From top to bottom: Master Roshi from Dragonball (Toei Animation), Iroh from Avatar -the last Airbender (Nickolodeon), Gandalf from The lord of the rings (new line cinema), and Dumbledore from the harry potter series (bloomsbury publishing).
This trope is everywhere. It’s cross-cultural and intergenerational in its ubiquity. A wise elderly mentor figure with a (usually) gentle disposition gets put in a dangerous situation and they need to unleash a can of whoop-ass. Of course, power ages like fine wine. Bonus points if the character is portrayed as being physically hobbled by their age, walking with a stoop, or being physically out of shape. Double bonus points when the character uses a cane, staff, or walking stick of some kind. Triple bonus points when they get to surprise everyone by how powerful they really are. Beards are, ironically, unnecessary but these characters are almost universally male.
When I said this trope is everywhere, I really meant it. Among many others, the examples pictured left include Dumbledore from Harry Potter, Master Roshi from the Dragonball franchise, Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. These characters deviate from the broader wise old mentor archetype because they are not only wise but also exceptionally skilled or powerful in their narrative.
A common trait of these old badasses is that they are almost always teachers, mentors, or at least guides for their subordinate characters. Their age is nebulous but don’t be surprised in a fantasy setting when these characters are much older than you think (even when you already believe they are unnaturally ancient). Their narrative purpose is usually not only to teach but also to protect the protagonist until they are ready to face the villain. Their eccentricities usually make them societal outcasts, or at least outsiders- eccentricities ranging from the fact that they’re a wizard (Gandalf), their distaste for violence (Iroh), or their aversion to political posturing (Dumbledore). Or maybe they’re just a pervert (Roshi).
What makes this trope interesting is its versatility. Despite fulfilling comparably identical roles, these characters can be bent and shaped to fit many different themes and stories. Gandalf represents a nostalgia for a bygone age, while Dumbledore has been wizened by the mistakes and arrogance of his youth. Iroh is a parental figure to the banished Prince Zuko, while Oogway from Kung Fu Panda is a philosophical and spiritual guide to his students. Roshi is not only Son Goku’s first martial arts master but also serves as a benchmark for Goku to inevitably surpass.
This flexibility carries over to how the narrative deals with having such inconveniently powerful characters. Sometimes the narrative will be built around a conflict that the mentor cannot deal with single-handedly, such as Yoda from Star Wars, or that they do not qualify to participate in, like Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid. Iroh steps aside so that the main character can do the right thing in the final confrontation. At other times the villain must plot to surreptitiously remove the mentor from the conflict, as Loki to Odin from Thor.
Often, these characters sacrifice themselves so that they may pass the torch to the main protagonists, such as Obi Wan from Star Wars, Dumbledore, and Gandalf the Grey (he’s resurrected as Gandalf the White). Regardless of the circumstances, these characters are almost always conspicuously absent from the action of the story, or at least the arc where they teach. Every once and a while though, they get to stick around. Or, the most fun option of all, sometimes the old badass cuts loose and joins the fight. Oh look, the big guy’s back…
Andrew Gilvary
Andrew is a former graduate of the University of Ottawa where he got his B.A. with a Major in English Literature. He enjoys doing nerdy things and cuddling his cat.
