Archetype
The mentor
Also known as: the wise old man, the sage
The wise guide who trains, counsels, and equips the hero, and whose loss often propels the hero forward.
The mentor in fiction: 4 works
The Overlords act as guiding, superior tutors ushering humanity toward its next stage.
The monolith acts as an inscrutable guide advancing humanity at each threshold.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is the wise guide who trains Luke and dies to advance him.
Morpheus is the guide who recruits, trains, and believes in the chosen Neo.