As soon as the medieval epic is completed, so too is Beowulf's life concluded. The great king died a hero and yet, the question still remains: Did Beowulf ultimately win or loose?
If you have not yet watched Avengers: Endgame, then now would be an appropriate time to abandon this post. If, however, you have seen the film (or read the spoilers), then by all means, please, continue.
To answer this pressing question, I am going to do a little character comparison and relate the unexpected expirations of both Beowulf and Iron Man.
In their final moments, each man had to face their greatest foe. For Beowulf, it was the dastardly dragon and for Iron Man, it was Thanos. Each character had battled against hundreds of enemies in the past and because of this, they both possessed a massive amount of combat knowledge and general fighting experience. However, these "final bosses" were unlike any of the terrors that they had previously encountered. Each villain had its own set of "special abilities" that made them all the more difficult to kill.
Though both Beowulf and Iron Man were older than many of the other heroes around them, they were the only two capable of saving the day. Throwing themselves into battle, both men ultimately lost their lives after their evil adversaries had been vanquished. While the defeat of the bad guy can always be counted as a win; the subsequent loss of a hero is a major bummer.
Right before their deaths, Beowulf and Iron Man were able to see the fruits of their labors. For the medieval king, these fruits were actual riches that had been secured for the betterment of his people. Somewhat similarly, The dusting of Thanos meant that Iron Man was able to ensure the safety of all those that he cared about.
Even though both of these characters die, I feel as though they successfully secured huge wins. I also think that, were they still alive, both Beowulf and Iron Man would feel the same. Each man was entirely selfless in their endeavors, however, they were still pretty prideful people! Neither character underestimated themself and because of this, they knew that they were the only one's capable of saving the day. Though these wins were not able to be enjoyed by the men who brought them about, Beowulf and Iron Man earned a victory that their families and friends could live to enjoy.
Edit - Replied to Brooke Hutcheson and Rachael Gregson.
I think Beowulf is like a modern hero in a Marvel comic. He has to do the impossible, and he has human and god-like strength. Just like Iron Man, Beowulf had to become the ultimate sacrifice for his people. Both Iron Man and Beowulf remind me of demi-gods in a way.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best comparison you could have come up with. I am astounded at how accurate it was. Aside from my pure enjoyment of reading this post, this is very well executed and helped me to see it in a different way.
ReplyDeleteI love this comparison, and I agree that Beowulf won his fight, even if he did die, but I think he definitely should have attempted to raise an army against the dragon. He acted out of too much pride in his fight against the dragon and it was inappropriate for his status since he was king. He was responsible for a people and left them leaderless.
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