Although society today has greatly changed from what it was a thousand years ago, there is one thing that has stayed the same: the hero and his journey. Every hero in a story goes through some type of adventure to achieve some type of quest, so in the end he can fulfill his journey of fully becoming a hero. Joseph Campbell, an American mythological researcher, discovered these common patters running through hero myths and stories from around the world. He noticed that they were twelve common steps that a hero likely takes on his or her path to fully become a hero: a cyclical pattern that can be separated into three main parts: Departure, Initiation, and Return. For each part, though, there are a series of steps that aid the hero in accomplishing his quest. In the science fiction, action, comedy film, Men in Black, Will Smith plays the character of Agent Jay, who along Agent Kay, his mentor and teacher, go on a mission to assassinate an intergalactic terrorist in the form of a giant cockroach, who is trying to destroy planet earth. Agent Jay, to successfully achieve his quest in saving the world, follows the steps of the Hero’s Journey.

Agent Jay starts in the world as he knows it: New York City in the late 90s. He’s a NYPD detective who at the beginning of the movie is seen chasing down a guy who has done something against the law, showing his endurance and extreme agility. This incredible physical ability is what ultimately leads Agent Kay to recruit him for the unofficial government-agency, Men in Black. Once the hero is introduced to the audience and the audience is able to learn about the hero’s life before the adventure, the journey begins. The Call to Adventure signifies that destiny has summoned the hero and transferred his spiritual center of gravity from within the pale of his society to a zone unknown (Ubelhor 2). In this stage, the hero meets the Herald, who provides the hero with the call or adventure. In Men in Black, Agent Jay is presented with the call to adventure by Agent Kay, the Herald. Agent Kay begins to draw Jay into the world of Men in Black and the secret that is being kept from the rest of the world: that aliens exist and live among humans. By accepting the call, Agent Jay is accepting to leave the safety of his ordinary life in his ordinary world to fight to protect the people.

Throughout his journey, Agent Jay encounters many trails and obstacles that help him in gaining confidence and knowledge to be able to defeat the devil or the enemy, in this case, Edgar the bug, who is trying to destroy earth. Encountering wickedness, the hero will utilize every available option he has and exhaust the limits of his own strength and intelligence to ensure that good prevails (Harris 3). After Agent Kay and Agent Jay realize that Edgar the bug stole the galaxy, they prepare to fight him and retrieve the charm-sized galaxy before he leaves from planet earth. Agent Jay battles the bug while Agent Kay enters the digestive track of the alien-bug to get the swallowed galaxy. After some intense fighting, they are able to retrieve the galaxy. However, the agents think they killed the bug, but in reality he is getting back up to finish up the fight. Dr. Laurel Weaver, the love interest of Agent Jay introduced earlier in the story, which also represents the assistance from without, since her rescue is unforeseen, manages to destroy the bug with a machine gun and prevents Edgar from killing the agents, resulting in great relief for the audience and both agents.

Having completed the journey, the hero has earned the right to be accepted back into the Ordinary World. In most tales, the Return completes the cycle of the journey. Story lines have been resolved, balance has been restored to the Ordinary World, and the hero may now embark on a new life (Voytilla 9). After the success of his first major mission, Agent Jay decides to continue as a member of the Men in Black with his new companion, Agent L (Dr. Laurel Weaver); however, greatly satisfied and contented, Agent Kay decides to go back to the Ordinary World and live happily with the love of his life.

The Hero’s journey helps the viewer at better understanding a story because it helps a person connect with the characters and the story in a more emotional, deeper level. It helps the audience relate to whatever obstacle the hero has to go through, accepting each one’s imperfections and mistakes to fully grow and gain a greater, more clear, understanding of ourselves and the world. The hero goes through this unpredictable journey so that in the end, he or she “can embark on a new life, forever influenced by the journey traveled” (Voytilla 6). Agent Jay at the end, decided to continue the quest of protecting the people from evil aliens, but now with a bigger understanding and knowledge. Whether it is to save the damsel in distress, save the nation from a malicious terrorist, or save the world from alien bugs, the hero follows the common steps of a Hero’s Journey, so that he can grow in full understanding of himself and be able to achieve his quest and learn along the way.