What is an origin story? We all have them. How does our origin story impact our choices, behaviors, and our relationships with others? How does it impact our ability to heal?
All of these were questions I got to ask Brian Wiggett. He’s a close friend, a gifted colleague, and most notably for this conversation: a big comic fan.
When handed a traumatic origin story, what makes a villain or a hero from that story? Brian and I agree, that part of that distinction is whether or not we allow our story to turn us inward into our own potential darkness, or if we can transfigure that story, allowing it to make us bigger and more awake than we were before.
I see this concept play out in my work with clients. And I’ll boldly say that the sacred gift therapy provides, is a space to work out what exactly one will do with their own origin story.
Some key takeaways from my conversation with Brian:
Perhaps a villain is simply someone whose full story hasn’t been told.
We often villainize and dehumanize what we hope to conquer. To know the full story of our villains makes them harder to hate.
Heroes and villains, much like extremes in most cases, are more like one another than they are different.
We tell stories as a means to understand ourselves better.
And finally, a truly beautiful question- can one be a hero when there is nothing to fear? Does the required bravery of a “humanity-intact” hero like Spiderman mean more to us? Because we are, after all, just wounded humans trying to make sense of ourselves through our stories.
Some questions this conversation left me with for myself, and maybe you too:
Where do I see the opening up to bravery in my story?
Where may I have hardened and become jaded?
Who’s story do I not fully know, allowing me to confidently categorize them as villains?
Which of my superpowers am I using already, and how is it helping the world?
What superhero would I be, and why is it whichever one can talk to animals?
Spend a few minutes with the video above, where Brian and I talk about these concepts, and he generously shares at the end what superhero he would be. And I’ll tell you from knowing Brian personally, he’s well on his way to hero status.
I’d love to hear from you. Who are your favorites? Who’s origin story do you relate to most and why? Would you be a complicated villain, a reluctant hero, or the unbeatable Superman in your own story?
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