Tales of heroism and courage in the face of adversity have been popular for hundreds, if not thousands of years. In fact, one of the most widely used story structures in the world is something called the hero's journey.

This theme can be explored in different ways and on different scales, but perhaps the most common are 'traditional' hero stories about characters who are essentially destined for greatness, and, on the flipside, stories about 'unlikely' heroes who achieve greatness despite the odds.