One of the valuable things from reading older literature is that it allows a person to briefly step outside of the cultural milieu—rot—of the modern West. And when you reach for those older perspectives, it brings to stark contrast all the narratives you were taught growing up. Not just about democracy or what you learned in AP Government class, but even more fundamental lessons. You can interact with the most primal aspects of human nature, parts of humanity that have been deliberately obscured in our backwards present day.
I think Ray Bradbury said it best: "Burroughs is probably the most influential writer in the entire history of the world. By giving romance and adventure to a whole generation of boys, Burroughs caused them to go out and decide to become special."
I think it must also be said that the chivalric ideal of Carter makes him a bit of an anathema to modern RW discourse. In a world lacking male role models, a vacuum filled by the decadent excesses of men like Andrew Tate, or people so terminally online they can't even begin the process of resocializing, Carter is like the biggest breath of fresh air I have ever drank in.
There's a warmth and sensitivity to him. He's a great fighting man, willing to go great lengths, but he also is still human (for want of better words). I think about that brilliant, beautiful little moment, middle of the book, where he reunites with Woola after a long spell in the Martian desert and is brought to tears by the beast's dedication. I think about how he's willing to extend the hand of friendship to beings for whom that idea, before his arrival, is frankly beyond comprehension (the bond between him and Tars Tarkas for example). He doesn't just come swinging in saying "die you alien scum" and play the part of "le based conqueror." He sees the good in some of these peoples, and works to bring that out. Carter is beyond the dichotomy, he is a universal, timeless role model, and should really be pushed as such.
Fantastic piece. I have a rant about adventure fiction erasure sitting in drafts that this inspired me to dust off and get published. You are 100% correct about forgotten archetypes. The rot goes so deep, even down "story" rules and structural advice. So much of Creative Writing Industrial Complex advice is just totally steeped in the feminine and outright liberal thought. Ultimately, the reluctant hero in all its forms has become fem speak for toxic masculinity. Because all masculinity is toxic, than it follows that all hero’s must be reluctant. The hero must be reluctant to use his masculine virtue, reluctant to use violence, reluctant to take forward moving action. Break glass in case of big enough emergency, and only if the emergency threatens the liberal order. Gone are the days of answering an ad that promises adventure, possibly treasure, and tells you to bring money for your own burial. That inciting incident won't do.
I think I’ve avoided this trap despite all of my published work starring female protagonists. The ladies are always surrounded by helpful, competent men whom they respect. I have little patience for spiteful stories that make men either morons or monsters.
it is odd to read Edgar, Howard and their contemporaries, and remember that only recently writers could create such potent, virile male characters full of life and passion.
Now we must suffer the rancid deluge of 'modern fiction' with its sexless WO-mens, castrated nu-males, and pretentious cynicism. While masculine male characters find their last refuge in self-published 'wish-fulfillment' literature and obscure eastern web-novels.
I cannot even name the last fantasy or sci-fi where a man was allowed to conquer, to vanquish, to struggle, to win and reap the rewards.
No, now even the faintest hint of testosterone must be critiqued, deconstructed, revamped, every victory questioned, every triumph subverted, preferably cuckolded and hopefully replaced.
I will never stoop so low as to even consider modern mainstream 'fiction' nor do I pity those who still roam these swamps, still waiting for a revival, a return to what once was. It's time to build a new bastion and defend it zealously.
this recent penchant for the bleak and tragic is also something to note.A cocktail of cynicism, nihilism, and the presumption that no work of fiction could hope to be taken seriously unless it qualify itself to elite(Hollywood) literary critics, which of course can only be achieved through 'tragic realism'.
The way men have been portrayed on TV for the last five decades is pure racism and destructive to the nth degree. And, at the risk of being pilloried, so disgusting is the portrayal of black men that black children should NEVER watch TV.
I’m currently watching Dragon Ball Z for the first time. It’s quite funny that whenever a big fight is over, the main characters are overcome with so much laughter and joy to the point of looking like “fools”. It felt weird watching this for the first time. Almost as if I was actively rooting for a bad thing to happen instantly or someone breaking laughter to realize their apparent foolishness. Interesting how this “everything must end in a tragedy” feeling creeps through.
The John Carter books are fantastic! If you don't mind bad movies and you want a hoot, have a watch of Princess of Mars (2009) starring former porn actress Traci Lords. It's not as bad as the ratings suggest, though the Disney movie does have better costumes and effects.
Top Gun Maverick was about duty, risk, excellence and glory. Women were either part of the team, or supported the hero, sidestepping jarring ‘girl boss’ tropes. Edgar RB would have recognised every character, and the audience loved it.
The only people surprised by the success of that movie were journalists.
Back in the day - when I was a YA, 1970’s, Tarzan and John Carter were awesome. So were Heinlien, Asimov, Clarke, Harrison and a slew of others. We just didn’t know to call it YA.
The decline of Star Wars from the highs of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back to the lowest point so far of The Acolyte can ultimately be attributed to this. The intermittent bright points (season 5 of Rebels, season 1 of The Mandalorian) in between occur where a hero is genuinely heroic in keeping with his nature.
Before I say this is the fault of Campbell's Hero's Journey, let me just say I'm a fan, and its influence has produced many great stories. But
. . .
this is the fault of Campbell's Hero's Journey. The Journey is a coming of age template: the Refusal of the Call, the need of a Mentor, the despair of the Inmost Cave: these are all part of the youth's ascent into adulthood. This is a powerful template and everyone can relate. But it's not the only template and a stubborn insistence on applying it everywhere makes the competent protagonist impossible. Every stinkin' hero's got to have his moment of self-doubt; Aragorn's got to whine to his elf girlfriend that he can't measure up. It's not the only template and treating it thus makes me sick.
Yes, bring back the male hero! Great article - we need to invigorate the culture and make it virile (and fecund) again.
As a minor aside and as a Dostoevsky fan I'd point out by showing nihilistic despair he gives us something at the same time, we recognise the nihilism and so gain a perspective.
This is why I wrote my book, The Rooster Rider. I was sick of seeing the vomit that passed for children's books...we have far too many female authors, desperately pushing women's ways on the rest of us. Men must write for boys to train them to be men. Women don't generally have a clue about men.
The Rooster Rider, available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.
"You can visibly detect how masculinity has been increasingly portrayed more tragically as time goes on. When men are not outright evil, they’re to be demeaned as the fundamentally lesser of the two sexes."
When I watched "John Carter" (2012) for the first time years ago, I spotted the very first instance that I had ever noticed of a particular trope. Now, I'm not saying that it was the first instance of this trope ever filmed; it likely wasn't. But it was the first time that I noticed it.
Specifically, the trope in question is a scene or portion of a scene that exists for no other reason than to demonstrate that a non-superpowered female character can fight better than the (usually superpowered) male protagonist in a way that functions as a "put-down" of said protagonist.
In the scene in which John Carter first rescues Dejah Thoris after she falls from an airship, Carter takes her sword and says, "I beg your pardon, ma'am. If you'll kindly just stand behind me. This might get dangerous." He then proceeds to use the sword to fight some Zodangan soldiers, one of which quickly succeeds in knocking the sword out of Carter's hand with such force that it flies through the air to where Dejah Thoris is standing (about 30 or more feet away) and she is able to easily snatch it out of the air. She then fights several Zodangan soldiers, killing them with more swiftness and ease than Carter had managed moments before. Carter says, "Maybe I ought to get behind you," to which Dejah Thoris replies "Let me know when it gets dangerous."
In the movie's final battle, there's a callback, in which Dejah Thoris says, "If you'll just get behind me, sir!" to Carter as he hands her a sword, which she then uses to easily dispatch some enemy soldiers.
A Zodangan warrior, having weaker Barsoomian muscles, should not have the strength to knock a sword of the superpowered John Carter's hand at all, much less with such force as to make it fly back 30 or 40 feet. Dejah Thoris, with her Barsoomian muscles, should not be capable of killing trained Zodangan soldiers more easily than John Carter, who has years of fighting experience and superior Earth muscles. Nor, for that matter, should she be more skilled at fighting than even one Zodangan soldier (as she is a princess who doesn't have even a tiny fraction of the fighting experience of a soldier), yet she dispatches several of them with ease. The scene is also designed to make Carter look ignorant and sexist for telling a woman to get behind him for safety.
In the years since then, this trope has become much more common and often is prominently featured throughout significant portions of screentime in various movies and shows. In "John Carter", it took up less than one minute of screentime total (including the callback scene), but it was a harbinger of things to come. Perhaps someone can cite even earlier examples, but it was the first one that I ever noticed.
"He’s a man who knows what he wants and takes after it with every ounce of his being. He does not shirk from battle; in fact, he’s a fighting man. Battle is in his blood, and he’s called to it as his vocation. He’s a leader of men, at all times honorable and fair. He’s the kind of man who can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. You’d rather have no one else by your side and rather anyone else against you."
The most culturally relevant recent example of a character in mainstream culture more or less fitting that description that I can think of is Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic universe.
In "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011), Steve Rogers is never reluctant in his heroism. In his very first scene, he tries to enlist in the Army despite having been already been declared 4F multiple times before at different locations due to his small size and poor health. Soon thereafter, he refuses to back down from a fight with a physically superior bully after getting punched in the face multiple times, declaring, "I can do this all day."
Not long after, he explains to his friend Bucky that he wants to join the war because he believes it's his duty. Upon being asked by Dr. Erskine whether he wants to kill Germans, he reveals that his motives for wanting to fight are not based in bloodlust or bigotry by stating "I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."
During his training, Col. Phillips, hoping to prove that Rogers doesn't have "guts", throws a dummy grenade on the ground near him. Rogers immediately throws himself on the grenade to protect the others around him.
After being granted peak human strength and agility through super-science, Rogers is forbidden by the government from actually fighting, as the government doesn't want to risk the life of the only super soldier (the formula for the super soldier formula having been destroyed seconds after his successful transformation). He is instead used as an Army mascot/war bond salesman who tours America, then Europe in tights as part of a song-and-dance show. He is deeply unsatisfied with this state of affairs, comparing himself to a dancing monkey. He's eager to actually fight.
When he discovers that the Army unit that Bucky was stationed in has been taken prisoner, he disobeys orders to sneak away and successfully rescue all of the captured soldiers in a HYDRA prison camp, including Bucky. His willingness to unhesitatingly fight and risk his life for what is right continues throughout the movie (culminating in a scene in which he crashes a plane with himself in it to save others' lives, becoming frozen alive for 70 years), and even into the Captain America sequels and Avengers movies.
He also stubbornly refuses to change in the present day, always adhering to the same worldview and moral code that he did in the 1940s. In "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", he disagrees with the way that current-day America has given up so much freedom in the name of security. Nick Fury tells him to accept this, saying "It's getting damn near past time for you to get with that program, Cap", to which Cap replies "Don't hold your breath." Cap is, of course, later proven right when the Project Insight Program turns out to be an Orwellian nightmare.
The only time that he starts to doubt himself is in "Avengers: Age of Ultron", after the Scarlet Witch plants a vision in his head that makes him contemplate retirement. But this subplot is barely there, and at the end of the movie, he reveals that he has decided to keep on fighting as long as he is needed.
Unfortunately, "Avengers: Endgame" features an ending in which Cap decides to go back in time to the 1940s, marry Peggy Carter, and retire. This ending is controversial because it contradicts how he was depicted in every previous Marvel movie (always fighting on, never giving up, always making the most selfless decision).
Personally, I actually like the concept of Cap going back in time to the 1940s and marrying Peggy Carter (largely because I'm a fan of the original Golden Age Captain America continuity, in which he was never frozen alive and went on to fight communists in the 1950s), but only if A: he time travels by making a self-sacrifice (involving a time machine or something similar, think along the lines of Spock's reactor chamber scene in "Wrath of Khan") that he thinks will result in his death but instead sends him back to the 1940s (ideally with a memory wipe of post-1945 events to get rid of "why doesn't he stop the JFK assassination and 9/11"-type questions), and B: he continues to fight in the past rather than retiring and settling down.
Speaking of Peggy Carter, her depiction in "Captain America: The First Avenger" is an excellent example of how to make a female secondary character capable and heroic in her own right without playing into the aforementioned "put-down" trope that is present in "John Carter". She is depicted as intelligent, brave (if you look closely in the background of the grenade scene, she's running toward the grenade too), and even physically strong... for a woman. She is never depicted as being remotely near as strong or capable at physical combat as Captain America.
In fact, in her introductory scene, in which she disciplines an insubordinate soldier under her command by knocking him to the ground with a punch to the face, she gets him to put his right foot forward first. This puts him off-balance, with nearly all of his weight on his left foot. In other words, the movie acknowledges that she is physically weaker than him and must use to her wits to compensate. She couldn't have knocked him down if he had both feet squarely on the ground. This stands in contrast to how Dejah Thoris in "John Carter" is inexplicably more capable at fighting larger, better-trained male Zodangan warriors than John Carter himself.
The second-most culturally relevant character in recent media to come close to the classic hero archetype that I can think of is Ethan Hunt from the Mission: Impossible movies, especially in the last few. He is always brave, noble, self-sacrificing, willing to perform the most dangerous feats at a moment's notice, a strong leader, hyper-competent, etc. He also refuses to morally compromise, always taking the moral route even when it makes things more difficult and dangerous, or even causes his own government to put a price on his head.
A good example of his unfailing moral compass is this scene from "Mission: Impossible - Fallout", in which he chooses to save an innocent bystander (a French policewoman) even though it means putting both himself and his mission in jeopardy and potentially blowing his cover:
Very true, I'd also say that we need to rediscover in some ways Conan, and not just him but the likes of with regards to the female Zenobia, Arwen and Luthien truly female characters
I think Ray Bradbury said it best: "Burroughs is probably the most influential writer in the entire history of the world. By giving romance and adventure to a whole generation of boys, Burroughs caused them to go out and decide to become special."
I think it must also be said that the chivalric ideal of Carter makes him a bit of an anathema to modern RW discourse. In a world lacking male role models, a vacuum filled by the decadent excesses of men like Andrew Tate, or people so terminally online they can't even begin the process of resocializing, Carter is like the biggest breath of fresh air I have ever drank in.
There's a warmth and sensitivity to him. He's a great fighting man, willing to go great lengths, but he also is still human (for want of better words). I think about that brilliant, beautiful little moment, middle of the book, where he reunites with Woola after a long spell in the Martian desert and is brought to tears by the beast's dedication. I think about how he's willing to extend the hand of friendship to beings for whom that idea, before his arrival, is frankly beyond comprehension (the bond between him and Tars Tarkas for example). He doesn't just come swinging in saying "die you alien scum" and play the part of "le based conqueror." He sees the good in some of these peoples, and works to bring that out. Carter is beyond the dichotomy, he is a universal, timeless role model, and should really be pushed as such.
Beautifully put.
Fantastic piece. I have a rant about adventure fiction erasure sitting in drafts that this inspired me to dust off and get published. You are 100% correct about forgotten archetypes. The rot goes so deep, even down "story" rules and structural advice. So much of Creative Writing Industrial Complex advice is just totally steeped in the feminine and outright liberal thought. Ultimately, the reluctant hero in all its forms has become fem speak for toxic masculinity. Because all masculinity is toxic, than it follows that all hero’s must be reluctant. The hero must be reluctant to use his masculine virtue, reluctant to use violence, reluctant to take forward moving action. Break glass in case of big enough emergency, and only if the emergency threatens the liberal order. Gone are the days of answering an ad that promises adventure, possibly treasure, and tells you to bring money for your own burial. That inciting incident won't do.
I think I’ve avoided this trap despite all of my published work starring female protagonists. The ladies are always surrounded by helpful, competent men whom they respect. I have little patience for spiteful stories that make men either morons or monsters.
I think you outdid yourself with this article.
it is odd to read Edgar, Howard and their contemporaries, and remember that only recently writers could create such potent, virile male characters full of life and passion.
Now we must suffer the rancid deluge of 'modern fiction' with its sexless WO-mens, castrated nu-males, and pretentious cynicism. While masculine male characters find their last refuge in self-published 'wish-fulfillment' literature and obscure eastern web-novels.
I cannot even name the last fantasy or sci-fi where a man was allowed to conquer, to vanquish, to struggle, to win and reap the rewards.
No, now even the faintest hint of testosterone must be critiqued, deconstructed, revamped, every victory questioned, every triumph subverted, preferably cuckolded and hopefully replaced.
I will never stoop so low as to even consider modern mainstream 'fiction' nor do I pity those who still roam these swamps, still waiting for a revival, a return to what once was. It's time to build a new bastion and defend it zealously.
this recent penchant for the bleak and tragic is also something to note.A cocktail of cynicism, nihilism, and the presumption that no work of fiction could hope to be taken seriously unless it qualify itself to elite(Hollywood) literary critics, which of course can only be achieved through 'tragic realism'.
The way men have been portrayed on TV for the last five decades is pure racism and destructive to the nth degree. And, at the risk of being pilloried, so disgusting is the portrayal of black men that black children should NEVER watch TV.
Niggih, what is you sayin'? You black? I'm black.
I’m currently watching Dragon Ball Z for the first time. It’s quite funny that whenever a big fight is over, the main characters are overcome with so much laughter and joy to the point of looking like “fools”. It felt weird watching this for the first time. Almost as if I was actively rooting for a bad thing to happen instantly or someone breaking laughter to realize their apparent foolishness. Interesting how this “everything must end in a tragedy” feeling creeps through.
The John Carter books are fantastic! If you don't mind bad movies and you want a hoot, have a watch of Princess of Mars (2009) starring former porn actress Traci Lords. It's not as bad as the ratings suggest, though the Disney movie does have better costumes and effects.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531911
Top Gun Maverick was about duty, risk, excellence and glory. Women were either part of the team, or supported the hero, sidestepping jarring ‘girl boss’ tropes. Edgar RB would have recognised every character, and the audience loved it.
The only people surprised by the success of that movie were journalists.
Banger of an essay. I couldn't agree more. I am doing my part to create 'dissident YA' material.
what does YA mean
I think it means young adult
Well YA as a category is at most two decades old, I'm not convinced it should even exist.
Back in the day - when I was a YA, 1970’s, Tarzan and John Carter were awesome. So were Heinlien, Asimov, Clarke, Harrison and a slew of others. We just didn’t know to call it YA.
The decline of Star Wars from the highs of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back to the lowest point so far of The Acolyte can ultimately be attributed to this. The intermittent bright points (season 5 of Rebels, season 1 of The Mandalorian) in between occur where a hero is genuinely heroic in keeping with his nature.
Before I say this is the fault of Campbell's Hero's Journey, let me just say I'm a fan, and its influence has produced many great stories. But
. . .
this is the fault of Campbell's Hero's Journey. The Journey is a coming of age template: the Refusal of the Call, the need of a Mentor, the despair of the Inmost Cave: these are all part of the youth's ascent into adulthood. This is a powerful template and everyone can relate. But it's not the only template and a stubborn insistence on applying it everywhere makes the competent protagonist impossible. Every stinkin' hero's got to have his moment of self-doubt; Aragorn's got to whine to his elf girlfriend that he can't measure up. It's not the only template and treating it thus makes me sick.
In the book, he does not whine to her but has a period of doubt after Gandalf is killed.
Challenge accepted.
Yes, bring back the male hero! Great article - we need to invigorate the culture and make it virile (and fecund) again.
As a minor aside and as a Dostoevsky fan I'd point out by showing nihilistic despair he gives us something at the same time, we recognise the nihilism and so gain a perspective.
This is why I wrote my book, The Rooster Rider. I was sick of seeing the vomit that passed for children's books...we have far too many female authors, desperately pushing women's ways on the rest of us. Men must write for boys to train them to be men. Women don't generally have a clue about men.
The Rooster Rider, available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.
https://www.amazon.com/Rooster-Rider-Knightly-Adventure-Creatures/dp/B09ZCVCWJ3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2A1NTJ4ZYY9ER&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qdzIxpNrU4YsN-H3jXtCjw2cthNLN-L_gWW3TIQ9jEh_OcX8Fk1SEfW5CAcwMQ6vdR0yPRWNQwiHMTqo8YIf-ex3RiSxfJ-ckxoFHZOvakOvuW4Ul21XGVHLzvjVm5Nb0xK4GfKEHgGenNciI3p8xBAJla3jU4LuJbc08IcP80lL-0quvH2uXdnv5UeTiBve5N32I1-BQ_E6ZGKRDvrATY49jG8gm0-JElWveo1zqLM.9ByPlLRjsl8221btWpiALFSc5MMkPXtBTijepEBX1WI&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Rooster+Rider&qid=1719015071&sprefix=the+rooster+rider%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1
"You can visibly detect how masculinity has been increasingly portrayed more tragically as time goes on. When men are not outright evil, they’re to be demeaned as the fundamentally lesser of the two sexes."
When I watched "John Carter" (2012) for the first time years ago, I spotted the very first instance that I had ever noticed of a particular trope. Now, I'm not saying that it was the first instance of this trope ever filmed; it likely wasn't. But it was the first time that I noticed it.
Specifically, the trope in question is a scene or portion of a scene that exists for no other reason than to demonstrate that a non-superpowered female character can fight better than the (usually superpowered) male protagonist in a way that functions as a "put-down" of said protagonist.
In the scene in which John Carter first rescues Dejah Thoris after she falls from an airship, Carter takes her sword and says, "I beg your pardon, ma'am. If you'll kindly just stand behind me. This might get dangerous." He then proceeds to use the sword to fight some Zodangan soldiers, one of which quickly succeeds in knocking the sword out of Carter's hand with such force that it flies through the air to where Dejah Thoris is standing (about 30 or more feet away) and she is able to easily snatch it out of the air. She then fights several Zodangan soldiers, killing them with more swiftness and ease than Carter had managed moments before. Carter says, "Maybe I ought to get behind you," to which Dejah Thoris replies "Let me know when it gets dangerous."
Here's a clip of this scene:
https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6zS8aQ_vLz6BbBu8ZmJ4oFRNqSwqJWIH
In the movie's final battle, there's a callback, in which Dejah Thoris says, "If you'll just get behind me, sir!" to Carter as he hands her a sword, which she then uses to easily dispatch some enemy soldiers.
Clip:
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxCkb8Oa0RuLXNyAfQS_Tzd-bGvSHeL4va
A Zodangan warrior, having weaker Barsoomian muscles, should not have the strength to knock a sword of the superpowered John Carter's hand at all, much less with such force as to make it fly back 30 or 40 feet. Dejah Thoris, with her Barsoomian muscles, should not be capable of killing trained Zodangan soldiers more easily than John Carter, who has years of fighting experience and superior Earth muscles. Nor, for that matter, should she be more skilled at fighting than even one Zodangan soldier (as she is a princess who doesn't have even a tiny fraction of the fighting experience of a soldier), yet she dispatches several of them with ease. The scene is also designed to make Carter look ignorant and sexist for telling a woman to get behind him for safety.
In the years since then, this trope has become much more common and often is prominently featured throughout significant portions of screentime in various movies and shows. In "John Carter", it took up less than one minute of screentime total (including the callback scene), but it was a harbinger of things to come. Perhaps someone can cite even earlier examples, but it was the first one that I ever noticed.
"He’s a man who knows what he wants and takes after it with every ounce of his being. He does not shirk from battle; in fact, he’s a fighting man. Battle is in his blood, and he’s called to it as his vocation. He’s a leader of men, at all times honorable and fair. He’s the kind of man who can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. You’d rather have no one else by your side and rather anyone else against you."
The most culturally relevant recent example of a character in mainstream culture more or less fitting that description that I can think of is Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic universe.
In "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011), Steve Rogers is never reluctant in his heroism. In his very first scene, he tries to enlist in the Army despite having been already been declared 4F multiple times before at different locations due to his small size and poor health. Soon thereafter, he refuses to back down from a fight with a physically superior bully after getting punched in the face multiple times, declaring, "I can do this all day."
Not long after, he explains to his friend Bucky that he wants to join the war because he believes it's his duty. Upon being asked by Dr. Erskine whether he wants to kill Germans, he reveals that his motives for wanting to fight are not based in bloodlust or bigotry by stating "I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."
During his training, Col. Phillips, hoping to prove that Rogers doesn't have "guts", throws a dummy grenade on the ground near him. Rogers immediately throws himself on the grenade to protect the others around him.
After being granted peak human strength and agility through super-science, Rogers is forbidden by the government from actually fighting, as the government doesn't want to risk the life of the only super soldier (the formula for the super soldier formula having been destroyed seconds after his successful transformation). He is instead used as an Army mascot/war bond salesman who tours America, then Europe in tights as part of a song-and-dance show. He is deeply unsatisfied with this state of affairs, comparing himself to a dancing monkey. He's eager to actually fight.
When he discovers that the Army unit that Bucky was stationed in has been taken prisoner, he disobeys orders to sneak away and successfully rescue all of the captured soldiers in a HYDRA prison camp, including Bucky. His willingness to unhesitatingly fight and risk his life for what is right continues throughout the movie (culminating in a scene in which he crashes a plane with himself in it to save others' lives, becoming frozen alive for 70 years), and even into the Captain America sequels and Avengers movies.
He also stubbornly refuses to change in the present day, always adhering to the same worldview and moral code that he did in the 1940s. In "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", he disagrees with the way that current-day America has given up so much freedom in the name of security. Nick Fury tells him to accept this, saying "It's getting damn near past time for you to get with that program, Cap", to which Cap replies "Don't hold your breath." Cap is, of course, later proven right when the Project Insight Program turns out to be an Orwellian nightmare.
The only time that he starts to doubt himself is in "Avengers: Age of Ultron", after the Scarlet Witch plants a vision in his head that makes him contemplate retirement. But this subplot is barely there, and at the end of the movie, he reveals that he has decided to keep on fighting as long as he is needed.
Unfortunately, "Avengers: Endgame" features an ending in which Cap decides to go back in time to the 1940s, marry Peggy Carter, and retire. This ending is controversial because it contradicts how he was depicted in every previous Marvel movie (always fighting on, never giving up, always making the most selfless decision).
Personally, I actually like the concept of Cap going back in time to the 1940s and marrying Peggy Carter (largely because I'm a fan of the original Golden Age Captain America continuity, in which he was never frozen alive and went on to fight communists in the 1950s), but only if A: he time travels by making a self-sacrifice (involving a time machine or something similar, think along the lines of Spock's reactor chamber scene in "Wrath of Khan") that he thinks will result in his death but instead sends him back to the 1940s (ideally with a memory wipe of post-1945 events to get rid of "why doesn't he stop the JFK assassination and 9/11"-type questions), and B: he continues to fight in the past rather than retiring and settling down.
Speaking of Peggy Carter, her depiction in "Captain America: The First Avenger" is an excellent example of how to make a female secondary character capable and heroic in her own right without playing into the aforementioned "put-down" trope that is present in "John Carter". She is depicted as intelligent, brave (if you look closely in the background of the grenade scene, she's running toward the grenade too), and even physically strong... for a woman. She is never depicted as being remotely near as strong or capable at physical combat as Captain America.
In fact, in her introductory scene, in which she disciplines an insubordinate soldier under her command by knocking him to the ground with a punch to the face, she gets him to put his right foot forward first. This puts him off-balance, with nearly all of his weight on his left foot. In other words, the movie acknowledges that she is physically weaker than him and must use to her wits to compensate. She couldn't have knocked him down if he had both feet squarely on the ground. This stands in contrast to how Dejah Thoris in "John Carter" is inexplicably more capable at fighting larger, better-trained male Zodangan warriors than John Carter himself.
Here's the relevant clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btxC3b-TRyc
The second-most culturally relevant character in recent media to come close to the classic hero archetype that I can think of is Ethan Hunt from the Mission: Impossible movies, especially in the last few. He is always brave, noble, self-sacrificing, willing to perform the most dangerous feats at a moment's notice, a strong leader, hyper-competent, etc. He also refuses to morally compromise, always taking the moral route even when it makes things more difficult and dangerous, or even causes his own government to put a price on his head.
A good example of his unfailing moral compass is this scene from "Mission: Impossible - Fallout", in which he chooses to save an innocent bystander (a French policewoman) even though it means putting both himself and his mission in jeopardy and potentially blowing his cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8DT2UHhfMQ
Inspiring, and right on the money
Very true, I'd also say that we need to rediscover in some ways Conan, and not just him but the likes of with regards to the female Zenobia, Arwen and Luthien truly female characters