10 iconic characters whose backstories still haven’t been revealed

While the entertainment industry has created many prequels and spinoffs exploring individual characters over the past decade, Some iconic movie and TV characters still have no backstory. At face value, a famous character’s past may seem like something fans should want to see. However, many movie characters who don’t need an origin story, but have one in the form of a prequel, demonstrate the pitfalls of this approach.

Tropes incl “Protagonist without a past,” “No origin stories allowed,” And “The Noodle Incident” are exemplary of how a certain amount of mystery in a character’s past can be very satisfying, An effect that is ruined by an origin story. More unwanted upcoming sequels and spinoffs may extend certain character arcs, while those in classic movies that actually can’t be remade or continued are supposedly safe. A handful of iconic characters are spectacular enigmas, and should always remain so.

10

Yoda (Frank Oz)

From Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

From his debut in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda served Star Wars As the ultimate secret and wise mentor. In general, his advice should be followed, with the effects focused on the protagonists rather than him. Most of his history as an individual is kept in the dark.

George Lucas stopped Yoda’s species from being revealed or from the Jedi Master to give any substantial backstory. One of the biggest breakthroughs in this regard was the introduction of Grogu aka “Baby Yoda” in The Mandalorian, An acknowledgment of this species’ continuation in the Star Wars Universe.

however, Yoda and Grogu’s species and home world are still unnamed. Bits of Yoda’s past have been revealed in tie-in materials, only saying that he joined the Jedi Order as a young Ling, rose to the rank of master, and spent centuries training thousands of Jedi. But this is a normal Jedi career; Most of Yoda’s unique story is intentionally shrouded in mystery.

9

The Doctor (Various Actors)

From Doctor Who (2005-2022)

“The Doctor” Has been a staple of television and the sci-fi/fantasy genre for decades, played by many legendary actors. But they are also a figure whose backstory is always kept vague. Some information about the Doctor’s supposed origins has always been part of the canon, with it being said that they are a Time Lord. That was until the controversial reveal during the Jodie Whittaker era that the Doctor was actually an immortal child And may be older than the setting itself.

however, Elements like the Doctor’s true name or family relationships are either a closely held secret or modeled at best. Other parts of their personal history have been rewritten by different creators, as well as altered or obscured by shifting timelines in the story and memory loss. When the Doctor is a figure who makes all the fantastic adventures of the series happen, it is better that they have no past, which ultimately makes them too realistic.

8

V (Hugo Weaving)

From V For Vendetta (2005)

“W” in V for Vendetta is a massive mystery, having inexplicably acquired the skills and resources to do what he does in this movie. It is confirmed that V was at one point imprisoned by the dictatorship he aims to overthrow, But his real name and where he came from was never revealed. Evie’s intense connection with V develops even though she knows nothing about him, but she is drawn to his persona, which is defined only by his desire for revolution.

Finally, V having no one conveys the theme that he can be everyone. In the last story, Thousands of people in the city dawn V’s signature Guy Fawkes mask To play a role in the fall of an evil regime. V pointedly tells Evie that the point is not who he is but what he does, and his entire characterization revolves around his purpose. V for Vendetta Talks about someone who gave up their identity for a reason, but Evie still says that the individual meant something to her.

7

Danny Ocean (George Clooney)

Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Frank Sinatra’s Danny Ocean from the 1960s Ocean’s Eleven is a veteran of World War II, as are the others he recruits for his ambitious heist of robbing five casinos. Even this is arguably not a full backstory but a reminder of what the protagonist was previously doing. However, because of the different setting, George Clooney’s iteration of Donny Ocean doesn’t have a major historical event in his immediate past What would have been a defining experience for him; His past is just a confused history of criminal activity.

In his 20s, Danny was a gambler in Las Vegas and learned from Reuben. After his wife Tess left him, Danny got involved in several other crimes before he was arrested. The scattered details are almost all the audience knows. Ocean’s Eight Reveals that Danny has a sister and that their father is also a criminal. However, Debbie confirms that she wants to steal the Met Gala “Because it is what [she’s] good at “ is as much of an explanation as either of them gives. Danny may also have reason to fake his death.

6

Edna Mode (Brad Bird)

The Incredibles (2004)

The exact hierarchy of superheroes and how they become that way is never fully explained in The Incredibles Or Incredibles 2. technically, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl do not have backstories When it is not explained whether they inherited their powers from parents who were also super or they occurred naturally; No mention is made of mentors or training either.

Somehow in this setting, various support jobs to the supers also arise. Government agencies help them keep identities secret, while The charismatic Edna Mode made a career designing superhero apparel. How she learned to make clothes accommodate the various powers of supers could indeed be an interesting story.

however, There is still much joy in Edna turning up unexplained in the family history of The Incredibles with her impossible punch, Delivering some tough love to the Parr family. Such a confident and wild character is a pleasure to watch at work, especially when she is alone.

5

Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem)

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh is arguably one of the most iconic movie villains of all time, Demonstrating why no past is great for many villainous characters. Many of the best classic Disney villains weren’t given some tragic backstory before the rise of the live-action remakes – Maleficent’s only regret is not being invited to a party, but audiences love her for being brilliantly evil. Similar is the case of the villain who serves his narrative purpose in the Best Picture winner with little narrative outside the events of the movie.

Anton is a ruthless, violent criminal who slaughters everyone in his path as he hangs down a small fortune from a drug deal. His actions are not the result of a dark past, but the driving force behind the movie’s themes. No country for old people is a discourse on confronting new criminals, making Anton the most vital part of the story, Even if nobody knows where he comes from or how he started his criminal career.

4

Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams / Donald Glover)

From Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

horrible, Almost nothing is known about Landon outside of his interactions with Han And the rest of the main Star Wars Figure. Details are sparse on these Lando Movie, initially proposed as a TV show. Between Solo: A Star Wars Story And The empire strikes backLandon is shown to be a successful smuggler who becomes the leader of Cloud City, with no telling how he achieves either of these things.

Various Star Wars Tie-in materials also drop brief reminders of events in Lando’s past, Especially a number of criminal acquaintances and activities. Still, no full backstory has fully emerged. Lando’s backstory with a cameo from Han might actually be better than completely fleshing out Han’s story, but Star Wars Naturally returned to Han first. Given Disney’s current attitude to Star WarsIt seems like Lando will get a backstory eventually.

3

Jules Winfield (Samuel L. Jackson)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Almost none of the letters in Pulp fiction have real backstories, As it is a standalone movie showcasing vignettes of the criminals’ lives as they come to different conclusions about humanity and redemption. A movie about the Vega brothers – John Travolta’s Vincent in Pulp fiction and Michael Madson’s Vic aka Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs – was discussed but never made. But, about those Pulp fictions main subject, no one is more impressive than the Heitman played by Samuel L. Jackson.

At the end of the movie, Jules resolves to leave behind a life of crime after directing a reckless couple from the robbery they attempt. Nothing of how Jules got this job in the first place is revealed, largely unimportant to the movie. Quentin Tarantino makes his characters deeply engaging in the moment With a razor-sharp dialogue, without any extensive stories.

2

The Joker (Height Ledger)

The Dark Knight (2008)

The origins of the most famous Batman villain have always been mysterious and highly debated for decades. After 84 years, DC Finale confirms the Joker’s origin story as the version of events depicted in The killing joke. Meanwhile, Joker As a movie was more of a hypothetical character study, Showcasing another possible origin for the Joker.

On the other hand, the most famous cinematic version of the character was no past, allowing the Oscar-winning performance of Heath Ledger to be the main attraction. The Dark Knights Joker wants to prove Batman’s philosophy wrong by corrupting Harvey Dent Because this is his worldview, not because of a tragic event in his past.

The Joker throws in some backstory-like comments that may or may not be true throughout The Dark KnightBut they are not really the point of his character. Alfred tells Bruce: “Some people just want to see the world burn.” The Joker believes he has a point to make by taking on Batman, which is mostly justified by his take on the world revolving around chaos and destruction.

1

Bill Cipher (Alex Hirsch)

From Gravity Falls (2012-2016)

The biggest takeaways from Gravity Falls’ The Book of Bill Includes the closest fans have come to an origin story for the villainous Bill Cipher yet. Bill is implied to have destroyed his home, The “Second Dimension.” The main issue with this account is that it is Bill’s and cannot be fully trusted. Bill searched for other dimensions to rule and worked with some of the ancient peoples of Earth. However, Bill’s psychedelic nature as a character and his being an unreliable narrator throughout the book make this a less solid backstory than some.

The larger elements of The book of Bill Are Bill’s confirmed survival after the events of Gravity falls and his various insights In the phenomena of the multiverse. In both the book and show, Bill’s backstory is an amalgamation of half-explained implications of pure chaos, while he now exists as a pure evil villain who simply loves destruction. He is another character who is most effective with only minimal backstory details, existing as he is for the sake of it.