What
is a hero? Archetypes, Flaws, and Virtues:
“And a lean, silent figure slowly
fades in the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great
power there must also come—great responsibility” (Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962))
To yearn for someone superior to either order
or protect us is natural in human evolution; someone that drives us to our
fullest or holds the most morals. We do not need, yet we always celebrate and
commemorate them for their valor; heroes are the epitome of human excellence;
the purity we all wish to attain; the emulation of the impossibility in
humanity's lack of justice. Here we can explore and expound on the elegance or
the fall of heroes in our modern society, strip them of their title if
necessary, scrutinize their very essence and existence in order to verify and
identify the validity of their heroic actions. Are they as triumphant as they
seem? Do they possess ulterior motives that go beyond that which the archetype
of a hero should need? What criteria should heroes abide by to maintain that
status? Are we really venerating the true heroes in our literary domain? These,
and more, could be answered and debated further as we come to understand
together the meaning behind heroes, their archetypes, misconceptions, and
examples of each.
A hero is…well as a hero. We all know what a hero
is, but to understand we need a definition of what is a hero in the broadest
sense of the word. Merriam-Webster says, “a person who is admired for great or
brave acts or fine qualities” while the Cambridge dictionary says, “a person
who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved
something great”. Equally as vague yet straight to the point: it is someone
that is commended for noble deeds and revered for them. Some say they are born,
and others say they are made, but there cannot be a conclusive decision to that
argument and it is not the focus of the essay.
We do, however, have to consider the definition
of heroism. Merriam-Webster says, “heroic conduct especially as exhibited in
fulfilling a high purpose or attaining a noble end” and Collins dictionary
says, “great courage and bravery”. Again, vague but to the point. Heroism is
the belief of being a hero and taking charge on a personal and societal level;
helping those in need and making decisions for the greater good of humanity, or
simply to save a life. It is an individual’s ethical core to bring their
subjective good upon others. It is an altruistic act to bring joy, safety,
comfort, and hope.
Now that we have a rough definition, how many
categories do the concept of heroes have? To be honest and fair, there are too
many hero categories to name them all. We have minor heroes who only appear
once, save the day, and disappear. We have the overly heroic ones that are commemorated
as gods. And the casual actions of a bystander will always count as heroic actions in our daily lives. There are also the unsung heroes that keep their
due diligence in secret as they protect and serve in the down-low. There are
also the misconstrued heroes bashed for the wrong reasons yet still undergo
their heroism. To narrow down a few in broad categories: classic hero,
superhero, everyman hero, anti-hero, tragic hero, and epic hero.
From the aforementioned, we should know what
each stands for. The epic hero is one without flaws, he who has countless
journeys and defeats the villains in spite of all odds, much like the Greek
epic of Odyssey. The tragic hero is the opposite of an epic hero, one who is
flawed and destined to fail or suffer above all odds, as the fate of Romeo from
Romeo and Juliet. The anti-hero is someone that is not widely known as a hero
for their egotistical actions and unheroic aspirations, as in the case of
Deadpool, the Marvel Comics comic book anti-hero. The classic hero is a
romanticized and fantastical hero who typically goes through the “hero’s
journey” in order to accomplish a goal, much like Frodo from the Lord of the
Rings book series. The everyman hero is, as the word states, someone common,
who anyone can identify as and relate to. The superhero is the hyperbole of the
everyman hero, who shows immense strength, outstanding morals, and an
unwavering sense of justice to trump the antagonist, as the worldly known
Superman from the Detective Comics (DC Comics) series.
We may have an established definition, but we
also have to take into consideration how some interpret the concept of heroism
and heroes in general. Some take the liking to heroes because they make their
lives easier, saving their fragile lives, or bettering the world one action at
a time. While others choose to antagonize these people due to their
recklessness, a “sickening” sense of justice, or the attitude and attention it
brings with being a hero. Much like morality, there is no right or wrong when
it comes to being a hero because someone will always be a contrarian to those
beliefs, but not in the villainous sense either. Some view heroes as annoying
pests, and others as their saviors.
Recently, we have encountered a shift in the
heroic narrative of storytelling. The mediums of TV series, movies, and books
have come to adopt a new type of hero: the flawed superhero. This category
shows a more human side to these nigh-omnipotent beings, seeing them fail and
get frustrated as the villain or antagonist thrives in their despair, creating
a new semblance of the “hero’s journey”. It could be referred to as a
combination of the tragic hero and the superhero, someone that is bound to find
insurmountable obstacles and demanding actions that will make them question
their morality and personality, as well as what they fight for. These types of
heroes tend to have a somber ending to their journey as everything they know is
either a lie or gone. It does not show a particular message to the story at
large, only the trials and tribulations of a spiraling superhero on the verge
of collapsing into a shell of its former self. A relatively new example would
be Omni-man from the Amazon Prime and comic book series, Invincible.
“For the greater good” tends to be often cited
by heroes who go corrupt or villains who strive for a better future or selfish
desires, either theirs or someone close to them. These are morally ambiguous
characters who make readers question what is right or wrong; those that walk
the tightrope of technicality. This begs to acknowledge that some villains
have heroic tendencies, just misplaced ones; delusions that their actions, albeit
skewed, will change the world for a better place. These and heroes with
misguided principles are interchangeable to an extent since they both desire a
perfect future but are placed on different sides of the character model
spectrum. Such examples would be the protagonists from the Spanish series La Casa
de Papel where the characters rob banks for either altruistic motives or
personal grievances, and Magneto from the X-Men Marvel comic and cinematic
franchises whose entire goals stems from his wish to fight the government and
live in a world free of judgment for being a mutant with his fellow brethren.
In the categorization of heroes, there is always
a contrast between Villains who appear as heroes in order to fool the populous, and
false heroes who have done nothing to garner the amount of idolization they
receive. Both not being true heroes is their only relations, but they may
interact depending on the context. These two are usually known as false heroes
either by the readers, by the knowledgeable, or the true heroes themselves who
wish for them to show their true colors.
The third tier of heroism, after false and true
heroes, would be heroes who turn to the other side. “Die a hero or live long
enough to become the villain”. Heroes who grow tired of their work, who know that
everything they do is in vain, meaningless and boring. It is not common for
authors to begin their work in this manner because we typically need to
understand who the hero is and where had they gone wrong. Sometimes it depends
on how they deal with a loss; the defining moment in a tragic superhero’s
journey where they either choose to help humanity or destroy it after them losing
faith in it.
I have mentioned several times the phrase “Hero’s
Journey”, but what does it mean? The Hero’s Journey is a literary writing style
to abide by in fantasy, fiction, or epic genres. It is the be-all for writing a
good hero with a trustworthy development and an enjoyable climax. Characters
such as Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins, Luke Skywalker, Simba, Neo, and several others.
The journey consists of a call to adventure, supernatural aid, threshold
guardian, helper, mentor, abyss/revelation, transformation, atonement, a gift
from the gods, and the return to normalcy.
To
expound on the hero’s journey, the call to adventure is a circumstance that in
some manner changes the “hero” or protagonist in a way that they could not
foresee. Supernatural aid comes in the form of an entity that requires the help
of the protagonist. The threshold is the crossing to another world, dimension,
or plane where the supernatural aid resides. Helpers tend to be friends of the
supernatural aid or of the protagonist that followed them. The mentor is the
wise character that will bestow knowledge upon the group and warn them of the
dangers they will face. The abyss is the moment in which the story reaches one of its highest climaxes as the protagonist faces the danger the mentor mentioned,
and at times the protagonist suffers a loss or defeat. The transformation is
usually seen as the mentor helping the protagonist get over the loss or helping
them grow stronger. Atonement refers to the protagonist coming to terms with
the loss and finally defeating the great evil, which tends to be prophesized
from the beginning vaguely. Now, in the gift from the gods, it is often hyperbole, but it is surely a gift to the now-renowned hero for saving the
people. Finally, a return to normalcy means a moment of lull where the hero has
done their work and is not needed until the next adventure.
Fine, I will dabble slightly on the subject of
whether heroes are born or made. Considering that it’s my essay, I will give a personal insight into it. Heroes are made. To be born a hero is merely a fallacy
we made in order to make an unnecessary separation. To protect is natural and
to save is ingrained in our psyche. It also depends on the societal and economic
circumstances in which these people are born, as well as their intentions. We
regard people as heroes due to personal interpretations; therefore, not
everyone has the same amount of heroic potential or capabilities according to
different sources in the real world. We create our own visions of heroes. And
unless we collectively agree on the definition of a hero, we still, as a unit,
made and selected that person as a hero. Everyone has the potential of being a
hero, but not everyone is deserving of the title or if referred to as one.
All in all, a hero can be anyone and everyone
if the circumstances are the correct ones. To be a hero is to be altruistic, to
regard others above one’s self. Heroes are meant to deal with our troubles, the
ones that we alone cannot fight, but they, too, need someone to save them.
Empathy is an essential characteristic in heroism, to help those in dire need
without an ounce of judgment. A true hero cannot be defined, for it is their
actions that carry more weight in meaning than a mere word could.
“The only
difference between a hero and a villain is that the villain chooses to use that
power in a way that is selfish and hurts other people.” -Chadwick Boseman