From Batman to Odysseus: What makes the flawed hero so compelling?

“The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles—preferably of his own making—in order to triumph.”

—GARTH STEIN, author

When it comes to the fantasy genre in cinema, there is nothing wrong with a flawless, idealistic hero. Sometimes we need someone like that to look up to as a form of escapism when we are feeling down and out. However, for some, such heroes don’t hold enduring appeal in the long run. Given a choice between Batman and Superman, some would pick the former, because he is flawed and vulnerable. He does not always make the “morally right” choice to serve a greater good. He is someone in whom we can see our own shortcomings. In Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, for instance, the caped crusader has to conquer fear at one point and then at another, harness that fear to overcome an obstacle. If it had been Superman who had faced that challenge, one cannot help feeling that it would not have been as interesting. That said, one must note that the appeal of these superheroes varies with changing eras and the prevailing mood of the time, influenced by world events.

And if anyone can get inside the mind of a flawed hero, it is Christopher Nolan, whose The Odyssey is finally in theatres. His interpretation of the source material is impressive for its rootedness. It is minimal without fully letting go of the fantastical elements, which puts an ambiguous spin on the concept of gods. This is fitting, since this is Homer’s world where men try to play gods.

Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, is one of them—a man dealing with post-war trauma. It was his idea of the Trojan horse that won the Greeks victory in war, but it led to the deaths of many of his own men. As a result, Odysseus is tormented not just by psychological trauma, but also by survivor’s guilt. Nolan has explored these themes in other films as well, most notably in the Batman trilogy and Oppenheimer (2023). Like his previous films, The Odyssey is a masterful exploration of important themes on a grand canvas.

So, why is a flawed hero, or an anti-hero, so appealing in the fantasy genre, as evidenced by the massive success of movie franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter? For one, they have more compelling journeys, with their weaknesses, fears and moral failings. Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings is an ideal example. He grapples with self-doubt, occasionally exhibits a sense of superiority because of his royal lineage, and yet feels heavily burdened by the fear of repeating the past. Harry Potter is brave, but impulsive and hot-tempered. Luke Skywalker, from the original Star Wars trilogy, comes perilously close to being lured to the dark side, but eventually succeeds in warding off the evil, something that couldn’t be said for his father Anakin, or Darth Vader, arguably the greatest cinematic villain of all time.

In a 2000 interview with David Giammarco, actor Kevin Costner, the man behind the Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves (1990), said that “real heroes are men who fall and fail and are flawed, but win out in the end because they have stayed true to their ideals and beliefs and commitments”.

Fantasy scholars Joseph Campbell and Brian Attebery have elaborated on the attributes and motivations of a flawed hero. In his seminal book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell sees flaws as essential triggers for psychological growth. Perhaps it is not surprising that many legendary filmmakers, from George Lucas and Stanley Kubrick to George Miller and John Boorman, are fans of Campbell’s book. Attebery was against the idea of a ‘lone hero’. He argued that a flawed protagonist’s journey is deeply intertwined with his community. He cannot succeed alone; his redemption is reliant on society as a whole. 

In contemporary fantasy cinema, the flawless hero is relatively rare. Individuals who fail, doubt themselves, or make morally difficult decisions resonate more deeply because their victories feel earned rather than inevitable. Odysseus, for example, is the classic embodiment of such a protagonist. Nolan teases the possibility that the monsters and dark visions that Odysseus sees are symbolic of his psychological struggles.

National award-winning filmmaker Krishand, who blended fantasy and environmental satire in his film Aavasavyuham (2022), says, “In film school, we are taught to write relatable heroes. Across cultures, we respond most strongly to universal emotions. When we take the old Indian epics, for example, they often presented heroes hailing from privileged backgrounds as ideals. But people connect more with [nuanced] heroes who face moral dilemmas. I think the more flawed and vulnerable a hero is, and the more complex his mind, the more empathetic and personal the experience is for the audience.”

Recently, superstar Mammootty won his fourth national award for his chillingly stellar turn in Bramayugam (2024). His first win, however, was for playing Chanthu Chekavar in the Malayalam masterpiece Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), one of Indian cinema’s most powerful reimaginings of a tragic hero. Written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by T. Hariharan, the film challenges the vadakkan pattukal, the centuries-old Malabar folk ballads. In them, Chanthu is remembered as “Chathiyan Chanthu”, a ruthless traitor. The film, however, gives this a different spin, portraying him instead as an honourable warrior manipulated, misunderstood, and ultimately destroyed by an unfair feudal society.

There are directors, however—like Jithin Lal, the man behind the 3D fantasy epic Ajayante Randam Moshanam (2024)—who do not believe that the hero has to be flawed in order to be relatable. “It depends on the kind of fantasy you are making,” he says. “In movies like The Avengers and Harry Potter, the villains are formidable and evil enough to make the heroes stand out. We don’t necessarily need to make the hero morally grey to establish a connection with the audience. The hero can have vulnerabilities, but in these kinds of stories, what the audience ultimately wants is to see him win.” 

This is where The Odyssey scores. We want to see Odysseus win, not because of his moral perfection or physical invincibility, but because he adapts, learns and endures. His flaws have real consequences. Although he loses his companions and spends two decades away from home, he is allowed to finally redeem himself and reclaim his kingdom—in glorious, whistle-worthy fashion.