Heroes in media have been important ever since people could communicate. They appear in books AND movies, and play a large role in our childhood and lives as a whole. As history has progressed, so have the heroes and their details, but there are still many links to the heroes of old.
There are a multitude of aspects of heroes that have not changed. The majority of hero stories follow the same journey structure, which people have subconsciously adapted their story to. Besides that, there are still characteristics of ancient heroes that can be found in modern ones. For instance, both Batman and Odysseus are brave and courageous, neither of them back down in the face of danger. Heroes are often smart and can use their surroundings to benefit themselves. Many heroes are also well-off, Batman has a mansion and Odysseus has a palace because he is a king. Surprisingly, heroes are similar throughout history.
A lot of characteristics have changed as well. Nowadays, the consumers really enjoy antiheroes, or just people that are not liked by their cities. Batman is hated by most of Gotham, the police are always after Spider-Man, and nobody liked Shrek. It is common for heroes to be very technologically advanced; Iron-Man has a bulletproof flying suit. In modern times, hospitality is not as important as it was in Ancient Greece, this is because it is not thought of as a must for an honorable person. Also heroes tend to not have much family, at least not that they talk to. Of course, history has taken its toll on aspects of heroes.
Part of these differing details is the obstacles that heroes face. Heroes from ancient times battled against very different things versus now. People like Odysseus more often fought uncontrollable phenomena like nature and the gods’ wrath. Yes, modern heroes fight those same things, but not as much. Now, more often than not, people are fighting physical objects, namely technology. This ranges anywhere from guns, to armor, all the way to giant, advanced, magical robots from another dimension. Odysseus never fought that, he was too concerned with what Poseidon had in store for him. The driving details of heroic stories have changed greatly.
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