Epic clashes

When it comes to the hero of the tale facing off against their rival, opponent or ultimate test there usually has to be some kind of clash; final battles, meetings of the mind, wars and the such like are the kind of things that tend to happen in action-based fiction.


In most cases the epic clashes fall down to being one-on-one. The hero has been on a journey of some sorts which spans across both physical and mental experiences. What results is often the most difficult challenge the character faces, often one they don't see themselves finishing in one piece.

Its a battle of greatest assets, with both sides using the same feats of strength as the other in order to make the story even and ensure the clash lasts as long as it can; the longer the conflict goes on, the longer we can see and appreciate the struggle's opposing motives. Sometimes the rivals fight for the same thing but its rare for it to be for the same conclusion

Whether its Neo v Smith, Harry v Voldemort, Holmes v Moriarty or any other iconic set of rivals the conflict will normally see the end of one of the characters, or both! Or just one because the other miraculously survives a fatal fall down a waterfall...what?
Its very rare that the hero loses and the villains win and the moment we realise that the tension is lost to an extent. I know I have experienced a few stories and definately a few games where the heroes give all they have just to end up failing. The interesting thing about those rare endings is that the fate of the story universe is much more complex in the hands of the villain and opens up much more potential for future narrative than, 'and they lived happily ever after'. 

Personally, I think the clash is essential in the kinds of stories I like to write, just as it was in the examples given here. From looking into these kinds of epic clashes and the success of the long-running story as a whole I have noticed that (excluding this Gandalf/Balrog scene) the clashes that happen in these narratives are not definitive and set the stage for struggle to continue until the time is right. If Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort in the fourth story but had those that remained faithful to deal with in the remaining three its pretty safe to guess that the ending stories would have failed.

The rivals are often set out quite early, and then we can see the character grow through their clashes with their rival until the time that they are ready to return as equals. A purely one-sided clash of power would not excite a reader unless there was some kind of plot twist that was set up so that the reader can have the satisfaction of knowing that their side won in the end. I hope that I can create similar scenes in my own writing to keep alive the awesomeness of the action-epic scenes, though just a fraction of that recognition would be more than what I could dream for from my own work.