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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

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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