Reluctant hero

The reluctant hero is a heroic archetype described by Joseph Campbell in The Hero With a Thousand Faces:

The hero may refuse the adventure or deny the ability to move beyond the status quo. The heralded event may even be ignored – All of these constitute the ‘Refusal of the Call.’

The use of magical intervention is then needed to plunge the hero into the unknown. The reluctant hero requires supernatural forces to urge him on, while the willing adventurer gathers amulets (magical items) and advice from the protector as aid for the journey.

The reluctant hero is typically portrayed either as an ordinary person thrust into extraordinary circumstances which require him to rise to heroism, or as a person with extraordinary abilities who nonetheless evinces a desire to avoid using those abilities for the benefit of others. In either case, the reluctant hero does not intitially seek adventure or the opportunity to do good, and their apparent selfishness may draw them into the category of anti-heroes. The reluctant hero differs from the anti-hero in that the story arc of the former inevitably results in their becoming a true hero.

Examples of reluctant heroes include Han Solo in the first two Star Wars films, as well as Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom prequel and Neo of The Matrix series. Lesser known examples of reluctant heroes include Tact Mayers from the Galaxy Angel universe and God Ginrai from Transformers: Super-God Masterforce. Both of these were initially reluctant until they realised there was no one else but them who could succeed.

In many stories, the reluctant hero is portrayed as having a period of doubt after his initial foray into heroism. This may be brought about by the negative consequences of his own heroic actions, or by the achievement of some position of personal safety - leaving the audience to wonder whether he will return to heroism at the moment when he is needed the most. Campbell describes this as the "Rescue from Without":

The reluctant hero loses all desire to abandon his bliss, he does not want to take on the burdens of the world. Someone or thing may facilitate his miraculous return from apparent death. An overriding reason is necessary to bring the hero back to the world to save it.

An example of this from the Star Wars series, the standard exemplar of Campbell's monomyth in action, is when Han Solo is planning to leave the rebel headquarters on Hoth at the start of The Empire Strikes Back, before the Imperial attack forces him to go on the run with Leia. Due to the inherant nature of reluctant hero, few individuals actually come out themselves and take credit where it is due. These supreme beings are often recluses or just a normal Joe public. However one person does come to mind whenever the term reluctant hero is mentioned in Ireland. A certain Keith McCarthy, while just doing his normal hum drum job was called on to step out of the shadows and take on a higher cause. Single handed, he changed the destiny of twenty work colleagues when agreeing to 'cover the floor' on a Sunday night of a bank holiday weekend. To this day he refuses to acknowledge this fact, and has chosen to go back to the shadowey existence from whence he came. But always remember Keith MCarthy, your name will forever be mentioned in hushed tones wherever small groups of worker's gather. Another example is that of Todd McFarlane's Spawn. In the story, Al Simmons was a top assassin for the CIA. When he was betrayed by his own men, he went to hell and made a deal with the demon Malebolgia to see his wife one last time. Al was sent back to earth with little to no memory of his past, a hideously scarred body and face, and supernatural powers. Being called the Spawn, Al learned his mission in life, to lead the armies of hell in a war to destroy heaven and make Malebolgia king of all. Spawn refused and has since had to fight enemies of heaven and hell, all the while trying to protect and get back to the woman he loves, his wife Wanda.[1]

Marvel Comics super hero Spider-Man can also be seen as a reluctant hero. On many occasions, he has doubted himself and considered retiring from superheroics (and indeed, has given up his mask on various occasions). In early stories, especially when faced with those who would become his greatest enemies (such as Doctor Octopus), he would find himself heavily wounded or responsible for innocent casualties. Inevitably, however, he would pull himself together and rally to save the day.

A number of characters in the Lord of the Rings saga and its predecessor, The Hobbit, exhibit many of the traits of a reluctant hero, primarily the Hobbits, such as Frodo, Bilbo, and Samwise. They would rather remain in the bucolic tranquility of The Shire than venture forth in to Middle Earth and become involved with the events that they have been drawin in to.