Snapdragon 1

Percy Snapdragon

Mr. Wendel

Eng 1 PreAP

21 Oct 2014

Hero Archetypal Analysis

According to Joseph Campbell, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something
bigger than oneself." Since the time of the ancient Greeks, heroes have been giving their lives for us--
figures like Hercules, Perseus, and Atalanta. These men and women of reknown serve as archetypes.
An archetype is an original pattern or model that all things of the same type are copies of; the hero
archetype is very present in Western culture today. For example, the Marvel Comic hero, Iron Man,
shares a similar character profile, journey structure, and cultural significance to that of the Greek
classical hero, Jason, as retold in Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes.
Although Jason has some differences with the man of iron, overall they both fulfill the archetypal
pattern of a hero.
To start, Iron Man and Jason have truly heroic traits. One striking trait is the ambition to
conquer the enemy at the expense of romantic relations. Jason thought of "ambition only, never of
love or of gratitude" (177). After Jason completes his famous quest for the golden fleece, he rejects
Medea, who had sacrificed so much for him. Likewise, Iron Man seems to take for granted Pepper
Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow in the 2008 Marvel Comic movie. She is often a distant thought
compared to his desire to defeat the enemy at hand, just like Jason's quest for the fleece. On the other
hand, Jason and Iron Man have one significant difference in personality: this is the use of intellectual
prowess. In Jason's adventure, he "turned to Medea for the help that had never failed him"(176). In
Snapdragon 2

truth, it was Medea who had the wit to defeat the many dangers that stood in Jason's way. In contrast,
the witty and resourceful Tony Stark is able to construct a suit of iron that is so technologically
advanced that no one can stand in his way. In conclusion, the differences and similarities in their
personalities still result in some archetypal heroic traits, including becoming literally unstoppable.
Another mark of a true hero is whether or not he or she follows the distinct steps of the heros
journey itself, including a call to action and a crisis with the enemy. Jason receives this call to action,
as he came boldly back to claim the kingdom from his wicked cousin (163). In the same way, Tony
Stark receives a call to action after he has constructed his technological marvel, the iron suit. He
comes back to set free the captives of the Middle East from the tyranny of terrorist groups armed with
weapons, perhaps a parallel to the wicked cousin described in Jasons journey. Later, a crisis with
the enemy occurs for both of these heroes. For Jason, it is the crop of armed men who he must
defeat as they spring up at once from the teeth of a dragon sown in the soil (171). Iron man too,
must overcome great odds as he takes on the villains of the world, as sort of army themselves. So
these two are fulfilling a major requirement of any good hero: defeating the forces of evil. One minor
difference in the narratives is the marriage to a maiden, who Jason finds after his quest: he engaged
himself to marry the daughter of King or Corinth (177). Iron Man never technically marries Pepper
Potts in the first episode, although the film hints at the future possibility. In sum, Jason and Iron Man
take on a journey that is truly heroic, being sent out into the world to fight evil.
The traits and journeys of these two heroes are very similar and clearly outline the hero
archetype. To the Greeks, Jason satisfies the requirements of what a hero should be, and to Westerners
the same is true for Iron Man; both cultures have embraced these champions willingly. There heroism
is marked in the two cultures: to the Greeks it is the great ambitious Jason and his golden fleece, and
to Americans it is the man who wears the iron suit. As Joseph Campbell suggested, these heroes truly
lived for something greater.