Percy Jackson and the Olympians is the Show Young Men Need

It would be easy to write off Percy Jackson & the Olympians as just a children’s fantasy series. It follows the familiar path where a young boy discovers he has special powers and may actually be the Chosen One who will lead to the protection or destruction of his respective magical world. There’s also a goofy sense of humor permeating the series that some may perceive as juvenile. 

However, in this day and age where we see more and more young men succumb to the pitfalls of toxic masculinity and harmful ideals rooted in outdated patriarchy, Percy Jackson & the Olympians actually holds a lot of importance. The series and its lead character feel like a powerful and necessary beacon for this generation of young men.

Don’t get me wrong, Percy is by no means perfect. He’s stubborn and gets in his own way. He doesn’t always think through his plans and can be cocky sometimes. But his imperfections make him a terrific role model.

He carries unimaginable power, but falls into the trappings that a lot of teenage boys fall into. In fact, he often owns his imperfection despite the enormous expectation placed on him. What makes Percy stand out is that he consistently acknowledges his shortcomings and works through them.

Men carry this intense stigma to bottle emotions and never show weakness. Percy has zero problem admitting his weaknesses and often defaults to someone more knowledgeable or skilled. When figuring out how to contact their mentor, Chiron, he defaults to Annabeth to plan on Percy Jackson & the Olympians Season 2 Episode 2, “Demon Pigeons Attack.”

Percy knows Annabeth is far more clever than he is and is willing to embrace that. Furthermore, he’s not intimidated by Annabeth’s smarts. In fact, he admires that about her.

He holds a lot of reverence for all the women in his life. Be it Annabeth, his mother, Sally, or even Clarisse, Percy strives to protect them, but also understands and accepts that sometimes they need to protect him. The series proudly features strong, complicated women and creates space to navigate the multitudes they contain.

The other young men in Percy’s party also challenge patriarchal expectations of male-identifying heroes.

One of Grover’s biggest powers in Season 2 is an empathy link established with Percy. This enables him to communicate via dreams as well as feel what his friends are experiencing. His greatest power literally hinges on empathy and connection. 

A young, male-identifying character tapping into empathy and using it powerfully and positively breaks through a lot of traditional male depictions. It feels huge to have someone like that on TV.

Tyson is also a direct subversion of traditional masculinity. As a large cyclops, many expect him to be violent, but he’s actually gentle, emotional, and soft. On the rare occasion Tyson does resort to violence, he feels great remorse.

On Percy Jackson & the Olympians Season 2 Episode 3, “We Board the Princess Andromeda,” Tyson comments that a real hero is someone who stands up for others. He doesn’t want the power or glory that many seek when embarking on a hero’s journey. Tyson prioritizes the people.

Then there’s Luke, one of the main antagonists. 

Percy and Luke feel like opposite sides of the same coin. Both harbor a bit of resentment for the way the gods treat their demigod children. But both navigate their anger and pain differently. 

Luke serves as a cautionary tale. His story is one of a young man who allows his anger to fester. A powerful being then encourages him to tap into that anger and use it as a guide.

On Percy Jackson & the Olympians Season 2 Episode 5, “We Check In to C.C.’s Spa & Resort,” he’s shown that his fatal flaw is his love for his friends and family. If given the choice between destroying Olympus forever and his friends, he would choose his friends. Percy isn’t thrilled with the gods either.

On the other hand, Luke would also burn Olympus to the ground, but not out of protecting his friends or love. He is doing it out of anger and, although he firmly believes what he’s doing is right, rooting his cause in violence and rage only creates more devastation and tragedy. Leading with anger is not conducive. 

Percy Jackson & the Olympians‘ core conflict centers on two young men, one leading with anger and one leading with love. We see first hand how destructive that anger can be both internally and to the world at large. We also see how anger can be justified, but it must also exist hand in hand with love and compassion.

The male-identifying heroes of Percy Jackson & the Olympians positively showcase young men finding true strength and power from friendship and compassion. Though they have their flaws, their north star remains love. They’re bettered by that love.

Without directly saying it, these characters and this show give permission to audiences, specifically young men, to embrace empathy. A major series on a major platform highlighting this is so important. With its reach, one can only hope audiences embrace its messaging and take it to heart.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians airs Wednesdays on Disney+.

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