"The Natural" - More Than Just Baseball? My Take on Hobbs as a Mythic Hero

Okay, hear me out, cinephiles! I just re-watched "The Natural" (1984) and I'm buzzing with thoughts. We all know the basic story: Roy Hobbs comes seemingly out of nowhere to save a struggling team, but I think there's SO much more going on visually than just a sports movie. I think director Barry Levinson is deliberately playing with mythic archetypes, especially in the way Caleb Deschanel (cinematographer) lights and frames Hobbs. Specifically, think about the batting sequence when Hobbs hits his first home run. The light seems to emanate from him, making him almost god-like. The slow motion, the golden hues… it's all designed to elevate him to something beyond just a talented baseball player. It's like he's some kind of chosen one, destined to bring light (literally!) to the downtrodden Knights. And the whole 'Wonderboy' bat thing? Totally Arthurian! It's his Excalibur, granting him power and legend. And think about the scene when he gets poisoned and falls ill. It's almost a Christ-like sacrifice, where he takes on the darkness of the corrupt Judge to save the team. I know it might sound like I'm reaching, but the visual cues are just too strong to ignore. I've been thinking...even Memo Paris adds to the mythic element. She's painted as the bad woman, the temptress who leads Roy astray. It's a classic Greek tragedy trope, right? Fate vs. Free Will, and Roy choosing wrong. I wonder what other visual or thematic choices support, or don't support, this archetype-driven theory? What do you guys think? Am I totally off base? I just gotta know!! One last thought... the ending. Is Roy Hobbs really a hero, after everything? Or is he ultimately a tragic figure, a cautionary tale of wasted potential and the corrupting influence of fame? It's definitely not a straight-up happy ending, which I appreciate. Maybe that complicates my whole mythic hero theory...it's not that clean, is it?