10 Comic Book Heroes Whose Origins Are A Mystery
Sometimes a hero's origins are a complete mystery to the character AND readers.
One of the most often told parts of a hero’s story is their journey to becoming a hero. In comics, we call this their origin story. Sometimes the origin is so concise that it can be encapsulated within a caption box, or it is an epic tale that goes over several issues and culminates with the character eventually taking on their own superhero mantle.
However, there are some heroes who have had little to no origin story. These characters simply appeared and began to do good for their own sake without any motivating incident. A few of these figures use the mystery of their origins as part of their persona, but most are heroes like any other who are unique only in the fact that we know little to nothing about them.
A hero is often defined as someone who uses ingenuity, courage, and strength to overcome danger and adversity. Anyone who is willing to put their lives on the line for others is a true hero, no matter their origins. Of these characters, some attempts have been made to retcon initial origin stories, but at their core, these origins are as ethereal as smoke but their heroism is obvious for all to see.
10. Doop
The origins of Doop are virtually unknown and unconfirmed. Captain America claimed Doop was a secret Cold War weapons project. It is also believed that he had a hand in the fall of Communism in the Eastern Bloc. His only confirmed occupation was when he joined X-Force as their official videographer in X-Force #116. Most of that team died and the survivors regrouped in the team X-Statix.
Later, Doop’s brain exploded and his team and the Avengers fought to see who could assemble the pieces first. In the Peter Milligan and Mike Allred-created issue #25 of X-Statix, Doop, using his secondary brain, fought Thor for the final piece and won. He was killed in a hail of gunfire in the next issue, however, so the victory was a bit hollow.
After returning from space and falling to Earth, Doop became the receptionist at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. This was problematic because Doop spoke only in his own strange language and was often thought to be lazy and a thief by his colleagues. The actually vastly powerful Doop was asked by Wolverine to deal with the problems and responsibilities that he could not at the school. Doop later joined the mutant population on the island nation of Krakoa.