The monomyth, or hero's journey, is a narrative archetype that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, learns lessons, wins a victory and as a result, the hero returns home transformed with newfound knowledge.
We have all grown up experiencing hero’s journey narratives in popular culture. At its core this narrative style is about overcoming obstacles, self-discovery and growth. It’s not hard to see why it’s a standard for narrative fiction in America. In essence this archetype is a representation of idealism. In recent years there has been an increasing pattern of fiction that solely exists for fan service. As a creator there is nothing wrong with catering to your audience. The problem is when your fan service isn’t serving the narrative.
In 2019 the world sat gob smacked watching The Avengers get obliterated by Thanos. Half of the Avengers were dead and the other half were out classed at every corner. In the film's final nail-biting moments Tony Stark devised a way to steal and harness the infinity stones. With one snap of his fingers, Tony sacrificed himself for the good of the world. He left us with these last words, “I am Iron Man”.
In recent news we see that Robert Downey Jr has been brought back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dr. Doom. Sadly, this reunion of RDJ with the MCU isn’t nuanced. It’s a life raft resulting from the MCU failing to find another main hero that can captivate audiences in the same way that Downey Jr could.
The combination of the inclusion of Doom and the Multiverse “open door” policy continues to tear down the preexisting world building that we all know and love.
There have been mixed responses to the finales of the My Hero Academia and Attack On Titan manga series.
***HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD***
At the end of Attack on Titan we see our hero Eren turn into a monster both literally and figuratively. The most disturbing part is that we learn that he was destined to be a traitor that wiped out most of humanity. The monster that we saw at the end was who he truly was the entire time. In the end, the Titans are defeated, but at what cost? Mikasa was forced to kill the love of her life and war eventually broke out again. Then we saw that decades later the events that brought the Titans in the first place might cause them to return once more.
At the end of My Hero Academia we see a full powered Deku and Shigaraki in one final showdown. In the process he transfers all his vestiges to Shigaraki. He’s finally able to defy the odds by defeating him, but the battle results in Deku losing his arms and ultimately losing one for all. Eri is able to use her restorative ability to save Deku’s arms but his powers are gone permanently. After a couple of years go by we see things relatively going back to normal. All of Dekus classmates are now Pro heroes, Mirio Togata becomes the #1 hero and Deku (still powerless) spends his days as an Instructor at UA High School.
At first glance these series conclusions seem pretty grim for our main heroes, but I’d argue the opposite. According to series creator Kohei Horikoshi Deku’s true power is his persistence. One for all was just a catalyst used to amplify what Deku had inside of him the whole time. Horikoshi never wavered from who Deku was. He was shy and reserved. He was never going to become the All Might or Mirio archetype. It was never about the fame for him as a character. His want was to make people feel as safe as All Might made him feel. In the end he did just that.
Eren’s want was freedom. Freedom from the walls and freedom from Titans. We learn towards the final seasons that the actions of young Eren were ultimately orchestrated by his older counterpart. If we look through this lens then we can see that like Deku, Eren made the ultimate sacrifice for the people he loved. Though gruesome, because of his actions his friends were able to live a full life. In this way his character arc was fully realized.
Indie comic creators like Midnight Comics are also taking on complex narratives in the manga space. Their manga “The Unbeloved” follows Siblings Hiruko and Awashima. A lone warrior named Ebisu finds them washed up on the shore and takes them in. He quickly realizes that they both possess extraordinary abilities passed down from Onogoro. Led by their adopted Father Ebisu, our Heroes will use their abilities to find their long-lost brother, defeat the Yokai and uncover the secrets of their lineage.
Whether it’s non-linear or circular, the bottom line is that contemporary narratives in popular media need a facelift. We crave unconventional hero stories. This is why projects like Deadpool, Invincible, and Peacemaker do so well. Gone is the era where we are just going to accept another idealistic Superman project. Manga and indie comics alike are creating tangible narratives that reflect a world in which regardless of your background, you too can become a hero.
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