Examples of character archetypes in Movies

There are one or more examples for each archetype based on characters from well known cinema


The Hero- Superman, Spiderman, Marlin (finding Nemo), Flick (A bug's Life), Robin Hood, Jamal (Slumdog Millionaire)


Young Person from the Provinces- Tarzan, Hercules, Dumbo


The Initiates- Mulan (Mulan), William Turner (Pirates of the Carribean), Daniel (The Karate Kid)


Mentors- Mr. Miyagi (The karate kid), Gill (finding Nemo), Mark Thackeray (To Sir with love), Leigh Ann Tuohy (The Blindside)


Hunting Group of Companions- Sinbad, Kale, Dymas, Rat, Li and Jin (Sinbad legend of the seven seas) , The X-men, and Theodore, Vince, Spinelli, Mikey, Gretchen and Gus from the (TV series Recess), Pony boy and the Greaser Gang (The Outsiders)


Loyal Retainers- Robin (Batman), Little John (Robin Hood), Tantor and Terk (Tarzan), Ponton (The Pink Panther)


Friendly Beast- Spirit (From spirit stallion of the Cimarron), Mice (Cinderella), Forest animals (Snow white)


The Devil Figure- Cruella De Ville (101 Dalmations), Captain Hook (Peter Pan), Scar (The Lion king), Ursulla (Little mermaid), Captain Barbosa (Pirates of the Carribbean), Lord Voldemorte (Harry Potter)


The Evil Figure with an Ultimately good Heart- Ben Wade (3:10 to Yuma), Bartok the Bat (Anastasia), Beast (Beauty and the Beast)


The Scapegoat- Aslan (The Lion, The witch and The Wardrobe), Harry Stamper (Armageddon),
Johnny (The Outsiders)


The Outcast- Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), Snow white (Snow white and the seven dwarfs), Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Belle (Beauty and the Beast)


The Earth Mother- Motormouth Maybelle (Hairspray), Fairy Godmother (Cinderella), Nurse (Romeo and Juliet), Erin Gruwell (Freedom writers)

The Temptress- Megara (Hercules), Eris (Sinbad of the Seven Seas), Delilah (Sampson and Delilah), The White Witch (Chronicles of Narnia)

The Platonic Ideal- Nothing Gold can Stay by Robert Frost (The Outsiders), Joe Fox (You've got Mail)


The Unfaithful Wife- Emily Bradford Taylor (A Perfect Murder), Prudie Drummond (The Jane Austin Book Club), Addison Sheppard (Grey's Anatomy)

The Damsel in Distress- Vivian Ward (Pretty woman), Leticia Musgrove (Monsters Ball), Gray (Catch and Release), Latika (Slumdog Millionaire), Abby Janello (Bounce)

The Star Crossed Lovers- Romeo and Juliet, Danny and Sandy (Grease), Ian and Daphne (What a Girl Wants), Patrick and Kat (10 things I hate about you), Sam and Kate (Holes), Dr. John Prentice and Joey (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner)

The Creature of Nightmare- Freddy Krueger (The Nightmare on Elm Street), The Eye/ Sauron (Lord of the Rings), Poltergeist (Poltergeist)