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The Role Of Heroes In Joseph Campbell's Monomyth

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The tales of heroes has been told countless of times ever since the beginning of storytelling. films, books, etc. Over time, people began noticing patterns and themes in these stories of heroism. Heroes, like Luke Skywalker, Superman, and Goku, apparently all shared something similar. One of the most notable theories came from Joseph Campbell 's Monomyth, The Adventure of the Hero or The Hero’s Journey, in the late 1940s. His theory suggests that each hero shares the same story: they overcome many challenges and go on their journey that would eventually lead to their reward. Amongst these challenges, there are villains, who are important to any hero’s journey. Just like the hero, the villains have their own journey, but it is not highly talked …show more content…

Becoming a hero or a villain is like picking between two paths on the road. Based on the influences around a character, they will choose one or the other to follow. Often times, the boundary between a hero and a villain can be a bit distorted. For example, Jason Todd from Batman was once one of the main hero protagonists, Robin, but was killed by the Joker and later revived. He became furious at Batman for not avenging his death and killing the Joker. The Joker always returned, even when he is sent to jail. Jason Todd would eventually take on a villain identity, the Red Hood, and began hunting down the criminals of Gotham’s underworld, with no hesitation to kill. The Villain’s Journey is just as important as the Hero’s …show more content…

Villains are constantly tested and the results usually end up in failure after failure. The first taste of the evil world leads to them wanting more and they seek for that dose of triumph like a drug addict. The people who abandon and try to stop the villains are the enemies, and those who support the villains’ selfish ambitions are the allies. They see the line between their friends and foes. The Joker has the Batman, Darth Vader has Luke Skywalker, the Green Goblin has Spiderman, and the list goes on. Every villain has some sort of enemy/rival that prevents them from succeeding time after time. The ongoing tests continue until the final battle is finally decided upon. The seventh stage is the Final Confrontation. The biggest challenge has finally arrived, and it is the final test against the hero. The villain is confronted by the hero possibly for the last time. They want this to happen, because the only thing stopping the villain from pushing their ambition further is the

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