From Villain to Hero

[Zakuro]

If a villain killed himself, saving the world from himself, did that make him a hero?

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

Was Hitler a hero?

Jokes aside, not really. Why didn't villain just stop doing what it was that threatened the world?
If it's a chain of events he started intentionally but changed his mind then he's just paying for his mistake.
I suppose if he spent a lot of time and effort to right his wrong only to die to fix it, might be considered heroic in a way.

 

[georgelee5786]

No because that doesnt absolve him of his sins

 

[AliceShiki]

That depends.

Was the villain being possessed by some evil being of sorts, or maybe taken over by madness, then in a moment of lucidity they realized that they could no longer let the evil/madness control them, so they decided to kill themselves? That's totally a hero alright. Sacrificing themselves for the greater good and stuff.

Was the villain just plain evil and suicided when they gave up when faced with the inevitability of their defeat? That's still a villain.

Was the villain someone who was doing evil deeds for a while, then eventually realized the evil of their ways, but at this point it was too late to make amends or stop the incoming flow of horrible events with anything other than their own death, so they decided to sacrifice themselves to save the world from the very problems that they caused? That is a bit debatable, but it can be considered a hero. It's someone who saw the error in their ways and decided to do whatever it took to fix the mess that they caused, even if it meant sacrificing themselves in the process... At the very least, it would be an act of repentance, or a honorable sacrifice, but can also be seen as something heroic. It's up to each person's judgement at this point.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

That's called being a martyr.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Let's have a hypothetical. Let's say that Hitler, Stalin, or Mou went back in time to when they were a baby, knowing all the death and suffering that would come from them growing up. Would killing themselves as a baby take back all the stuff they did or would they simply create a timeline where they didn't exist and someone else does the exact same thing they would have done had they lived. There is also the possibility of all existence crashing in on itself due to breaking the rules of time. Would they be a hero for preventing that future? Or would they still be a villain for unknowingly creating an even worse future? I think I lost my train of thought during this hypothetical. Now it just sounds like a trolley rant.

 

[Cipiteca396]

I think I lost my train of thought during this hypothetical

The way to conclude would be: They need to do good to be a hero. So instead of killing themself, they'd have to put in the effort to fix the damage they caused.

In the extremely unusual case where they can't stop doing bad things unless they kill themselves, that's a heroic sacrifice yes, but it doesn't necessarily make them a hero.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

No.

 

[melchi]

Let's have a hypothetical. Let's say that Hitler, Stalin, or Mou went back in time to when they were a baby, knowing all the death and suffering that would come from them growing up. Would killing themselves as a baby take back all the stuff they did or would they simply create a timeline where they didn't exist and someone else does the exact same thing they would have done had they lived. There is also the possibility of all existence crashing in on itself due to breaking the rules of time. Would they be a hero for preventing that future? Or would they still be a villain for unknowingly creating an even worse future? I think I lost my train of thought during this hypothetical. Now it just sounds like a trolley rant.

There was an episode of tales from the dark side that had this premise. A woman ended up going back in time as a maid in baby hitler's house. She really agonized over what to do and eventually gave up her life to kill Hitler. The episode ended with one of the other maids stealing a baby from some gypsies and pretending nothing happened.

 

[Ssthat]

no, i think the villain should stay evil.