Top 10 Lame Hero Origins

We all wish we were superheroes, but that's also because we haven't actually thought through what

that desire really entails. Today we're counting down the top 10 lamest superhero origins as

voted on by you, the viewer. Welcome to Total Nerd Ranked, the show we rank nerdy stuff

Number 10, Wonder Man. Wonder Man is one of the stalwarts of the Avengers lineup. However

he hasn't been quite as active in the MCU. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that he was created by

Baron Zemo. And by created, we mean he was an actor who was kidnapped by Baron Zemo, given powers

and then blackmailed into spying on Earth's mightiest heroes. Nothing says heroic like being

forced against your will to run around in tights while punching people. Number nine, Elongated Man

Ah, Elongated Man. Annoying spiritual cousin to Mr. Fantastic and Plastic Man. How did this

stretchy detective get his superpowers? Well, he was obsessed with contortionists and discovered

that his favorite performers all drank a soda named Jingold. So what did he do

He made a hyper-condensed version of it, drank it, and gained stretchy powers And now he everyone favorite D detective of the DCU Number eight Jason Todd a Robin Jason Todd the most unpopular Robin by a long shot

During the Death in the Family storyline, the fans literally voted to kill him

What was his origin, you ask? It was basically the exact same as the original Robin, Dick Grayson

Circus performer whose family is killed by mobsters and then Batman adopts him. Only difference being, Jason, he had red hair, which he then dyed black to pass as Dick Grayson

Inspired. Truly inspired. Number seven, Falcon. Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, is a much-beloved hero now

thanks in part to his long run as the MCU's supporting character

However, he wasn't always respected. In fact, in his initial appearance, he was a villain, and he didn't even have powers

Well, not the flying-around kind, anyway. What did he use when he inevitably chose to betray his creator, the Red Skull, and team up with Captain America

His psychic connection to his pet falcon, Red Wing, who, in case you couldn't tell from his name, is a bird who has red wings

Number six Hulkling Young Avengers is one of the best big two books from the 2000s and Hulkling is great He like a young gay Bruce Wait what He not Hulk and he has nothing to do with Hulk

Then why is he called Hulkling? Wait, he's actually a Skrull? He's the half-Skrull, half-Kree son of the Skrull Emperor's daughter

So he's just an alien who chooses to look like the Hulk? Weird

Man, I gotta revisit some Young Avengers. Number five, Squirrel Girl. Steve Ditko's finest creation

How did she gain her powers? No one knows because her origin is basically just she was born, grew a tail, and then started fighting crime as a squirrel

Honestly, that's kind of cool. I wish more characters just had confrontationally take-it-or-leave-it origins

Number four, Luke Cage. Luke Cage has grown a lot over the last couple decades

When he was first introduced, he was a man who was thrown in prison for a crime he didn't commit

He volunteered for a science experiment in order to gain a reduced sentence. So, what happened

He got bulletproof skin. Not exactly the most glamorous way to pick up an unending war on crime, but thanks to many writers and artists since then

the character's been fleshed out and is a nuanced, interesting leader of the Avengers

So you know when is Mike Coulter gonna be in an Avengers movie You want some Number three Bouncing Boy The Legion of Superheroes character Bouncing Boy much like Elongated Man got his powers from drinking what he thought was soda and then

gained the mysterious ability to inflate his entire body and bounce around like a giant ball

This one really defies explanation other than the 60s were weird, man, and Legion was the weirdest

of the weird. Number two, Catwoman. We all love Catwoman. Well, we all love Selina Kyle anyway

Sorry, Halle Berry. You'll get no love from us. In her original comic's origin in Batman number 62

it was revealed that she was a flight attendant who got amnesia and turned to crime

after getting hit on the head in a plane crash. Why was she so obsessed with cats

Her father owned a cat store. Yeah, that's really her origin. Makes Tim Burton's version look pretty great, doesn't it

Number one, Matter Eater Lad. And in our number one slot, we've got the weirdest superhero of all time

Matter Eater Lad. In case you haven't figured it out based on his name, his abilities are that he

can, well, eat matter. How did he get this power? Everyone has this ability on his home planet of

Bismol. He's an alien, and he just loves to eat stuff. And if that's not comics in a nutshell

we don't know what is