Is there a way to use "the chosen one" trope without sounding cliche?

Question

I've been told that the chosen one trope is terrible, because it's cliche and it also removes the agency from the protagonist, but I am wondering if there's a way to spin that trope and make it original, and if we can also address the fact it may remove the agency from the protagonist.

Answer 1

Blurred prophecy

Majority of the Chosen One characters are so because some kind of prophecy. But prophecies can be vague, and in that lies opportunity to shake things up a little.

Purpose One way to shake things up is to have the purpose a bit more vague. To have it unknown if the Chose One is the Chosen One to save or to destroy.

Anakin/Vader from Star Wars for example.. the Jedi believed the prophecy that would bring balance to the force would mean it would destroy the dark side...in truth it leveled them.

If your prophecy is vague enough about the chosen ones destiny you can have him endure inner conflict and suspicion from others... with friends and allies for example seeing him slightly slip to the "dark side" and thinking of (or actually) betraying him to prevent the prophecy to come true while initially even trying to make it come true.

Who? You could possibly make it vague to who is the chose one, this way you could have the character doubt he is the right one or have a plot twist revealing he never was.

Harry Potter semi did this by making the prophecy about a boy born during the end of July making both Harry and Neville candidates. It's kinda a shame that it wasn't a major plot point seeing before the books begin it is already determined Harry was the one of the two.

It was all a lie There was no real chose one, just a children's bedtime story people took to serious.

If such a revelation comes to the character midway through the story it could impact his view on himself and the world, especially if he was raised to believe he was the chose one.