Avengers vs Odyssey

Avengers vs. Odysseus

In the movie The Avengers and in the book The Odyssey, all of the heroes go on journeys but slightly different ones. Both journeys include obstacles that the heroes must overcome. Just like most stories. Even though the Odyssey is much older than the Avengers, both story lines have similarities and differences within them, relating to the hero’s journey. 

In the Avengers, one main obstacle that the heros come to face in the very beginning is assembling a team.  Some members did not agree with bringing the team of Avengers back but others thought it was a good idea. This obstacle took a while to overcome but eventually they all decided to become the Avengers again. Another main trouble the team had was the big egos. Each hero had an ego which meant it was hard for the team to mesh like a team should. The Avengers had to learn to put aside their differences. 

Once the heroes finally decided to work together to save the planet, they still needed someone to take the reins and give out marching orders. If all The Avengers had just run off on their own with no guidance, it would’ve been chaos, and it wouldn’t have brought them any closer to their goal. Thankfully, Captain America stepped up by quickly and efficiently giving everyone instructions. This had also been a struggle for the Avengers; finding a leader. 

However, Odysseus’s journey in the Odyssey is slightly different. Odysseus went through many different struggles. Unlike the Avengers, where they had each other to depend upon. The first obstacle Odysseus faces is when he and his men arrive at Ismarus, where they sack the city but are later attacked. The next struggle is when they arrive in the Land of Lotus-eaters. Here, his men decide to eat lotus flowers, which cause the men to lose their desire to return home. Another struggle he faced was when he and his men were in the cave of the Cyclops, his men escape being eaten only by Odysseus blinding the one-eyed Polyphemus. He does this by claiming that his name is "No One." When Polyphemus screams, he says that "No One" is attacking him, so his fellow cyclopes do not come to his rescue. As a result, Poseidon threatens Odysseus with much suffering and the ultimate loss of his men. 

At this point in the Odyssey, Odysseus is now by himself due to the attack of the cyclopes. Odysseus now faces challenges alone unlike in the Avengers. The stories are the same because these challenges are faced but with a team effort. They are different because Odysseus ends up traveling alone for a while, where in the Avengers they always work as a team. Also, the stories are different because the obstacles are different but sort of tie together as well.