Greetings from the Odinson,
The “Chosen One.” In the realm of sci-fi/fantasy and comic books this is a phrase that is used quite often. Chosen One usually refers to the hero of the story. The one person that can defeat the evil of the piece. Someone cannot just decide to be a Chosen One. The Chosen One is born. It is their destiny. Being the Chosen One is not a choice. You either are the Chosen One, or you are not. Chosen Ones have been present throughout the history of storytelling. King Arthur was the only one capable of pulling the sword from the stone. Moses led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt. And Ash was the only one who could defeat the Army of
Darkness.
Here is a list of other notable Chosen Ones we’ve come to know in recent years.
Neo – In a distant dystopian future, the Matrix is a massive computer program, built by sentient machine, that serves as a means to keep the human population enslaved. Within the Matrix people live out their lives much the same way they would in real life. They are born, they grow old, they work, procreate, and they die in a real world-like setting. However, it is foretold that a man will be born in the Matrix that can bend it to his will and possess abilities undreamed of. That man is Thomas Anderson, a.k.a Neo. Neo was able to use his force of will to achieve many impossible feats, including super-human strength, speed, telekinesis and flight. It is Neo who will face the Agents, super-human fighting machines that serve as the watchdogs and peacekeepers of the Matrix. It is through the heroics of Neo that the worlds of both machines and man will be saved.
Anakin Skywalker – An ancient Jedi prophecy foretells the coming of a Chosen One that will one day bring balance back to the Force. Anakin Skywalker was a slave boy discovered on the remote desert world of Tatooine by Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon learned that Anakin possessed more midi-chlorians, microscopic organisms that reside in all living creatures and are in connection with the power of the Force, than any Jedi in history. Believing Anakin to be the Chosen One the prophecy spoke of, Qui-Gon took Anakin in and planned to train him in the ways of a Jedi. After Qui-Gon’s untimely death, Anakin was taken under the wing of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. The two of them became like brothers and were a powerful force for good during the epic Clone Wars. However, Anakin was seduced by the dark side of the Force and turned on the Jedi. He became the Sith Lord known as Darth Vader and helped the evil Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Order. Many years later, thanks to the love and bravery of his son, Luke, Anakin was able to come back from the dark side and destroy the evil Emperor, thus bringing balance back to the Force and peace to a galaxy far, far away. Anakin had fulfilled his destiny.
Buffy Summers – Into each generation a slayer is born. The slayer is the Chosen One. One girl in all the world that will stand against the vampires and the forces of darkness that threaten mankind. Slayers are trained by guardians known as Watchers. It has been so since the dawn of mankind. When one slayer dies another is called (meaning her powers are activated) to take her place. 1997 – Enter: Buffy Summers. A spunky high school student imbued with super-human speed and strength and prophetic dreams that help her fight the forces of evil.
With the help of her friends, Watcher, and vampire lovers, Buffy has been fighting the good fight for over a decade now. Every time a horrible Big Bad or Apocalypse rears its ugly head the Chosen One rises to the challenge and saves the day.
Iron Fist – Danny Rand is one of the world’s premiere practitioners of the martial arts. He and his partner Luke Cage have leased their unique talents out as Heroes for Hire. But Rand has a greater destiny. He is the Chosen One of K’un L’un, one of the Seven Cities of Heaven and the magical realm where Rand received his martial arts training. He is the Immortal Iron Fist. Trained to be the ultimate fighting machine and protector of the innocent and down trodden, Rand is the bearer of the “Iron Fist,” the mystical embodiment of his chi that makes his fist “…like a thing unto iron!” He has soundly defeated the mutant killer, Sabretooth, on several occasions (Iron Fist #14 and Power Man and Iron Fist #66, 78, and 84).
He has single-handedly fought the Uncanny X-Men to a standstill (Iron Fist #15), and he has held his own against the Master of Kung Fu (Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #29). There have many other Immortal Iron Fists before Danny Rand, and much like the slayers in the Buffyverse, every time one of them dies another rises to take his place. Part of Danny’s destiny is to compete with the other Immortal Weapons in the tournament of the Seven Cities of Heaven. However, his full destiny has yet to be revealed. One thing is for sure though, Danny Rand is the first Iron Fist to survive past the age of 33, making him special in a long line of special people.
Cable – Born Nathan Summers, Cable is the son of Scott Summers, the hero known as Cyclops and field general of the mutant strike force known as the X-Men, and Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey. In order to save his son’s life Cyclops sent the infant Nathan into the future where a cure for the techno-organic virus that he was infected with existed. It is in this far-flung future that Nathan becomes known as the freedom fighter, Cable.
It is in this time period that Cable becomes known as the Askani’son. The Askani’son is the Chosen One destined to topple the malevolent tyrant known as Apocalypse. Cable possesses super-human fighting skills. He is a weapons master. A natural leader. And, through the use of his considerable psychic abilities he has managed to keep his techno-organic virus in check thus providing himself with a bionic left arm and eye. If it
weren’t for the techno-organic virus, Cable’s psychokinetic powers would be on par with that of Jean Grey. He might even be more powerful if the X-Man and Stryfe are any kind of indicators. Cable has used all the attributes at his disposal and his super-science to travel the time-stream and combat the evil of Apocalypse whenever and wherever the immortal tyrant may arise. Recently, in the wake of the Messiah Complex, Cable has become the guardian of the child named Hope, the first mutant born after M Day, the tragic day when a deranged Scarlet Witch brought mutantkind to the verge of extinction. Ironic, is it not, that one Chosen One, Cable, would be selected to protect another Chosen One, Hope.
Thus, the cycle of the Chosen One continues.
This is Odinson bidding thee farewell!