A canon event is a significant, often unavoidable moment or experience in a person's life that serves as a catalyst for later events and shapes their identity or personal development. These events can be painful, embarrassing, or difficult but are crucial in defining who someone becomes
. The term originally comes from storytelling and fandoms, where a canon event is an official, pivotal moment in a narrative that is essential to the plot or character development. For example, in comic books or movies, canon events are key story points that must happen for the story to progress authentically
. In popular culture and social media, especially on TikTok, "canon event" has been adopted as slang to describe real-life moments that feel like turning points or defining episodes in a person's life journey. This usage gained popularity following the 2023 film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , where a "canon event" is an inevitable experience all Spider-People must go through to become heroes
. People often use the term humorously or reflectively to talk about embarrassing or formative experiences that shaped them, such as heartbreaks, failures, or awkward phases, which they see as necessary for their growth
. In summary, a canon event is:
- A pivotal, defining moment in life or story
- Often unavoidable and influential on future outcomes
- Originally a narrative term, now used in slang for real-life experiences
- Popularized by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and social media trends
