10 Best “Chosen One” Trope Movies Like ‘Harry Potter’ – Armessa Movie News

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The “Chosen One” trope has been overdone time and time again in Hollywood. It typically revolves around a protagonist who is destined to fulfill a critical role in the story. Oftentimes, it’s used to add a sense of destiny and purpose to the character.


Some movies use this trope to great effect by having some heroes pre-destined and others simply become them with time. Characters such as Thomas from The Maze Runner and Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief are perfect for the “chosen one” role given their ability to do whatever they must to restore balance in their worlds.

10 ‘Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief’ (2010)

Based on the 2005 novel The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt. Once he discovers that he’s the descendant of a Greek god, Poseidon, he goes on an adventure to stop the war between the gods. Jackson must figure out the actual thief by gathering three pearls and finding the lightning bolt.

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The Oracle of Delphi foretold The Great Prophecy of the rise or fall of Olympus by a demigod child of Zeus, Poseidon or Hades. As Poseidon’s only son, Percy is the perfect candidate for this prophecy (even though he fulfills it in a flawed movie). He learns to control his powers and is tasked with stopping the war that wages between the gods above.

9 ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1992)

A slayer about to stake a vampire

One day at school, a man named Merrick turns Buffy Summers’ (Kristy Swanson) world upside down. Learning that her destiny is to hunt vampires, she initially rejects it but accepts her title as “The Slayer” or even, The Chosen One. Conflict with the vampire king creates difficult situations for Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Buffy is destined to hunt vampires. Once she found out that she was the Chosen One, she began having recurring dreams and abilities she never knew about. With the help of Merrick, she becomes one of the most badass women in the fantasy genre and the greatest vampire slayer who is able to fulfill her destiny.

8 ‘The Maze Runner’ (2014)

Dylan O'Brien in The Maze Runner
Image via 20th Century Fox

The Maze Runner is a dystopian movie series based on the novel of the same name by James Dashner. It follows Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) who wakes up in a rusty elevator and is stuck in a maze with other boys. These boys have spent years searching for a way out, but once Thomas arrives, there might finally be a way to escape after all.

As the last male Glader to go up the elevator, Thomas felt the pressure to figure out what was different about him. Thomas was tired of seeing his friends suffer every day that he did everything in his power to get everyone out. As fans learn in the sequels, he is coincidentally connected to everything around him and becomes the key to escaping the never-ending maze.

7 ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ (2005)

Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell, and William Moseley in The Chronicles of Narnia

This movie series and media franchise is based on The Chronicles of Narnia novels by C. S. Lewis. It follows four Pevensie siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy as they venture into the world of Narnia with the help of the true king of Narnia. In the first movie, the siblings step into a wardrobe and help make the world right by helping return their true leader, Aslan.

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The wardrobe, a portal to Narnia, failed to open for decades until the touch of the Pevensies activated the magic. Soon after they entered Narnia, they were told by Mr. Beaver that they must complete their mission to save Narnia as the Chosen Ones. Their presence within the fantasy world even triggered the arrival of Aslan. Each sibling may seem ordinary at first, but they become the newest dynasty of the Kingdom of Narnia.

6 ‘The LEGO Movie’ (2014)

Will Arnett as Batman and Chris Pratt in The Lego Movie
Image via Warner Bros. Picture

The LEGO Movie is a computer-animated adventure film that follows an ordinary Lego figure, Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) as he helps the resistance stop the evil Lord Business from gluing the Lego world together in his own selfish image. By finding the Piece of Resistance, he’s put right in the middle of a prophecy spoken by the wizard Vitruvius.

An average Lego figure that is content with his life as a construction worker becomes the prophesied Chosen One. When he happens upon the Piece of Resistance, he is tasked with saving their world with the supporting role of LEGO Batman. No matter how ordinary he may be, his role as the Chosen One leads him through a spiritual journey to stop the bad guys.

5 ‘Kung Fu Panda’ (2008)

Po doing kung fu in Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
Image via DreamWorks

A panda named Po (Jack Black) who is obsessed with the Furious Five and kung fu, is somehow named the “Dragon Warrior” who must protect the valley. With the snow-leopard protégé, Tai Lung (Ian McShane) escaping prison and attacking the valley, Po must learn kung fu from his heroes and protect the Dragon scroll in Kung Fu Panda.

The “Dragon Warrior” is foretold to be a prophesied hero that is worthy of reading a scroll that will grant them limitless power. Despite having no background in kung fu, Po becomes the warrior he was always destined to be. He’s even considered one of the most powerful animated movie characters. Although many people believed it was an accident that he was chosen, it is a proven fact from Kung Fu Panda 3 that Oogway chose him after seeing his potential to master kung fu and chi.

4 ‘Dune’ (2021)

Paul Atreides getting ready for fight in Dune.

Based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert of the same name, the 2021 movie adaptation follows the noble House Atreides as they are pushed into a war for the inhospitable desert planet, Arrakis. The son of the house, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), is disciplined and trained through Bene Gesserit in order to lead the world through everything. He has visions of Chani (Zendaya) that worry him about the future.

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Paul Atreides is the center of Dune‘s chosen one prophecy. The idea of him being the chosen one is through three ways: by the Bene Gesserit as their Kwisatz Haderach, by the Fremen as their Lisan al Gaib, and by his visions of the future. These prophecies involuntarily lead him to lead the world to greatness.

3 ‘The Matrix’ (1999)

Neo stopping bullets in 'The Matrix'
Image via Warner Bros.

Thomas Anderson, under the hacker alias Neo (Keanu Reeves), uncovers the truth about humanity being trapped inside the Matrix. Through The One prophecy, he teams up with people who have already been freed to fight the machines and save humanity in The Matrix.

Considered one of the best sci-fi movies about AI, the film depicts Neo’s unique ability to perceive the Matrix simulation in a way that nobody else could. The prophecy of The One foretold that they would be bound to save humanity from the machines. Although it turned out to be a simple ploy created by machines, Neo proved himself as the chosen one when he broke the endless cycle.

2 ‘Star Wars’ Movies (1977 – )

This Is Where The Fun Begins

The Star Wars franchise follows the lives of multiple generations of the Force-sensitive Skywalker family. During the era of the Galactic Republic, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) was said to be the Chosen One, yet his downfall caused the fall of the Jedi. In the era of the Galactic Empire, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) joined the Rebellion and trained to become a Jedi Knight like his father before him.

The Jedi prophecy foretold that the Chosen One is destined to bring balance to the Force, whether that’s joining the Jedi or the Sith. Balance was restored by both, Anakin and Luke. From a young age, Anakin had the potential to be the most powerful Jedi, but his love for Padmé caused his downfall. With his father as the Sith Lord, Luke is tasked with defeating his father’s master, Darth Sidious, but could only achieve that with the help of his father, Darth Vader.

1 ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)

Frodo at the Grey Havens

The epic magical adventure of The Lord of the Rings is based on the 1954 first volume of the novel of the same name. The fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance as the story tells a tale of a young hobbit, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his eight friends. They journey to the land of Mordor in order to get to Mount Doom and destroy the One Ring.

Hobbits were often considered representatives of all that was right in the world given their simple desires. Frodo is a descendant of all three types of Hobbits, which made him uniquely suited to take the One Ring to Mordor. The world faced great peril due to Sauron’s evil plot, but Frodo completed the task because he was the best Hobbit for the job.

NEXT: The Best Quotes From ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy, Ranked

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