the incredibles 1 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

Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl aren't just super heroes at the top of their game, but an engaged couple about to be wed. Everything's dandy, right? Wrong. Due to legal tomfoolery, superheroes are suddenly banned by the government, forcing our heroes to hang up their costumes for good.

Call To Adventure

Mr. Incredible is now known as Bob Parr, and he lives with wife Helen—the former Elastigirl—and their super-powered children, Dash and Violet, as well as one not super-powered baby, Jack-Jack. Bob works as an insurance adjuster, but secretly pines for his old life as a wannabe Avenger, even going out on late night superhero runs with an old buddy to scratch the itch. On one of these fateful nights, their work is watched closely by mysterious figure with silver hair…

Refusal Of The Call

After a fight with Helen over these late night runs, Bob goes into work grumpier than ever. But don't you worry—he gets even grumpier when his boss Mr. Huph calls him to his office for a smackdown. Bob's crime? Actually helping customers. The horror. During their shouting match, Bob peeps a mugging outside the window, but to his own shame doesn't do anything to stop it. He does, however, throw Mr. Huph through several walls, which really isn't a smart move for someone trying to hide their superpowers.

Meeting The Mentor

Bob is fired, of course, and through a government agent we learn that this has happened quite a few times since the superhero ban, and each time the family is relocated and forced to start anew. Not so, this time—the Parrs are on their own. As he unpacks his belongings back home, Bob finds a tablet that plays a message from the silver-haired woman, who introduces herself as Mirage. She offers him the opportunity of a lifetime: a rogue robot has run roughshod over a secret government facility, and they need Mr. Incredible to to save the day.

Crossing The Threshold

His midlife crisis fantasy fulfilled, Bob lies to Helen, telling that he's been promoted at work and chosen to attend a high-falutin' insurance conference. Instead, he rides a fancy jet to an island in the middle of the Pacific, meets Mirage, and handily defeats the supposedly fearsome Omnidroid. His pockets now flush with cash from a job well done, Bob returns to home happy and fulfilled.

Tests, Allies, Enemies

And we mean fulfilled . He becomes a good husband and father. He gets back in shape. He buys a sports car. He even commissions a brand spankin' new costume from Edna, former fashion designer to the superhero elite. Life is good . It's less good for Helen, who's grown suspicious of her hubby. Her suspicions are confirmed when she hears Bob talking on the phone to Mirage about another job, though from her perspective it sounds like he's having an affair.

Approach To The Inmost Cave

Regardless, Bob takes this second job and returns to the mysterious island, where Mirage promises that Bob will meet the secret benefactor behind his missions. During a fight with the new-and-improved Omnidroid, this benefactor is revealed to be a super villain named Syndrome. Syndrome was once Buddy Pine, Mr. Incredible's biggest fanboy, but turned evil after the hero rejected him. After learning about Buddy's secret plan to launch the Omnidroid into New York City to wreak havoc, only to pretend to be a superhero and "save" the day himself, Bob is captured and locked up in Syndrome's diabolical lair.

Helen follows a trail of clues to Edna, who tells her what Bob's been up to. Thanks Edna. She also helps by designing the whole fam new costumes, which are pretty sweet. Tracking Bob's location using a homing device built into his suit, Helen flies to the island in a government jet, while unbeknownst to her she has two stowaways: Dash and Violet. The jet is taken down by Syndrome as it approaches the island, however, leaving Bob believing that his whole family is dead. Not so. They survived and snuck onto the island in the dead of night.

Reward (Seizing The Sword)

Helen leaves the kids to rescue Bob, giving them the opportunity to use their superpowers for the first time in their lives, battling baddies like they're in the Justice League. Thanks to a last-minute switcheroo courtesy of Mirage, the family reunites and gets ready to rumble with Syndrome. Unfortunately, his evil plan is already underway, so they race back to the mainland as the Omnidroid starts laying waste to the city.

The Road Back

Syndrome attempts to deactivate the Omnidroid as planned, but he's quickly bested by his own creation. Luckily, the Incredibles arrive in the nick of time, defeat the Omnidroid alongside some old superhero pals, and enjoy some healthy family bonding. The day is saved...right?

Resurrection

Not quite. On the way home, the family learns that Syndrome has kidnapped Jack-Jack, and when they arrive, they find the villain flying away with the youngest Incredible. Conveniently, little Jack-Jack decides that this is the moment to show off his superpowers, transforming into a sequence of fearsome forms that cause Syndrome to drop him back to the safety of his family. Syndrome, on the other hand, gets chopped up into a billion bits by an airplane rotor. Ouchie. Okay, now the day is really saved.

Return With The Elixir

The entire family seems way happier now that they're somewhat allowed to use their superpowers, with young Dash even allowed to join the track team despite his super speed. As the family is leaving one of his track meets, a giant drill bursts from the concrete, revealing a new super villain: the fearsome Underminer. Well, not fearsome, maybe. He's like a gerbil. Anyway, the family has already changed into their costumes, revealing that their superhero soiree was no one-time lark. They're a team now.

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Cast & crew
User reviews

The Incredibles

While trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world. While trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world. While trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.

Craig T. Nelson
Samuel L. Jackson
Holly Hunter
1K User reviews
245 Critic reviews
90 Metascore
69 wins & 56 nominations total

Lucius Best

Bomb Voyage

Newsreel Narrator

Mrs. Hogenson

Jack-Jack Parr

Gilbert Huph

Dashiell 'Dash' Parr

Bernie Kropp

Violet Parr
Tony Rydinger

Rick Dicker

Edna 'E' Mode
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

Trivia Jason Lee (Buddy/Syndrome) recorded his lines in four days, while Craig T. Nelson (Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible) recorded his lines over the span of two years.
Goofs When Syndrome says "You got me monologuing. I can't believe it", his jaw clips through his shoulder.

Lucius : Honey?

Honey : What?

Lucius : Where's my super suit?

Lucius : WHERE - IS - MY - SUPER SUIT?

Honey : I, uh, put it away!

[helicopter explodes outside]

Lucius : *Where*?

Honey : *Why* do you *need* to know?

Lucius : I need it!

[Lucius rummages through another room in his condo]

Honey : Uh-uh! Don't you think about running off doing no derring-do! We've been planning this dinner for two months!

Lucius : The public is in danger!

Honey : My evening's in danger!

Lucius : YOU TELL ME WHERE MY SUIT IS, WOMAN! We are talking about the greater good!

Honey : 'Greater good?' I am your wife! I'm the greatest *good* you are ever gonna get!

Crazy credits The credits are shown interacting with the film's characters and in stylized renditions of the film's key scenes.
Alternate versions In the Argentinian version of the movie, not only the newspapers headlines are written in Spanish, but also streets names are changed: the characters make references to Buenos Aires City street names, such as Callao, Corrientes, and many others.
Connections Featured in Disney Through the Decades (2001)

User reviews 1K

chandean-69762
Feb 6, 2021
Is "The Incredibles" based on a book?
Why does that scene with Frozone and the cup of water seem so familiar?
Any recommendations for other movies by Pixar Animation Studios?
November 28, 2004 (United States)
United States
Official Facebook
The Fantastics
Walt Disney Feature Animation - 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA
Pixar Animation Studios
Walt Disney Pictures
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$92,000,000 (estimated)
$261,441,092
$70,467,623
Nov 7, 2004
$631,688,498

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 55 minutes
Black and White
Dolby Digital EX

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Structure: The Incredibles

A structural overview of the incredibles (brad bird 2004) “animation is not a genre but an art form” says writer-director brad bird on the commentary track. this is one of the most enjoyable superhero action adventures i know..

It is also the #1 movie I will never forgive myself for not seeing in the theaters at the time of release. It’s in my Top 10 of all-time favourites and a strong reference movie in almost all my story classes.

Prologue: The Glory Days & Wound (11mins)

00.00 TV interview: The Incredibles about their secret identities. 02.00 Mr Incredible called to the rescue, but saves the cat first. 04.30 Meets with Elastigirl on rooftop – “prior engagement”. 05.30 Bob saves man from suicide attempt, he’s not happy. 06.30 Bob stops Bomb Voyage, Incrediboy complicates matters. 09.00 Bob marries Elastigirl: she needs more than Mr. Incredible. 10.00 Superheroes are sued by suicidal: relocation program.

Sequence A: The Ordinary Life (9mins)

11.00 15 years later: Insurance clerk, warned to stop writing cheques. 13.00 After Helen sees headmaster, Dash told to be like everyone else. 15.30 Violet is shy. Always trying to be invisible. Boy looked at her! 16.00 Bob comes home, frustrated. Neighbour’s boy sees him. 16.30 Dinner: they all use their powers, Bob is not in control. 18.30 Robert reads paper: Advocate of superhero rights is missing. 19.00 Frozone calls: Wednesday, it’s bowling night. 19.30 Violet: What does anybody know about normal?

Sequence B: Secrets, Lies & Inciting Incident (14mins)

20.00 Frozone: What if we did what our wives think we’re doing? 20.30 Mirage: “He’s not alone”. 21.00 Fire rescue, escape into into jewellery shop, police catches them. 23.00 Helen: Uprooting our family to be a superhero is not good. 26.00 Boss cross: customers are experts, Bob has enough, loses it. 28.30 Boss in hospital. Relocator offers to help Bob & family. 30.00 Invitation from Mirage: Do great things. 24 hours to respond. 32.30 Lying to Helen: sent to conference. Accepting Mirage’s call.

Sequence C: Living the Dream again (12mins)

34.00 Mirage gives Bob instructions, he arrives on the island. 36.00 Bob fights the robot, terminates it. Mission accomplished. 38.30 Invited to dinner with Mirage; everything is delicious. 39.30 Montage sequence: Bob is loving the great new life. 41.00 Bob asks stylist E to repair suit; she will design new supersuit. 44.00 New assignment: Bob keeps lying to Helen.

Sequence D: Things are not what they seem (7mins)

45.00 Flying to island, nice to be back, Mirage. Briefing for 2pm. 47.00 Helen finds patched suit, calls Edna. You come in 1 hour I insist. 48.00 Bob’s meeting: I’m Syndrome, your biggest fan. You work alone. 50.30 Syndrome tries to kill Bob, he jumps in water. 51.00 Bob finds dead super Gazerbeam. “K R O N O S ” 51.30 Tracers trying to find Bob: terminated.

Sequence E: Approach to Syndrome’s HQ (9mins)

52.00 E shows Helen her work: we are retired! Do you know where he is? 55.00 Removing the guards, going in. 57.30 Bob learns that the Supers are dead. 58.00 Helen finds out Bob left company, he’s been lying. 59.30 Locator betrays Bob. Bob caught in Blobs. 60.00 E to Helen: go, fight, win!

Sequence F: Bob in the Cave / Family to the rescue (9mins)

61.00 Helen gets ready, Dash sees outfits. Calling Snug. 62.30 Helen & kids flies gov. jet, missile attack on approach. 63.30 Bob chained – Syndrome shows up. 67.30 Helen saves the kids. Get a grip! 68.30 Bob threatens to kill Mirage, doesn’t do it. S: You’re weak! 70.00 Helen to kids: use your powers. I’ll be back by morning.

Sequence G: FINDING BOB (9mins)

72.30 Mirage: Next time you gamble, bet your own life. 73.30 Helen goes into HQ, using her Elastigirl powers. 76.00 Dash: I’m gonna look around. 77.30 Rocket launch: Dash & Vi run. 78.30 Dash & Vi discovered. They have to run. 79.30 Mirage tells Bob his family is alive. Helen finds the two.

Sequence H: REUNION IN THE CAVE (7mins)

82.00 Dash runs & fights & runs. 83.30 Bob & Helen // Violet disappears, Dash to the rescue. 85.00 Family reunion. 85.30 S appears. Captures them, shows what the robots do. “I’m real” 87.30 Bob apologises, Violet releases them, escaping.

Sequence I: Threshold Sequence (5mins)

88.00 To the rocket, Mirage helps 89.00 Frozone getting ready 90.00 Syndrome “saves baby” but can’t stop robot. 91.00 Incredibles arrive with bus.

Sequence J: INCREDIBLES vs. SYNDROME (8mins)

93.00 Robot attacks them. 94.00 Frozone helps. Bob has the remote control. 97.00 Taking out the robot. 97.30 Syndrome still around 98.00 New hope for the supers. 99.00 Kari (babysit) calls: thanks for replacement – S 99.30 Jack-Jack’s special powers. Bob throws Helen. 100.30 S in turbine / Violet protects them.

Sequence J: THE INCREDIBLE(S) TEAM (3mins) 101.30 3 months later: Tony & Violet / Dash comes close second 102.30 The Underminer: they all get ready to work together.

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

In a prologue full of beautifully dramatised exposition, we meet Bob, Helen, Frozone and Incrediboy. We learn about the role of the Supers and their fall – or Bob’s ‘wound’.

The Ordinary World for Bob doesn’t start until after the prologue, “15 Years Later”. It is literally an ‘ordinary’ world and he has a strong longing to swap this life for something more exciting. This stage extends for two sequences, in which we see Bob’s boring day job as well as his exciting secret night escapades.

But he is a flawed hero. He lies to his wife and hates his job. He is blamed of not doing his fatherly duties. This Hero is ready for change.

The Call to Adventure comes with the message from Mirage, the Herald and Shapeshifter who seduces Bob into a adventure that promises exactly what Bob has been lacking in his life.

After hardly any Refusal, Bob crosses the Threshold and accepts Mirages offer. Again he lies to Helen, saying he’s off to a conference.

The typical pitfalls of a second act are overcome by using a solid sequential structure and by interweaving Bob’s journey with that of his family. In the middle of the act sits a powerful Mid Point Reversal, which accelerates the Hero’s Inner Journey and gives his Outer Journey a new direction.

The first half of Act Two consists of a number of Tests for Bob, leading to his first assignment, which Bob completes effortlessly. So in a way this assignment can be seen as just another ‘test’ in the journey. Bob is loving his new life. But he’s still living the lie, so a reversal is looming. Going back to the island, he is to meet with with his employer but instead he is attacked by a robot and for the first time, he finds himself face to face with Syndrome, his Shadow. It turns out he has created this shadow by rejecting (his need for a) Buddy. In order to resurrect as the transformed Hero, Bob will not only need to defeat Syndrome, but take on the very character quality Buddy/Syndrome represented: team spirit.

Although The Incredibles never FEELS formulaic, it ticks all the boxes of the Journey, including the almost cliche’d beat of the Mid Point: the Leap of Faith. To escape his enemy, Bob dives off the cliff (Butch & Sundance style) into the water below. Seconds later, the reversal is complete when he learns the full truth about Syndrome and the fate of the Supers by discovering the meaning of “KRONOS”.

The next sequence is a typical Approach to the Inmost Cave, i.e. trying to get into Syndrome’s HQ. There, Mr Incredible will face his lowest point when he is chained in the cave, first alone, then together with his family.

The traditionally melodramatic Ordeal scene is peppered with mild sarcasm, when Dash cuts into Bob’s redemption speech and Helen says: “Shhht! Don’t interrupt…”

Brad Bird shows again how you can use a template like the Hero’s Journey and use it in an original way: the Reward is shown BEFORE the Ordeal, as we see on a big screen what Syndrome is up to. So the Incredibles know where to go and what to do once they’re out of their predicament. It makes the transition more fluid than in many movies, where the Reward magically – and quite randomly – appears immediately after the redemption.

The Road Back ‘Threshold Sequence’ is a fully fledged chase sequence back to the Ordinary World, including running, flying and driving.Technically you can argue that this sequence belongs nor in Act Two (Special World) nor Act Three (Ordinary World) but I place it in Act Three because it happens after the Hero is ready to confront the Shadow. The race to the mainland is in effect the first action after the 2nd Act Turning Poing (PP2 or Ordeal/Reward).

Back on the main land, the family engages with Syndrome. The subplot of Jack-Jack and the babysit leads into the final showdown and Syndrome’s demise pays off the setup about the caped Super-costumes. Delightful.

In a brief Elixir-sequence, Dash finally gets his chance to shine and Violet shows her regained self-esteem. In the final scene of the movie we see how the Incredibles will continue their lives.

Karel Segers wrote his first produced screenplay at age 17. Today he is a story analyst with experience in acquisition, development and production. He has trained students worldwide, and worked with half a dozen Academy Award nominees. Karel speaks more European languages than he has fingers on his left hand, which he is still trying to find a use for in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. The languages, not the fingers.

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8 thoughts on “Structure: The Incredibles”

Excellent stuff! Many thanks for all your efforts. We can all learn something from this.

You know, aside from the superb animation, the story structure alone (as evidenced by the breakdown here) for this movie makes this a classic.

The prologue is an excellent (and rare) example of useful exposition. But even though I love that sequence, it is expository — I wonder what the film would be like if you omitted the prologue?

You still have the 3-act structure, but character traits are slowly revealed as the story unfolds. And seeing Frozone and Mr. Incredible in action during the building fire rescue shows that these are truly super humans, not just washed up costumed dudes.

One drawback is that the unmasking of Syndrome at the end of Act II would require even more expository/flashback.

Does anyone know where I can find a copy of the screenplay? My hunch is that the earlier drafts started right in the modern day world (sans prologue), but since the filmmakers wanted to really introduce the entire story cosmos in a big way, and dramatize the “wound” as you call it, the prologue came later. Like I said, just a hunch…

Great stuff. And, natch, a film I love.

Zephyr — a superhero webcomic in prose http://wereviking.wordpress.com

Great analysis. Thanks. True, not a lot of “refusal” of the “call”- in the shape of an iPad no less- but he lies because Helen acts as a “threshhold guardian.” How often to we see lying as a way around it?

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Learned a lot of information and made my own presentation using it, thank you x

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Film Review: The Incredibles (2004) - The Hero's Journey Archetypes

Storyclock Research Log

Genre: Superhero
Medium: Feature
Writer: Brad Bird

The Incredibles

This week in the research log, we’re clocking Brad Bird’s incredible superhero film THE INCREDIBLES. We’ve used the Storyclock Notebook to visualize the film’s structure and plot points in the form of a clock. Now put on your supersuits and let’s go to work!

Let's Break It Down

Opening: TV Interviews– supers are popular and keep the world safe.
Normalcy: Mr. Incredible rescues a cat from a tree, a man from suicide, and a train from crashing. You know, superhero stuff.
Normalcy Disrupted: The suicidal man sues Mr. Incredible. Superhero Relocation Program is put into place and supers are outlawed.
Herald: 15 years later, Bob and family live “a normal life”. Mirage invites Bob to shut down an Omnidroid on a remote island, the perfect adventure for a former superhero who now works at an insurance company.
Rational Approach: Bob thinks for mere seconds about not lying to his wife and taking the mission.
Acceptance and Break Into Act 2: Bob lies to his wife and takes the mission.
B Story Begins:
Trailer Moments/Promise of the Premise: Bob travels to the island where he fights and defeats the Omnidroid. Trains at a railyard. Engages in a happy family life montage! He takes another superhero mission.
Midpoint: Bob meets Syndrome, narrowly avoids being killed and escapes.
Things Get Worse: Bob sneaks into the evil lair only to be captured by Syndrome.
Hero's Last Resort: Helen saves Bob and the whole family fights Syndrome's goons together.
Game Over: The whole family gets captured by Syndrome and are forced to watch his evil plan come to fruition. Complete with evil plan monologue!
Breakthrough and Rebirth/Break Into Act 3: Bob apologizes for being a bad father, gives a “redemption speech”. Violet breaks the family free and, because Syndrome monologued his whole evil plan, they know exactly where to go.
Hero Gains Upper Hand: The family races back home to take on Syndrome. Teaming with Frozone, they work together as a super family and defeat the giant Omnidroid.
Shadow's Final Push: Syndrome poses as a relief babysitter and takes Jack-Jack hostage.
Ultimate Breakthrough: Bob throws Helen into the air, she retrieves Jack-Jack, and Syndrome's hubris catches up with him when his cape gets him sucked into the jet engine.
New Normalcy: Dash finally gets to use his powers in public, running on the track team. Violet has a newfound confidence. The family embraces their powers as the new normal.
Final Image: The family stands together against a new threat! Superhero poses. Logo under shirt reveal. Giacchino time.

Stuff That Stood Out To Me

I watched this for this blog post the other night, and even though I'd seen it at least five times already, the second it was done I immediately started it over and watched it again. It’s that perfect.
Similar to Seth’s analysis of THE AVENGERS , this movie follows the “hero’s journey” almost to a T. But it never feels formulaic! That's what the pros call: writing.
The Incredibles has an incredible (how many times can I use that word in this blog post) prologue. It introduces us to Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Frozone, and Incrediboy, who of course will one day turn into our antagonist. It immediately establishes our protagonist’s goal (longing for a super life/life of adventure) and acts as exposition for the rest of our story. When we see our “normalcy” 15 years later, we can jump right into it.
The Midpoint of the story is almost exactly in the middle of the movie, which is incredibly satisfying.
Brad Bird’s script doesn’t quite play as parody of the classic superhero film, but it definitely is a pastiche. I love how it takes things that we would typically predict in a story like this and it flips them on their head (like Dash interrupting Bob in the middle of his “bad dad apology speech” and Helen shh’ing him).
Symmetrical Moment: Family disconnected/ argues at dinner table about using powers + Family battles together for the first time
Symmetrical Moment: Bob and Helen argue + Bob and Helen reunite
Symmetrical Moment: Incrediboy enters the story + Syndrome (Incrediboy) exits the story
Symmetrical Moment: Supers are sued and the superhero relocation program is put into place + Bob rides with lawyer who says things are looking great for the future of supers

What I love about THE INCREDIBLES is that it’s not doing anything new with story structure. It’s the tried and true formula, but everything about the execution -- the script, the characters, putting a family of superheroes through the ringer -- it makes it feel fresh and exciting and fun. I can imagine grown men will be pushing and shoving children out of the way to get to the box office for the upcoming sequel. I can imagine they will be between the ages of 25 and 30, with glasses and an ironic mustache it's me Ryan Polly get out of my way kids

Storyclock Notebook

A notebook designed for screenwriters and story nerds.

Genre: Superhero /
Medium: Feature /

2011년 9월 14일 수요일

Hero's journey : the incredibles.

Hero's Journey The Incredibles Group: Group Four (Wonji, Seewan, Heegu, Min) Our Film: The Incredibles Why we chose it: Almost everybody our age watched it. ACT I 1. Ordinary World: The ordinary world for Mr. Incredible was the world where his family lived, a world in which a lot of superheroes exist and occasionally save the world from burglars. His son Dash and his daughter Violet, who are also superheroes, go to school. His wife is an ordinary housewife. He is an ordinary salary man. 2. Call to Adventure: Mirage sends Mr. Incredible an electronic device containing a summons to an island to fight a runaway robot. 3. Refusal of the Call: He worries about his family and is reluctant of going back to his superhero days and putting his family at risk. 4. Meeting the Mentor: He meets Mirage, who informs him about the robot and its abilities. 5. Crossing the Threshold: He rides a very modern jet and goes to the island to find the robot. ACT II 6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: His first test comes when he first fights the robot, which can learn while battling. He almost gets drowned and melted in lava but finally finds a way to kill it. His one ally is Edna Mode, the woman who designs superhero clothes. She provides him and his family members each a suit that suits individual abilities. His family members, Elastigirl, Dash, and Violet are also allies. His real enemy is the rich weapons producer Syndrome, who used to be a fan of Mr. Incredible in his youth. Another test comes when he encounters a new, upgraded robot powered by Syndrome. He is powerless in front of Syndrome. 7. Approach to the Innermost Cave: He uses a statue and breaks through a fake lava-clad door to approach the central system. He looks up heroes’ and heroines’ names to see if they had been killed or not. He finds out that Syndrome is trying to conquer the world by launching a rocket. He gets caught. 8. Ordeal: His family (his wife, son, and daughter) come to rescue him and are eventually caught. 9. Reward: Violet uses her ability of shielding to escape from the electric bounds, and goes to save the world. Mirage tells them the password, and they fly to the city to fight the robot. ACT III 10. The Road Back: They fly back to the city. 11. Resurrection: While the Incredibles are going home after destroying the robot, they find out that Syndrome has got Jackjack, the little baby. The other four are caught by Syndrome and then the baby is taken away by him. But surprisingly the baby had a great ability, and Syndrome is killed. Basically the baby resurrects the family. 12. Return With the Elixir: Violet becomes more competent with boys, and Dash enjoys the races. The family becomes happier and more intimate. Points of contention (ifs/ands/buts): Perhaps Mirage is not a perfect mentor, because she worked for Syndrome and then changed into a good woman.

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The Hero’s Journey: 12 Steps That Make Up the Universal Structure of Great Stories

by David Safford | 0 comments

At some in your writer's life, you've probably come across the term Hero's Journey. Maybe you've even studied this guide for storytelling and applied it to your own books—and yet, something about your own application felt off. You wanted to learn more, but didn't know where to start.

Maybe you needed a resource that would simplify the hero's journey steps and all the other major details instead of complicate them.

The Hero's Journey: The Ultimate Guide to the Universal Structure of Great Stories

The Hero's Journey is as old as humanity itself. And through history, this single story form has emerged over and over again. People from all cultures have seemed to favor its structure, and its familiar types of characters (archetypal hero, anyone?), symbols, relationships, and steps.

If you want to build or strengthen your writing career and win a following of many happy readers, you want this particular tool in your writer's toolbox.

Let's dive in.

Need help applying The Hero's Journey to your story outline and manuscript? Download this free Hero's Journey worksheet now!

Why I Love the Hero's Journey (And You Will, Too)

Like many, I grew up loving Star Wars. I especially loved the music and bought the soundtracks at some point in middle school. When my parents weren't home and I had the house all to myself, I'd slip one of the CDs into my stereo, crank the volume up, and blast the London Symphony Orchestra. I even pretended I was conducting the violins and timpani myself.

I know it's nerdy to admit. But we love what we love, and I love the music of great movies.

In a way, the Hero's Journey is like a soundtrack. It follows familiar beats and obeys age-old principles of human emotion. We can't necessarily explain why a piece of music is so beautiful, but we can explain what it does and simply acknowledge that most people like it.

As I've come to understand Joseph Campbell's groundbreaking monomyth theory, commonly known as the Hero's Journey, I've fallen deeper and deeper in love with it.

But it's important to make sure you know what it is, and what it isn't.

The Hero's Journey isn't a formula to simply follow, plugging in hackneyed characters into cliched situations.

It's not “selling out” and giving up your artistic integrity

The Hero's Journey is a set of steps, scenes, character types, symbols, and themes that tend to recur in stories regardless of culture or time period. Within these archetypes are nearly infinite variations and unique perspectives that are impacted by culture and period, reflecting wonderful traits of the authors and audiences.

Also, the Hero's Journey is a process that your reader expects your story to follow, whether they know it or not. This archetype is hard-wired into our D.N.A. Let's look at how to use it to make your own stories stronger.

How to Use This Hero's Journey Post

In the beginning, there were stories. These stories were told by mothers, soldiers, and performers. They were inscribed on the walls of caves, into tablets of stone, and on the first sheets of papyrus.

This is how the Hero's Journey was born.

In this post, I'll walk you through the Hero's Journey twelve steps, and teach you how to apply them into your story. I'll also share additional resources to teach you some other Hero's Journey essentials, like character archetypes, symbols, and themes. By the end of this post, you'll be able to easily apply the Hero's Journey to your story with confidence.

And don't skip out on the practice exercise at the end of the post! This will help you start to carve out the Hero's Journey for your story with a practical fifteen minute exercise—the best way to really retain how the Hero's Journey works is to apply it.

Table of Contents: The Hero's Journey Guide

What is the Hero's Journey?

Why the Hero's Journey will make you a better writer

The Twelve-Step Hero's Journey Structure

The Ordinary World
The Call to Adventure
The Refusal of the Call
Meeting the Mentor
Crossing the Threshold
Trials, Allies, and Enemies
The Approach
The Road Back
The Resurrection
Return With the Elixir

5 Essential Hero's Journey Scenes

A Guide to Structuring Your Hero's Journey

Bonus! Additional Hero's Journey Resources

5 Character Archetypes
5 Hero's Journey Symbols
5 Hero's Journey Themes

What Is the Hero's Journey?

The Hero's Journey is the timeless combination of characters, events, symbols, and relationships frequently structured as a sequence of twelve steps. It is a storytelling structure that anyone can study and utilize to tell a story that readers will love.

First identified and defined by Joseph Campbell, the Hero's Journey was theorizied in The Hero With a Thousand Faces . Today, it has been researched and taught by great minds, some including Carl Jung and Christopher Vogler (author of The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers ).

This research has given us lengthy and helpful lists of archetypes , or story elements that tend to recur in stories from any culture at any time.

And while some archetypes are unique to a genre, they are still consistent within those genres. For example, a horror story from Japan will still contain many of the same archetypes as a horror story from Ireland. There will certainly be notable differences in how these archetypes are depicted, but the tropes will still appear.

That's the power of the Hero's Journey. It is the skeleton key of storytelling that you can use to unlock the solution to almost any writing problem you are confronted with.

Why the Monomyth Will Make You a Better Writer

The Hero's Journey is the single most powerful tool at your disposal as a writer.

But it isn't a “rule,” so to speak. It's also not a to-do list.

If anything, the Hero's Journey is diagnostic, not prescriptive. In other words, it describes a story that works, but doesn't necessarily tell you what to do.

But the reason you should use the Hero's Journey isn't because it's a great trick or tool. You should use the Hero's Journey because it is based on thousands of years of human storytelling.

It provides a way to connect with readers from all different walks of life.

This is why stories about fantastical creatures from imaginary worlds can forge deep emotional connections with audiences. Hollywood knows this, and its best studios take advantage. As an example, The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien, contains mythical creatures like elves and hobbits. Yet it is Frodo's heroic journey of sacrifice and courage that draws us to him like a magnet.

Learn how to easily apply the Hero's Journey 12 Steps to your books in this post. Tweet this

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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The 9 Stages of the Hero’s Journey and How to Use Them

by Lewis / July 14, 2018 / Story Structure

What is the true purpose of storytelling?

You might say it’s to uplift us, or to comfort us in times of trouble. Others will argue storytelling serves to teach us morality, the meaning of good versus evil, or the value of inner strength. Yet, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey goes deeper than all of those things.

The Hero’s Journey is about exploring human nature and charting our common path from childhood to adulthood, regardless of who we are or what we struggle with. Not only that, but it embodies universal themes of growth and change, making it the perfect foundation to build your own unique story from!

What Is the Hero’s Journey?

1 What Is the Hero’s Journey?
2 Using the Hero’s Journey in Your Own Novel
3.1 The Ordinary World:
3.2 The Call to Adventure and Refusing the Call:
3.3 Overcoming Resistance and Meeting the Mentor:
3.4 Crossing the First Threshold:
3.5 Tests and Trials:
3.6 The Major Ordeal:
3.7 The Road Back:
3.8 Mastering the Journey:
3.9 Returning with the Elixir:
4 Understanding the Monomyth

Popularized by Joseph Campbell, the Hero’s Journey was part of his idea of the “Monomyth,” a term describing the universal progression of all human storytelling. He developed this while studying mythology from cultures across the world and throughout history, writing about them in The Hero With a Thousand Faces.

As a follow up, Christopher Vogler wrote The Writer’s Journey , further distilling the ideas of Campbell into a usable storytelling guide.

The result is one of the best storytelling tools around.

At its core, the Hero’s Journey is a form of story structure just like the Three Act Structure. However, in comparison the Hero’s Journey is much more broad, and is something you can see at play in almost every story—regardless of how anti-traditional it may be.

This is because the Monomyth builds on ever-present patterns of growth and change, something humans have been obsessed with forever.

What is my purpose in life?
What does it mean to grow up?
Is there something greater out there?
What will happen when I die?

These questions have always echoed in the human mind, and been reflected in our storytelling as a result. Thus, the Hero’s Journey is so powerful and omnipresent because it resonates with a core part of our human experience.

“A blunder—apparently the merest chance—reveals an unsuspected world, and the individual is drawn into a relationship with forces that are not rightly understood… They are the result of suppressed desires and conflicts. They are ripples on the surface of life, produced by unsuspected springs. And these may be very deep—as deep as the soul itself.” – Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Using the Hero’s Journey in Your Own Novel

Of course, this is all well and good, but how can you use this Monomyth in your own writing?

Well, one of the best qualities of this structure is that it ties together both your characters and plot. Rather than just being a story structure, the Hero’s Journey can also act as something of a character arc. That’s the most helpful thing about these principles—they apply not only to your plot, but your protagonist’s arc as well, helping you build a more cohesive story.

When combined, you have a powerful recipe for engaging your readers!

Overall, the Hero’s Journey is split into two halves: The Ordinary World, and the Unknown World. The Ordinary World is exactly what it sounds like—your protagonist’s everyday life, complete with all of their flaws and insecurities.

However, a problem is brewing beneath the surface, and this is what will force them to leave home and enter the Unknown World. This Unknown World is where they’ll be tested and forced to grow as a person. Along the way they’ll gain new allies and skills, until they finally return to their Ordinary World to heal it’s suffering and take their place among the heroes.

Throughout this structure, your protagonist’s inner development will mirror the conflict of the story, giving your novel a cohesive and resonant feel. With that said, let’s look at the nine stages of the Hero’s Journey and how to incorporate them in your own storytelling!

The 9 Stages of Campbell’s Monomyth

The ordinary world:.

The start of the Hero’s Journey finds us in the Ordinary World, where readers are introduced to your setting, meet the starting cast, and get to know your protagonist. Essentially, the Ordinary World provides a baseline that will make the Unknown World your protagonist later encounters stand out.

Because of this, you don’t want to neglect this important setup.

Without seeing where your hero is starting from, a world full of magical purple unicorn dragons could be entirely normal to them. Instead, you need to you start your story by showing their normal everyday life in suburban Wisconsin. It’s the contrast between these two worlds that makes them feel impactful.

Alongside this, the Ordinary World also sets up the inner struggle your protagonist will need to overcome during their character arc. It shows how they’ve been living before their journey begins and foreshadows the cracks under the surface. Without this critical knowledge of the Ordinary World, the reader has no metric by which to measure your character’s growth or the growth of their world.

The Call to Adventure and Refusing the Call:

If you’re already a fan of the Three Act Structure, then the Call to Adventure will likely feel at least somewhat familiar.

This is because the Call to the Adventure mimics the Inciting Event and Key Event from the Three Act Structure. Here, your protagonist will learn of the coming conflict and get their first taste of the journey to come—though sometimes they are whisked away with little choice. Most often they’ll also refuse this call, helping your reader better understand the stakes of your story.

If your protagonist has reason to be afraid, then your audience does as well.

This stage allows you to build suspense, foreshadow the power of your antagonist and the dangers ahead, and show off your protagonist’s flaws in action. Are they too timid, headstrong, selfish, or careless? Incorporate this into their Refusal of the Call and show how it will hinder them on the journey ahead.

Overcoming Resistance and Meeting the Mentor:

Now that a Call has been issued, your protagonist will be feeling afraid, hesitant, or even outright resistant to beginning their journey.

Overcoming this resistance requires a period of counsel, where they’ll get advice and encouragement from mentors and allies. Here you’ll prepare your protagonist and audience for what’s coming, while also fitting in some last minute worldbuilding and plot development before your story picks up steam.

Your protagonist will begin collecting the tools and wisdom needed for the road ahead, though they won’t be completely prepared for a while yet. Their inner struggles will continue pushing against them here, and they may neglect important information they’ll regret later on. Still, they’ll also show promise, usually in the form of some redeeming quality that lets your readers know there is hope for them to grow.

Crossing the First Threshold:

This is the true beginning of your story.

Here your protagonist will Cross the First Threshold into the new, Unknown World, officially committing themselves to the journey ahead. There is no turning back from this point, and no returning to the Ordinary World until they’ve completed their quest and grown past their flaws.

Your protagonist will have to prove themselves to make it this far of course, even though they haven’t overcome their inner struggle just yet.

Just as they showed a redeeming quality while Overcoming Resistance and Meeting the Mentor, they’ll need to prove this redeeming quality again to cross into the Unknown World. As an example, Bilbo Baggins temporarily overcomes his fearfulness and leaves the Shire, while Mulan overcomes her self-doubt and joins the Chinese army. However, some characters will be forced into this Unknown World, like when Simba is driven from the Pride Lands by Scar.

Tests and Trials:

Your story has officially entered the Unknown World, and this is when a period of Tests and Trials begin for your protagonist.

Here they’ll gain new allies, new enemies, and new skills. They’ll be beaten down repeatedly, only to get back up again that much stronger and wiser. Essentially, this period is all about preparing them for the bigger battles that lie ahead.

This means that the Tests and Trials period is important for a variety of reasons.

It provides a stark contrast from the more stable Ordinary World and thrusts your protagonist into their new life. However, it also gives them the opportunity—through their new experiences—to prove their strengths, befriend others in your cast, and begin to threaten your antagonist. Overall, these tests will form nearly a quarter of your story’s overall runtime as you approach the Major Ordeal.

The Major Ordeal:

Perhaps confusingly named, the Major Ordeal is not the Climax.

Instead it corresponds with the Midpoint of the Three Act Structure, and shifts your protagonist from a period of reaction to action. After this point, they’ll finally be able to actively drive your plot forward, rather than just being pushed along against their will. They’ll also be rewarded for their success, either through a new tool, new allies, or new knowledge.

The Major Ordeal itself will feature a moment of growth that cements your protagonist’s progress. They’ll have to face their biggest conflict yet, giving them a chance to show how far they’ve come from their Ordinary World. However, don’t let them get ahead of themselves.

They haven’t overcome their inner struggle yet, though they may think they have.

To pick on Mulan again, her Major Ordeal occurs when she retrieves the arrow from the top of the pole in the middle of camp, proving her cleverness and intelligence. She has gained the acceptance of her comrades, but she is still living in disguise. This will come back to punish her later, just as your protagonist’s flaw will come back to punish them.

The Road Back:

With the Major Ordeal behind them, the Road Back prepares your protagonist to face the finale of your story.

They’re now driving the plot, seeking out your antagonist or otherwise planning their defeat, and likely beginning the trek to wherever their final showdown will take place. Here your pacing will speed up as well. You’re preparing for a climactic showdown, and both your cast and your readers are ready to see this journey come to its conclusion.

This creates the perfect opportunity to remind your protagonist of the stakes.

In the afterglow of the Major Ordeal, you need to show them why their journey isn’t over yet. Reveal the cracks still left by their flaw, and remind them that no matter how much they try to cover them up, they must deal with them soon. The conflict is far from over, and there’s still danger ahead.

Mastering the Journey:

With your story coming to its close, its time for your protagonist to prove they’ve mastered their journey—and as you can probably guess, this overlaps with the Climax and the Climactic moment from the Three Act Structure. Here they’ll do battle against your antagonist and face their final test, hopefully overcoming their inner struggle in the process.

As a result, everything in your story needs to come together here.

All of your themes, subplots, characters, symbols, motifs—it’s called the Climax for a reason! Of course, this is also the culmination of your protagonist’s arc. Here they’ll face the most difficult test of their flaws, and will have to use all of the knowledge, skills, and alliances they’ve gained to survive.

Ultimately, without the journey they just went on, they would never be able to succeed.

Returning with the Elixir:

With your story’s conflict resolved, it’s now time for your protagonist to recover. To Return with the Elixir references the end of many myths where the hero brings the rewards of their journey back to their home village, healing the lives of everyone around them—not just their own. In terms of the traditional Three Act Structure, this mirrors your Resolution.

Essentially, your goal in these final scenes is to complete the circle of your story.

At the end of many adventures the protagonist returns home to their Ordinary World, experiencing echoes from the start of their journey. Yet everything feels different, and they quickly realize how their quest has changed them. Others don’t make a physical return, but instead see similar situations to those they struggled with or felt uncomfortable in at the start, this time unfazed by what seemed so intimidating before.

Either way, these final moments will be bittersweet, joyful, and maybe even a bit sad.

Most importantly, they’ll provide an important sense of catharsis for your readers, a release of the emotional tension your story created. So—to use this ending to its full effect—make sure you give your readers a moment to relax with your cast before they close the back cover.

Understanding the Monomyth

At the end of the day, the Hero’s Journey embodies patterns seen in almost all human storytelling, and it’s also a great tool for writers wanting to more deeply understand their own stories. While it’s not without it’s flaws, it can still serve as a great starting point for telling your own epic adventures!

Of course, the Hero’s Journey isn’t the only form of story structure out there. If you’re interested in exploring everything else story structure has to offer, I hope you’ll take a moment to check out The Complete Story Structure Series , a collection of articles on The Novel Smithy dedicated to everything structure.

How does the Hero’s Journey impact your stories? Let me know in the comments!

Thoughts on the 9 stages of the hero’s journey and how to use them.

Hi, I have four books out and a new one almost ready. This may be the best explanation of the Journey I’ve read. And, I’ve read a lot, including Hero with a Thousand Faces and the Writer’s Journey. I especially like your take on Crossing the Threshold and the Major Ordeal. Those two entries helped clear a lot of fog on the subject for me.

Thanks. Charles Hampton

Glad to hear it Charles! 🙂

Hero's Journey: A Guide to Becoming The Hero Of Your Story

What will your story be.

Be the hero of your story . It’s common advice from motivational speakers and life coaches, a call to arms to take centre stage and tackle life’s challenges head-on, to emerge victorious in the face of adversity, to transform through hardship.

As humans, hardwired to view the world and share experiences through the medium of stories, myths often act as powerful motivators of change. From ancient cave paintings to the Star Wars and its Death Star to Harry Potter and his battle against evil, the hero’s journey structure is a familiar one. It’s also one you need to know if you want to know how to write a book , but I digress.

This article will outline the stages, and psychological meaning, of the 12 steps of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey. So, are you ready to become the hero of your story? Then let the adventure begin...

Who is Joseph Campbell?

Joseph Campbell was an American professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College, and an expert of mythology that once spent five years in a rented shack, buried in books for nine hours each day. His greatest contribution is the hero’s journey, outlined in his book The Hero with A Thousand Faces . Campbell was able to synthesise huge volumes of heroic stories, distilling a common structure amongst them.

Near the end of his life, Campbell was interviewed by Bill Moyers in a documentary series exploring his work, The Power of Myth .

Throughout their discussion, Campbell highlighted the importance of myth not just in stories, but in our lives, as symbols to inspire us to flourish and grow to our full potential.

How is the hero’s journey connected to self development?

You might be wondering what storytelling has to do with self-development. Before we dive into the hero’s journey (whether that is a male or a female hero’s journey), context will be useful. Joseph Cambell was heavily inspired by the work of Carl Jung, the groundbreaking psychologist who throughout his life worked on theories such as the shadow, collective unconscious, archetypes, and synchronicity.

Jung’s greatest insight was that the unconscious is a vast, vibrant landscape, yet out sight from the ordinary conscious experience. Jung didn’t only theorize about the unconscious; he provided a huge body of work explaining the language of the unconscious, and the way in which it communicates with the conscious mind.

The nature of the unconscious

Due to its vast nature, the unconscious doesn’t operate like the conscious mind, which is based in language, logic, and rationality. The unconscious instead operates in the imaginal realm — using symbols and meaning that take time to be deciphered and understood consciously. Such symbols surface in dreams, visualizations, daydreams, or fantasies.

For Jung, the creative process is one in which contents of the unconscious mind are brought to light. Enter storytelling and character development — a process of myth-making that somehow captures the truth of deep psychological processes.

Campbell saw the power of myth in igniting the unconscious will to grow and live a meaningful life. With that in mind, his structure offers a tool of transformation and a way to inspire the unconscious to work towards your own hero’s journey.

The 12 steps of the hero’s journey

The hero’s journey ends where it begins, back at the beginning after a quest of epic proportions. The 12 steps are separated into three acts:

departure (1-5)
initiation (5-10)
return (10-1)

The hero journeys through the 12 steps in a clockwise fashion. As Campbell explains:

“The usual hero adventure begins with someone from whom something has been taken, or who feels there is something lacking in the normal experience available or permitted to the members of society. The person then takes off on a series of adventures beyond the ordinary, either to recover what has been lost or to discover some life-giving elixir. It’s usually a cycle, a coming and a returning.”

Let’s take a closer look at each of the steps below. Plus, under each is a psychological symbol that describes how the hero’s journey unfolds, and how when the hero ventures forth, he undergoes an inner process of awakening and transformation.

1. The ordinary world

The calm before the storm. The hero is living a standard, mundane life, going about their business unaware of the impending call to adventure. At this point, the hero is portrayed as very, very human. There could be glimpses of their potential, but these circumstances restrict the hero from fulfilling them. Although well within the hero’s comfort zone, at this stage, it’s clear something significant is lacking from their life.

Psychological symbol

This is represented as a stage of ignorance, pre-awakening. Living life by the status quo, on other people’s terms, or simply without questioning if this is what you want. At this point life is lived, but not deeply satisfying.

2. Call to adventure

Next is a disruption, a significant event that threatens the ways things were. This is a challenge that the hero knows deep down will lead to transformation and change, and that the days of normality, “the way things are,” are numbered. The hero confronts the question of being asked to step into their deeper potential, to awaken the power within, and to enter a new, special world.

Many of us embark on inner-journeys following hardship in life — the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, physical or mental illness. This stage occurs when it becomes apparent that, to move through suffering, one has to look within, to adventure into the soul.

3. Refusal of the call

No compelling story would be complete without friction. The hero often resists this call to adventure, as fear and self-doubt surface at full force, and the purpose of this new life direction is questioned. Can the reluctant hero journey forth? Do they have the courage?

The only way to grow and live a deeply fulfilling life is to face the discomfort of suffering. Campbell himself once said: “ The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek .” At this stage, fears, and anxieties about delving deep into the psyche arise. The temptation is to remain blissfully ignorant, to avoid discomfort, and to stay in your familiar world.

4. Meeting a mentor

As the hero faces a crisis of confidence, a wise mentor figure appears.

This character offers inspiration, guidance, or understanding that encourages the hero to have the self-belief to start this new adventure. In many stories, a mentor is someone else who has embarked on the hero’s journey, or someone who attempted, and failed. This person reflects the importance of this mission, reminding the hero their calling far exceeds their fear.

When the journey of exploration has to begin, people or situations enter your life at just the right time, guiding you in the right direction. This could be a close friend, a peer, a professional, such as a coach or therapist, or even a fictional character in a film or book. In most cases, these are chance encounters that contain a sense of knowing before the hero leaves on his or her adventure.

5. Crossing the threshold

This is a pivotal moment in the hero’s journey, as the initiation begins. This occurs when the hero fully commits to their quest, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. This is the point of no return, where the reluctant hero embarks on their adventure, and has accepted that the way things were must change. The hero enters a new zone, one in which the call to adventure must be accepted. The hero’s resolve is hardened, and they understand they have a responsibility to confront what is ahead of them.

Whatever your life was before the call to action, this is a crossroads which is accepted, knowing your life may never be the same. This is a point of empowerment, where you realize that journeying within will lead you to greater self-understanding, even if those insights will dramatically change your life direction.

6. Test, allies, enemies

Now the hero has ventured outside of their comfort zone, the true test begins. This is a stage of acclimatizing to unknown lands. Unknown forces work against them, as they form bonds with allies who join them along the way, or face formidable enemies or encounters that have to be conquered. Throughout this testing time, the hero will be shaped and molded through adversity, finding deeper meaning in their life and mission.

Once the journey of self-discovery is underway, the initial burst of inspiration might be tested by the difficulty of the task. You might meet people who are able to offer advice or guide you, or those who reflect areas of yourself you have to work on.

Often, these are inner experiences, in the forms of memories, emotions, or outward tests, such as difficult circumstances that challenge your resolve and commitment to your new life direction.

7. Approach to the inmost cave

Having already crossed the threshold into the unknown and the uncertain, having faced obstacles and enemies, and having begun to utilize their qualities along the way, the next stage is another threshold.

This is the beating heart of the hero’s challenge, where again self-doubt and fear can arise, as another threshold has to be crossed. This is often a period of respite, giving the hero time to pause and reflect. Will the hero make the leap?

The hero’s journey has ups and downs. There may be quick wins in the beginning — your new life direction may go well, or inner-work may lead you to a new place of calm or confidence. But then, out of nowhere, comes an even bigger challenge, surfacing as a question mark to the person you’ve become. Life often has a way of presenting the right challenges at the right time…

This is the life-or-death moment. This can be a meeting with an ultimate enemy or facing the hero’s deepest fear. There is an awareness that if the hero fails, their new world, or their life, could be destroyed.

Everything the hero has fought for up to this point, all the lessons learned along the journey, all the hidden potentials actualized, will have to be utilized to survive this supreme ordeal, for the hero to be victorious. Either way, the hero will undergo a form of death, and leave the ordeal forever changed.

There are inner challenges that have to be confronted on the journey of self-discovery. This might be in the form of trauma that has to be confronted and healed, people with whom you have to have difficult conversations, or fears you have to face, actions that in the past you never thought you’d be capable of. But, with the skills you’ve learned along the way, this time you’ll be ready. But it won’t be easy.

9. Reward (seizing the sword)

Through great adversity comes triumph. Having confronted their greatest fear, and survived annihilation, the hero learns a valuable lesson, and is now fully transformed and reborn — with a prize as a reward.

This object is often symbolized as a treasure, a token, secret knowledge, or reconciliation, such as the return of an old friend or lover. This prize can assist in the return to the ordinary world — but there are still a few steps to come.

When confronting deep inner fears or challenges, you are rewarded with deep insights or breakthroughs. That might be in the form of achieving a significant goal or inwardly having a sense of peace or reconciliation with your past, or moments that have previously felt unresolved. As a spiritual process, this may also be the realization that behind suffering and pain lies freedom or inner peace.

10. The road back

Having traveled into distant, foreign lands and slain the dragon, now it’s time for the hero to make their return journey. This stage mirrors the original call to adventure and represents another threshold.

The hero may be understanding their new responsibility and the consequences of their actions, and require a catalyst to make the journey back to the ordinary world with their prize.

The hard work has been done, the ultimate fear confronted, new knowledge found. Now, what’s the next step? For many, the initial stages of growth come with a period of renunciation or are symbolized by an outward journey away from home, or away from familiarity.

Then comes the stage of returning to familiarity, or the things left behind — be it family, friends, locations, or even behaviors that were once loved and sacrificed during the journey.

11. Resurrection

When it appears the hero is out of the woods, there comes a final confrontation — an encounter with death itself. Transformed inwardly and with a personal victory complete, the hero faces a battle that transcends their individual quest, with its consequences far-reaching, for entire communities or even humanity itself.

This purification solidifies the hero’s rebirth, as their new identity fully emerges just in time to return to the ordinary world.

In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-actualization is secondary to self-transcendence. In other words, once inner battles have been faced, and the alchemy of psychological transformation is underway, the next stage is to apply the newfound insights and knowledge to a bigger cause — supporting others, or standing up a mission that will benefit the wider world.

12. Return with the elixir

Following the final battle, the hero finally returns home. By now, personal transformation is complete, they’re returning home a different person. Having faced indescribable hardship, the hero returns with added wisdom and maturity. The elixir is the treasure they’ve returned with, ready to share with the ordinary world. This could be a sense of hope, freedom, or even a new perspective to assist those originally left behind.

The hero has a new level of self-awareness, seeing the ordinary world through fresh eyes. They’ve left internal conflict behind. There’s an understanding that things will never be the same, but that the hero’s journey was part of their destiny.

Then comes the ultimate prize: a final reconciliation, acceptance from the community, celebration, redemption. Whatever the prize, there are three elements: change , success , and proof of the journey .

Following a transformative psychic process, there’s an understanding of what is within your control. The “ordinary world” may have many elements that remain the same, but this is accompanied by a realization that when you change, so does your reality. Previously modes of thinking may be replaced, as bridges are built with your past, giving opportunity for a renewed approach to life.

What can we learn from the hero's journey?

At the time of writing this article, I’m in the UK visiting my family for the first time in 18 months. As I walked down paths I’d walked throughout my childhood, I was struck by how much I’ve changed over the years. A passage from T.S Eliot’s poem Little Gidding came to mind:

“We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring. Will be to arrive where we started. And know the place for the first time.”

I reflected on the notion of coming full circle — to begin a journey, outwardly or inwardly, before finding yourself back at the beginning, transformed. In spiritual traditions, the circle is a powerful symbol of timelessness, death and rebirth, totality, and wholeness. Aptly, the 12 steps of the hero’s journey are depicted as a circle. It’s not a coincidence.

What can we learn from the hero’s journey? In a way, it is similar to the writer’s journey. Above all else, it’s a reminder that we each within us have a purpose, a quest and a mission in this life that can and will invoke our truest potential. The path isn’t easy — there are many, many challenges along the way. But at the right time, people and situations will come to our aid.

If you’re able to confront the mission head-on and take bold steps along the way — just like all the heroes of fiction before you, from Shakespeare’s characters to Luke Skywalker and Rey from the universe brought to us by George Lucas — then you will be transformed, and then you can return to where you started, reborn, ready to share your gifts and your lessons with the world.

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Hundreds of Strangers Attend Abandoned U.S Veteran's Funeral

When U.S. veteran Gerry R. Brooks died in a nursing home in Maine, he died alone. Forsaken and abandoned in life, he seemed destined to remain so in death.

That is, until hundreds of kind-hearted strangers who knew nothing about him dropped everything to stand in the sweltering heat of a summer afternoon just so they could say goodbye.

Strangers Band Together To Bring a Forgotten Soldier Home

Veteran Gerry R. Brooks obituary

Riposta Funeral Home

Brooks, 86, had only been living in the Glenridge nursing home for less than a week when he died. According to the Kennebec Journal he was diagnosed with brain cancer three weeks earlier.

For a month, his body lay at Riposta Funeral Home in Belfast, Main, waiting to be claimed. But no one came.

"No one claimed him or wanted to and where it's been over a month, it's not respectful to him to keep him here and it's why we decided to move forward with it," said Katie Riposta, director of the funeral home.

So she posted an obituary in the local papers and online, asking for volunteers to act as pallbearers.

It simply read:

"Gerry R. Brooks, 86 of Augusta passed away on May 18, 2024, at Glenridge in Augusta. He is a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps and has been abandoned at the funeral home since his passing. To respectfully lay him to rest a graveside burial will take place on June 20, 2024, at 12 noon at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta. If you would like to assist with being a pallbearer or simply attend please contact the funeral home at 338-1433."

Thanks to the power of social media, word quickly spread. Within minutes, the funeral home was inundated with calls.

Hundreds of people stepped up for a man they didn't even know. There were so many volunteers to carry his casket, the funeral home had to turn people away.

But it wasn't just people wanting to act as pallbearers. A bagpiper offered to play at the service. A pilot volunteered to perform a flyover. And veteran groups across the state pledged their attendance.

A Hero's Send-Off

U.S. veteran Gerry R. Brooks is buried with full military honors.

Facebook.com/Dave Dostie

At noon on a scorching hot day in Maine, Brooks was laid to rest with full military honors, surrounded by a sea of strangers dressed in various uniforms — from military to police to firefighters — and many bearing American flags.

The former marine was escorted on his final journey, a 40-mile drive from the funeral home to the cemetery, by over a dozen Patriot Guard Riders on motorcycles.

Once there, the sound of rifle volleys from a 21-gun salute echoed through the air, courtesy of members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

A number of veterans sang The Marines' Hymn as the casket went by and Loren Fields, a U.S. Army Veteran's bugler played Taps as Brooks was finally laid to rest.

"It's an honor for us to be able to do this," Jim Roberts, commander of the VFW in Belfast, told the Associated Press .

"There's so much negativity in the world. This is something people can feel good about and rally around. It's just absolutely wonderful."

Little is known about Gerry R. Brooks.

One man, Neil Buck, who volunteers at The Bread of Life soup kitchen in Augusta told media that Brooks would often come in for a meal. Buck said from what he remembers, Brooks grew up in Maine on a farm and was widowed.

"Gerry was a hoot." Victoria Abbot , the Executive Director for Bread of Life Ministries added. "He was an 80-plus-year-old man that came to the soup kitchen every day with your quintessential same-old jokes. He was really great to have around."

“It sounds like he was a good person, but I know nothing about his life,” Riposta said, mentioning that after Brooks' death, a woman contacted the funeral home to share that he had once taken her in when she had nowhere else to go.

According to Jim Roberts, Brooks’ son, granddaughter, and son-in-law silently attended the funeral but did not comment on why they hadn’t stepped forward earlier.

Honoring Our Veterans

Despite the initial loneliness of his passing, Brooks was given the send-off he deserved, surrounded by people who honored his sacrifice and commitment.

While he may have been forgotten in life, this group of strangers ensured that he would not be forgotten in death.

Linda Laweryson, a marine veteran, read a poem during the graveside service. It summed it up best,

"I walked the old parade ground, but I was not alone. I walked the old parade ground and knew that I was home."

Thanks to the incredible outpouring of humanity, this marine did not have to take his final walk alone.

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Jennifer Garner Gives Her Shoes to Homeless Man

You don’t often witness moments of celebrities and paparazzi working together for the greater good, but then again Jennifer Garner isn’t like most celebrities. The actor is known for her charitable work and doing what it takes to help others, but this might be one of her most inspiring stories yet.

A Day of Kindness

Jennifer Garner caught on camera helping a homeless man.

YouTube/ X17onlineVideo

Recently, photographers captured Jennifer Garner helping people out in Santa Monica, California. The actor, dressed down in a white T-shirt and a trucker’s cap, was handing out supplies to homeless people by the beach.

One outlet recorded a video of her handing out the items, and the videographer happened to catch the moment when Garner realized the man in a wheelchair she was helping needed new shoes.

Wanting to assist, she got out of the car, removed the man's old shoes, and put fresh socks on his feet. She tried to put her own shoes on the man, but they didn’t fit. Garner then spotted the videographer following her and approached him with a simple request: could she buy his shoes?

Inspiring Good Acts

In the video, the man refused payment for his shoes and gave them to the man instead. Furthermore, Garner’s acts of kindness inspired him to go above and beyond as well: he added several items to the pile, including a blanket, some pants, and a fresh t-shirt.

“Jennifer Garner's selflessness reminds us all of the power of compassion and the positive impact one person can have on another's life,” the outlet wrote in its video caption.

In the video’s comments, people added their own thoughts, calling Garner a “real-life angel” and saying it was the nicest gesture they’ve ever seen from a celebrity.

“Anyone here who is doubtful of her actions, get a life, seriously,” one person wrote. “Would any other celebrity touch a homeless person’s feet and help change their pants at all? Would YOU do it?”

“There should be more movie stars helping people in need,” added someone else. “Jennifer is such a wholesome and kind person.”

“Usually, I'm skeptical about recorded good deeds of celebs or influencers since it's too often about their narcissistic need for attention. However, this here, is clearly a woman who acted out of concern and empathy. Well done, Jennifer. Well done,” wrote someone else.

We Are All the Same

One of the most touching parts of this story is that, at the end of the day, we are all human. And sometimes, we all need help. Some people have more than others, whether that be health, money , status, privilege, or something else. But having more doesn’t make one person better than another, and it doesn’t mean we can’t stop to help a fellow human being in need.

Garner, who on the surface seems to have been given a pretty decent hand in life, knows that. Her actions with that homeless man prove it. More importantly, by showcasing her kindness and empathy, she inspired others to help in their own ways.

At the end of the day, kindness is what makes the world go round, no matter who you are. Lead with it and remember it when you’re in a position to help someone else. One day, when you need it most, it will also show up for you.

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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!

This post contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links

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

Published by John

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6 comments on “A Complete Guide to The Hero’s Journey (or The Monomyth)”

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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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War History Online

This Former SS Member's Incredible Journey Took Him From From German Enemy to American Hero

Posted: June 24, 2024 | Last updated: June 25, 2024

<p>During <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/heinz-wolfgang-schnaufer-wwii.html" rel="noopener">World War II</a>, Finland experienced an unforeseen twist of fate. Initially neutral, the country's stance shifted with the onset of the Winter War, triggered by the Soviet Union. Lauri Törni, a courageous young Finnish soldier, displayed remarkable bravery in battle, beginning a journey that would lead him to serve in the militaries of three different nations.</p>

This Former SS Member’s Incredible Journey Took Him From From German Enemy to American Hero

During World War II , Finland encountered an unexpected turn of events. Despite its initial neutrality, the country's position changed when the Winter War erupted because of actions taken by the Soviet Union. Lauri Törni, a brave young soldier from Finland, demonstrated exceptional courage in combat, marking the start of a path that would see him serve in the armed forces of three different countries.

<p>Lauri Allan Törni was born in Viipuri, Finland in May 1919 to a ship captain father and a homemaker mother. He was a bright child who also excelled at athletics. After graduating from business school and serving with the White Guard, he enlisted in the Finnish military in 1938.</p> <p>Russia launched the <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/when-snow-killed-the-soviets-the-winter-war-xx-2.html" rel="noopener">Winter War</a> against Finland in November 1939. The conflict, which saw the Finns give the much more powerful Russians all they could handle, displayed the excellence of the country's military. Törni was among those on the frontlines, serving with <em>Jäeger</em> Battalion 4.</p> <p>Throughout the war, Törni's battalion was among those to destroy Russian divisions. They were so successful that he was assigned to officer training and commissioned a <em>Vänrikki</em> (second lieutenant) in the Finnish military reserves.</p>

Lauri Törni's early life and upbringing

Lauri Allan Törni was born in Viipuri, Finland, in May 1919, to a father employed as a ship captain and a mother who devoted herself to homemaking. Demonstrating exceptional talent from an early age, he excelled academically and in sports. After graduating from business school and serving with the White Guard in 1938, he joined the Finnish military.

In November 1939, Finland became involved in what would later be recognized as the Winter War against Russia. Despite facing superior numbers, the Finnish military displayed remarkable resilience and skill, with Törni bravely serving on the front lines alongside Jäeger Battalion 4.

Throughout the conflict, Törni's battalion achieved significant victories against Russian divisions, leading to his selection for officer training and subsequent commissioning as a Vänrikki (second lieutenant) in the Finnish military reserves.

<p>As a result of his abilities, Lauri Törni was sent to Austria to train with the <em>Waffen-SS</em>. He spent seven weeks training with the combat force during the summer of 1941, and was commissioned as an officer when he returned to Finland. The Germans recognized the young soldier as an <em>Untersturmführer</em> (junior storm leader).</p> <p>Conflict between Finland and Russia began, again, during 1941-44's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuation_War" rel="noopener">Continuation War</a>. By this time, Törni was in command of a unit. Simply called <em>Detachment Törni</em>, the unit caused serious issues for the Russians with its talent for penetrating enemy lines. In fact, Törni's men were so effective that Russia placed a bounty of 3,000,000 Finnish marks on his head.</p>

Continuation War

Due to his exceptional skills, Lauri Törni was sent to Austria for training with the Waffen -SS. He spent seven weeks with the combat unit during the summer of 1941 and returned to Finland as a commissioned officer. The Germans recognized Törni as an Untersturmführer (junior storm leader), marking a pivotal step in his career.

When the conflict between Finland and Russia reignited during the Continuation War of 1941-44, Törni led a unit known as Detachment Törni. This group excelled at infiltrating enemy lines and posed significant challenges to the Russian forces. Their achievements were so impressive that Russia placed a bounty of 3,000,000 Finnish marks on Törni's head.

<p>The Continuation War ended in September 1944 with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Armistice" rel="noopener">Moscow Armistice</a>. Following this, the Finnish Army was demobilized and Lauri Törni was left unemployed and worried the Russians would make another attempt to invade Finland.</p> <p>The soldier joined the pro-German resistance movement in Finland, hoping to be prepared for future conflicts with Russia. He attended saboteur training in Germany, after which he joined a German unit fighting the <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/tanks/red-army-tank-ramming.html" rel="noopener">Red Army</a> near Schwerin. He fought with the <em>Wehrmacht</em> until mid-1945, when he surrendered to the British Army and was sent to a <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/colditz-castle.html" rel="noopener">prisoner of war camp</a>. The soldier later escaped and returned to Finland.</p> <p>In 1946, Törni was arrested and tried for joining the German Army. He was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison. Two years later, however, he received a pardon from Finnish President Juho Kusti Paasikivi. Once free, the decorated soldier took off for Sweden.</p>

Lauri Törni's continued service

The Continuation War ended in September 1944 with the Moscow Armistice . Following this, the Finnish Army was demobilized and Lauri Törni was left unemployed and worried the Russians would make another attempt to invade Finland.

The soldier joined the pro-German resistance movement in Finland, hoping to be prepared for future conflicts with Russia. He attended saboteur training in Germany, after which he joined a German unit fighting the Red Army near Schwerin. He fought with the Wehrmacht until mid-1945, when he surrendered to the British Army and was sent to a prisoner of war camp . The soldier later escaped and returned to Finland.

<p>While in Sweden, Lauri Törni fell in love and became engaged. Before getting married, however, he hoped to start a career working on Swedish vessels. In 1950, he jumped off one of these ships near Mobile, Alabama. He eventually made it to Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York, which had an emigrated Finnish community.</p> <p>After a few years of working as a carpenter and cleaner, Törni earned permanent residence. In 1954, the Finn joined the <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/korean-war/clint-eastwood-us-army.html" rel="noopener">US Army</a> and, before long, was training for the <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/sidney-shachnow.html" rel="noopener">Special Forces</a>. Törni trained troops in a number of skills, including guerrilla tactics, survival, skiing and mountaineering. During his time in the US military, he went by the name Larry Thorne.</p> <p>Between 1958-62, Törni served in West Germany with the 10th Special Forces Group, gaining notoriety for his involvement in a search-and-rescue mission in Iran's Zagros Mountains. He was then sent to <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/vietnam-war/john-chickie-donohue.html" rel="noopener">Vietnam</a> with Special Forces Detachment A-734. He was involved in a number of fire fights early on. For his bravery during a fierce battle in the Tịnh Biên District, Törni was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.</p>

Lauri Törni makes it to America

In 1946, Törni was arrested and tried for joining the German Army. He was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison. However, two years later, Finnish President Juho Kusti Paasikivi granted him a pardon.

Upon his release, the decorated soldier moved to Sweden. While there, Törni fell in love and got engaged. Before getting married, he planned to start a career working on Swedish ships.

In 1950, he jumped off one of the vessels near Mobile, Alabama. He eventually made his way to Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York, which had a Finnish immigrant community.

<p>After a few years of working as a carpenter and cleaner, Törni earned permanent residence. In 1954, the Finn joined the <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/korean-war/clint-eastwood-us-army.html" rel="noopener">US Army</a> and, before long, was training for the <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/sidney-shachnow.html" rel="noopener">Special Forces</a>. Törni trained troops in a number of skills, including guerrilla tactics, survival, skiing and mountaineering. During his time in the US military, he went by the name Larry Thorne.</p> <p>Between 1958-62, Törni served in West Germany with the 10th Special Forces Group, gaining notoriety for his involvement in a search-and-rescue mission in Iran's Zagros Mountains. He was then sent to <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/vietnam-war/john-chickie-donohue.html" rel="noopener">Vietnam</a> with Special Forces Detachment A-734. He was involved in a number of fire fights early on. For his bravery during a fierce battle in the Tịnh Biên District, Törni was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.</p>

Lauri Törni served with the US Army Special Forces

After a few years of working as a carpenter and cleaner, Törni earned permanent residence. In 1954, the Finn joined the US Army and, before long, was training for the Special Forces . Törni trained troops in a number of skills, including guerrilla tactics, survival, skiing and mountaineering. During his time in the US military, he went by the name Larry Thorne.

Between 1958-62, Törni served in West Germany with the 10th Special Forces Group, gaining notoriety for his involvement in a search-and-rescue mission in Iran's Zagros Mountains. He was then sent to Vietnam with Special Forces Detachment A-734. He was involved in a number of fire fights early on. For his bravery during a fierce battle in the Tịnh Biên District, Törni was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.

<p>Törni returned to Vietnam for a second tour, this time with the 5th Special Forces Group. Before long, he was transferred to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Assistance_Command,_Vietnam_%E2%80%93_Studies_and_Observations_Group" rel="noopener">Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group</a> (MACV-SOG), with whom he served as an advisor.</p> <p>During a mission in October 1965, as part of <a href="https://sogsite.com/shining-brass/" rel="noopener">Operation Shining Brass</a>, the Sikorsky CH-34 "Choctaw" helicopter he was flying in went missing. Rescue crews were unable to locate the site of the crash. Following the incident, Törni was awarded the Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross. He was also promoted to the rank of major.</p> <p><strong>More from us:</strong> <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/ships/japanese-battleship-fuso.html" rel="noopener">Only 10 Crewmen Survived the Sinking of the Japanese Battleship Fusō - Out of 1,600</a></p> <p>The bodies Törni and those of his fellow soldiers weren't discovered until 1999. Their bodies were flown back the US and interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Törni, who was formally identified four years later, is the only known former member of the <em>SS</em> to be buried at the hallowed site.</p>

Lauri Törni's death and legacy

Törni returned to Vietnam for a second tour, this time with the 5th Special Forces Group. Before long, he was transferred to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), with whom he served as an advisor.

During a mission in October 1965, as part of Operation Shining Brass , the Sikorsky CH-34 "Choctaw" helicopter he was flying in went missing. Rescue crews were unable to locate the site of the crash. Following the incident, Törni was awarded the Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross. He was also promoted to the rank of major.

More from us: Only 10 Crewmen Survived the Sinking of the Japanese Battleship Fusō - Out of 1,600

The bodies Törni and those of his fellow soldiers weren't discovered until 1999. Their bodies were flown back the US and interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Törni, who was formally identified four years later, is the only known former member of the SS to be buried at the hallowed site.

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The Incredibles: Hero's Journey
As the family is leaving one of his track meets, a giant drill bursts from the concrete, revealing a new super villain: the fearsome Underminer. Well, not fearsome, maybe. He's like a gerbil. Anyway, the family has already changed into their costumes, revealing that their superhero soiree was no one-time lark. They're a team now.
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Mr. Incredible brings back the realization of family importance. His defeat of Syndrome shows that superheroes are actually okay in the world. Mr. and Mrs. Incredible finally agree on letting Dash run track, a new super villain, The Underminer, shows up in town. During this, the Incredibles' prepare to fight as a family.
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The Hero's Journey: The Incredibles Return with the Elixer They go back to normal with a sense of pride. Violet talks to Tony and they let Dash go out for sports. They are happy once again. The Resurrection They get home to find that incrediboy has gotten Jack-jack. INstead of
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The REWARD. Heroes- Bob, Helen, Dash, and Violet. They all unite to destroy the evil Syndrome. Shadows- Bob's boredom with his mundane life, Omnidroid, Syndrome. Mentors- Edna is Bob's (and Helen's) mentor because she helped guide and instruct them. Herald- Mirage is the Herald because she brings the call to adventure in form of a job offer ...
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Sequence J: INCREDIBLES vs. SYNDROME (8mins) 93.00 Robot attacks them. 94.00 Frozone helps. Bob has the remote control. 97.00 Taking out the robot. ... THE HERO'S JOURNEY. In a prologue full of beautifully dramatised exposition, we meet Bob, Helen, Frozone and Incrediboy. We learn about the role of the Supers and their fall - or Bob's ...
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The return of the supers to Metroville and syndrome capturing Jack Jack but they save him and Violent figures out her super power by using her force field to protect the family. Elixir. The ability to be together again as a super hero family. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The ordinary world, Call to adventure ...
Film Review: The Incredibles (2004)
Directed by Brad Bird, The Incredibles (2004) can be identified as a Hero's Journey film, with examples of character archetypes that are associated with the Hero's Journey concept. We begin our journey with Bob Parr, also known as Mr Incredible. He had a career as a superhero in his glory days, but then is reduced to the mundane life of a ...
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1 / 14 Hero's Journey - The Incredibles. Log in. Sign up. Get a hint - Historical part where everyone loved supers - Supers are hidden and the family tries to be "normal" by hiding their powers. Click the card to flip it.
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Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The ordinary world: Incredibles, Call to adventure: Incredibles, Refusal of the Call: Incredibles and more. ... The Hero's Journey - Incredibles, Wall-E & Up. Flashcards. Learn. Test. Match. Term. 1 / 38.
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Hero's Journey: The Incredibles The Hero's Journey is an important concept, it is the template upon which a vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbuster are based upon. Being able to analyze, understand and deconstruct the different capacities undertaken by the Hero is essential. The Hero's Journey is a cycle made of ...
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Hero's Journey The Incredibles Group: Group Four (Wonji, Seewan, Heegu, Min) Our Film: The Incredibles Why we chose it: Almost everybody our age watched it. ACT I 1. Ordinary World: The ordinary world for Mr. Incredible was the world where his family lived, a world in which a lot of superheroes exist and occasionally save the world from ...
Hero's Journey
Character Analysis: The Hero's Journey. The Hero's Journey is a common template of how a tale/story about a hero will go. It usually involves a hero that goes on a journey/adventure and defeats/solves something and comes home changed/transformed. It was the American scholar Joseph Campbell that introduced this concept.
The Hero's Journey: 12 Steps That Make Up the Universal Structure of
Frequently the Hero is itching for some kind of adventure or change; this is why they are primed for what is to come. When the danger comes in Step 2, the Hero is ready to take the next step due to their eager, adventurous, or frustrated spirit. Learn more: Hero's Journey Step #1: Ordinary World. Step 2.
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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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What Is the Hero’s Journey?

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The 12 steps of the hero’s journey

1. The ordinary world

Psychological symbol

2. Call to adventure

3. Refusal of the call

4. Meeting a mentor

5. Crossing the threshold

6. Test, allies, enemies

7. Approach to the inmost cave

9. Reward (seizing the sword)

10. The road back