Making Medusa a Relatable Character · 10:40pm Apr 25th, 2020
With the COVID-19 pandemic still an issue worldwide, and most of us staying home, even doing our works from home, I've had some time to do some self reflections on myself as a storyteller, and on some of my current stories.
I'll have to admit. Making a story of Medusa as the main protagonist and as a character we can relate to has always been a big challenge, because we've all grown up hearing the story about how Medusa was a terrible monster that is too ugly and needed to be slain. That and the fact she was once a beautiful, but vain woman whose ugliness from the inside became what she appeared on the outside as punishment by the goddess Athena.
Then in June 2014, Sony Pictures Animation announced an animated comedy feature of Medusa, pitched by Todd Alcott, with Lauren Faust as the designated director. In this animated feature, Medusa would set out on a quest to find a way to revert the curse that was placed on her by a jealous goddess (whether or not it is Athena, remains uncertain). Joining her are a band of Greek Mythological "misfits" who would teach her that "What makes you different can also make you strong."
If I'm thinking right, then the movie's target audience would be people who are big fanatics on Greek Mythology, as well as people who have experienced intensive peer pressures and then some. Of course, I'm certain this goes for all of us who've gone through our high school years, trying to impress someone we have an admiration for, or for trying to change ourselves to please others and hang with the popular school kids.
Sadly, this was not to be when in 2015, it was announced that Lauren Faust quit directing the movie, after she and one of the other directors clashed over moving the whole animated feature in a different direction. And to this day, Medusa remains on the shelves of Sony Pictures Animation incomplete, never to see the light of day again.
Nevertheless, the prompt of a story where Medusa is a good guy poses for an interesting development for a myth that contrasts from the myth we've all grown up knowing. Whether or not my version of Medusa would make it on the Equestria Daily, be featured throughout the Social Medias, or if Lauren Faust was reading it, if I could at least complete the story then it would be good enough for me. Then at the very least we would at last have the story we were promised in 2014 and to give a Medusa a chance for everyone to see her in a brand new light.
In the myth, Medusa is described as a terrifying creature that can petrify any living beings into stone, just by looking at them in the eyes.
But as a character, Medusa in this story is actually a reclusive, sad, and a traumatized individual who, as Lauren Faust puts it, experienced the "worst hair day of her life." Now I've done some research on the character developments with some other characters and the works put into making them the type the audience can relate. Unlike what SOMEPONIES would say or prefer in that one episode of Season 7 titled Fame and Misfortune, everybody likes a character with lots of flaws, because it just tells us how human they are, instead of the other way around. Furthermore, when the kids are watching that said character, they can tell that they don't always have to be right, or to be perfect, let alone be a superhero, like Spider–Man, Iron Man, etc.
So in the case of Medusa, her flaws is that because she's isolated herself from the world for nearly TEN CENTURIES or so (give or take how long pass Greece's olden days were), and as a result, she's rather unfamiliar with technology and would be more drawn to the fascinations of the changes made to Greece over time. Sometimes, when she's talking, she would often be heard talking and saying words that can be described as "outdated" compared to our modern "casual" talk. But like Wonder Woman, she does enjoy ice cream once she gets the taste for it. Oh, and one of the Greek's popular dishes, Gyro, as well.
Another flaw to her character was how withdrawn she was for so long, and how insecure and unsure she is of her place in the world, because of her distinguishing features. Sometimes, she would prefer to hide herself away from human eyes and stay out of trouble, but her curiosity always gets the best of her and she'd often get into trouble. Other times, she would try to scare some of her human friends away, thinking a "monster" like her doesn't deserve friends, but eventually she'd end up bonding with them anyway, because another thousand years of loneliness scared her even more than not having any friends.
And when push comes to shove, whenever her friends are in great danger, Medusa would prove herself to be a formidable adversary, with her snakes, her sharp claws, her crushing and powerful serpentine tail, and her infamous stare. That is as long as she avoids petrifying her friends by accident. Unfortunately, there are certain monsters that are immune to a gorgon's stare (think of the aliens from It's A Quiet Place. They don't have eyes to begin with).
Now with the story closing to the end, I want it to end on a positive note. Something that is truly inspiring, something that moves us all, and something that isn't too cliche. It's a challenge, especially when I can't ask for help on an ending which I'm avoiding the risks of spoiling. But I'll keep at it.
I know whatever you do to end it will be awesome
Cool.
You want to know how to make Medusa a more relatable character? Here is your answer:
I definitely look forward to how the story comes together after all the chaos we've seen lately.
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I've seen that comic already. What I want is to make Medusa relatable with my own originality.
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And you've done a fantastic job with what you are doing with Medusa. You've captured the struggles that she's going through and expressed her uncertainty that she has what it takes to be a likeable character, yet during the story you were able to demonstrate she her willingness to learn. It's that journey that's allowed fans to get to know the Medusa the way you envision her and that has proven to be a major accomplishment.