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

The “origin story” episode of Rafi and Dirty Randy is insane.

From The Daily Beast

Millenium Series Godzilla erased the Heisei origin story of a Godzilla created by exposure to American atomic testing.

From The Daily Beast

But that book was an origin story, only the beginning of the start of my fight for the heart of my native home.

From The Daily Beast

The Bieber origin story—that if a young boy from a tiny town in Ontario can make it, you can too—was instrumental to his success.

From The Daily Beast

A fitting origin story for a woman who made a career out of her outsized personality and her ability to discern other talents.

From The Daily Beast

It is usually incorporated in an origin story, such as “The Origin of Monkeys.”

From Project Gutenberg