Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios and longtime producer of the MCU, has cited a movie from the DC Universe as the perfect origin story. Superhero movie origin stories have been common since the genre exploded in the early 2000s, though some predate that. The 1970s and 1980s included some staple superhero origin stories on film that withstood the test of time.

Of course, upcoming Marvel movies and the same from DC are ushering in a new era for cinematic superhero stories. The DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters received its own origin story in the form of 2025’s Superman, though with writer-director James Gunn opting to remove the Kryptonian backstory of the тιтular character, as it has been seen before.

As this proves, when looking back at the various superhero movies of the past, the concept of the origin story has changed somewhat.

The now-sprawling timeline of the MCU, specifically, has altered how origin stories are told of late, but they began classically with 2008’s Iron Man. Kevin Feige, Marvel’s President, has outlined a specific movie that inspired this by dubbing it the perfect superhero origin story in film – and it comes from his main compeтιтor, DC.

Kevin Feige Described A Classic DC Movie As “The Perfect Superhero Film Origin Story”

The movie that Kevin Feige spoke so highly of was 1978’s Superman: The Movie, starring Christopher Reeve. Christopher Reeve’s Superman is incredibly important to the superhero genre to this day, for reasons Feige outlined back in 2017. During an event for the Academy, Feige took to the stage alongside then-DC Studios head Geoff Johns to celebrate a special person.

The person in question was Richard Donner, the man who directed Superman: The Movie. Feige and Johns spoke about Donner’s influence on them, with the former referencing Superman as perhaps the biggest influence on his production work. Aside from outlining that Donner gave Feige his first job in Hollywood, he stated that the films he made, particularly Superman, inspired him.

Feige insisted, “Superman: The Movie is still to this day the archetype of the perfect superhero film origin story.” This proves just how much a DC production inspired what Marvel is today, which was molded by Feige. Without Donner’s guidance and inspiration on Feige via the production of Superman, the MCU’s own excellent origin stories may not have existed.

Why Kevin Feige Is Right About The Original Superman Movie

Of course, it goes without saying that Kevin Feige is right about Superman. Although the somewhat dated nature of Superman may not see it ranked among the best superhero movies of all time, given the golden age of the genre that has sparked post-2000, it is still held in high regard by many. In fact, it is the fact that the film holds up so well almost 50 years later that proves how great it was.

The way Donner nailed the story of Kal-El in motion set the benchmark for what could be done with superhero properties. The exploration of Krypton’s destruction, Clark’s upbringing with the Kents, and his transition to becoming Superman make for an excellent three-act structure that perfectly depicts the character’s origin from DC Comics.

The strength of the story and the earnestness with which Superman treats its human characters make the film hit hard today. This is driven predominantly by the film’s lead cast, specifically Christopher Reeve. Reeve still remains the best live-action Superman actor to this day, despite there being several others who have achieved acclaim.

Reeve’s effortless switching between Clark Kent and Superman aided the film’s plot, bolstering the origin story dynamic crafted. Without Superman, it is safe to say that the superhero movie genre may not be as far along as it is today. Donner showed what was possible in this sense, inspiring Feige and everyone else who is currently creating superhero movies, be they based on DC or Marvel.

Superman’s Role In Helping Build The MCU Makes It Even More Important

After outlining Superman as a key inspiration for his filmmaking journey, Feige went on to make another comment that proves why the DC movie is so important. Feige stated, “We watch it before we make almost any one of our films, and that’s been the case for the past 17 years since I left the fold to go work for Marvel.”

Clearly, the effect Superman had on Feige was not just surface-level. Feige, despite being the head of DC’s main compeтιтor, uses this classic movie to inspire his own Marvel films in the MCU. Feige even goes on to mention how Jon Favreau, director of the MCU’s first origin story, Iron Man, was specifically inspired by Donner’s work on Superman.

As alluded to before, the structure and quality of the film itself prove how important Superman was to the superhero movie genre. However, the fact that it so outwardly inspired what is now the greatest superhero movie franchise ever made, the MCU, only makes Superman‘s impact more meaningful. With all this considered, it is no surprise that a DC Universe movie inspired Marvel’s head honcho.