These 9 characters from mythological movies were the ultimate game changers

The genre of mythology is one of the most popular genres, making mythological movies and shows superhits among the audience. By introducing stories from traditional folklore to taking inspiration from legends and myths, these movies weave tales that transcend the day and age we live in.

Besides the narratives, these mythological movies also incorporate CGI and special effects to create a world mirroring the one in the stories. Furthermore, many mythological movies cover different mythological characters, mythological wars, and conflicts. These characters bring a change in the story, whether good or bad. They become the reason for the main conflict to arise, or help them solve it.

Here’s a list of 9 such legendary characters from mythological movies that redefine the course of the narrative or their stories.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's opinion and contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

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9 Characters from mythological movies were the ultimate game changers

9) Theseus (Immortals)

In the 2011 film, the story of the fight of Theseus against stopping Hyperion from releasing the Titans is depicted. Theseus is trained by Zeus himself, disguised as the Old Man, to fight the evil king, a fate that he was born with.

Immortals is one of the many mythological movies inspired by Greek mythology. In the film, Theseus finds himself in many tragic situations, such as being a slave and seeing his mother being killed. All of these plotlines are connected to him finding the bow that Hyperion is looking for, starting the beginning of the war. With the help of several gods, even after being injured, Theseus ultimately kills Hyperion, ending the battle.

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8) Jason (Jason and the Argonauts)

Based on a Greek epic poem, Jason and the Argonauts is one of the best mythological movies in which Jason’s birth is prophesied to defeat Pelias. The film narrates the story of Jason and how he tried to find the Golden Fleece and rally support to fight Pelias.

With a group of men known as the Argonauts, Jason then embarks on his quest for the Golden Fleece. They find themselves in many life-threatening situations, such as fighting a giant statue and even Hydra, making him a game-changer.

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7) Robyn Goodfellowe (Wolfwalkers)

Based on Irish folklore, this next film in the list of mythological movies with game-changing characters introduces Robyn, who becomes the catalyst of the story after she follows Bill to the forest. There, she meets a wolfwalker, who accidentally bites her.

Robyn later finds out that the wolfwalker's name is Mebh, who describes that she turns into a wolf when she sleeps; therefore, she is called a wolfwalker. Robyn becomes a great ally for Mebh as she helps free her mother, Mobh, from the Lord Protector.

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6) Hercules (Hercules)

Hercules is the main character and driving force of the animated film. In this animated film, regarded as one of the best mythological movies, Hercules goes on a journey to win back his immortality, which he lost as a baby due to Hades.

In his journey, he defeats numerous monsters, starting from Thebes, and also survives several attempts by Hades to kill him and gain the throne from Zeus. In the end, Hercules, with the help of Pegasus, also defeats the Titans, freeing the gods on Olympus, which is why Hercules is considered a legend in Greek mythology.

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5) Odysseus (The Return)

The next film in the list of mythological movies is The Return, which narrates the story of Odysseus after the Trojan War. Odysseus is shown to be living through the traumatic moments from the war as he has not gotten over the trauma and hasn't been to his home, where his wife Penelope is imprisoned in her own home as the place is filled with suitors to marry her, which she keeps delaying.

Throughout most of the film, Odysseus keeps his identity hidden, but in a game-changing move, when Penelope asks the suitors to pick up Odysseus’s bow and fire an arrow through the axehead. None of the suitors can pick up the bow. That's when Odysseus asks to try, picks it up easily, and kills many of the suitors with the arrows, and the ones he couldn't kill with the arrows, he defeats them with his bare hands.

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4) Perseus (Clash of the Titans)

Perseus, the demigod, is the main character of this 2010 film, which is also regarded as one of the most popular mythological movies. He leads the war against the Kraken and also defeats several of the invincible characters, including beheading Medusa after she kills his companions.

He later wields the Olympian sword that he had refused earlier and kills Calibos. The demigod also ends up defeating the Krakens and freeing Argos and Andromeda. However, even after winning a great battle, Perseus remains the grounded character he was from the beginning, as he refuses the throne of Argos and also refuses to return to Olympus.

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3) Maximus (Gladiator)

What could be a more tragic story than an army general losing his family and being sold after leading his army to victory? Gladiator is one of the best mythological movies where the narrative revolves around an army general who is sold to the gladiator trainer, Proximo.

He is then trained as a Gladiator, who initially fights in local arenas and then is taken to battle in Rome's Colosseum. He then plans to oust Commodus with the help of his loyal friends, but is challenged by Commodus to fight in the Colosseum and stabs him before their duel. Even after being injured, Maximus defeats Commodus and kills him before dying himself.

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2) Leonidas I (300)

300 is another of those popular mythological movies with game-changing characters. It narrates the story of the courageous Spartan King, Leonidas I, who leads an army of 300 Spartans against the army of King Xerxes in the battle.

With more than 300,000 soldiers, Xerxes still struggles to fight the Spartan Army led by Leonidas, who also mocks Xerxes’ army of soldiers. He then sends armored rhinoceroses and war elephants, but to no avail. Leonidas and the Spartans fight until their last breath and sacrifice themselves to protect Sparta from Xerxes.

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1) Achilles (Troy)

Troy might be one of the best and most popular mythological movies depicting the Trojan War and the fall of Achilles, the warrior. Agamemnon’s confidence also partially lies in the fact that Achilles fights in the battle for him. The war takes a dark turn after Hector kills Patroclus, believing he is Achilles.

This prompts Achilles to make a game-changing decision when he fights Hector in a duel and kills him. While this makes the Trojans and the King lose confidence in the war, they still try to fight back against Agamemnon’s army. However, a war that brought terrifying results for the parties also saw Achilles’ death after Paris shot an arrow in his heel, which, after being attacked by several other arrows, resulted in his death.

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