Have you ever read a book or watched a film you had never seen before but nevertheless had some sneaking suspicion of how the plot and key events would be structured? For example, consider the structure of most superhero origin films:

First, the protagonist will face some unfortunate experience; Most commonly, this imbues them with the motivation to pursue crime-fighting (e.g., Tony Stark’s capture in Afghanistan or Steve Rogers’ knack for taking beatings from street punks). Then he or she is bestowed with an opportunity to gain strength (e.g., Bruce Wayne training under Ra’s Al Ghul or Peter Parker being bitten by the radioactive spider). For a time, the protagonist does well in the crime-fighting scene and develops a reputation (e.g., Wade Wilson’s hunt for Francis). That rise to glory places the hero on the radar of the film’s main antagonist, prompting a fight that the hero surely loses (e.g., Billy Batson’s foster family being taken captive by Dr. Sivana). Upon defeat, the hero is discouraged to continue fighting until learning a valuable lesson that they eventually use to defeat the villain (e.g., Mr. Incredible learning the strength that can be drawn from working with his family). Finally, the climactic fight scene of the film’s final act builds tension by having the villain’s success ensure catastrophe; But worries are soon put to rest as the hero quickly makes work of the villain using the strength of the lesson he or she learned (e.g., The Avengers easily defeating Loki after coming to understand the value of teamwork).

This story structure is not exclusive to the superhero genre, albeit its name may lead you to think otherwise. The “Hero’s Journey” is a general plot outline employed in stories from Beowulf to the Backyardigans, used to effectively draw the audience’s attention in the most efficient way possible. The Hero’s Journey divided stories into three “acts.” Acts are sections of the story wherein the protagonist goes through the developmental stages of confronting an obstacle, being beaten by said obstacle, and then growing to overcome it. Acts may then be further subdivided into specific significant moments that represent the gradual development of the protagonist. The stages that one may identify in stories vary widely depending on the genre and themes of the narrative – all the examples listed in the super-Hero’s Journey above do not strictly follow the whole outline of the previous paragraph. Therefore, general classifications of the Hero’s Journey beyond the three acts are disputed.

(Passion Blog #4)