, as he's become a more complicated and tragic figure, but his origin is something that has stayed the same. It's also been presented in every medium ever, so it's unlikely to change.
1 Superman's Origin Is Simple & Elegant
Superman is DC's greatest hero and one of the greatest fictional characters of the 20th century, if not the greatest. His origin story is timeless and famously summed up by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely in four panels with eight words: "Dying Planet. Desperate Scientists. Last Hope. Kindly Couple." Over the years, DC has tweaked many things around the origin of Superman, but that simple, elegant origin stays the same.
Superman's origin is fascinating, as it not only sums up who he is but also enriches him in all things American. Superman is an immigrant, taken in by the Earth Americans and taught what the country should be. The glory of the character is that he tries to make America and the world into what he's been taught, and that's a noble goal. There's no need to change his origin because it says more about him and his mission than anything.