How to Create Your Own Superhero

Superheroes are all around us. This year alone we will be met, cinematically, by Batman, Hellboy, and Wolverine, not to mention Volume 3 of the NBC television sensation, Heroes. But how does a superhero become a superhero? Here are five things that go into creating just about every superhero to help you create your own.

Tragedy
Generally speaking, this involves the death of someone close to the hero but not always. In many cases (Batman, Robin, Superman), the "someone" is the hero's parents, leaving him or her orphaned, often at a young age. It is from this tragedy that the hero's alter-ego is created.

In some cases, the tragedy is less tangible than the death of a loved one. In situations like the X-Men or Hellboy, the tragedy is solely their own. These are mutations or oddities the hero is born with and lives with their entire life. Other characters like Spiderman/Peter Parker, endures both an emotional upset in losing his parents at a young age and physical in being bitten by a radioactive spider. The Punisher and the Crow both lose their wives, children and own lives but are brought back by the power of wrath and vengeance to "put the wrong things right" (quote taken from The Crow by James O'Barr).

Alter-ego

Not every superhero comes with an Alter-Ego (the Uncanny X-men, Hellboy) but it is a fairly common device. These Alter-Egos are often very different from their superhero side; the dark knight Batman is brooding and solitary whereas his Alter-Ego Bruce Wayne is a millionaire socialite. The Alter-Ego almost always has a love interest who is preoccupied, either with a career like Superman's Lois Lane, or with the superhero like Spiderman's Mary Jane Watson.

Confidant

Where there is an alter-ego, there must also be a trusted friend who knows the hero's true identity. Batman/Bruce Wayne for example has his trusted butler Alfred who knows all about the Batcave and even dusts it once in a while. Often this Confidant is developed alongside the hero - that is to say, as your hero is discovering his/her powers or abilities, they also struggle with various relationships and the question of who to trust.

History

It is a very rare occasion for a superhero to materialize from nothingness. Part of developing the hero is developing their story. Often times the hero doesn't even know the whole story in the beginning. The aforementioned tragedy, for example, which looked like any run-of-the-mill car accident, may turn out to have been a deviously well-crafted murder, a secret which may be revealed to the alter-ego out of concern from the Confidant or out of spite from the Nemesis, or it may be revealed to the hero in a bragging confession from the Nemesis who doesn't know who is really hearing the confession.

Nemesis

While the superhero tends to live a life of tragedy and secrecy, the Nemesis is the opposite. The Nemesis often leads a privileged life such as Superman's billionaire tycoon Lex Luthor, and is often very flashy and exclamatory in their lives like Batman's Joker. The hero and Nemesis are almost complete polar opposites but in many cases they will have one important commonality that draws them to each other time and time again. Although not a true Nemesis, The Green Goblin/Harry Osborn was at one time Peter Parker/Spiderman's best friend.

Any of the hero's enemies may be defeated or killed, except the Nemesis. In the superhero world, one cannot exist without the other. The hero and the Nemesis feed from each other, play off each other and often exist as the black and white versions of one entity. The superhero world is not one with many shades of grey; nearly everything in it is black (evil, harmful, dangerous, immoral) or white (moral, good, pure - Batman and the Punisher not withstanding).

Now you have all the tools you need to begin creating your first addition to the superhero world. Happy writing.