Threshold Guardians - Television Tropes & Idioms

A Fairy Tale prince reads his options, from "Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird, and the Gray Wolf"

"How far are you prepared to go? How much are you prepared to risk? How many people are you prepared to sacrifice for victory? Are you willing to die friendless, alone, deserted by everyone? Because that's what may be required of you in the war that is to come."

— Sebastian, Babylon 5

A figure or event that tests the resolve of a Hero as he pursues his destiny and/or his goal. The Guardian is not necessarily adversarial, but puts the hero in a position where he must make a decision that reflects a sincere commitment to the task at hand, by providing a threat or bar to progress that the hero must specifically choose to overcome.

Sometimes the Guardian's challenge is an illusion which must be penetrated; when it is not, the Guardian himself is often the challenge, and defeating him can turn him into an ally. Whatever form the Guardian and his challenge take, their defeat forces the hero to grow; heroes that are not yet ready for their journey are forced to turn back until they have matured sufficiently to handle the task.

Physical force is not necessarily the solution. Outwitting the guardian or persuading them to your side may, in fact, be required.

A hero may have more than one encounter with Threshold Guardians during his adventure — each one tests him and at the same time heralds an escalation of the danger (and consequent reward) the hero faces.

The term comes from the work of comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell.

Compare with Secret Test Of Character, in which the obstacle put before the character is a moral one. Although this can shade into that, when the guardian is testing courage, perservance, willingness to listen to advice, or courtesy.

In Videogames, these guys may be responsible for a Broken Bridge.

A guardian challenging an Anti Hero may provide them with the opportunity to prove their willingness to perform morally questionable or outright evil acts, such as sacrificing others.

Examples:

Anime and Manga

Subverted in Bleach — when Ichigo encounters a Hollow trying to catch a lost soul, Rukia tries to turn the fight into his Threshold Guardian event, demanding that he either let the Hollow eat the ghost or vow to protect all souls. It flops, as Ichigo shuts her up mid-sentence and saves the soul because he wants to.
- The spirit in Ichigo's Zanpaktou tests Ichigo several times.
Each of the planets in Transformers Cybertron involves an encounter with a threshold guardian, as well as several other points in the show. The most interesting example is Override, whose challenge was neither an illusion nor a fight, but a race that served as a coming of age for the rookie Hot Shot. Optimus Prime tended to face the other Threshold Guardians, generally with Leobreaker or Wing Saber.
The heart shard of Fear in Princess Tutu serves as a Threshold Guardian for both the main character and Mytho. When Ahiru hears Mytho say that he's "afraid of Princess Tutu" she almost gives up, even tossing away her pendant. Mytho also is forced to decide if he wants to continue receiving heart shards, even when they restore emotions that could hurt him. Both characters eventually choose to continue on.
In Yu Yu Hakusho, Genkai serves this role beautifully for Yusuke in the Dark Tournament arc.
The Gym Leaders of Pokemon can be seen as a form of this for trainers in the anime and games: despite their status as the strongest trainers in an area, they aren't (normally) antagonistic to their challengers and even skew the rules of the battle in the opponent's favor, but nobody who can't beat eight of them will get anywhere near the Pokemon League.

Fairy Tales

In Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird, and the Gray Wolf, the three princes each come on a stone with its warnings; two decide to chose none, and turn back, and the Prince Ivan presses on.
Who rides straight forward shall know both hunger and cold.
Who rides to the right shall live, though his steed be dead.
Who rides to the left shall die, though his steed shall live.
- Of course, the Hero in this fairy tale goes on to cheat, steal from, and otherwise defraud several other innocent people of their rightful belongings. It looks like he gets his comeuppance when his brothers murder him, but everything turns out to his benefit by the end. The defrauded tsars get nothing.
In The Bird Grip and The Golden Bird, despite warnings, the older princes go to the merry inn, where they forget their father, and their quest. The youngest goes to the dark inn and travels on to complete the quest.
In The Seven Foals, an old woman tries to lure aside the men set to watch the king's foals all day. She succeeds with the older two of three brothers, but the youngest runs by her.

Film

In the original Star Wars, the First Threshold is Mos Eisley, and its Guardians are the Stormtroopers.
In the film, The Never Ending Story, Atreyu is required to pass by two golden sphinxes. As he gets closer to the Threshold Guardian sphinxes, he views the fallen bodies of those who went before him who didn't have the faith to pass.
- In the movie, "having faith" meant "running really fast".
Master Shifu is Po's first threshold guardian in Kung Fu Panda, and only by choosing to overcome Shifu's Training From Hell and eventually besting him in a sparring match over a dumpling indicates preparedness to take on Tai Lung... who may be a Threshold Guardian himself, if the plans for series of films are any indication.
In Labyrinth, Sir Didymus guards the bridge that must be crossed, though rather than defeating him in combat or other traditional means, Sarah remembers her lesson to not take things for granted, thereby passing by asking permission.
The old man guarding The Wall in the Stardust movie. Turns out rather atypically since he actually prevents Tristan from crossing, so Tristan has to get around him with his dad's help.
Tyler Durden sets up one of these in Fight Club for Project Mayhem. All applicants are initially rejected as too young, old, fat, thin, etc. If they stand on the porch for three days and nights without food, shelter or encouragement, they are allowed in.
Spoofed in Monty Python And The Holy Grail:
Bridgekeeper: Stop. Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.
Sir Lancelot: Ask me the questions, bridgekeeper. I am not afraid.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your name?
Sir Lancelot: My name is Sir Lancelot of Camelot.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?
Sir Lancelot: To seek the Holy Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your favourite colour?
Sir Lancelot: Blue.
Bridgekeeper: Right. Off you go.

Literature

The Mercy Thompson book Blood Bound, the killing of the second vampire starts Mercedes on her genetic duties.
In Robert Charette's 'Never Deal With A Dragon' trilogy of Shadowrun novels, the protagonist Sam encounters a literal threshold guardian that bars his way to the Astral plane. He's eventually shown to be a psychic manifestation of the villain, and once his corrupting influence is removed the guardian returns to his normal, though unhelpful, self.
In Jasper Fforde's The Fourth Bear, Jack lampshades this by actually telling the psychologist who is evaluating his fitness for duty that she is serving this role.
In HP Lovecraft's Beyond the Gates of the Silver Key Yog-Sothoth appears as a literal threshold guardian on Randolph Carter's astral journey, marking the point where Carter must choose between returning to his normal life and exploring the universe (but risking never getting back).
JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone: Though done quite subtly, this is Draco Malfoy's function throughout the first book — he offers Harry his hand in friendship and thus causes Harry to openly refuse it and Slytherin House, instigates the Rememberall fiasco that ends in Harry becoming Seeker, tricks Harry into the midnight duel that leads to him finding Fluffy, and practically leads Harry right to the villain during detention in the Forbidden Forest. Basically, if Draco Malfoy hadn't been around in Philosopher's Stone, Voldy might've risen before the school year ended.
In James Swallow's Warhammer 40000 Blood Angels novel Red Fury, Gorn insists that Rafen give him the message intended for Lord Seth. Rafen demands to be treated with respect. Gorn's reaction is that he has some fire after all.

Live Action TV

Cordelia Chase, in season 1 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, provides an excellent example of a non-adversarial Threshold Guardian: when she invites Buffy to join the popular girls' clique, she forces Buffy to choose between her calling as the Slayer and her desire to be a popular girl.
- The demon Skip acts as one for Cordelia herself. Making her choose between her dream, or her duty as Angel's seer.
Sebastian, the Vorlon inquisitor, in Babylon 5 tests Delenn's commitment.

Mythology

Almost all of the strange people and creatures encountered by the Knights of the Round Table while on the Grail Quest acted as Threshold Guardians; most knights failed their challenges.
- Mirrored specifically by the Three Trials in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

Video Games

Astral quests in the roleplaying game Shadowrun explicitly invoke a Threshold Guardian to challenge the mage seeking higher wisdom.
In Diablo II, the Ancients in Act 5.
In the God Of War series, many of these stand in Kratos's way, such as sacrificing a random soldier through incineration.
Dark Sector features such a guardian; moreover, the level where it appears is actually called 'Threshold Guardian.'
In World Of Warcraft, certain raid encounters are known as "gear checks". A Party Wipe on one is a subtle hint from the developers that you might not fare any better on the later encounters.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has one in the main game in the form of Lucien La Chance, your ticket into the Dark Brotherhood, and a second in its Shivering Isles expansion, in the form of Servile Snarker / Only Sane Man Haskill. Both these characters greet you in a conversation after passing a prerequisite for their respective factions, and offer you the archetypal choice of turning your back on them and leading a normal life or undertaking their quests.
In Devil May Cry 3, Most of the bosses function like this, and Defeat Means Friendship in the Mega Man style. Dante cheerfully tears his way through all of them regardless, but three of the bosses in particular(Ceberus, Agni and Rudra, and the Shadow) function as true Threshold Guardians. The Shadow gets special mention because it has both literal and metaphorical significance...which Dante promptly subverts.
Dante: *After entering a roiling door of shadow, sees his own shadow rise up from the floor and take on his Devil Trigger countenance*
Dante: "I know why you're here. You're here to ask me some questions. Well too bad, I've already answered them myself. I don't need you anymore."
Shadow: *Draws its sword.*
Dante: "Come on, you poser."
- Lady and Vergil are both Threshold Guardians of the metaphorical sort. Really, the entire game actually serves as this.

Web Original

The wonderflonium heist and death ray construction in Dr Horribles Sing Along Blog each represent thresholds on Dr. Horrible's Start Of Darkness. The hesitation in the first — and lack of hesitation in the second — signal exactly how far down the slippery slope the hero has gone.

Web Comics