It can’t have escaped your attention that “origin stories” are all the rage. We’ve seen that comic-book creations not only have big-screen adventures but also are reimagined and given a more detailed history -- usually involving a triumph over adversity -- to provide the audience more depth and investment in their heroes.

Wolverine

The story of Wolverine, the apparently indestructible fighting machine, was arguably the most popular draw in the X-Men movie franchise, so much so that, to reignite interest, an origin story was created. In it, we saw how Wolverine became the superhero he is today, the way childhood trauma impacted his later personality, the wars he fought, and the growing enmity between him and his brother that shaped the whole film.

But it is specifically the molding of the character that appeals to me and, I suspect, much of the rest of the audience. The events and trauma experienced by the individual create motivations, fears, and drives. Arguably, it is these hardships that BESTOW character.

Which is why, sadly, there is hardly a politician around today who can resist embellishing his or her own origin story. It is a cheap ploy to convince unsuspecting voters that these empty vessels actually possess character of any description and -- dare we suggest it -- that they have been made heroic by their tribulations. This is at the heart of our revered and not-so-revered leaders’ tall-tale telling. They want you to think them ennobled from rising throug...