All the best heroes are adopted

Movies, literature, or pop culture — all the best heroes in all of our stories are adopted. Think Moses, Jesus, Luke Skywalker, Superman, Batman and Robin and Batgirl, Jane Eyre, and Frodo. By “best” I don’t mean “nicest.” Think Oedipus, Heathcliff, Darth Vader, Hellboy, Dexter, Loki.

By “best,” I might mean “most popular.” All of the young characters in the 2015 iteration of the Star Wars myth, The Force Awakens, are orphaned or adopted: Rey’s family abandoned her on Jakku, Finn was taken from his real family and raised by the First Order, and Kylo Ren, son of Han Solo (orphaned at a young age) and Princess Leia (also adopted), is raised by Supreme Leader Snoke.

But it’s not just the Star Wars franchise. Wikipedia lists 79 superheroes who are adopted, from Aquagirl to Wolverine, and all of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in between. Add in the Disney adoptees — Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Snow White, and you could start to wonder. Then the world of Hogwart’s — is it mere coincidence both Harry Potter AND Lord Voldemort are adopted? Even the heroes who aren’t adopted (Katniss Everdeen, Nancy Drew) have only one parent, or ineffective parents.

By “best,” I might mean “most rebellious.” Heroes always leave home. Rebellion against the status quo is a typical path for a hero to take. Joseph Campbell, and other analysts of the hero’s journey, tell us that the hero’s job is to accept a quest, go on a journey, and return with something of value to his or her community. Often, some taboo is broken in the process. The taboo can belong to either the adoptive family’s culture or the real family’s culture.

What about those adoptive families? In stories, adoptive parents can be loving and understanding, supporting the hero (Superman, Jesus) in his quest. Or, they can be monstrous, treating the adoptee (Jane Eyre, Harry Potter) cruelly, failing to see her true character and value. Real families can be monstrous, too, putting an infant at risk of death (Oedipus) to preserve themselves or some object. And, they can be loving and unselfish, in which case any abandonment of the adoptee is usually an act of self-sacrifice.

So why do adopted people star in all these tales? Does it seem more believable for adopted people to go on adventures? Does the larger culture think of them as naturally more courageous, more innovative, more think-outside-the-box than the non-adopted? Is it easier to break away from a script written by your substitute parents than to break away from a script written by your real ones? Why are the best heroes adopted?

By “best,” I might mean “most interesting.” Most kids believe, at some point in childhood, that they are adopted. It’s uber-cool because it adds another dimension to your character and it gives you the freedom to be different from your parents. Sure, you’re the son of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but you’re really ________. Or Ironman, or Punky Brewster, or Spiderman, or Little Orphan Annie.

Fill in the blank however you like. That’s how you make a new story, or a new identity. Or a brand new hero.