spider man resurrection hero's journey

Hero's Journey

Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or her swag? Yeah, scholar Joseph Campbell noticed first—in 1949. He wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces , in which he outlined the 17 stages of a mythological hero's journey.

About half a century later, Christopher Vogler condensed those stages down to 12 in an attempt to show Hollywood how every story ever written should—and, uh, does —follow Campbell's pattern. We're working with those 12 stages, so take a look. (P.S. Want more? We have an entire Online Course devoted to the hero's journey.)

Ordinary World

Peter is a skinny, wimpy, thoroughly relatable high school senior. He gets picked on by his classmates, he has a BFF named Harry, and he's madly in love with his neighbor, Mary Jane. He lives with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May in Queens. They're kind of corny, but they're loving surrogate parents for Pete.

Call to Adventure

On a field trip to the Columbia University science department, Peter suffers a bite from a genetically engineered super spider.

Okay, "suffers" is probably too harsh a word here since that gnarly looking spider bite gives Peter a set of rad superpowers: enhanced strength and speed, the ability to crawl up walls, web shooters, and precognition. Peter is physically transformed into a buff dude capable of stopping the bullies that once picked on him. He's capable of stopping criminals, too.

Refusal of the Call

Peter refuses to use his enhanced abilities to stop a robber who holds up the wrestling tournament Peter just participated in. In this moment, he's called to use his superpowers for good; when he lets the robber go, he essentially says, "Thanks, but no thanks."

And his uncle winds up dead as a result. Whoops.

Meeting the Mentor

On graduation day, when Peter is missing Uncle Ben something fierce, Aunt May reminds Peter that Uncle Ben loved him and knew he was destined to do great things. In effect, she represents both herself and Ben now, mentoring Peter by proxy and reminding him of his values and what he's fighting for.

Crossing the Threshold

Peter gives Spider-Man's costume a much-needed upgrade, and Spider-Man hits the streets of New York, stopping criminals left and right. Gone is the bitter teen who refused to stop a thief.

Public opinion about Spidey and his crime-fighting motives are mixed, but he's officially made his presence known to the denizens of New York City…including a certain glider-riding supervillain.

Tests, Allies, Enemies

Peter's chief allies are his best friend, Harry, and his oldest friend, Mary Jane, with whom he's also secretly in love. The whole situation is complicated by the fact that once Peter and Harry become roommates after high school, Harry and Mary Jane start dating. Sorry, Pete.

Peter's #1 enemy, as Spider-Man, is the Green Goblin. Gobby firmly believes that people are terrible: they'll never appreciate the sacrifices you make; all they'll do is betray you. The Green Goblin proposes that he and Spidey team up and become allies, presumably in chaos and destruction, fueled by their bitterness over being taken for granted by the world.

Spider-Man also faces minor opposition from J. Jonah Jameson, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle who insists that Spider-Man is a public menace, even while everybody's favorite wall-crawler is out there stopping burglaries and saving babies.

Throughout his journey, Spider-Man faces several tests. The first big one is stopping the Green Goblin when he crashes Oscorp's World Unity Festival. He's too late to stop Gobby from blowing up Oscorp's board, but he saves Mary Jane's life, as well as the lives of countless ordinary citizens.

Later, the Green Goblin shows up at the Daily Bugle and hits Spider-Man with knockout gas. He doesn't kill him; he takes him to a quiet, little out-of-the-way place and proposes that they team up. Next, the Green Goblin lures Spider-Man into a burning building. When Spider-Man formally declines his offer to be partners, he and the Green Goblin throw down again.

After a while, the Green Goblin starts to feel less like Spider-Man's nemesis and more like his stalker.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

This is where our hero prepares for his biggest challenge. In Spider-Man , it's also where our hero eats turkey. At Thanksgiving dinner, when Norman spots the cut on Peter's arm, he realizes his son's pal is his nemesis, Spider-Man.

The stakes have officially been raised. Now that Norman and the Green Goblin know Spidey's secret identity, they know how to focus their attack for maximum impact.

When Aunt May is attacked, Peter faces his greatest fear. With his identity exposed, his loved ones are no longer safe. At least the Green Goblin doesn't know that he loves Mary Jane. Yet.

Reward (Seizing the Sword)

Peter and M.J. have an intimate heart-to-heart in Aunt May's hospital room as Aunt May, Peter's only family, rests—and eavesdrops—peacefully. Peter tells M.J. what he told Spider-Man about her (i.e., that she's, like, the most awesome girl ever), and Mary Jane and Peter hold hands. Aww.

The Road Back

The Green Goblin kidnaps Mary Jane and holds her hostage on top of the Queensboro Bridge. See, Harry, not knowing what he was doing, told Norman that Peter is in love with M.J., which means the Green Goblin knows exactly how to get to Spider-Man. Whoops.

Spider-Man comes to M.J.'s aid and rescues her. He also saves a tramway car full of innocent kids in the process after Gobby tries to force Spider-Man to choose between the two. Spider-Man: all about that multitasking.

Resurrection

The resurrection is where the hero returns order to the world and ends the conflict. Here, it's when Spider-Man defeats the Green Goblin once and for all. Technically, we suppose the Green Goblin kind of defeats himself since he's impaled by his own glider after Spider-Man dodges it, but still.

With the Green Goblin gone, Spider-Man/Peter can breathe easier. We're sure that pesky little matter of Harry vowing to avenge his father's death will just resolve itself, right? Right?

Return with the Elixir

Peter returns to his ordinary world a changed man. When M.J. confesses her love for him (finally), he tells her he'll always be her friend. He tells the audience that he'll never forget Uncle Ben's words—"with great power comes great responsibility"—and that he's got a job to do because he's Spider-Man.

It's his gift because he can stop crime and save lives, and it's his curse because he can't live happily ever after with M.J., 2.5 spider-children, and a white picket fence.

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WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF “THE HERO’S JOURNEY”?

What is “Hero's Journey ” ?

“Hero’s Journey” is a structure that most of us are actually familiar with. Even if some of us haven’t noticed, mostly all heroic stories from epic mythologies to Tolkien have similar structures that Joseph Campbell calls as “Hero’s Journey”.

Basically, it can be said that there is a story structure most of us are familiar with, in which a protagonist is dragged into an adventure, makes new friends and enemies, fights the enemy and becomes a whole other person than s/he was before…

This structure is well explained in the book called Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell, who coined this structure in mid 1900s. Then, Christopher Vogler turned this useful mythic structure into a comprehensive modern guideline for screenwriters with his book Writer’s Journey. In his book he divides the structure into 12 stages.

What Are The 12 Stages of “ Hero’s Journey ”?

1. Ordinary World

The first stage of the hero’s journey is called “Ordinary World” in which the main character is seen in his/her everyday life. The spectator gets to know about the character’s life before adventure calls. The character has no idea what is waiting for him.

For example, in the first Spider-Man (Sam Raimi,2002) movie, the spectator gets to know a teenage boy, Peter Parker who lives with his uncle and aunt and likes a girl from school.

2. Call to Adventure

As understood from the name, in this stage the character is called by the adventure and the adventure begins… This stage can be formed in different ways.

Again, in Spider-Man , Peter Parker’s adventure call begins when he is bitten by a genetically modified spider that gives him special powers.

3. Refusal of the Call

In this stage Hero refuses the adventure, mostly because s/he is afraid. The hero is not ready to make a major change in his/her ordinary life.

For example, in Matrix (1999), Neo refuses to obey Morpheus’s instructions and surrenders to agents.

4. Meeting the Mentor

The hero meets with his mentor who shows and teaches the hero to overcome his/her fears and pushes the hero into the adventure. Mentor does not always have to be a person; it can also be an object or an inner mentor.

5. Crossing the Threshold

If the hero has made it to this stage, it means that the hero is now committed to the journey. It is a big step into the Special World from the Ordinary World.

For example, in Matrix (1999), Neo’s threshold is the pills offered by Morpheus. When he chooses the red pills, he enters to the Special World.

6. Tests, Allies and Enemies

Crossing the threshold, the hero now copes with the tests, faces the enemies and team up with allies. Basically, in this stage the hero defines the relationships by finding out who is the enemy or who is the friend.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

This is the part where the hero faces a danger or a conflict that makes him/her question his/her journey. Hero needs to gain courage again in order to continue. And often failure is not an option.

8. The Ordeal

Whatever the hero is facing at the moment (such as a major conflict or a danger), the hero must overcome his/her fears and keep on. In this part, hero must not fail; s/he must fight with the conflict with all his/her powers. It can be said that in this stage hero must reborn from his/her ashes.

After the enemy is defeated and overcoming the obstacles, the hero is rewarded for his/her accomplishments.

For example, after the enemy is defeated in Spider Man, Peter Parker comes together with the love of his life, Mary Jane.

10. The Road Back

Hero attempts to go back to his/her hometown and ordinary life except the hero is no longer the same person we first met, and it is not that easy to return.

11. Resurrection

This is the climax stage in which the hero must face one last conflict before returning home. This is the most dangerous conflict that the hero faces. It is a matter of life and death. Mostly the hero succeeds, and the enemy fails.

12. Return with Elixir

This is the last stage where the hero returns to his/her home. However, the hero is no longer the same person as before. The hero brings a new perspective to his/her ordinary life.

For example, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) , Harry returns to his home happy because he knows that he will go back to Hogwarts.

What Are the Benefits of the Hero’s Journey Structure?

The structure helps you as a writer to create a clear road map.
It reveals character arcs.
It provides a layered and strong character transformation.
Unlike the 3-Act-Structure, it offers 12 steps to structure your story, and therefore it is easier to track the plot, character arcs and inconsistencies in your screenplay.
The structure has become familiar to the audience.

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The Art of Narrative

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A Complete Guide to The Hero’s Journey (or The Monomyth)

Learn how to use the 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey to structure plot, develop characters, and write riveting stories that will keep readers engaged!

Before I start this post I would like to acknowledged the tragedy that occurred in my country this past month. George Floyd, an innocent man, was murdered by a police officer while three other officers witnessed that murder and remained silent.

To remain silent, in the face of injustice, violen ce, and murder is to be complicit . I acknowledge that as a white man I have benefited from a centuries old system of privilege and abuse against black people, women, American Indians, immigrants, and many, many more.

This systemic abuse is what lead to the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Treyvon Martin, Philando Castile, Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice and many more. Too many.

Whether I like it or not I’ve been complicit in this injustice. We can’t afford to be silent anymore. If you’re disturbed by the violence we’ve wit nessed over, and over again please vote this November, hold your local governments accountable, peacefully protest, and listen. Hopefully, together we can bring positive change. And, together, we can heal .

In this post, we’ll go over the stages of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, also known as the Monomyth. We’ll talk about how to use it to structure your story. You’ll also find some guided questions for each section of the Hero’s Journey. These questions are designed to help guide your thinking during the writing process. Finally, we’ll go through an example of the Hero’s Journey from 1997’s Men In Black.

Down at the bottom, we’ll go over reasons you shouldn’t rely on the Monomyth. And we’ll talk about a few alternatives for you to consider if the Hero’s Journey isn’t right for your story.

But, before we do all that let’s answer the obvious question-

What is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey was first described by Joseph Campbell. Campbell was an American professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College. He wrote about the Hero’s Journey in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces . More than a guide, this book was a study on the fundamental structure of myths throughout history.

Through his study, Campbell identified seventeen stages that make up what he called the Monomyth or Hero’s Journey. We’ll go over these stages in the next section. Here’s how Campbell describes the Monomyth in his book:

“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”

Something important to note is that the Monomyth was not conceived as a tool for writers to develop a plot. Rather, Campbell identified it as a narrative pattern that was common in mythology.

George Lucas used Campbell’s Monomyth to structure his original Star Wars film. Thanks to Star Wars ’ success, filmmakers have adopted the Hero’s Journey as a common plot structure in movies.

We see it in films like The Matrix , Spider-man , The Lion King , and many more. But, keep in mind, this is not the only way to structure a story. We’ll talk about some alternatives at the end of this post.

With that out of the way, let’s go over the twelve stages of the Hero’s Journey, or Monomyth. We’ll use the original Men In Black film as an example (because why not?). And, we’ll look at some questions to help guide your thinking, as a writer, at each stage.

Quick note – The original Hero’s Journey is seventeen stages. But, Christopher Vogler, an executive working for Disney, condensed Campbell’s work. Vogler’s version has twelve stages, and it’s the version we’re talking about today. Vogler wrote a guide to use the Monomyth and I’ll link to it at the bottom.)

The 12 Stages of The Hero’s Journey

The ordinary world .

This is where the hero’s story begins. We meet our hero in a down-to-earth, or humble setting. We establish the hero as an ordinary citizen in this world, not necessarily “special” in any way.

Think exposition .

We get to know our hero at this stage of the story. We learn about the hero’s life, struggles, inner or outer demons. This an opportunity for readers to identify with the hero. A good idea since the story will be told from the hero’s perspective.

Read more about perspective and POV here.

In Men In Black, we meet our hero, James, who will become Agent J, chasing someone down the streets of a large city. The story reveals some important details through the action of the plo t. Let’s go over these details and how they’re shown through action.

Agent J’s job: He’s a cop. We know this because he’s chasing a criminal. He waves a badge and yells, “NYPD! Stop!”

The setting: The line “NYPD!” tells us that J is a New York City cop. The chase sequence also culminates on the roof of the Guggenheim Museum. Another clue to the setting.

J’s Personality: J is a dedicated cop. We know this because of his relentless pursuit of the suspect he’s chasing. J is also brave. He jumps off a bridge onto a moving bus. He also chases a man after witnessing him climb vertically, several stories, up a wall. This is an inhuman feat that would have most people noping out of there. J continues his pursuit, though.

Guided Questions

What is your story’s ordinary world setting?
How is this ordinary world different from the special world that your hero will enter later in the story?
What action in this story will reveal the setting?
Describe your hero and their personality.
What action in the story will reveal details about your hero?

The Call of Adventure

The Call of Adventure is an event in the story that forces the hero to take action. The hero will move out of their comfort zone, aka the ordinary world. Does this sound familiar? It should, because, in practice, The Call of Adventure is an Inciting Event.

Refusal of the Call

This is an important stage in the Monomyth. It communicates with the audience the risks that come with Call to Adventure. Every Hero’s Journey should include risks to the main characters and a conflict. This is the stage where your hero contemplates those risks. They will be tempted to remain in the safety of the ordinary world.

In Men in Black, the Refusal of the Call is subtle. It consists of a single scene. Agent K offers J membership to the Men In Black. With that comes a life of secret knowledge and adventure. But, J will sever all ties to his former life. No one anywhere will ever know that J existed. Agent K tells J that he has until sunrise to make his decision.

J does not immediately say, “I’m in,” or “When’s our first mission.” Instead, he sits on the park bench all night contemplating his decision. In this scene, the audience understands that this is not an easy choice for him. Again, this is an excellent use of action to demonstrate a plot point.

It’s also important to note that J only asks K one question before he makes his decision, “is it worth it?” K responds that it is, but only, “if you’re strong enough.” This line of dialogue becomes one of two dramatic questions in the movie. Is J strong enough to be a man in black?

What will your character have to sacrifice to answer the call of adventure?
What fears does your character have about leaving the ordinary world?
What risks or dangers await them in the special world?

Meeting the Mentor

At this point in the story, the hero is seeking wisdom after initially refusing the call of adventure. The mentor fulfills this need for your hero.

The mentor is usually a character who has been to the special world and knows how to navigate it. Mentor’s provides your hero with tools and resources to aid them in their journey. It’s important to note that the mentor doesn’t always have to be a character. The mentor could be a guide, map, or sacred texts.

If you’ve seen Men In Black then you can guess who acts as J’s mentor. Agent K, who recruited J, steps into the mentor role once J accepts the call to adventure.

Agent K gives J a tour of the MIB headquarters. He introduces him to key characters and explains to him how the special world of the MIB works. Agent K also gives J his signature weapon, the Noisy Cricket.

Who is your hero’s mentor?
How will your character find and encounter with their mentor?
What tools and resources will your mentor provide?
Why/how does your mentor know the special world?

Crossing the Threshold

This is the point where your hero finally crosses over from the ordinary world into the special one. At this point, there is no turning back for your hero.

Your hero may not cross into the special world on their own. Or, they may need a dramatic event that forces them to act.

At this point, you’ll want to establish the dramatic question of your story. This is the question will your reader wants to answer by the end of your story. A dramatic question is what will keep your audience reading.

Once J decides to commit to the MIB Agent K starts the process of deleting J’s identity. The filmmakers do a great job communicating the drastic nature of J’s decision. This is done through, again, action and an effective voice-over. J’s social security number is deleted, and his fingerprints are burned off. He dons a nondescript black suit, sunglasses, and a sick-ass Hamilton watch .

This scene is immediately followed by a threatening message sent by aliens called the Arquillians. They tell the MIB they will destroy the Earth unless J and K can deliver a galaxy. The only problem is no one knows what the galaxy is. So, we get our story question. Can J and K find and deliver the MacGuffin before the Earth is destroyed?

Tests, Allies, Enemies

This is stage is exactly what it sounds like. Once they’ve entered the special world, your hero will be tested. They will learn the rules of this new world. Your hero’s mentor may have to further teach your hero.

The hero will also begin collecting allies. Characters whose goals align with those of your hero’s. People who will help your hero achieve their goal. These characters may even join your hero on their quest.

And this is also the point where your hero’s enemy will reveal themselves. Now, you’ve may have hinted at, or even introduced the villain in the earlier stages. But, this is where the audience discovers how much of a threat this villain is to your hero.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

The inmost cave is the path towards the central conflict of your story. In this section, your hero is preparing for battle. They may be regrouping with allies, going over important information, or taking a needed rest. This is also a part of the story where you may want to inject some humor.

The approach is also a moment for your audience to regroup. This is an important aspect of pacing. A fast-paced story can be very exciting for the audience, but at some point, the writer needs to tap the breaks.

This approach section gives your audience time to process the plot and consider the stakes of your conflict. This is also a good time to introduce a ticking clock, and it’s perfect for character development.

In Men, In Black the Approach the Inmost Cave involves an interview with a character called Frank the Pug. Frank is a Pug breed of dog. He’s an alien in disguise.

Frank knows important details about the conflict between the Arquillians and Edgar. This is one of the funnier scenes in an overall funny film.

Read more about alliteration here… jk.

Frank also gives J a vital clue to determine the location of the Arquillian’s galaxy. They also discover that the galaxy is an energy source and not an actual galaxy.

Finally, we have the arrival of the Arquillian battleship come to destroy Earth. They give the MIB a warning. If the galaxy is not returned in one hour the will fire on the planet. So, we have a literal ticking clock.

Where and how will your hero slow down and regroup?
What information or resources will they need to go into the final battle?
How can you introduce some humor or character development into this section?
What kind of “ticking clock” will you introduce to increase the stakes of your final act?

The Ordeal

The Ordeal is about one thing, and that’s death. Your hero must go through a life-altering challenge. This will be a conflict where the hero faces their greatest fears.

It’s essential that your audience feels as if the hero is really in danger. Make the audience question whether the hero will make it out alive. But, your story’s stakes may not be life or death, such as in a comedy or romance.

In that case the death your character experiences will be symbolic. And, your audience will believe that there’s a chance the hero won’t achieve their goal.

Through the ordeal, your hero will experience death whether that be real or symbolic. With this death, the hero will be reborn with greater powers or insight. Overall, the ordeal should be the point in which your character hits rock bottom.

The Ordeal in Men In Black comes the moment when J and K confront Edgar at the site of the World’s Fair. In the confrontation with Edgar, K is eaten alive by Edgar. At this moment J is left alone to confront death. The audience is left to wonder if J can defeat Edgar on his own.

Guided Questions

What death will your hero confront?
What does “rock bottom” mean for your character?
How will your hero be changed on the other side of this death event?

Reward or Seizing the Sword

At this point in the story, your hero will earn some tangible treasure for all their trouble. This can be a physical treasure. In the context of the monomyth, this is often referred to as the elixir or sword.

However, the reward can be inwardly focused. Your hero might discover hidden knowledge or insight that helps them vanquish their foe. Or, your hero can find their confidence or some self-actualization. This reward, whatever it is, is the thing that they will take with them. It is what they earn from all their hard-fought struggles.

Once K is eaten J seems to be on his own with a massive alien cockroach. This is a pretty bad spot for the rookie agent. What’s worse is the Arquillian clock is still ticking. Edgar, the cockroach, is about to escape Earth, with the galaxy, sealing the planet’s fate.

All seems lost until J claims his reward. In this case, that reward comes in the form of an insight J has about Edgar. Being a giant cockroach, J realizes that Edgar may have a weakness for his Earth-bound counterparts. So, J kicks out a dumpster and starts to smash all the scurrying bugs under his foot.

J guesses correctly, and Edgar is momentarily distracted by J’s actions. Edgar climbs down from his ship to confront J. Agent K, who is still alive in Edgar’s stomach, can activate a gun, and blow Edgar in two. J’s reward is the knowledge that he is no longer a rookie, and he is strong enough for this job. J also captures a physical treasure. After Edgar has exploded, J finds the galaxy which Edgar had swallowed earlier in the film. In this scene, both dramatic questions are answered. The MIB can save the world. And, J is strong enough for the MIB.

What reward will your hero win?
A physical treasure, hidden knowledge, inner wisdom, or all of the above?

The Road Back

At this point, your hero has had some success in their quest and is close to returning to the ordinary world. Your hero has experienced a change from their time in the special world. This change might make your hero’s return difficult. Similar to when your hero crossed the threshold, your hero may need an event that forces them to return.

The road back must be a dramatic turning point that heightens stakes and changes the direction of your story. This event will also re-establish the dramatic question of your story. This act may present a final challenge for your hero before they can return home.

In Men In Black, the road backstage gets a little tricky. The film establishes that when J crosses the threshold he is not able to go back to the ordinary world. His entire identity is erased. Having J go back to his life as a detective would also undo his character growth and leave the audience feeling cheated. Luckily, the filmmakers work around this by having K return to the ordinary world rather than J.

After Edgar is defeated, K tells J that he is retiring from the MIB and that J will step in as K’s replacement. The movie establishes early that agents can retire, but only after having their memory wiped. So, K asks J to wipe his memory so that he can return to a normal life. Once again, J has to grapple with the question of whether he is strong enough for this job. Can he bring himself to wipe K’s memory and lose his mentor forever? Can he fill K’s shoes as an MIB agent?

How will your hero have to recommit to their journey?
What event will push your hero through their final test?
What final test will your hero face before they return to the ordinary world?

Resurrection

This is the final act of your story. The hero will have one last glorious encounter with the forces that are set against them. This is the culminating event for your hero. Everything that has happened to your hero has prepared them for this moment.

This can also be thought of as a rebirth for your hero. A moment when they shed all the things that have held them back throughout the story. The resurrection is when your hero applies all the things they’ve learned through their journey.

The final moment can be a physical battle, or again, it can be metaphorical. This is also a moment when allies return to lend a last-minute hand. But, as with any ending of a story, you need to make sure your hero is the one who saves the day.

So, here’s where things start to get a little clumsy. There are a couple of moments that could be a resurrection for our hero J. It could be the moment he faces off with Edgar. This is right before Edgar is killed. But, it’s K that pulls the trigger and kills Edgar. Based on our explanation J needs to be the one who saves the day. Maybe by stalling for time J is the one responsible for saving the day? It’s hard to say what the filmmakers’ intention was here.

The second moment that could represent a resurrection for J might be when he wipes K’s memory. It is the final dramatic hurdle that J faces before he can become a true Man in Black. But, this moment doesn’t resolve the conflict of the film.

Notice that the Hero’s Journey framework isn’t always followed to the letter by all storytellers. We’ll get back to this point at the end of the article.

What final challenge will your hero face?
How will your hero use the skills they’ve used to overcome their last challenge?
How will your hero’s allies help save the day?

Return with the Elixir

The ending of your story. Your hero returns to the ordinary world, but this time they carry with them the rewards earned during their journey. They may share these rewards with others who inhabit the ordinary world. But most important, is that you show that your hero has changed for the better.

The elixir represents whatever your hero gained on their journey. Remember, the elixir can be an actual physical reward like a treasure. But, the elixir can also be a metaphorical prize like knowledge or a feeling of fulfillment. This is a moment where your hero will return some sort of balance to the ordinary world.

Be sure to show that the journey has had a permanent effect on your hero.

In the final scene of the movie, we see that J has taken on a mentor role for Dr. Weaver, an MIB recruit now. He has physically changed- his clothes are more representative of his personality. This physical transformation is meant to show that J has fully embraced his new life and journey. No longer a rookie, J has stepped into his mentor, K’s, role.

How will you show that your character has changed from their journey?
What reward will they bring back to the ordinary world?
In what way will they change the ordinary world when they return?

Should I Use the Hero’s Journey for My Story?

This is a question you should ask yourself before embarking on your journey. The Monomyth works well as a framework. This is pretty obvious when you realize how many films have used it as a plotting device.

But there’s a downside to the popularity of the Monomyth. And that’s that audiences are very familiar with the beats of this kind of story. Sure, they may not be able to describe each of the twelve sections in detail. But, audiences know, intuitively, what is going to happen in these stories. At the very least, audiences, or readers, know how these stories are going to end.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If your story is exciting, well-paced, and the stakes are high, people aren’t going to mind some predictability. But, if you want to shock your readers-

(And if you’re interested in how to shock readers with a plot twist, click here. )

this might not be the best story structure. And, despite how popular it is, the hero’s journey ain’t the only game in town when it comes to story structure. And, you can always take artistic liberty with the Hero’s Journey. The fact that audiences are expecting certain beats means you have an opportunity to subvert expectations.

You can skip parts of the hero’s journey if they don’t fit your plot. With my example, Men In Black it was difficult to fit the story neatly into the hero’s journey framework. This is because aspects of the movie, like the fact that it’s a buddy comedy, don’t always jive with a hero’s journey. Agent K has an important character arch, and so he ends up killing the villain rather than J. But, K’s arch isn’t at all a hero’s journey.

The point is, don’t feel locked in by any single structure. Allow yourself some freedom to tell your story. If there’s no purpose to a resurrection stage in your story then skip it! No one is going to deduct your points.

With that said, here are a few resources on the Hero’s Journey, and some alternate plot structures you’ll want to check out!

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Further Reading on Plot Structure and the Hero’s Journey

The Hero With 1000 Faces by Joseph Campbell

If you’d like to learn more about the Hero’s Journey, or Monomyth, why not go straight to the source? The Hero With 1000 Faces is a collection of work written by Joseph Campbell. His version of the hero’s journey has 17 stages. This is less of a writing manual and more of an exploration of the evolution of myth and storytelling through the ages.

The Seven Basic Plots , by Christopher Booker, is another academic study of storytelling by Christopher Booker. Booker identifies seven basic plots that all stories fit into. They are:

Overcoming the Monster
Rags to Riches
Voyage and Return

How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method

The Snowflake Method is a teaching tool designed by Randy Ingermanson that will take you through a step-by-step process of writing a novel. The Snowflake Method boils down the novel-writing process six-step process. You will start with a single sentence and with each step you build on that sentence until you have a full-fledged novel! If you’re love processes then pick up a copy of this book today.

In The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Hollywood consultant, Christopher Vogler teaches writers how to use the Hero’s Journey to write riveting stories.

Resources:

Wikipedia- Joseph Campbell

Wikipedia- Hero With 1000 Faces

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I don’t understand the use of all those pictures/graphics you threw in as I was reading. They were extremely distracting and seriously detracted from whatever message you were trying to convey.

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My philosophy, monday, february 3, 2020, the hero's journey explained: the end.

Reward: Seizing the Sword

In Spider-verse

The road back.

The Resurrection

Return with the Elixir

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आपका यह लेख अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण और सटीकता से मददगार है, जो कि मैं अभी तक,यहां तक अनभिज्ञ रहा। मुझे रुचि है और बहुत कुछ सीखने का आकांक्षी हूं, मेरी मदद करें। बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद।

I'm so glad it has been helpful to you, and thanks for taking the time to comment. Best wishes with your writing.

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The Hero's Journey Outline

The Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization.

1.THE ORDINARY WORLD.

The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically so the audience can identify with the situation or dilemma. The hero is shown against a background of environment, heredity, and personal history. Some kind of polarity in the hero’s life is pulling in different directions and causing stress.

Example: In The Lord of the Rings Frodo is content living his life in Shire with his friends and family.

2.THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.

Something shakes up the situation, either from external pressures or from something rising up from deep within, so the hero must face the beginnings of change.

Frodo receives the One Ring from Bilbo. Gandalf explains to Frodo what the Ring of Power is and why it is so significant ,and that it must be destroyed .

3.REFUSAL OF THE CALL

The hero feels the fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure, however briefly. Alternately, another character may express the uncertainty and danger ahead.

Frodo is reluctant to leave the Shire and offers Gandalf the ring which he refuses. It is only when Ringwraiths come to the Shire looking for him and the ring he realizes he will never be safe as long as the ring exits.

4. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR

The hero comes across a seasoned traveler of the worlds who gives him or her training, equipment, or advice that will help on the journey. Or the hero reaches within to a source of courage and wisdom.The mentor can go so far with the hero. Eventually the hero must face the unknown by himself. Sometimes the Wise Old Man/Woman is required to give the hero a swift kick in the pants to get the adventure going.

Frodo takes The One Ring to Rivendell were a Fellowship of Man, Dwarf, and Elf are formed, to help Frodo take the ring to Mordor to be destroyed.

5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

At the end of Act One, the hero commits to leaving the Ordinary World and entering a new region or condition with unfamiliar rules and values. The hero fully enters the special world of the story for the first time. This is the moment at which the story takes off and the adventure gets going.The hero is now committed to his/her journey and there’s no turning back.

Frodo sets out from Rivendell with the Fellowship to Mount Doom in Mordor, the only place where the One Ring can be destroyed.

6. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES

The hero is tested and sorts out allegiances in the Special World. The hero is forced to make allies and enemies in the special world, and to pass certain tests and challenges that are part of his/her training.

Along the way Frodo and the Fellowship encounter many test, allies and enemies-

Journey's over a mountain pass
Escape a Balrog losing Gandalf in the process
Receive aid from Galadriel and the elves
Being separated from the rest of the Fellowship
Almost captured by Saruman's forces
Is attack by Gollum then later receives help from him to get to Mordor
Nearly eaten by a carnivorous spider called Shelob

7. APPROACH.

The hero and newfound allies prepare for the major challenge in the Special world.The hero comes at last to a dangerous place, often deep underground, where the object of the quest is hidden. Sometimes it’s just the hero going into his/her own dream world to confront fears and overcome them.

Frodo must depart from the Fellowship with Sam to continue journeying to Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam use Gollum as their guide into the depths of Mount Doom.

8. THE ORDEAL

Near the middle of the story, the hero enters a central space in the Special World and confronts death or faces his or her greatest fear. Out of the moment of death comes a new life. This is the moment at which the hero touches bottom. He/she faces the possibility of death, brought to the brink in a fight with a mythical beast. For us, the audience standing outside the cave waiting for the victor to emerge, it’s a black moment.

Aragon and the others lead an assault with the armies of Rohan and Gondor as a detraction to draw Sauron eye away from Frodo and Sam. Meanwhile Frodo and Sam make it to Mount Doom about to destroy the Ring into the lava when Frodo is corrupted by the Rings power and decides to keep it for himself. Gollum then attacks Frodo bitting off his finger and falling into the mountain finally destroying the Ring.

9. THE REWARD.

The hero takes possession of the treasure won by facing death. There may be celebration, but there is also danger of losing the treasure again.Having survived death, beaten the dragon, slain the Minotaur, her hero now takes possession of the treasure he’s come seeking. Sometimes it’s a special weapon like a magic sword or it may be a token like the Grail or some elixir which can heal the wounded land.

The reward is the destruction of the One Ring and the victory over the forces of Sauron.

10. THE ROAD BACK.

About three-fourths of the way through the story, the hero is driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special World to be sure the treasure is brought home. Often a chase scene signals the urgency and danger of the mission.The hero’s not out of the woods yet. Some of the best chase scenes come at this point, as the hero is pursued by the vengeful forces from whom he has stolen the elixir or the treasure.

Frodo and Sam are rescued by Gandalf and the eagles. Frodo then falls unconscious from extreme mental and physical exhaustion.

11. THE RESURRECTION.

At the climax, the hero is severely tested once more on the threshold of home. He or she is purified by a last sacrifice, another moment of death and rebirth, but on a higher and more complete level. By the hero’s action, the polarities that were in conflict at the beginning are finally resolved.The hero emerges from the special world, transformed by his/her experience. There is often a replay here of the mock death-and-rebirth of Stage 8, as the hero once again faces death and survives.

Frodo awakes several weeks after the conflict and is greet by the surviving members of the Fellowship. Aragon marries his long time love Arwen and ascends to the throne.

12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.

The hero returns home or continues the journey, bearing some element of the treasure that has the power to transform the world as the hero has been transformed.

The hero comes back to the ordinary world, but the adventure would be meaningless unless he/she brought back the elixir, treasure, or some lesson from the special world. Sometimes it’s just knowledge or experience, but unless he comes back with the elixir or some boon to mankind, he’s doomed to repeat the adventure until he does. Many comedies use this ending, as a foolish character refuses to learn his lesson and embarks on the same folly that got him in trouble in the first place.

Sometimes the boon is treasure won on the quest, or love, or just the knowledge that the special world exists and can be survived. Sometimes it’s just coming home with a good story to tell.

Frodo returners to the Shire with stronger tires and friendships. He eventually journeys with Gandalf, Bilbo, Elrond, Celeborn and Galadriel to the Grey Havens the undying lands to live in peacefully.

A Hero's Journey in Popular movies

Hero's Journey diagram

Hero's inner jouney.

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Exploring the 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey Part 11: The Resurrection

This celebrated archetypal story concept is explored here, according to Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey and Christopher Vogler's interpreted twelve stages of that journey within his book, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers.

Welcome to Part 11 of our 12-part series ScreenCraft’s Exploring the 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey , where we go into depth about each of the twelve stages and how your screenplays could benefit from them. But first, if you haven't already, be sure to download our free e-book while it's still available:

The first stage — The Ordinary World — happens to be one of the most essential elements of any story, even ones that don't follow the twelve-stage structure to a tee.

Showing your protagonist within their Ordinary World at the beginning of your story offers you the ability to showcase how much the core conflict they face rocks their world. And it allows you to foreshadow and create the necessary elements of empathy and catharsis that your story needs.

The next stage is the Call to Adventure. Giving your story's protagonist a Call to Adventure introduces the core concept of your story, dictates the genre your story is being told in and helps to begin the process of character development that every great story needs.

When your character refuses the Call to Adventure, it allows you to create instant tension and conflict within the opening pages and first act of your story. It also gives you the chance to amp-up the risks and stakes involved, which, in turn, engages the reader or audience even more. And it also manages to help you develop a protagonist with more depth that can help to create empathy for them.

Along the way, your protagonist — and screenplay — may need a mentor. Meeting the Mentor offers the protagonist someone that can guide them through their journey with wisdom, support, and even physical items. Beyond that, they help you to offer empathetic relationships within your story, as well as ways to introduce themes, story elements, and exposition to the reader and audience.

At some point at the end of the first act, your story may showcase a moment where your protagonist needs to cross the threshold between their Ordinary World and the Special World they will be experiencing as their inner or outer journey begins. Such a moment shifts everything from the first act to the second, allowing the reader and audience to feel that shift so they can prepare for the journey to come.

It showcases the difference between the protagonist's Ordinary World and the Special World to come. And, even more important, we're introduced to the first shift in the character arc of the protagonist as they decide to venture out into the unknown.

And it's within this unknown that the protagonist faces many tests and meets their allies and enemies — all of which define the meat of your story by introducing the conflict, expanding the cast of characters, and offering a more engaging and compelling narrative.

Once you've put your protagonist through those tests and once they've met their allies and enemies, they're going to need to Approach the Inmost Cave of the story — preparing to face their greatest fears and conflicts. This is an essential element of your narrative, allowing the reader, audience, and characters to catch their breath, reflect, review, and plan ahead for the conflict just over the horizon. And it allows you, the writer, to build the necessary tension and anticipation that you need going into the midpoint of your story.

Everything within the first act — and beginning of the second — builds up to The Ordeal, which is the first real conflict that the protagonist must face. The Ordeal is the midpoint of your story that works as a false climax, taking your protagonist to the depths of despair. It offers you the ability to create an engaging midpoint climax that takes you into the third act. It ups the stakes within your story by taking away beloved allies and mentors. And it sets up the necessary transformation that your protagonist must go through in order to prevail.

And after your hero has gone through all of that, you may want or need to reward them with something that they can use to take on the final threat they face during the climax of your story.

The Reward offers the protagonist the added boost they need to propel themselves through the conflict they face during the climax of the story where they are facing their toughest challenge — be it physical or emotional. A special weapon, an elixir, some knowledge, an experience, or reconciliation are the five types of rewards that heroes need to prevail.

Once they've attained the Reward, it's time for the hero to get on The Road Back to their Ordinary World. The Road Back allows the hero — and the reader and audience — to see the light at the end of the tunnel, if not for a few brief moments. It then introduces more conflict, higher stakes, and reveals everything that is at risk going into the climax of the protagonist's journey.

And the climax of your hero's journey encompasses The Resurrection stage.

But what does that stage entail, and what does it have to do with your hero's resurrection?

It Begins with the Highest of Stakes

If you've employed The Road Back stage of the Hero's Journey within your story, you've done the necessary work to set up the high stakes. And make no mistake, the climax of your story has to have your protagonist dealing with the highest stakes they've ever experienced.

It's the big fight, the final showdown, the emotional confrontation — everything that your protagonist has been preparing for throughout their entire journey has led up to this final moment or sequence.

In Star Wars , It's the Battle of Yavin. If the Rebels don't destroy the Death Star, their hidden base will be destroyed, and the Galactic Empire will rule the galaxy unchallenged.

https://youtu.be/2WBG2rJZGW8

In Raiders of the Lost Ark , it's Indy trying to stop the Nazis, realizing he can't do so single-handily, and then witnessing the opening of the Ark of the Covenant and the dire results. If the Nazis aren't stopped, they'll use the power of the Ark to take over the world.

In Rocky , it's the final rounds of the fight. If Rocky doesn't go the distance, he'll just continue being another bum on the streets.

In Field of Dreams , it's Ray meeting his father and learning that his whole journey was to reunite with him — "If you build it, he will come."

Your protagonists have to face the ultimate emotional or physical (preferably both) challenge. The higher the stakes, the better the ending.

Hero Resurrected

The best type of stories showcases a character arc that culminates to a real transformation. If you follow the stages of the Hero's Journey within your story, there's a reason that we show the protagonist in their Ordinary World to start — we need to see the beginning of their arc.

If we don't see Luke Skywalker as a naive dreamer of a farm boy, we can't experience a character arc with him as he later destroys the Death Star.

In The Karate Kid , if we don't see the angry, resentful, and weak Daniel from New Jersey, we won't feel an empathetic connection with the young man that faces his bullies and fears.

The climax stage of Campbell and Vogler's structure is the ultimate culmination of what the hero has learned and been through. We need to see the hero resurrected in this final act. Gone is the character we met in the Ordinary World. Now we must see them apply what they've learned through their many tests and conflicts.

And this climax begins with that resurrection, whether it be physical or emotional.

When Daniel goes down during his semifinal fight, there's a moment where he and his allies (Ali, his mother, and Mr. Miyagi) believe that his journey is over — that he has done all that he can to prove himself.

When Daniel shares his feelings about balance, Mr. Miyago realizes that Daniel must be given a chance to fight in the final bout against Johnny. It's less about Daniel's revenge and more about him being able to attain the balance he seeks in life. And that is when Daniel is given the reward of resurrection.

Luke Skywalker is resurrected as a Rebel pilot and hero.

Rocky is resurrected as a boxer who went the distance with the champ. He's no longer a bum.

Indiana Jones is a treasure hunter resurrected as an artifact attainer that respects the mysticism that he once scoffed at.

Ray is resurrected as a man who has finally seen life through his father's eyes, forgiving him.

The climax of your story is where the character arc comes to its end. They aren't the same person they were when they were in their Ordinary World, and they'll be forever affected by the journey they've been on.

Catharsis Is Key

Cinematic catharsis is the feeling we feel after the resolution of the story and the protagonist’s overall journey.

You've experienced it when you've watched a movie or read a screenplay that stayed with you afterward — when you walked out of the theater or closed that script and felt truly changed or affected somehow.

That’s the magic of a fantastic story, leaving the reader and audience truly touched, affected, and sometimes changed — catharsis .

It's the final moment in Field of Dreams where Ray has a catch with his father.

It's the end of The Pursuit of Happyness , where we witness Chris manage to see his own dream come true.

It's the moving scene in Dead Poets Society where Keating's students decide to act on the inspiration that Keating once supplied for them, while also giving him the justice that he deserved.

It's the moment when Daniel defeats Johnny and is finally embraced by everyone around him. Even Johnny hands him the trophy.

If you can inject your climax — The Resurrection — with cathartic emotional connections, you can close your story with an emotional bang that stays with us as we close that script or walk out of that theater.

It's not just about defeating the villain, winning the big game, getting the girl or guy, or accomplishing a goal. Your hero needs to be transformed by the end of the story. They need to be resurrected as a better version of themselves after having endured this long journey full of tests, obstacles, and hurdles. And their final test in this climax needs to be the ultimate challenge with the highest of stakes.

That's how you end your script with a bang — both physically and emotionally, as far as whatever the story and genre may be.

And remember...

"The Hero's Journey is a skeleton framework that should be fleshed out with the details of and surprises of the individual story. The structure should not call attention to itself, nor should it be followed too precisely. The order of the stages is only one of many possible variations. The stages can be deleted, added to, and drastically shuffled without losing any of their power." — Christopher Vogler, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers

Joseph Campbell's 17-stage Monomyth was conceptualized over the course of Campbell's own text, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and then later in the 1980s through two documentaries, one of which introduced the term The Hero's Journey .

The first documentary, 1987's The Hero's Journey: The World of Joseph Campbell , was released with an accompanying book entitled The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work .

The second documentary was released in 1988 and consisted of Bill Moyers' series of interviews with Campbell, accompanied by the companion book The Power of Myth .

Christopher Vogler was a Hollywood development executive and screenwriter working for Disney when he took his passion for Joseph Campbell's story monolith and developed it into a seven-page company memo for the company's development department and incoming screenwriters.

The memo, entitled A Practical Guide to The Hero with a Thousand Faces , was later developed by Vogler into The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters in 1992. He then elaborated on those concepts for the book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers .

Christopher Vogler's approach to Campbell's structure broke the mythical story structure into twelve stages. We define the stages in our own simplified interpretations:

The Ordinary World : We see the hero's normal life at the start of the story before the adventure begins.
Call to Adventure : The hero is faced with an event, conflict, problem, or challenge that makes them begin their adventure.
Refusal of the Call : The hero initially refuses the adventure because of hesitation, fears, insecurity, or any other number of issues.
Meeting the Mentor : The hero encounters a mentor that can give them advice, wisdom, information, or items that ready them for the journey ahead.
Crossing the Threshold : The hero leaves their ordinary world for the first time and crosses the threshold into adventure.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies : The hero learns the rules of the new world and endures tests, meets friends, and comes face-to-face with enemies.
The Approach : The initial plan to take on the central conflict begins, but setbacks occur that cause the hero to try a new approach or adopt new ideas.
The Ordeal: Things go wrong and added conflict is introduced. The hero experiences more difficult hurdles and obstacles, some of which may lead to a life crisis.
The Reward : After surviving The Ordeal, the hero seizes the sword — a reward that they've earned that allows them to take on the biggest conflict. It may be a physical item or piece of knowledge or wisdom that will help them persevere.
The Road Back : The hero sees the light at the end of the tunnel, but they are about to face even more tests and challenges.
The Resurrection : The climax. The hero faces a final test, using everything they have learned to take on the conflict once and for all.
The Return : The hero brings their knowledge or the "elixir" back to the ordinary world.

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout , starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies

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The Resurrection and Return With the Elixir

From Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure"

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In his book, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure , Christopher Vogler writes that for a story to feel complete, the reader needs to experience an additional moment of death and rebirth, subtly different from the ordeal.

This is the climax of the story, the last dangerous meeting with death. The hero must be cleansed from the journey before returning to the ordinary world. The trick for the writer is to show how the hero’s behavior has changed, to demonstrate that the hero has been through a resurrection.

The trick for the student of literature is to recognize that change.

Resurrection

Vogler describes the resurrection by way of sacred architecture, which, he says, aims to create the feeling of resurrection by confining worshipers in a dark narrow hall, like a birth canal, before bringing them out into an open well-lit area, with a corresponding lift of relief.

During the resurrection, death and darkness are encountered one more time before being conquered for good. Danger is usually on the broadest scale of the entire story and the threat is to the entire world, not just the hero. The stakes are at their very highest.

The hero, Vogler teaches, uses all lessons learned on the journey and is transformed into a new being with new insights.

Heroes can receive assistance, but readers are most satisfied when the hero performs the decisive action herself, delivering the death blow to the shadow.

This is especially important when the hero is a child or young adult. They absolutely must single-handedly win in the end, especially when an adult is the villain.

The hero must be taken right to the edge of death, clearly fighting for her life, according to Vogler.

The Climaxes

Climaxes, nevertheless, need not be explosive. Vogler says some are like a gentle cresting of a wave of emotion. The hero may go through a climax of mental change that creates a physical climax, followed by a spiritual or emotional climax as the hero’s behavior and feelings change.

He writes that a climax should provide a feeling of catharsis, a purifying emotional release. Psychologically, anxiety or depression are released by bringing unconscious material to the surface. The hero and the reader have reached the highest point of awareness, a peak experience of higher consciousness.

Catharsis works best through a physical expression of emotions such as laughter or tears.

This change in the hero is most satisfying when it happens in phases of growth. Writers often make the mistake of allowing the hero to change abruptly because of a single incident, but that's not the way real life happens.

Dorothy’s resurrection is recovering from the apparent death of her hopes of returning home. Glinda explains that she had the power to return home all along, but she had to learn it for herself.

Return With the Elixir

Once the hero's transformation is complete, he or she returns to the ordinary world with the elixir, a great treasure or a new understanding to share. This can be love, wisdom, freedom, or knowledge, Vogler writes. It doesn't have to be a tangible prize. Unless something is brought back from the ordeal in the inmost cave, an elixir, the hero is doomed to repeat the adventure.

Love is one of the most powerful and popular of elixirs.

A circle has been closed, bringing deep healing, wellness, and wholeness to the ordinary world, writes Vogler. Returning with the elixir means the hero can now implement change in his daily life and use the lessons of the adventure to heal his wounds.

One of Vogler's teachings is that a story is a weaving, and it must be finished properly or it will seem tangled. The return is where the writer resolves subplots and all questions raised in the story. She may raise new questions, but all old issues must be addressed.

Subplots should have at least three scenes distributed throughout the story, one in each act. Each character should come away with some variety of elixir or learning.

Vogler states the return is the last chance to touch the emotions of your reader. It must finish the story so that it satisfies or provokes your reader as intended. A good return unties the plot threads with a certain degree of surprise, a taste of unexpected or sudden revelation.

The return is also the place for poetic justice. The villain’s sentence should directly relate to his sins and the hero’s reward be proportionate to the sacrifice offered.

Dorothy says goodbye to her allies and wishes herself home. Back in the ordinary world , her perceptions of the people around her have changed. She declares she will never leave home again. This is not to be taken literally, Vogler writes. The house is the symbol of personality. Dorothy has found her own soul and has become a fully integrated person, in touch with both her positive qualities and her shadow. The elixir she brings back is her new idea of home and her new concept of her Self.

The Ordeal in the Hero's Journey
The Reward and the Road Back
The Hero's Journey: Crossing the Threshold
The Ordinary World in the Hero's Journey
An Introduction to The Hero's Journey
The Approach to the Inmost Cave in the Hero's Journey
The Hero's Journey: Refusing The Call to Adventure
The Role of Archetypes in Literature
The Hero's Journey: Meeting with the Mentor
How Denouement Is Used in a Narrative
How to Find a Narrative’s Climax
How to Summarize a Plot
What Is Resolution in Literature?
What Are the Parts of a Short Story? (How to Write Them)
Use a Concept Map for Your Literature Midterms and Finals
Falling Action in Literature

Hero’s Journey Resurrection: How to Write the Most Important Scene In a Story

by David Safford | 0 comments

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Ultimately, heroes confront death. They rise against the most powerful villains and the worst sources of evil imaginable.

And on their journeys, they often suffer the consequences of tangling with these bad guys.

But not all heroic journeys require villains on the scale of Sauron and Voldemort and Emperor Palpatine. Some villains are local bullies, arrogant coworkers, and voices of doubt in our heads. And even these villains require heroic efforts to overcome.

It's time to tackle a difficult yet important step in your heroic story: the Resurrection.

If you get this step right, you'll have a story on your hands that readers won't be able to get enough of.

Let's dive in!

Step 11: Resurrection

For starters, let's give ourselves a working defintion of this crucial step:

The Resurrection is the moment when your hero has a final and ultimate encounter with death. In almost every case, the hero is able to survive the encounter through their strength, courage, wit, nobility, heroism, or teamwork.

How We Got Here

The Hero's Journey is a well-known and oft-used mythological storytelling structure. Devised first by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces, the Hero's Journey has been organized into Christopher Vogler's twelve-step structure that many stories and films follow today. While you've undoubtedly read and watched stories that use this story model, you may not be familiar with how each step functions.

To reach the crucial Resurrection step, your hero must travel a long road:

Your hero will always begin in some sort of Ordinary World , a slice of normal life where no one expects much of anyone.
Then they experience a Call to Adventure that they are definitely not ready for, at least yet.
The hero will refuse that call somehow . . .
. . . and find themselves assisted by the wisdom and skill of a Mentor .
After receiving ample training, the hero will cross the Threshold into adventure, the boundary between the familiar and the foreign, and voyage into a new world in order to begin their heroic journey.
The story then enters the sixth phase, the world of Trials, Allies, and Enemies . where the hero will make friends, confront enemies, overcome tests and traps, defeat monsters, and prepare for the big challenge to come. The cast of characters expands and the central conflict deepens.
Before the big climax, there is a moment of Approach , where the hero makes final preparations and often experiences a humble fall, where their pride takes over or their friends abandon them (for a while).
The hero confronts the biggest conflict, known as the Ordeal , and makes a decision that wins them the prize.
After succeeding at this task, they are usually Rewarded , but not in a long-lasting or ultimate way.
This leads to a “fake-out” ending , in which the hero thinks they are done, or is chased by the Shadow or Devil Figure back home. The Road Back is what this step is commonly called.

After all that, it's time to deploy the most important and heroic step in the entire journey. It's time to do what heroes do: to confront death in a deep and meaningful way, and to emerge victorious in a way that restores other characters and community as a whole.

It's time for Resurrection.

Types of Death . . . and Resurrection

When you think of “Resurrection,” you probably think of physical death. And this makes sense. Perhaps the most famous resurrection of all time, that of Jesus Christ, took place after a physical death.

However, not all heroic stories involve physical stakes of life and death. They deal, rather, with the death of dreams, hope, and self-esteem. They are battles fought in the places of everyday life.

With this in mind, don't make the mistake of thinking that your hero needs to actually die. Rather, their dreams may die. Their hope may die. Their relationships may die.

In a nutshell, there are four levels or “planes” or resurrection you can use in your story's climax, and they all involve a death and then a resurrection. These resurrection planes are:

Mental / Emotional

For each death, there must be a resurrection of some kind. Sometimes a resurrection will occur across planes.

For example, a physical death might yield a spiritual rebirth, as in Braveheart.

William Wallace physically dies –> His spirit is reborn in the Scottish rebels

Usually, though, the resurrection will remain in the same plane. Here's how Star Wars handles resurrection:

A New Hope, Spiritual: Obi-wan Kenobi is “killed” but disappears upon death –> Obi-wan speaks to Luke as a Force ghost
A New Hope, Physical: The Rebels are about to be destroyed by the Death Star (death) –> Luke heroically destroys the Death Star

This carries on through the sequels, and ultimately Darth Vader is the benefactor of a spiritual and social resurrection:

Return of the Jedi, Spiritual and Societal: Vader turns to the Dark Side and commits mass murder (death) –> Vader betrays the Emporer to save his son and help the Rebellion (societal resurrection) –> Vader is reincarnated as a Force Ghost, joining his mentors Obi-wan and Yoda in the afterlife (spiritual resurrection)

Before he passed away, Joseph Campbell proclaimed that George Lucas was his greatest student. By following an ancient, mythical story structure to assemble his space odyssey, Lucas was able to tap into the power of these classic stories and superpower his own story.

Make Your Hero Earn Their Resurrection

Resurrection can't simply happen . It must be earned.

This will prove to be one of the greatest challenges you'll face as a writer. You need to make sure that your hero, through their cleverness, skill, knowledge, ingenuity, compassion, sacrifice, or honor, is able to earn an escape from Death's jaws. They cannot get lucky. They cannot be randomly saved because the villain suddenly changes his mind.

The hero must earn their resurrection with sacrifice. Otherwise your ending will feel like a cheat.

Before the final book in the Harry Potter saga was released, everyone had a theory on whether or not Harry would die. Many thought that the boy wizard had to die, given all his lucky encounters with evil throughout the wizarding world. Others felt that Harry and his friends had suffered enough and it was time to let them live happy, ordinary lives.

So when J.K. Rowling published Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the answer was revealed: Harry does die… sort of. Just like many other heroes, Harry faces death in an ultimate way. He marches into the Dark Forest, stands face to face with Voldemort, and gets blasted into oblivion with an Avada Kedavra curse. He dies.

Yet he doesn't die. He enters a strange special world where he learns, thanks to the ghost or memory of Dumbledore, that he survived the killing curse thanks to the piece of Voldemort's own soul living in Harry's head. Harry survives not because he is an exceptional wizard, but because he is willing to sacrifice himself for his friends.

Harry earns his resurrection because of his sacrifice. He isn't completely responsible for the mechanism behind it (Voldemort is), but this is thematically consistent.

How often do evil plans and twisted schemes backfire and blow up in the perpetrators' faces? Such is the case with Voldemort who consistently failed to factor love and sacrifice into his plans.

I know this example might be overwhelming. After all, it is the culmination of a seven-book application of story structure. But the essence is the same whether you're writing an epic series or a short story: Make your hero earn their resurrection with sacrifice, and plan ahead to put the mechanisms of the resurrection in place so your story isn't fraught with plot holes.

Resurrect Everything

Good stories resurrect their heroes, but great stories resurrect so much more.

If you pay close attention, you'll notice that the best stories use the hero's resurrection as a vehicle to restore other characters, and even society at large.

That's why you can plan for and execute multiple resurrections in your story, and on multiples planes (physical, emotional/mental, spiritual, societal). While this may sound complicated, you can start planning it with a simple question:

On whom does my hero have the greatest impact?

Your hero isn't doing hero stuff in a vacuum. They exist in a society with laws and justice and virtues. They have made friends and enemies on the journey.

When this hero faces death, nearly succumbs, but then makes a sacrifice in order to overcome evil, other characters are almost certain to be impacted by this.

So who is it? Who stands to experience their own mental or spiritual resurrection thanks to the hero's deeds? How will society at large be positively affected by the hero's selflessness?

As we already discussed, Luke Skywalker's sacrifices resurrect Darth Vader at the end of the original trilogy. But even before that, his selflessness was inspiring other characters to be more honorable.

Think of A New Hope and how Han Solo decides not to fight the Empire with the Rebels. Luke challenges him to think of others more than himself. At first Solo refuses; yet he changes his mind off-screen and then reappears in the nick of time, surprising Vader and clearing the way for Luke to destroy the Death Star.

Han, a notorious selfish and brash person, put his own wellbeing aside for the greater good. That counts as a resurrection.

Here are a few prompts to get you thinking about multiple resurrections and how to incorporate them into your story:

How can the hero's Friends make sacrifices to defeat evil?
How can the hero make sacrifices to save the Friends?
How can the hero's sacrifices make an impact on an Enemy?
What “Greater Good” is the hero's quest really about?

When you plan for, and pull off, a story with multiple Resurrections, you're setting yourself up for incredible success. Readers want to see society restored. In order for society to be restored, individual characters have to be restored.

When your story reflects this reality, it wields tremendous power.

Resurrect Like Pixar

No one tells stories quite like Pixar. And while they have the occasional storytelling whiff out there ( Cars 2, The Good Dinosaur ), they usually stick the landing when it comes to the Resurrection. Here are some examples to help you see how the hero must earn their resurrection.

In Andy's bedroom, Woody runs the show. He's clearly the favorite and serves as a strong leader. However, when Buzz Lightyear appears and threatens Woody's place as Andy's beloved toy, Woody lashes out. He attempts to sideline Buzz and accidentally knocks him out of the window. What follows is a delightful adventure as Woody and Buzz try to get back to Andy's bedroom before the family moves.

Yet the story isn't so much about getting back to Andy's room as it is about redeeming it. By violating the other toys' trust, Woody has fallen from grace. He is no longer welcome in his home as the others believe him to be a murderer. To win back their approval and his place with Andy, Woody must overcome his pride and befriend the new “space toy” that took his place.

With this in mind, Toy Story features two deaths.

The first is emotional, as Woody and Buzz both succumb to despair in Sid's house of horrors. The second is physical when RC runs out of battery power and the two toys are stranded on the road. Woody earns resurrections both times by putting his safety at risk: First by putting himself between Buzz and Sid, and secondly by lighting the rocket which will soon explode.

Both scenes are thrilling and high stakes, leading to a joyful reunification. Yet Pixar's resurrections would improve as their stories and animation grew more complex.

Monsters, Inc

Mike and Sully's adventure is all about returning a “toxic” child, “Boo,” to her home. And when they are finally successful, Boo's door is shredded in order to prevent such a situation from occurring again.

And while Mike has always been opposed to Boo's presence, his heart has changed during the journey. He has seen what Boo means to his friend, Sully, and decides to make a huge sacrifice. Little by little, he reassembles the door from all the woodchips. And then Sully and Boo are reunited, their relationship resurrected (emotional).

Yet so much more happens here. Earlier, Boo is rescued (and thereby physically resurrected) by Sully. And by discovering that human laughter is much more powerful than human screams (for monster energy), Sully and Mike transform their society from a place of horrendous terror to one of joyful levity.

Society has been resurrected, all because of our heroes' adventure.

Ratatouille

Remy the rat longs to be a gourmet chef, and thanks to his noble (human) steed Linguini, is able to cook several game-changing dishes at Gusteau's Restaurant. In the process he overcomes Chef Skinner, a conniving businessman intent on using the Gusteau name to sell frozen burritos. Yet after a falling-out with Linguini, food critic Anton Ego, known as the “Grim Eater,” has descended on Gusteau's with the intention of destroying its reputation once and for all.

When Remy reveals himself to the cooks and Linguini explains how the rat has been controlling him, all the chefs abandon them. Linguini even cowers in his office, leaving Remy alone on the floor, his hope of becoming a chef effectively dead.

But through his devotion to cooking, Remy has earned his father's respect, and sure enough, his father shows up with the rest of the rat clan to cook a meal for Ego.

Trusting his instincts about food, Remy cooks ratatouille for Ego, a dish that transports Ego to his childhood when a warm meal meant love from his mother. The devilish critic is stunned and can do nothing but shower respect on the rat who shocked him with great food.

The pale, death-dealing critic becomes an enthusiastic investor in Remy's own restaurant, resurrected from his pit of bitterness and skepticism. Remy's dream is, of course, resurrected now that he runs his own café. And society as a whole gets to enjoy Remy's inspiring creations, rather than the frozen foods that Chef Skinner was mass-producing under Gusteau's name.

After an embarrassing moment at her new school in San Francisco, Riley loses her ability to feel both joy and sadness. This is partially because her emotional cores, Joy and Sadness, have been swept into Riley's long-term memory and cannot get back to headquarters to help Riley feel things properly again. On this journey, Joy believes wholeheartedly that Riley needs to be happy, and continuously tries to shut Sadness out and keep her away from the controls.

Yet it is finally in the deep, dark pit of the Memory Dump that Joy realizes the truth: Sadness is crucial. Sadness is the only way that Riley can process the dramatic changes in her life, and the only way to save Riley is to get Sadness back to HQ. Unfortunately, though, Joy is trapped in the pit with Bing Bong, Riley's imaginary friend from a long time ago. How will they escape?

Well, if you've seen the movie, your tear ducts know the answer. They can use Bing Bong's wagon-rocket, but it only has enough “song power” to save one of them: Joy. And as Joy reaches the top and looks back down into the pit, she beholds Bing Bong laughing and crying out with happiness that Riley will be saved . . . as he slowly fades into nothingness, and is forgotten. This sacrifice chokes me up every time I think about it.

Thankfully, Joy is able to take Sadness back to headquarters, and lets Sadness take the controls just as Riley is about to run away from home. Riley comes to her senses and hurries back to her parents.

She sighs . . . a mix of joy that she's home and sadness that life is so hard . . . but the audience knows that all is going to be better. Riley's emotional well-being is resurrected, and so is her family. Inside Riley's head, Joy, too, is resurrected from her deadly narcissism into a new appreciation for her fellow Emotions.

Stick the Resurrection Landing

This is not an easy step of the Hero's Journey to write. It will take you multiple approaches and drafts. Please . . . for the sake of your own well-being . . . go into the process knowing this.

What you are attempting to capture is the power of centuries of human truth. While physical resurrection is rare, emotional, mental, spiritual, and societal resurrection is familiar and dreamed of.

It's what Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt of in his famous speech. It's what Malala Yousafzai dreams of for girls in Pakistan and around the world. It's what you, perhaps, dream of, when you look at your country, your city or town, your family, and yourself.

We long for resurrection because it fills us with hope. And portraying scenes of resurrection instills our stories with unbelievable, long-lasting power that has the potential to stick with our readers for a lifetime.

That's something you don't want to miss!

What Resurrections can you think of from your favorite stories? Let us know in the comments .

Writing a successful Resurrection requires a lot of planning. However, for our practice, let's free-write without worry about all the buildup. Today, journal a scene where a protagonist faces an enemy in a moment that risks or requires a sacrifice. Remember that a sacrifice doesn't have to be a physical death—but it can be!

Don't worry about getting all the details right. Just take fifteen minutes to explore the beats of this crucial hero's journey scene. When you're done, ask yourself:

Did the hero make sacrifices to defeat evil?
Did the hero make sacrifices to save their Friends?
Did the hero's sacrifices make an impact on an Enemy?
What “Greater Good” came from the hero's sacrifices?

Post your Practice in the box below. Then find someone else's Practice and leave constructive comments on it!

David Safford

You deserve a great book. That's why David Safford writes adventure stories that you won't be able to put down. Read his latest story at his website. David is a Language Arts teacher, novelist, blogger, hiker, Legend of Zelda fanatic, puzzle-doer, husband, and father of two awesome children.

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A Familiar Hero Makes Their Marvel Comics Debut in the Latest Spider-Verse Adventure

Marvel's newest, most mysterious superhero, Bailey Briggs, embarks on a multiversal journey in Spider-Boy #9, which promises to feature new and familiar Spider-heroes, including at least one never seen in the pages of Marvel Comics before.
Guest appearances from Spider-Pork, Spider-Punk, and more highlight Bailey's Across the Spider-Verse style adventure; which is set to introduce a familiar face from a different medium into the Marvel Comics main continuity for the first time.
Spider-Boy #9 promises to shake up Marvel Comics and potentially rewrite Spider-Boy's history yet again when it hits shelves on July 10, 2024.

Warning: Contains potential spoilers for Spider-Boy #9 !

Marvel’s solicitation for July 2024’s issue of Spider-Boy reveals that the reality-displaced hero will be taking a trip through the Spider-Verse , featuring unique guest appearances. Spider-Boy #9’s description teases the introduction of a Spider-character that fans will recognize , though they've never before appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics. Now, this character debuts in official continuity as Spider-Boy journeys through the Web of Life, which erased him from Earth-616.

As Spider-Boy gets his own Across the Spider-Verse style adventure, Paco Medina’s cover illustrates some of the characters that Bailey Briggs could come into contact with. From Spider-Pork and Spider-Punk, to Takuya Yamashiro with a giant robot , and more, Bailey’s multiversal quest will allow the young Webslinger to meet other Spider-heroes.

Spider-Boy #9 by Dan Slott a promises that it will feature a Spider that’s known to audiences, but will be all-new to Marvel’s comic multiverse. While the mystery character could be featured on Medina’s cover, an undisclosed fan-favorite will seemingly finally make their comic debut.

Spider-Man's Top Secret Sidekick Finally Revealed By Marvel

Marvel teases a new spider-hero making their marvel comics debut, enter the speculation-verse.

There are near-countless other versions of Spider-heroes that could transition to comics from other media, including various cartoon series, video games...and the two Spider-Verse animated films.

With a large catalog of Spider-Man media over the decades since his 1962 debut, there are many beloved versions of the character that are still yet to appear in comic form. The three live-action Spider-Men were briefly referenced in the background of major multiverse comic events. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were hinted at in Spider-Verse #2 by Ryan North, Tori Apiradee, Pere Perez, and James Gifford when two Peter Parkers said they saw variants that looked like the guys from Seabiscuit , and The Social Network . Further, a lookalike of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man appeared in Spider-Geddon , in a group-shot background.

While those three live-action versions of Spider-Man may have had fleeting cameos in Marvel Comics previously, it could be argued that none were an official introduction, and all are still eligible to make their debut in Spider-Boy #9. Additionally, there are near-countless other versions of Spider-heroes that could transition to comics from other media, including various cartoon series, video games, spin-offs like Madame Web , and the two Spider-Verse animated films. With the latter in the group being the most likely, that still leaves a myriad of options on the table to make the jump to official Marvel Comics continuity.

Spider-Boy Could Rewrite Marvel Continuity Across the Spider-Verse

With extensive options as to who the surprise guest star of Spider-Boy #9 will be, and multiple other favorites featured on the cover, Bailey Briggs multiversal trip is bound to be full of Spidey action.

Bailey Briggs’ Spider-Boy has had a convoluted time since his first appearance, debuting as a character that has been forgotten by everyone in his life. In Spider-Man (2022) #7 by Dan Slott, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Andrew Hennessy, and Edgar Delgado, Bailey claims to be Spider-Man’s kid sidekick when the Web of Life and Destiny brings him and other heroes back to their supposed rightful universe. With nobody knowing the young sidekick and other complications, there are theories that Spider-Boy’s simply in the wrong universe and a trip through the multiverse could provide a solution to his forgotten-identity crisis .

With extensive options as to who the surprise guest star of Spider-Boy #9 will be, and multiple other favorites featured on the cover, Bailey Briggs’ multiversal trip is bound to be full of Spidey action. Whether it be the Raimiverse Peter Parker, or a hero that isn’t Peter at all, Marvel has hinted that they could help the kid sidekick finally get his life back. While a familiar character makes their comic debut, Spider-Boy’s quest through the Spider-Verse has the potential to shake up Marvel Comics and rewrite the character’s history.

Spider-Boy #9 will be available July 10, 2024 from Marvel Comics.

Spider-Verse

Spider-Verse is one of Spider-Mans most popular comic events that started in 2014. The series introduced several variants of Spider-Man, some of which have even gotten their own spinoff comics. Spider-Geddon and Edge of the Spider-Verse followed the original Spider-Verse comic run and was concluded with End of the Spider-Verse in 2023.

Voyaging upon a vague and wandering quest

contact@theblogofmazarbul.com

Gwen Stacy & The Hero’s Journey In Across The Spider-Verse

Ever since I saw Across the Spider-Verse , I’ve been really interested in the journey that Gwen Stacy undergoes in the film. I’ve already talked about the hubris of Miles, Miguel, and even the Spot, and how this is a core thematic element of the story – but Gwen’s very much got her own thing going on. So I figured I’d try and break it down a little here, with the help of one Joseph Campbell and a certain infamous narrative template – but I’m getting ahead of myself.

A central plot point of Across the Spider-Verse is the idea of ‘canon events’, events which shape a Spider-Person into the hero they are meant to be, regardless of the world in which they live. Setting aside the dubious veracity of whether Miguel is even right about canon events, it’s well worth examining the very beginning of the film, as we learn more about the events that helped shape Gwen Stacy into her world’s Spider-Woman.

For seemingly every Spider-Person, one canon event seems to be the significant death of someone close to them, near the beginning of their Spider-Career. For Miles, it is Aaron Davies, the Prowler. For innumerable Peters, an uncle Ben. And for Gwen herself, Peter Parker, monstrously transformed and killed in the ensuing devastation of a battle.

It’s fitting, given Gwen’s raised prominence in this film, to grant her a little more backstory, to help her assume the narrative weight that comes with being (I think) the film’s co-protagonist. Yet it also serves a very important function – to illustrate that while Gwen may be Miles’ equal in the film, she is, in many ways, less heroically developed.

This may seem an odd claim, but consider the deaths of Aaron Davies and Peter Parker. In many significant ways, the deaths are very similar. Both the Prowler and the Lizard are villainous and dangerous figures, both of them die fighting Spider-(Wo)man (though through no direct fault of the hero), and both of them die in the arms of their Spider-Person.

But there’s one huge difference, too, and that difference is all the more important given the other similarities. The last words Peter Parker ever hears are his best friend lying to him. He knows Gwen is Spider-Woman, and says so to her – only to be met with rejection, with dishonesty, with Gwen’s mask still up (figuratively and literally). Where Miles and Aaron share a final touching moment of reconciliation and honesty , Peter reaches out for just such a moment – only to be rejected by Gwen. The very last words Peter hears are his best friend, lying to him, even though he knows the truth.

Peter Parker, aka the Lizard, dies in Gwen Stacy's arms in Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse

This early character beat is important because it shows that Gwen, for all her heroic trappings, is not yet a hero. Don’t get me wrong, she is undoubtedly heroic , as well as being skilful and practised. But I don’t think she’s a hero…not yet, anyway. Because for all her heroism, she has not learnt to confront true danger, dangers to herself – whenever such a challenge is presented to her, she lies. She runs away. She does everything she can to avoid confrontation, no matter how necessary or justified that confrontation may be. She lies to Peter to protect herself.

There’s another, much smaller moment, also towards the beginning of the film, which should clue us the audience in to just how far Gwen still has to go – when her father gets called to the Guggenheim, his last words to her are, “I’ll call later – love you!”

And Gwen doesn’t respond. Of course, this is developing her fractious and complicated dual relationship with Captain George Stacy, father and vigilante hunter – but it’s also an incredibly clear call back to the first film, and to Miles’ relationship with his own father. Twice, Jeff says “I love you” to Miles. The first time it’s played for a joke, with Miles eventually (and very unwillingly) responding, but this sets up the pathos of the second time. This time, Miles does not respond, and Jeff does not expect him to – but it is only because Miles is gagged and webbed down, unable to react at all.

Then, following the film’s climax, Miles as Spider-Man tells Jeff that he loves him – disguised, to be sure, but of his own volition, unafraid of his own emotional vulnerability. It’s simultaneously funny and touching, and illustrates the growth of Miles…growth that Gwen, despite her seniority, has not yet experienced. Miles has become a hero in ways that Gwen has not managed…yet. And Miles’ courage and vulnerability are demonstrated through his relationships with Aaron and Jeff in the first film; relationships that are contrasted with Gwen’s fear and dishonesty when confronted by Peter and George.

Gwen’s story and arc in AtSV really fascinated me, and it took me a couple of viewings to really notice just how clever it is. Because (spoilers) Gwen does overcome her own fears and insecurities, of course, but the way in which she does so, and the story the film gives her, is really interesting, and strangely fitting. Because Gwen has the facade of being a hero, she is also given the facade of a hero’s journey – of the hero’s journey.

Prologue: The Monomyth

The Hero with a Thousand Faces , Joseph Campbell’s 1949 work of comparative analysis in mythology, is arguably the best-known piece of narrative theory today. Popularised by George Lucas’ conscious aping of the “hero’s adventure” in Star Wars , the idea of the monomyth, the call to adventure, and other concepts defined by Campbell are generally familiar to anyone with an interest in narrative and myth (though whether one finds Campbell’s ideas credible or useful is a very different question).

Naturally, anyone working as a writer or director is likely to be very familiar with the work – and I think that’s very apparent in AtSV , especially in how the film portrays the hero’s journey as seen through Campbell. Because Gwen’s story is very consciously Campbellian, but in a way that is distinctly contrary to Campbell’s underpinning ideas. Gwen, in a way, undergoes an anti hero’s journey.

Into the Spider-Verse also adheres closely to the monomyth, of course. Miles is living a normal life, is bitten by a magic radioactive spider and drawn into an extraordinary world. He is unwilling and nervous, but through the aid of several mentors, he is able to overcome obstacles, up to and including a ‘death’ (when he is left behind by the other Spider-people) and ‘resurrection’ (as his own spin on the heroic Spider-Man). With his new gifts, he returns to his own world, having overcome the final tests, and is now present in both worlds at once, and to the betterment of both.

Super monomyth-ish, but that’s the point of the monomyth – there isn’t necessarily much more for me to say. The sequel, on the other hand, also draws inspiration from the hero’s journey, in (what I think) is a much more deliberate manner, and in an actively subversive way.

Consider the opening of the film. From the beginning, we’re being told two different things in the film’s language. The narrative, Gwen’s narrative, is framing Miles as being the hero – yet the actual framing of the film makes it clear that this story is also Gwen’s. The narration is hers, the film opens with her – even her words make it clear that this is no longer just Miles’ story.

Gwen: Let’s do things differently this time. So differently. His name is Miles Morales. He was bitten by a radioactive spider. And he’s not the only one. He hasn’t always had it easy. And he’s not the only one. And now he’s on his own. And he’s not the only one. You think you know the rest; you don’t. I thought I knew the rest, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I did. And he’s not the only one.

Consider the first clear and inarguable monomythic moment in the film, the ‘call to adventure’ that Gwen receives from Miguel O’Hara and Jessica Drew. The Hero with a Thousand Faces is a work that deals with symbolism and interpretation, yet here every Campbellian element is nearly as literal as possible. There is a talisman – the wrist-worn device that allows safe passage into the beyond. There is a threshold, the multiversal portal, guarded by Miguel, that will lead to an extraordinary world. With the aid of Jessica, Gwen is granted passage, and steps through the threshold into adventure.

This all fits the monomyth incredibly clearly – yet it does not tell the whole story, either. Because the film frames this moment not as a triumph, but as a tragedy. The music is ominous, throbbing, doom-laden – it has a bombastic veneer, yet is clearly tragic. Gwen isn’t embracing the call to adventure, she is fleeing her responsibility as a superhero and as a daughter. And as we later learn, the narrative logic of the film emphasises that this is the wrong choice on Gwen’s part, because Miguel’s organisation is not at all heroic. Gwen isn’t even making the right choice for the wrong reasons here, she’s also making the wrong choice.

Gwen’s acceptance of the call in this moment isn’t a moment of excitement, because Gwen’s not starting on her hero’s journey – she’s running away, rejecting the responsibility that is entailed by being a hero. The threshold may meet the definition of Campbell’s structure, but it does not in any way match the spirit of his theory. Gwen doesn’t want to travel the multiverse for the sake of adventure, or because it is right – she wants to do so because it would be easier than her real world, which goes against the core of Campbell’s template.

Gwen Stacy prepares to enter the multiverse with Jessica Drew and Miguel O'Hara in Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse

So Gwen steps through on her “hero’s journey”, having been granted a multiverse-watch by Miguel (as mentioned above, a clear talisman in Campbellian language), and then…vanishes. Right at the moment when she enters the new world, when she crosses the first threshold, the film leaves her, instead focusing on Miles. At this point in Campbell’s monomyth, we ought to be in the “Belly of the Whale”, to see Gwen undergoing her first trials. But this isn’t really Gwen’s hero’s journey at all, and so we cut away from her, undercutting her threshold crossing (and, arguably, foreshadowing that Miles himself is a key element in Gwen’s trials ahead).

Gwen, though, is blissfully unaware for the moment, she seems to truly believe that she is on a heroic path. When she reappears in the film and is chatting with Miles, she enthusiastically talks about Miguel and Jess, outright saying that she’s “learned so much” from the senior Spider-Woman. Jessica Drew is, in this twisted hero’s journey, Gwen’s mentor.

But what exactly has Gwen learnt from Jessica? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt that from a literalist perspective, Gwen is telling the truth, that she has learnt lots of cool little tricks and ideas from Jessica. But from a narrative perspective, we never see any evidence of this, explicit or implicit. Gwen does not show herself to have developed greatly as a superhero in any aspect, whether mental, physical or even moral. She does not pull off some amazing Jessica-style move to save the day, she doesn’t call upon Jessica’s influence to solve a crisis. From a story-logic perspective, Gwen has not developed in the slightest through Jessica’s mentoring.

Further, when Jessica herself reenters the film, as a hologram call while Gwen is investigating the Spot’s apartment, we see no evidence of warmth or camaraderie from her. Indeed, Jessica’s appearance is framed as being something threatening, looming suddenly over Gwen from behind, and scolding her for her failures. Jessica isn’t shown as being a figure who cares for Gwen, or is trying to help her – she’s scary, dispassionate, judgemental.

Jessica Drew surprises Gwen Stacy in the Spot's apartment in Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse

Jessica is framed as being Gwen’s mentor, yet she does a spectacularly bad job at it – nominally she is indeed a mentor, but narratively she does nothing to earn it (and, as will be seen later, actively fails to live up to the tag).

So Gwen runs away, again, ostensibly living up to her duty by chasing the Spot, whilst failing in her duty to Miles. And in a way, I think Gwen is aware that she is turning her back on a friend without just cause, as she looks out over Miles’ New York and farewells him, unaware that he’s right there.

Gwen : Goodbye, Miles.

At this point, Gwen is on her Road of Trials, and, well…she doesn’t do a very good job with any of those trials, to be honest. Having run away from Miles, she continues to mislead Miles on what she has been told about him. When Captain Singh is in danger, Gwen upholds Miguel’s status quo instead of saving him, and is clearly conflicted after Miles manages to save him. Hobie outright tells Gwen that Miles needs to be enlightened, and still Gwen refuses to act. In short, despite being a protagonist overall, Gwen does very little (arguably nothing) in this act of the film – she is impotent, unwilling, afraid. Far from learning and growing, from seizing her own fate and confronting danger, Gwen is repeating the mistakes she has made since the beginning of the film.

Tellingly, Gwen makes it clear that she has not returned to her home in months, remaining either with the Spider-Society, or ‘crashing’ in various alternative dimensions, including Hobie’s. The film does not make it clear how exactly the Spider-Society functions, though given that Peter B Parker seems to view it as being ‘work’, as a day job, I am sure that members are somewhat free to come and go as they will. Nonetheless, given the rhetoric around how Miguel and the Society have lost sight of their goals, there is a very real implication that the Spider-Society is inadvertently preventing Spider-People from realising their own heroic destinies in their own universes.

The five months that Gwen spends with the Society are five long months that her own home is unprotected by Spider-Woman…and even in the cases of Peter B and Pavitr, who clearly still live and are active in their home dimensions, they cannot be present in the Society, in their civilian lives, and as their home’s hero all at the same time. The Spider-Society may be doing ‘the greater good’ (an infamously problematic phrase), but it does so at the cost of thousands of ‘friendly neighbourhood Spider-People’. But this is an issue not fully dealt with in the film, though it would not surprise me if the sequel returns to it.

Though the story centres around Miles and Miguel during the central act centring around the Spider-Society, there’s one little moment from Gwen that I want to highlight while she (acting alongside the literally faceless and seemingly unthinking horde of Spider-People) chases Miles. Gwen, as she leaps and swings after Miles, finally begins to express her doubts:

Gwen: But my gut says… Jessica: Then use your head!

Again, Jessica is nominally Gwen’s mentor – but she’s actively holding Gwen back, and preventing Gwen from pursuing the right course of action. And, of course, this results in catastrophe – Miles escapes, and as he does so, he turns his back on Gwen, finally confirming the words she said to him just a few hours earlier, and (to drive the point home) turning invisible immediately after, just as he was when Gwen herself left him behind:

Miles: Goodbye, Gwen.

So Miles escapes into another universe, and now the film’s attention swings back to Gwen, as she faces the consequences and sum of everything she’s done wrong. There’s a bitter irony, too, in that the figure judging her – Miguel – is not only complicit, but arguably bears even more responsibility than Gwen. Miguel told Gwen to hide the truth from Miles, and assigned her to deal with the Spot; and even at the last, Miguel failed to apprehend Miles (which is the actual excuse Miguel uses for expelling Gwen). Miguel is at least as responsible, if not more so, for all of this – his vicious judgement of Gwen is thus completely unfair.

But that doesn’t make it untrue, and I think Gwen is aware of both these things in this moment. So she looks to her mentor, to Jessica Drew, for any sort of support or guidance – and Jessica rejects her, fails her. In the moment when Gwen most needed a mentor and an advocate, Jessica proves herself to be neither – and so Gwen dies.

Well, she doesn’t die die, of course, she’s still alive. But she is dead to the Spider-Society, dead to Miguel, executed and banished from the supernatural world. Spiritually and symbolically, this is Gwen’s death, and it is every bit as meaningful as if she had actually been killed.

Miguel O'Hara sends Gwen Stacy home from the Spider-Society in Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse

So Gwen dies, and in dying is returned to the real world – and yet, in this strange and twisted Hero’s Journey, this proves to be one of the most meaningful subversions yet.

Refusal of the Call

In the Departure stage of the monomyth, a very typical element is the Refusal of the Call – a moment when the hero is reluctant, unwilling, even resistant to being swept up into the story. The hero would rather stay in comfort and security than face the unknown, and so must be encouraged or even forced to step into danger. This, of course, underlines the great heroism the hero will then demonstrate through the story, and also serves to create value in the hero’s ordinary world – if the hero cares about their world, we will care about it as well.

Now, Gwen never refused the call – she was desperate to hop in to the portal, to leave her world behind. But in doing so, and triggering her topsy-turvy hero’s journey, she also turned her back on an actual challenge, she ran away from her real hero’s call – the confrontation with her father. This entire film has been a giant Refusal of the Call on Gwen’s part – and now, she’s finally being forced to accept it.

This might all sound terribly dissatisfying, but I think it really works, and really helps to sell Gwen’s personal journey and growth. Further, while the subverted hero’s journey that Gwen has been on may not have been ‘real’, it has nonetheless forced her to confront her own personal demons. Gwen has suffered consequences that she did not intend, and has learnt from her mistakes.

Further, Gwen has never lost sight of her larger goal – she truly does wish to be a hero. She may not have been hero ic in fleeing from her father, and in failing to question Miguel, and in concealing the truth from Miles, but that does not mean that she is not striving to be a hero. But it is only now that Gwen can realise her insufficiencies, and confront her own inner demons – and in doing so, she can finally live up to the hero she wants to be. For while Gwen initially chased after the veneer of adventure and heroism by joining the Spider-Society, she has now finally confronted her own dragon, and accepted the call of her own much more domestic adventure. But the domesticity of it does not lessen the heroism Gwen finally shows in reaching out to her father, in becoming vulnerable with him.

Gwen Stacy hugs George Stacy in Across the Spider Verse

And through her reconciliation with George, Gwen is also finally able to understand why she herself has failed to live up to her heroic potential – and in doing so, is able to renew her heroic commitment with a greater clarity. At long last, Gwen is able to confront her greatest challenge – her own inadequacies.

Gwen: You’re a good cop, Dad. You know, you put on that badge because you know if you don’t, someone who shouldn’t will. But you have to understand, this mask is my badge. And I’m trying to be good, too. I was trying so hard to wear this thing the way you would want. And I didn’t. I didn’t. I can do all these things, but I can’t help the people I love the most.

Despite her twisty, subversive hero’s journey, Gwen has nonetheless grown, has achieved mastery within and without. It has taken the entire film for her to Accept the Call, but in the process, she has nonetheless discovered the internal strength to not only accept, but to excel. Gwen’s reconciliation with her father is the catharsis Gwen herself needed to realise her heroic calling, and to not only gain the strength to realise that calling, but to also gain the wisdom that being a hero isn’t simply about swinging around and saving people. It’s about confronting your own fears and demons, and overcoming them – and her newfound relationship with her father is proof that this heroic philosophy bears fruit.

Master of the Two Worlds

And in a final and fitting twist, this revelation on Gwen’s part is accompanied by her fulfilling the final stage of her monomythic journey. Gwen is resurrected through Hobie’s gift (a gift that she could not receive until she met her father – and Hobie knows that Gwen has not been home for months), and is granted mastery over her ‘ordinary’ world, and over the supernatural world that is the multiverse. Gwen has, at long last, realised her heroic sacrifice, and is granted a heroic boon as a reward. Through her self-actualisation, Gwen is at long last able to wander between the natural and the supernatural world at will, bestowing her own gifts and boons upon others.

At the end of the film, Gwen has become Miguel as he should have been, a captain of willing followers rather than a director of minions. She has also become her father, worthy of the badge that he wore and to which she aspires. And, of course, she has overcome the selfishness and fear that caused her to let down Miles – and before him, her best friend.

Gwen : I always wanted to be in a band. I guess I never just found the right one. In this line of work, you always wind up a solo act. Before Miles, there was Peter.

Come the end of AtSV , Gwen has overcome her failings, has failed and suffered and triumphed, and is bettered as a result – she is a solo act no longer. And her overcoming of these failings has been through a compelling hero’s journey – not a classic one, perhaps, but I think that works to the advantage of the film as a whole, and her own story.

I’ve gotta confess, I don’t necessarily ascribe to all of Campbell’s theories and concepts – there’s a lot of psychology and pseudopsychology in The Hero with a Thousand Faces that I don’t find compelling, and the very idea of a ‘monomyth’ is (I think) so overly broad as to be either inaccurate or unhelpful ( Bonini’s paradox is at full effect here).

On the other hand, though, Campbell’s monomyth both clearly has merit, and has (more importantly) been highly influential. It is, perhaps, a chicken and egg scenario in AtSV – does Gwen’s journey mirror and subvert the hero’s journey so carefully because of the monomyth, or because the screenwriters and directors are keenly aware of the monomyth? My inclination is toward the latter, given how straight the monomyth structure is in ItSV . AtSV is thus a deconstruction and reconstruction of the monomyth, through Gwen Stacy as the hero. It’s a very clever reworking of a classic and well-known structure, making it fresh and inventive whilst staying true to the core of Campbell’s theories.

There’s a delightfully unironic tendency in Hollywood to describe any and every sequel to a moderately successful film as being ‘the Empire Strikes Back of the franchise’. But in this case, I do genuinely think there’s a good claim to that parallel with AtSV . Both are sequels to a very classic Campbellian story. Both are more disquieting, less morally clear, and end with a genuine cliffhanger whilst feeling like compelling and satisfying stories in their own right. And both of them interrogate that monomythic structure in a genuinely novel and narratively logical manner.

I’ve also seen some criticism and dissatisfaction with the character of Gwen in AtSV , which I think rather misses the point of her story. Gwen’s on a different (though convergent) journey to Miles, and needs to have those self-inflicted setbacks and losses in order to better herself, in order to realise her heroic potential. I honestly think her arc and development through the film might be my favourite element of the story, and considering how much I liked the film, that is high praise! The film is laser-focused on showing how and why Gwen grows beyond her initial flaws, and uses this twisted and reworked version of the hero’s journey to support that development. And, by the end of the film, Gwen is a genuinely matured character – just as Miles did in the first film, she has achieved her heroic aspirations, and in overcoming her flaws, has been rewarded.

Gwen: I never found the right band to join. So I started my own. With a few old friends. You want in?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading – feel free to check out anything else you may be interested in on the blog, there’s plenty more to discover! Follow me on Facebook and on Twitter to stay up to date with The Blog of Mazarbul, and if you want to join in the discussion, write a comment below or send an email . Finally, if you really enjoyed the post above, you can support the blog via Paypal . Thanks for reading, and may your beards never grow thin!

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Hero's Journey

Ordinary World

Call to Adventure

Refusal of the Call

Meeting the Mentor

Crossing the Threshold

Tests, Allies, Enemies

Approach to the Inmost Cave

Reward (Seizing the Sword)

The Road Back

Resurrection

Return with the Elixir

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The Call of Adventure

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Tests, Allies, Enemies

Approach to the Inmost Cave

The Ordeal

Reward or Seizing the Sword

The Road Back

Resurrection

Return with the Elixir

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The Hero's Journey Outline

1.THE ORDINARY WORLD.

2.THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.

3.REFUSAL OF THE CALL

4. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR

5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

6. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES

7. APPROACH.

8. THE ORDEAL

9. THE REWARD.

10. THE ROAD BACK.

11. THE RESURRECTION.

12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.

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