Born to poor parents near the docks of London, Warren was orphaned early in his life. Taken in by the St. Bartholomew's Priory, he was later adopted, under questionable circumstances, by a wealthy merchant family. Curious and mischievous by nature, young Warren Osborn learned the age old lesson, “You can trap more flies with honey than with vinegar.” He began practicing what to say and when to say it, and not long after, used his newfound skills for gaining whatever he wanted, when he wanted it. While his adoptive parents were blind to his manipulations, his step brother was not, and it created a great deal of friction between them.