Mentors come in all shapes and sizes. They can be dedicated teachers who face their student's challenges beside them. They can be wistful characters who come in and out of the story with impactful words of advice. However they appear, there is no underscoring the importance that mentor characters have in our favorite films.
After all, the hero's journey contains an "old man" trope that's purpose is to lead the main character from their known world into the unknown world. They are the characters that equip the protagonist with the tools they need to survive the new world they are about to enter. Sound familiar?
20 Uncle Ben
We all came to know Peter Parker as an exceptionally intelligent teenager in the many versions of Spider-Man's origin story. After incurring one mean radio-active spider bite and super human powers to boot, Peter matches his intelligence with his newfound strength to create an alter-ego. At first, he decides to use his power for personal gain, as he enters a wrestling tournament with intent to win the grand prize.
Perhaps Spider-Man would have been nothing more than Peter's side hustle if it were not for the mentor in his life, Uncle Ben. Growing up without a father, Uncle Ben was there for Peter as his adult male role model. Spider-Man's philosophy was forever shaped by Uncle Ben's short but meaningful six word phrase, "with great power comes great responsibility".
19 Mushu
The wisecracking dragon guardian to titular character Mulan, Mushu is a fun-loving sidekick who aids Mulan on her adventures. At first, he helps Mulan to reclaim his position as protector of the Fa family after being briefly disgraced. Eventually he chooses to fully embody his role and chooses to help Mulan out of the goodness in his heart, not because his job is on the line. Good for a laugh and the occasional elder's word of advice, Mushu is a widely beloved deuteragonist.
18 Haymitch
A former champion of The Hunger Games, Haymitch is tasked to advise Katniss and Peta on their journey through the games. After losing his whole family and being forced to kill during his own hunger games, Haymitch has bad post-traumatic stress disorder. What's worse is that he self-medicates with alcohol, a solution he offers to Katniss who finds herself going along with it a bit before taking up her role as the Mockingjay. Problematic at times, Haymitch is a hurt individual who does his best to mentor the young champions he feels so much empathy for.
17 Coach Boone
Brilliantly portrayed by Denzel Washington, Coach Herman Boone was a real life football coach whose astounding career served as the basis for the film Remember the Titans. Working as a physical education teacher and football coach in Williamston, North Carolina, his team went on to be called the number one football team in America before Boone would leave the program due to the high school's local not taking too kindly to a black football coach.
Moving on to a new career at T.C Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, Boone was tasked with coaching one of the very first integrated football teams in America. That team would go on to garner national media attention, and their successful football season is the plot of the film.
16 Mary Poppins
Who else but her could teach us to brighten up the drab parts of life with just a spoonful of sugar? Mary Poppins is one of the most iconic characters in fiction. The perfect Nanny who comes floating in on a warm breeze and leaves you and your children with a smile on your faces and a lightness in your hearts. To parents, she is a priceless caretaker. To children, she is the ultimate mentor of how to do life merrily all the way.
Poppins teaches the Banks' children how to look after their bedrooms, their health and hygiene all with a song and dance they won't soon forget. Together, they engage in play and flex the muscles of their imaginations, an important lesson to all, young or old. Just like that warm breeze she came in on, she leaves just as fast, but they'll never forget how pleasant it was just to meet her.
15 Professor Keating
The brilliant and vivacious English teacher John Keating encourages the Welton Academy students to rebel against their parents and other professors. His name is reminiscent of the great English Romantic poet John Keats, whose celebration of life and creativity may have served as an inspiration for Keating's. Keating, a brilliant Rhodes scholar and former Welton student, starts teaching at the school in 1959 and quickly leaves an impression on his students, who aren't used to such engaging, fascinating classes. Keating encourages his kids to "seize the day"—that is, accomplish amazing, unique things as opposed to just copying their parents and professors. The pupils are motivated by his example to resurrect the Dead Poets Society, a covert organization that Keating formerly belonged to.
14 Master Shifu
Master Shifu is a red panda who was once a pupil to the great Master Oogway in the Kung-Fu Panda series. Somewhat stern, Shifu takes the martial arts very serious as they are the means by which the valley of peace remains protected. When Po was chosen to become the dragon warrior, Shifu was flabbergasted and doubtful. However, as Shifu came to better understand Po and his great potential, he became more supportive and stepped up to the plate as a great mentor to the dumpling loving panda played by Jack Black.
13 Rafiki
Representing shamanism in Disney's The Lion King, Rafiki is an eccentric figure whose wisdom can come as a shock to those who don't know any better. Not only is he the one who blessed Simba's birth and anointed him Prince of the pride lands by famously lifting him up, presenting him to the kingdom, but he is also the one who helped guide Simba back home in his hour of need. Carrying around a stick that rattles as he walks and frequently painting the faces of himself and others, Rafiki can seem like a goofy character. The truth is, he is a sage with a powerful connection to nature and the elements.
12 Alfred
The faithful Butler of the Wayne family, Alfred Pennyworth is a lifetime servant to the Batman. After the death of Bruce Wayne's parents, Alfred was all Bruce had in terms of family. A father figure and wise mentor, Alfred has always been there in times of doubt, for both the Batman side of things and the everyday life of Bruce Wayne. A true English gentleman, Alfred is always prepared with a word of advice in the form of a witty quip or anecdotal analogy.
11 Genie
Robin Williams naturally has a knack for playing mentorship roles, even in the animated form. This is the second time one of his characters makes an appearance on this list, and it won't be the last. Genie from Aladdin comes out of the magic lamp with a spectrum of personality that is to be expected from Williams as a comedic actor. Aside from making a spectacle of himself, Genie is held in a predicament of captivity to the lamp from which he was trapped.
Alladin cleverly earns Genie's trust and friendship by using one of his wishes to buy Genie's freedom. The two are bonded by this. Though Genie is much older and more infinitely wise than Alladin, he is taken aback by the boy's natural sympathy and cleverness. While Genie is more the traditional mentor in the relationship, they share a healthy back and forth of care for each other.
10 Jiminy Cricket
You know you're doing something wrong if this guy has to show up in your story. Jiminy Cricket has been an important character in many of Disney's animated works including but not limited to Pinocchio and A Christmas Carol. The English gentle person of a cricket is fitted with a proper top hat and white gloves. He's been known to act omnisciently and seemingly bend the laws of time and space like some fourth dimensional being. If you're engaging with a fairy tale, chances are he could show up with some insightful advice or a harsh truth you need to hear. As a character, he is somewhat mysterious and unexplored. His main purpose is to be one hell of a narrative device.
9 Coach Carter
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With a hard exterior, Ken Carter is a seemingly ruthless high school basketball coach who expects to get the best out of his athletes. Played by Samuel L Jackson in the film Coach Carter, the character is based on the real life story of Ken Carter and the team he coached during the 1999 season. Raised very strictly when it comes to academics, Coach Carter expected as much from his athletes. In addition to training hard on the court, he lit a fire inside the players to succeed in an academic setting. This taught them the importance of their education as it can serve as a gateway to many of life's opportunities.
8 Sean Maguire
Often considered to be one of the most significant roles of Robin William's impressive career, his work as Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting has something to offer everyone who watches the film. As the state assigned therapist to title character Will Hunting, Sean goes on an emotional journey with Will through his past traumas that ends up being an experience healing for both doctor and patient. As Maguire unveils his own troubles to Will Hunting, Will is able to lower his guard and empathize with his therapist. Hearing Sean's story from Will's perspective, the audience is led through a similar experience. Thus, why this character role played by Williams, and therefore, this movie had such an impact on all who've seen it.
7 Dumbledore
The sole figure which Harry Potter looks up to perhaps the most throughout the series; Albus Dumbledore is a powerful wizard who is revered by all who stand with him, and feared by those who don't. For the first few Harry Potter movies, Dumbledore tends to show up at the most convenient times with the right words to say that serve as a takeaway for Harry's adventure. Later in the series however, Dumbledore becomes a more serious mentor to Harry, as they explore the boundaries of Harry's mysterious link to Lord Voldemort.
We see multiple sides of Dumbledore from the fourth film onwards. We see his anger, his strength, we see him begging for mercy as he is intentionally poisoning himself to thwart one of Voldemort's puzzles. The relationship between Harry and Dumbledore is important to stipulate on since there is a silent passing of the torch between them as the greatest wizards of their time respectively. The torch passing is symbolized by Harry's repossession of the Elder Wand in the battle at Hogwarts.
6 Mufasa
Though The Lion King is based on Hamlet, it has one important emotional component that Shakespeare failed to provide. Early in the story, Simba's relationship to his father Mufasa is established. Their interactions together make Mufasa's death later on so much more emotionally potent for the audience since they have known what a good father he was through Simba's eyes. In Hamlet, the king is dead from the very beginning, and also was not played by James Earle Jones, so who's winning now Shakespeare?
Mufasa teaches Simba a lesson which is universal and begs to be understood by all living beings. He speaks on the circle of life; how the antelope eat the grass, the lions eat the antelope and when the lion's die they eventually decompose into the grass the antelope feed on. It is very simply put in the Disney animated film, yet is a high level concept pertaining to the conservational laws of energy and matter. We could all learn something from Mufasa.
5 Obi-Wan Kenobi
The perfect fit for the wise old man archetype, Obi-Wan as we saw him in the original Star Wars, is one of film's ultimate mentors. Considering how perfectly archetypical Star Wars is overall as a story, it is no surprise how Obi-Wan duly fits his role in the hero's journey who takes the protagonist from the world they understood into a new world full of adversity waiting which begs to be conquered.
He teaches Luke Skywalker about the force and how to use a lightsaber. Ultimately, it is hearing Obi-Wan's voice after his death which gives Luke full faith in the powers of the force and allows him to fully embody his powers as a young Jedi. The reveal that Obi-Wan was once the master of Luke's own father adds layers to his emotional value as a character in Luke's life that has since been expanded upon through the prequel trilogy and the Obi-Wan miniseries.
4 Mr. Miyagi
A quintessential mentor character in the history of American cinema, Mr. Miyagi blends the right amount of mystery and wisdom that has seen him remembered throughout our culture as an all-time teacher. The character itself has become so synonymous with mentorship that anytime you teach a skill to a friend, they may fondly refer to you as Mr. Miyagi, or as engaging in the act of "miyagi-ing" them.
Daniel-San is a character which is so easy for young people to identify with, it's no wonder the story of the karate kid has been such a phenomenal success in film history. Like Star Wars, it is just a staple of our culture today. Because of that, Miyagi will continue to go down in history as an important mentor figure, wether the youth is exposed to The Karate Kid or not. Now go catch a fly with chopsticks.
3 Gandalf
The ultimate wizard in the eyes of so many, Gandalf the Grey, later called Gandalf the White, is the mentor to the protagonist of one of the most popular works of fiction ever made; The Lord of the Rings. Through his magnetic charm, he convinces two generations of Baggins to go on a quest for justice through Middle Earth. His presence and appearance is enigmatic, what people have come to view as the look of your stereotypical wizard; long flowing beard, tall hat, smoking a pipe, the works.
2 Master Splinter
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After years of living as a beloved pet rat to the evil Shredder, TMNT's Splinter learned to master the art of ninja by copying the movements of his owner. Eventually, Shredder and the foot clan would move from Japan to Manhattan, New York; a new city where he and Splinter became estranged. Living in the sewers like no more than a common city rat, Splinter came across four turtles who surrounded a mysterious chemical spill.
Splinter took in the young turtles as his own children and quickly realized all of them were having a strange reaction from interacting with the chemical ooze. Splinter and the four turtles began to grow rapidly in both size and intellect, eventually they all learned to speak. They became so smart that Splinter taught them all the art of ninja. As their father figure, he always made sure the teenage mutant ninja turtles knew from right and wrong and of course he had to name them after the most exquisite of all Renaissance artists.
1 Master Yoda
Perhaps the most powerful Jedi of all time, Master Yoda has been the teacher to countless powerful Jedi. Mace Windu, Luke Skywalker, and even the sinister Count Dooku just to name a few. With a seemingly infinite wisdom, Yoda is a figure who is consistently there to provide answers throughout the Star Wars films. Wether his council is sought by Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padmae, or the Wookies, Yoda always seems to know what to say. Such is a testament to his ultimate commitment to the Jedi way, and his strong connection to the infinite energy and wisdom of the force.
In our culture, Yoda has come to light as a figure which represents ultimate wisdom. He can be seen as representing such in fan-made stain glass windows or Buddhic statues. Your friends may even scratch their voice and speak backwards as Yoda does when they try to give you advice.