History Main / BrokenPedestal

** For the entire series, Summer Rose, Ruby's mother and Yang's step-mother, was seen as a mythical figure for the girls, especially the former: a do-no-wrong huntress who inspired Ruby to become a Huntress thanks to the various stories she read, whose only real sin was the fact that she left her for a mission and died, never coming back. Then, in the final episode of Volume 9, [[spoiler:Ruby learned that the day she left, she lied to her and Taiyang about the severity of the mission in an attempt to spare them, but believed that the mission she went on wasn't so bad that she could come back]]. This crushed Ruby badly as she had attempted to use the Ever After's ascendency mechanics to "become" Summer and help her shoulder her burden. However, Summer's last words helped Ruby understand to just BeYourself.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'':

* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'': [[https://youtu.be/YxU_l319msI Karin saw restaurant owner Akamatsu]] as a nice old man who cooked good food. But a bad phone call from him at work ([[WhatYouAreInTheDark with him not noticing that it was her]]) led her to find out that [[BitchInSheepsClothing he wasn't as nice as he appeared to be]]. Not to mention [[DomesticAbuser his abuse of his wife]]. The final nail in the coffin: The good food Akamatsu cooked actually came from said abused wife, [[TheOneThingIDontHateAboutYou eliminating the one redeeming quality he had left]].

-->It was the third of September
-->That day I'll always remember, yes I will
-->'Cause that was the day, that my daddy died
-->I never got a chance to see him

* The trope is interestingly deconstructed in Music/ImeldaMay's "Human", in which the singer insists on being loved for her true self instead of being idealised:

Related to BeleagueredChildhoodFriend, FakeUltimateHero, FalseFriend, BigBadFriend. Compare FallenHero and HistoricalHeroUpgrade. Also compare DefiledForever, MyGirlIsNotASlut, UnpleasantParentReveal, DisappointingHeritageReveal. Also coincides with NiceCharacterMeanActor since an encounter with such a person can lead to this. Also see ReplacementPedestal, for when a character who is disillusioned with a former role model finds a better one to look up to. Contrast EvilMentor (who was ObviouslyEvil from the beginning), RebuiltPedestal (when a formerly Broken Pedestal is forgiven or exonerated) and BlindObedience (when this usually isn't the case). Not to be confused with BrokenBase.

Related to BeleagueredChildhoodFriend, FakeUltimateHero, FalseFriend, BigBadFriend. Compare FallenHero and HistoricalHeroUpgrade. Also compare DefiledForever, MyGirlIsNotASlut, UnpleasantParentReveal, and DisappointingHeritageReveal. Also coincides with NiceCharacterMeanActor since an encounter with such a person can lead to this. Also see ReplacementPedestal, for when a character who is disillusioned with a former role model finds a better one to look up to. Contrast EvilMentor (who was ObviouslyEvil from the beginning), RebuiltPedestal (when a formerly Broken Pedestal is forgiven or exonerated) and BlindObedience (when this usually isn't the case). Not to be confused with BrokenBase.

Related to BeleagueredChildhoodFriend, FakeUltimateHero, FalseFriend and BigBadFriend. Compare FallenHero and HistoricalHeroUpgrade. Also compare DefiledForever, MyGirlIsNotASlut, UnpleasantParentReveal, and DisappointingHeritageReveal. Also coincides with NiceCharacterMeanActor since an encounter with such a person can lead to this. Also see ReplacementPedestal, for when a character who is disillusioned with a former role model finds a better one to look up to. Contrast with EvilMentor, who was ObviouslyEvil from the beginning. Not to be confused with BrokenBase. Also contrast RebuiltPedestal, when a formerly Broken Pedestal is forgiven or exonerated. Contrast with BlindObedience where this usually isn't the case.

** ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'': A CentralTheme of ''Resolve'', the latter game in the duology, is confronting the fact that your loved ones and idols are often deeply flawed individuals who are just as capable of wrongdoing as everyone else. Ryunosuke, Kazuma, Gina, Maria, and Barok are all forced to accept that their heroes--Kazuma, Genshin Asogi, Inspector Gregson, Dr. Sithe, and Klint van Zieks--have all compromised what they stood for and committed truly reprehensible acts such as collusion in assassination, murder, conspiracy, high treason, police corruption, and even serial murder, even if for understandable or sympathetic reasons.

** ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'': A CentralTheme of ''Resolve'', the latter game in the duology, is confronting the fact that your loved ones and idols are often deeply flawed individuals who are just as capable of wrongdoing as everyone else. Ryunosuke, Kazuma, Gina, Maria, and Barok are all forced to accept the fact their greatest heroes--Kazuma, Genshin Asogi, Inspector Gregson, Dr. Sithe, and Klint van Zieks--have all compromised what they stood for and committed truly reprehensible acts such as collusion in assassination, murder, conspiracy, high treason, police corruption, and even serial murder, even if for understandable or sympathetic reasons.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TadTheLostExplorer'', Tad was a big fan of Max Mordon's TV show, because he made archeology fun for him. However, Tad ends up detesting Max during the film's events when he finds out that Max is the head of [[BlackMarket a smuggling ring that stole archaeological finds to sell to highest bidder]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TadTheLostExplorer'', Tad was a big fan of Max Mordon's TV show, because he made archeology fun for him. However, he ends up detesting him during the film's events when he finds out that Max was the head of [[BlackMarket a smuggling ring that stole archaeological finds to sell to highest bidder]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TadTheLostExplorer'', Tad was a big fan of Max Mordon's TV show, because he made archeology fun, but then detested him when he found out that Max was the head of [[BlackMarket a smuggling ring that stole archaeological finds to sell to highest bidder]].

Related to BeleagueredChildhoodFriend, FakeUltimateHero, FalseFriend and BigBadFriend. Compare FallenHero and HistoricalHeroUpgrade. Also compare DefiledForever, MyGirlIsNotASlut, and UnpleasantParentReveal. Also coincides with NiceCharacterMeanActor since an encounter with such a person can lead to this. Also see ReplacementPedestal, for when a character who is disillusioned with a former role model finds a better one to look up to. Contrast with EvilMentor, who was ObviouslyEvil from the beginning. Not to be confused with BrokenBase. Also contrast RebuiltPedestal, when a formerly Broken Pedestal is forgiven or exonerated. Contrast with BlindObedience where this usually isn't the case.

When this trope is in play, if [[TheHerosIdol you look up to someone]], chances are good that they're [[{{Jerkass}} the scum of the earth]]. At the very least, they’re not what you think they are -- or they ''were'', but time has passed and the luster has faded. (This is particularly likely if the audience has just heard about them for the first time). If you're in law enforcement, you'll probably suffer the double blow of seeing their darkest secrets ''and'' having to be the one to put them in handcuffs. If your idol was your teacher, you'll find yourself repeating -- [[IronicEcho with bitter irony]] -- some maxim or mantra that you still hold but your mentor has since abandoned.

When this trope is in play, if [[TheHerosIdol you look up to someone]], chances are good that they're [[{{Jerkass}} the scum of the earth]]. At least, they’re not what you think they are -- or they ''were'', but time has passed and the luster has faded. (This is particularly likely if the audience has just heard about them for the first time). If you're in law enforcement, you'll probably suffer the double blow of seeing their darkest secrets ''and'' having to be the one to put them in handcuffs. If your idol was your teacher, you'll find yourself repeating -- [[IronicEcho with bitter irony]] -- some maxim or mantra that you still hold but your mentor has since abandoned.

What makes a pedestal break varies, but it runs anywhere from a good person who abandoned their ideals or [[FaceHeelTurn switched sides]] to a monster who was EvilAllAlong. Most of the time, the idol kept his shining image by hiding or suppressing anything damning, but sometimes the fault was in those who worshiped him and saw an overly idealized image instead of the real person. Or maybe others saw the signs of bad in them, but the one who supported the idol, a friend of theirs, insisted that the idol had a HiddenHeartOfGold that only they could see, [[PostSupportRegret only to realize everyone else was right about them all along]]. Expect them to ask, "WasItAllALie" Is also frequently a result of a DeceptiveLegacy or InsidiousRumorMill being revealed to the deceived parties.

Related to BeleagueredChildhoodFriend, FakeUltimateHero, FalseFriend and BigBadFriend. Compare FallenHero and HistoricalHeroUpgrade. Also compare DefiledForever, MyGirlIsNotASlut, and UnpleasantParentReveal. Also coincides with NiceCharacterMeanActor since an encounter with such a person can lead to this. Contrast with EvilMentor, who was ObviouslyEvil from the beginning. Not to be confused with BrokenBase. Also contrast RebuiltPedestal, when a formerly Broken Pedestal is forgiven or exonerated. Contrast with BlindObedience where this usually isn't the case.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':

* In ''Machinima/SmashKing'', Samus becomes this towards Peach, who initially saw her as a role model before Samus and her team attempted to take Bowser to the Creator against his will. This trope also applies to Wario, as his one-sided crush on her completely vanishes once this is revealed.

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'': [[spoiler:Mr. Waternoose becomes this to Sulley when the latter finds out the former's involvement in Randall's plans of kidnapping children to solve the energy crisis.]]