The James Franco 'First Time?' meme originates from the 2018 Coen Brothers Western anthology film, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. In the segment 'Near Algodones,' Franco plays a cowboy facing execution by hanging for the second time in the same week. As he stands on the gallows, he looks over at a fellow prisoner who is crying and asks with calm, weary experience, 'First time?' This image became a viral sensation for its perfect depiction of dark humor and veteran stoicism. It is now widely used in communities like crypto, gaming, and IT to mock newcomers who are panicking over situations that veterans have already survived many times over.