Image acquired from the Internet Hive Mind
The “Chosen One” is a popular trope – everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Luke Skywalker, from Ender Wiggin to the quartet of children in the Lion, the Witch in the Wardrobe. The trope is especially popular among the Young Adult (YA) crowd – the weird age when you want to blend in and be special at the same time.
The Chosen One is beyond a hero’s journey; this person did not chose to be the hero, they had it thrust on them. Their destiny was often written in prophecy long before they were born. Some choose to fight it, but in the end, there is nothing else they could be but The Chosen One. It’s written in their DNA or in the stars.
I find the lack of agency disappointing.
Myths and fate have conspired against the person; often the only thing the person wants to be is ordinary and that goal is forever beyond their grasp. If they choose to follow the path their inner self wants, the world will fall. So they choose to be the Chosen One, like a normal person chooses to go into work so they can eat and have a roof over their head. In this case the job gives them a planet to stand on. There is no happy ending possible, only survival. No triumph of self, no becoming a better person. This fate was all they were capable of and all they ever could be.
Then we got Wonder Woman, and the trope gets a makeover. Find out more at On Wonder Woman and Choosing to be Chosen (from SyFy channel 7/6/2017 – was removed at some point – I removed the link on 2/28/2022).
I don’t think I have ever written a Chosen One story.