What’s Your Hero’s Journey?

Posted on July 3, 2017 Updated on July 3, 2017

Types of Heroes

(Adapted from Chris Vogler, 1999, pp. 41–44)

What kind of hero are you writing?

Willing, active, gung-ho heroes: (Tarzan, King Arthur, Luke Skywalker, Wonder-woman)

• committed to the adventure
• without doubts
• always bravely going ahead
• self-motivated

Unwilling heroes: (Frodo Baggins, Spiderman, Han Solo)

• full of doubts
• hesitant
• passive
• needing to be motivated or pushed into the adventure by an outside force
• usually change at some point and become committed to the adventure

Anti-heroes: (Billy the Kid, Jack Sparo, “Bride” from Kill Bill)

• specialised kind of hero
• may be outlaws or villains from the point of view of society
• audience is in sympathy with them
• they may win in the end over society’s corruption
• rebels

Tragic heroes: (Darth Vader, Brutus)

• flawed heroes
• never overcome their inner demons
• brought down and destroyed by inner demons
• may be charming
• their flaw wins in the end

Group-oriented heroes: (Nemo, Simba)

• are a part of society at the beginning
• journey takes them to unknown land far from home
• separate from group – have lone adventure in the wilderness away from the group

which they eventually rejoin

Loner heroes: (Indiana Jones, Incredible Hulk)

• story begins with hero apart from society
• natural habitat is the wilderness
• natural state is solitude
• journey is one of re-entry into the group, an adventure within the group, then a return to

isolation

Catalyst heroes: (Teacher from Dead Poets Society, any mentor)

• central figures who act heroically
• don’t change much themselves
• main function is to bring about change in others

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