What do Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter have in common? Everything!
At the heart of many iconic superhero and science fiction movie franchises is something called The Hero's Journey. George Lucas swore by it when he was making Star Wars, and you can see it at work in everything from the Avengers to Harry Potter! For all the aspiring storytellers and creators here, it's an essential thing to know about, and this video is a great place to start:
This framework is described in detail in the excellent book "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" written by Joseph Campbell. From Wikipedia:
Campbell explores the theory that important myths from around the world which have survived for thousands of years all share a fundamental structure, which Campbell called the monomyth. In a well-known quote from the introduction to The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell summarized the monomyth:
"A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man".
If this interests you, I recommend you buy the book. It's excellent!