Untold Origin -- A Comic Book History Podcast

In this episode of Untold Origin -- the last for our first season -- we turn our attention from Marvel's First Family to the unforgettable villains they faced. From the sympathetic despot, Doctor Doom, to the godlike hunger of Galactus, these villains weren't just evil for evil's sake. Like the Fantastic Four, they were a reflection, not of our hopes, norms, and ideals, but of our anxieties. We explore how these characters embodied the fears of their era, and how, as those fears evolved, so too did the villains who represented them. 

Show image: Bagel Boy Arts -- https://bsky.app/profile/bagelboyy.bsky.social

Music sourced:

Track: Slow Flamenco by PineAppleMusic

Track: Mysterious Symbols by Rage Sound

Track: Time Loop by Nuclear Wave

Track: Honor and Valor by Rage Sound

Track: Last Warrior by VensAdams

Media sourced:

The Apprentice (Film) (2024)

Der Fuehrer's Face (Cartoon) (1942)

C-Span 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis (2012)

Fantastic Four (Cartoon) (1994)

Social Media:

@untoldorigin on Instagram

@untoldoriginal.bsky.social on Bluesky

In this episode we take a look at the Fantastic Four, not just as superheroes, but as a time capsule of a specific moment in history. I examine how their timeliness makes them iconic, but also acts as a shackle to the past. How the norms, hopes, and tropes they embodied reflect an age that was grappling with the Space Race, Cold War anxieties, and shifting gender dynamics. Marvel's First Family wasn't created to be political, but their very existence couldn't help but capture the spirit of early 1960's America

Show image: Bagel Boy Arts -- https://bsky.app/profile/bagelboyy.bsky.social

Music sourced:

Track: Moon Landing by Finval

Track: Modern Nostalgia by Squares MP

Track: Laboratory by Finval

Track: Memories by Romanov_Studio

Track: Sunny California by uhanoffski

Media sourced:

Fantastic Four (Film) (2005)

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Film) (2007)

Fantastic Four (Film) (2015)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Film) (2025)

The Wild One (Film) (1953)

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Myster (Film) (2022)

Fantastic Four Audio Drama (1975)

Fantastic Four (Cartoon) (1967)

Norm Macdonald, Ridiculous (Album) (2006)

Social Media:

@untoldorigin on Instagram

@untoldoriginal.bsky.social on Bluesky

The Atomic Age marked not just a turning point in geopolitics, but a sea change in the American imagination. In popular culture throughout the age, mystery gave way to wonder, and eventually to the stark reality of potential nuclear annihilation. In this episode, we explore the atomic origins of comic book characters beginning in the Silver Age, and see how evolving understanding of radiation and nuclear capability was reflected in the characters that owed their origin to that powerful phenomenon. 

Show image: Bagel Boy Arts -- https://bsky.app/profile/bagelboyy.bsky.social

Music sourced:

Track: The Last Fight by MelancholicBird

Track: Feeling of the End by Anton Kramar

Track: Timelapse  by Abstract_Solar

Track: Last Warrior by VensAdams

Media sourced:

The Incredible Hulk (1978) -- television series

Them! (1954)

Spider-Man (1967) -- cartoon

Spider-Man the Animated Series (1994)

Cosmos (1980) -- television series

Watchmen (2009) -- film

Dredd (2012) -- film

Social Media:

@untoldorigin on Instagram

@untoldoriginal.bsky.social on Bluesky

Not all artificial intelligences found in comic books are villains. In this follow-up to last week's episode, we'll explore those artificial creations that sought to assist humanity. Those characters and assistants that strove to aid not only in humanity's goals, but in its betterment. From characters like Vision and Machine Man to the more personalized interfaces like Jarvis and Skeets, we will focus on the promise of A.I., always interwoven with the very anxieties it tends to cause.  

Show image: Bagel Boy Arts -- https://bsky.app/profile/bagelboyy.bsky.social

Music sourced:

Track: The Last Fight by MelancholicBird

Track: Feeling of the End by Anton Kramar

Track: Night City by CloudSystem

Track: Timelapse  by Abstract_Solar

Track: Arasaka Tower by AHOAMI

Track: Last Warrior by VensAdams

Media sourced:

Justice League Unlimited

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Iron Man

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Man & Computer, IBM 1965

"The Thinking Machine" from MIT and CBS

Celebrating the Cell Phone, CNN

Social Media:

@untoldorigin on Instagram

@untoldoriginal.bsky.social on Bluesky

Anxiety surrounding artificial intelligence is nothing new. In fact, we can see its early depictions in the Silver Age of comics with characters like the Sentinels and Ultron. This episode explores how early computing technology stoked these fears, and how those fears evolved through the 1980's, 90's, and into the 21st century. This first part in a two part series highlights those anxieties, while the second part will focus on the hope that exists with regards to computing and artificial intelligence.  

Show image: Bagel Boy Arts -- https://bsky.app/profile/bagelboyy.bsky.social

Music sourced:

Track: The Last Fight by MelancholicBird

Track: Feeling of the End by Anton Kramar

Track: Night City by CloudSystem

Track: Timelapse  by Abstract_Solar

Track: Arasaka Tower by AHOAMI

Media sourced:

Superman: The Animated Series

Avengers: Age of Ultron

"The Thinking Machine" from MIT and CBS

Social Media:

@untoldorigin on Instagram

@untoldoriginal.bsky.social on Bluesky

In our first episode, we revisit some familiar ground: Professor X and Magneto are often described as reflections of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, but the reality is more complicated. Historian Al Miller traces their origins and examines how these characters and their philosophies evolved from rough Civil Rights metaphors into more nuanced icons of Marvel Comics. We explore how the struggle for justice and safety in America is never simple, with no single vision of what justice should look like or how it is achieved. And we see how these characters continue to reflect that complexity over time. 

Show image: Bagel Boy Arts -- https://bsky.app/profile/bagelboyy.bsky.social

Music: 

Track: Last Warrior by VensAdams

Track: No Surrender by Ostin

Track: The Last Fight by MelancholicBird

Media sourced:

X-men Film

X2 Film

X-men '97 Cartoon

"Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes

Social Media:

@untoldorigin on Instagram

@untoldoriginal.bsky.social on Bluesky

Welcome to Untold Origin, a podcast where comics and history collide. My name is Al Miller, a historian and lifelong comic book reader, and in this podcast I explore where those two worlds meet. From Marvel Comics icons like the X-men, the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man to DC legends like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, we will examine how these stories reveal more than just adventure, they mirror pivotal moments and currents in American history. Whether it's the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War to the evolution of feminism and the War on Drugs, Untold Origin uncovers how superheroes reflect our struggles, hopes, and philosophies over the course of our history. 

Intro track: Track: Rush Over Me by Decibel