From left to right, Batman (Robert Pattinson), Superman (David Corenswet), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Warner Bros./Marvel Studios

James Gunn Doesn’t Want to See Origin Stories for 3 Specific Heroes Ever Again

Originally posted on Nerdist | By Eric Diaz | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 11:55 AM ET

Everyone has their favorite superheroes, but few can argue which ones are the most iconic in pop culture. To this day, the god-tier of iconic comic book superheroes remains Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. No other heroes have had as many incarnations across so many decades, and across as much media as that heroic trio. But because we’ve seen these three on screen so many times, Superman director and DCU co-head James Gunn believes we don’t ever need to see their origin stories in a film again. Here’s what he told The Times on the subject:

I don’t need to see pearls in a back alley when Batman’s parents are killed. I don’t need to see the radioactive spider biting Spider-Man. I don’t need to see baby Kal coming from Krypton in a little baby rocket.

Certainly, that seems to be the current idea for the last three versions of those characters on screen. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, they skipped Peter Parker’s origin story after two previous versions the decade before. After getting Bruce Wayne’s backstory in detail in Batman ’89, Batman Begins, and Batman v. Superman, Warner Bros. wisely chose to skip the origin for The Batman. And now, Superman is going to skip out on Kal-El’s origin story too. At this point, Gunn believes everyone knows these pieces of pop culture mythology by heart.

We do think that at some point, their origin stories will pop up on screen again, even if Gunn doesn’t want that. If only because any Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man film is someone’s first, especially when it comes to newer generations. But right now, the last few decades of movies and TV have covered their origin stories to death. They are hardwired into everyone’s brains, especially Batman’s.

Interestingly, the Fantastic Four is also taking the same approach in their MCU debut, but given that their previous films were never that huge, we wonder if the “everyone knows their origin story” really applies to the FF as well. We’ll soon find out if this “no origin story” approach works out for Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

This article first appeared on Nerdist and was syndicated with permission.

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