Joseph Campbell

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

The Heros Journey Chart

Movie: Thor (2011)

Separation
Call to Adventure: How Thors' friends come down to Earth to bring Thor back
does the character to Asgard to stop Thor's brother Loki.
receive the call to
adventure?
Refusal of the Call: Loki came to visit Thor while he was on Earth and
Does the character Loki told Thor that his father has died because of the
accept the call actions Thor took in the beginning of the movie. Loki
immediately? also told Thor that he cannot come back to Asgard
and must stay banished from Asgard on Earth forever.
When Thor's friends come to Earth to take Thor back
to Asgard, Thor denies their request and tells them
that he must stay on Earth because of what he has
done to his father.
Answering the Call: Thor's friends tell Thor that his father is still alive, he is
What motivates the just in a deep Odin sleep. Loki sent a robot to Earth
character to accept the to kill Thor and his friends. Once Thor realizes that his
call? friends cannot destroy the robot, Thor sacrifices
himself to his brother.
Supernatural Aid Hammer
Guide/Mentor: Is there There wasn't a guide/mentor in this movie but the girl,
a specific character who Jane, that Thor falls in love with on Earth changes
helps the hero Thor. Since Thor is in love with Jane, he will do
understand the life anything to protect her and the planet she lives on
situation or provides the which is why he ends up sacrificing himself so that
hero with special she and Earth will live. Also in the beginning, Thor
training? was arrogant and conceited but after meeting Jane
and getting to know her better, Thor starts to change
and begins to care for others instead of himself.
Talisman: Is there a Thor has his hammer which is the source of his
particular item that has power, without it he is just a mortal. Thor loses his
special significance to hammer when he was sent down to Earth and goes
the hero? about 50 miles of where he landed to get his hammer,
which was also sent down to Earth. However, before
Thors father, Odin sent down Thor's hammer, he put a
spell on it. It was similar to the Sorcerer and the Stone
where only Arthur, who would later become king, was
able to pull the sword from the stone. Thor's hammer
was in rocky dirt in the middle of a desert and the only

Companions: Who is
with the hero on his
journey? How do these
companions help the
hero face the
challenges?
Crossing the
Threshold: At what
point in the story does
the hero leave the
familiar world and move
into a new, unfamiliar
circumstance?
Threshold Guardians:
Are there characters that
try to prevent the hero
from crossing over into
the unfamiliar territory or
circumstance?
Initiation / Road of
Trials: What specific
challenges does the
hero face?
Brother Battle: Does
the hero battle physically
or mentally with
someone who is a
relative or close friend?
Meeting with the
Goddess: Does the
hero meet with a
character with special
beauty and power?
Abduction: Is the
character kidnapped, or
is someone close to the
hero kidnapped?
person who would be able to pick it up was the one
who is worthy of Thor's power.
While Thor is on Earth he meets a team of scientists
who help him along on his journey until Thor goes
back to Asgard. The main one he travels with is
Jane who he later falls in love with.
After the battle between Thor and Loki's space robot,
Thor and his friends go back to Asgard to fight Loki.
Since Loki is the acting King while his father is
asleep, Loki froze the gate keeper of the bridge
between the nine realms. Since he is frozen he
cannot open the bridge to let Thor and his friends
back into Asgard. The gate keeper ends up breaking
free from the ice and lets Thor and his friends into
Asgard.
Since Loki is 'acting King' of Asgard, he freezes the
gate keeper because he disobeyed Loki. Loki told the
gate keeper to not open the bridge for anyone and
since the gate keeper has sworn his loyalty to the
King he cannot open the bridge. The gate keeper
gets around this when Thor's friends come to take the
bridge to Earth and the gate keeper walks away so
that technically he did not open the gate. Loki doesn't
care however and goes to freeze him in a solid block
of ice so that no one can open the bridge besides
Loki.
Thor is originally cast out of Asgard and stripped of his
powers and his hammer. Thor is sent to live on Earth
and since his father fell into a deep sleep, Odin
cannot release his banishment.
Yes. Thor and Loki battle it out while in Asgard. Loki is
trying to destroy the planet Jodenheim and starts to
destroy it and that is when Thor and Loki begin to
fight. Thor wants to stop Loki from destroying an
entire race.
Thor does not meet a character with special beauty
and power. He does meet a human scientists that he
falls in love with and promises to come back to Earth
for her.
Thor was never abducted in this film however he did
get in trouble with the FBI and was being held for
questioning after he attacked the guards to get to his
hammer.
Night or Sea Journey: Thor starts in Asgard and then he is banished to Earth
Where do the heros and then the movie ends with Thor going back to
travels take him? Asgard.
Dragon Battle: Does Thor fights Loki's robot (after he gets his hammer
the hero battle some back) and then goes to Asgard and there is an epic
kind of monster? Does battle between Loki and Thor. Loki has the ability to
the hero have to face make himself an illusion and has Thor fighting an
some inner demon? illusion of Loki which is quite difficult.
Ritual Death or When Thor's friends come to bring Thor back to
Dismemberment: Is the Asgard, Loki sends a robot to destroy Thor and his
hero injured and thought friends. Since Thor doesn't have his powers or his
to be dead? Does the hammer, all he can do is try to evacuate the area of
hero mistakenly believe the innocent people while Thor's friends fight to
someone close to him is destroy the robot. When Thor realizes that his friends
dead? Does the hero cannot destroy the robot, Thor walks up to the robot
suffer an injury in which and starts talking to Loki saying to take his life since
he loses a limb or use of it's the one he really wants. The robot turns to walk
some other body part? away tricking the viewers to think that Loki won't hurt
his brother however the robot turns back around and
back hands Thor which sends him flying and kills him.
Sacred Marriage: Does Thor has a special emotional bond with Jane and
the hero have a special before Thor went back to Asgard, he promises Jane
emotional bond (it could that he will return for her. During the battle with Loki,
literally be a marriage) Thor cannot find another solution to stop Loki from
with another character? destroying the planet Jodenheim so Thor ends up
destroying the bridge that connects the nine realms.
This means that Thor cannot travel back to Earth for
Jane since the bridge is destroyed.
Atonement (at one In the beginning of the movie, Thors father was
with) with or furious with him because of his actions towards
Recognition by the Jodenheim. Odin falls into a deep sleep and is
Father: Is the hero thought to not be able to wake up this time from it
reunited with his father meaning this sleep will be his last. Odin has the ability
in some way? to see all so even though he is asleep he can still see
Thor on Earth and knows what Loki is doing. Towards
the end of the battle between Thor and Loki when
Thor destroys the bridge, there is a huge blast that
sends Thor and Loki flying through the air. The next
scene is Odin grabbing Thor's leg and Thor is seen
grabbing Loki's spear which Loki is holding onto. They
are hanging off the side of the bridge over a dark
space abyss. Thor's father has awoken up to save his
sons. After this, Thor is on good terms with his father
again and Odin tells Thor that he will make a great
King.
Entering the Belly of Thor's deepest fear is not talked about in this movie.
the Whale: Is there The only dark evil that he fights is his brother Loki.
some point in the story
where the hero must
face his deepest fear or
the darkest evil in the
story?
Apotheosis After the battle between Thor and Loki, there is a
(Deification): Is there a celebratory feast for Thor although Thor leaves during
point in the story where it to go talk to his father and asks if he can see Jane.
the hero is held up as an In the beginning of the movie there is a scene where
ideal or where the hero Thor is about to become King and every one in
is worshipped as a god? Asgard is there cheering him on and Thor is loving
every second of it. Thor is even egging them on to
cheer louder and clap harder. It is interesting to see
the change in Thor from that scene to the end scene
where he could care less about the fame and glory.
Ultimate Boon / Magic There is no special solution Thor finds to solve the
Elixir: Does the hero problem that Loki caused which is destroying an
find some special entire planet which in turns exterminates an entire
solution to the problem race. Thor breaks the bridge which stops the planet
he is attempting to from being destroyed but also because of this action,
resolve? This might be a Thor will not be able to return to Earth. This was a
magic potion or a key to huge sacrifice and shows that Thor is fit to be King
something. because he sacrificed his wants for the greater good.
The Return
Refusal of the Return: Although Thor falls in love with Jane, Asgard is still his
Does the hero initially home and where he belongs. Thor never refuses to
refuse to return to the go back home and I think that if Loki was not causing
homeland or the place trouble up in Asgard, Thor would still choose to go
that he began the back to Asgard. Throughout the movie, it was very
journey? evident that Thor wanted to get back to Asgard even
though he thought he would never be able to go back
because of his fathers death.
Magic Flight / Pursuit: I don't think there was a point in this movie where
Is there some point Thor was being chased or is trying to escape
(generally toward the anything.
end) where the hero is
being chased or is
otherwise trying to
escape something?
Rescue from Without: When Thor was killed by Loki's robot I normally would
Is there so point in the think that that would be the end and would seem like
movie, when all seems all hope is lost. However, since we watched the hero
hopeless, when it looks stages video in class, I remembered that death is
like the hero is going to where the hero is reborn and becomes the hero.
die, then suddenly he is
rescued unexpectedly?
Crossing the Return Thor returns to Asgard to fight Loki but doesn't really
Threshold: Is there return to 'home' as Thor knew it before he was
some point where the banished until after the battle when Odin wakes up.
hero clearly returns Loki ends up letting go of his spear and falls into an
home? abyss and is assumed dead. The scene after this is
the feast for Thor and everything seems back to
normal in Asgard.
Master of Two Worlds: Life on Earth was difficult for Thor not only because it
Does it appear that the was a new place but also he had no powers so he
hero has conquered life was also unfamiliar to himself. Thor saved Earth from
in both the familiar and the robot and Loki and also found himself. Thor was
unfamiliar worlds? stripped of his powers because his father thought that
Thor was not worthy of the powers from the hammer.
While on Earth, Thor changed and became 'worthy' of
these powers and got them back. Thor also conquers
life on Asgard by fighting Loki and saving Jodenheim
from being destroyed.
Freedom to Live: Since To everyone, the problem seems to be resolved and
the hero typically begins all seems to be well. The very end scene, after the
the journey to resolve a credits, shows Loki as an illusion on Earth and sees
problem, does it appear this device that is thought to have unlimited power.
the problem is at last You can see Loki's wheels turn and know that he has
resolved so that all can another devious plot.
live freely?