Iron Man proves that fatigue is with bad stories not superheroes

Iron Man, a 2008 superhero movie, directed by Jon Favreau is an origin story. The story is about the transformation of a genius from a successful entrepreneur to a protector of humanity. The story explores basic human desires of idealism, honour & vengeance. Mythosis uses 3 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.

1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story

1A. 88% of the events are borrowed from 3 mythological tales

Tony’s quest is driven by the desire for justice and mirrors the tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology. Both Prometheus & Tony switch sides to protect the exploited.

Stane’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders and mirrors the tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology. Both Duryodhan & Stane reclaim their kingdom unscrupulously.

Pepper's quest is driven by the desire to serve one’s clan or order and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Pepper prove their loyalty by fearlessly challenging any threat.

Tony also has an underdeveloped quest of Independence and mirrors few events from the tale of David. Both David & Tony faced with adversity, innovate to save themselves.

Detailed mirroring of each character to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”

1B. 32 mythological tales are the source of all stories, even the untold ones

Human beings are driven by 16 fundamental desires. Every desire, whether encountering fulfilment or unfulfillment, gives rise to two distinct quests. Thus, a spectrum of 32 unique quests mirrors every human desire.

We have discovered mythological tales from across civilizations that uniquely portray each one of these 32 human quests. While each mythological tale stands as a distinct quest, the true magic unfolds when these tales are combined. This synergy is evident in the epics of Odyssey and Ramayan, where various universal quests seamlessly intertwine.

Combining any five tales from the 32, generates a staggering 24 million unique story plots. Take it a step further, by combining six tales the possibilities explode to an astounding 600 million!

The unique plot structure of Iron Man is # 30,193. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Duryodhan, Prometheus & Hanuman.

2. Plot structure potential of Iron Man: $248-303MM

2A. Plot structure evaluation of Iron Man

An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots has led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate a story’s potential.

All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal questsIron Man uses 3 universal quests of Honour, Idealism and Vengeance.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character.Tony mirrors the universal quest of Idealism whereas the Stane mirror the universal quest of Vengeance. Pepper mirrors the quest of Honour.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest.Tony borrows 30% from the universal quest of Idealism. Stane borrows 36% from the universal quest of Vengeance. Pepper borrows 16% of events from the quest for Honour.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Iron Man has a perfect quest interweaving score of 1. An example of interweaving the quests of Pepper & Stane:

2B. Plot structure is the most important but least understood element of storytelling

Any plot structure that borrows events from at least 3 mythological tales has high resonance. In our own lives, each one of us identifies with at least one quest to fulfil a basic human desire. The more quests woven into a story, the wider its appeal.

The nature of mythological tales used, makes the plot structure fresh & unique.Besides, appealing to a larger audience size the interweaving of various human desires creates a unique and original story.

Interweaving mythological tales makes the plot structure cohesive. Stories become seamless when characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships.

Characters are consistent when they mirror a single mythological tale. Characters pursuing more than one quest appear confusing due to their divergent desires.

Borrowing 35% or more events from each mythological tale strengthens both the plot structure & character. The plot structure becomes flat when characters borrow less than the threshold. Each mythological tale has multiple twists & turns hence no forced injection is required. Characters become layered & complex when their journey is deep.

2C. Measuring the revenue potential of Iron Man

We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.

Iron Man has a script potential score is 0.39 and the movie will appeal to 11.34 – 13.85% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $248 – 303MM in the domestic market.

3. The ideal plot structure of Iron Man

We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.

We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen both the journey of characters as well as the weaving of quests without altering the story.

3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts

Quest 1: Tony mirrors the universal quest for Idealism

Tony’s desire for Idealism stems from the need for fairness & justice. The tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Idealism.

Quest 2: Stane mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance

Stane’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to punish offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.

Quest 3: Pepper mirrors the universal quest for Honour

Pepper’s desire for Honour stems from the need to serve a clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.

Tags: 2008, Art Marcum, Blockbuster movies, Duryodhan, Hanuman, Hawk Ostby, Honour, Idealism, Jon Favreau, Mark Fergus, Marvel Studios, Matt Holloway, Mythology, Paramount Pictures, Plot Structure, Prediction, Prometheus, storytelling, Vengeance