origin story

[awr-i-jin stawr-ee, or-i-jin]

noun

1. a backstory, or established background narrative, that informs the identity and motivations of heroes and villains in a comic book or similar fictional work.

   The superhero’s origin story begins with a tragic accident that left him scarred, but also resulted in his supernatural powers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of origin story¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

As kids, the newest startup generation watched the Facebook origin story, “The Social Network,” carried iPhones as soon as they could read and wrote code as teens.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some of the restaurant’s origin story appears to be obscured by time.

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Jon M Chu's Wicked: For Good will conclude the origin story of Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west, while James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash will see the Na'vi encounter an aggressive new tribe.

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HBO’s gritty comic book gangster origin story, “The Penguin,” followed with 24 total noms.

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The origin story of “Hamilton” is well-known by now.

Read more on Los Angeles Times