History Main / TheParagonAlwaysRebels

* ''Series/{{Sadakatsiz}}'': When Asya, an outstanding doctor loved by all her patients who also does medical research, decides to not resume working at the Asrin Hospital, her assistant Pelin quits as well. When she leaves Tekirdag altogether, two of the hospital's most iconic physicians, Turgay included, do too. Topped with the fact the previous director died, Asrin is nearly led to ruin. PlayedWith as Asya hasn't turned evil but is merely standing up for herself and seeking healthier environments to live/work in.

* Wrestling/AJStyles was known for his loyalty to [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]], having been one of the few constants in the ever-changing company. However, even he believed to be the ultimate company man could only take so much, as he ''had'' always said he worked for who was best for his family (read:who pays the most) and a pay cut in December of 2013 was the last straw, causing AJ Styles to depart, with no less than company founder Wrestling/JeffJarrett following him out the door, along with Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels, Wrestling/FrankieKazarian, Wrestling/SamoaJoe, Wrestling/BobbyRoode, Wrestling/JamesStorm and Wrestling/EricYoung left, leaving Wrestling/{{Abyss}} as the only TNA original, although James Storm came back, because it turned out TNA ''[[MoneyDearBoy was]]'' best for ''[[{{Irony}} his]]'' family.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Henry "Hotspur" in ''Theatre/HenryIV part 1''. Probably the greatest fighter in England, Hotspur and his father were on Henry IV's side in ''Theatre/RichardII'', but become disillusioned sometime between the events of the two plays and rebel against the king. Notably, King Henry thought of Hotspur as the son he should have had (his own son, Hal, is a listless drunkard -- although this turns out to be a massive case of ObfuscatingStupidity).
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'':
** [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerAdora Adora]] was one of the Horde's most dedicated and skilled recruits before her HeelFaceTurn, even being considered for Force Captain.
*** In another sense, [[spoiler:she is also the second She-Ra to balk at her purpose to fire off the Heart of Etheria into the universe and refuses to go along with the plan despite Light Hope's attempt to encourage her by stating she would be remembered as a hero for it]].
* [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] in ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' with the character of Grune, who always wanted to rebel and become his kingdom's [[TheUsurper usurper]] due to his limitless [[AmbitionIsEvil ambition]], and realized that ''becoming'' a paragon by rapidly working his way up the military ladder to [[FourStarBadass General]] was the best way to succeed.

On the other hand on the villains' side, the trope is about when the powerful forces of evil decides enlightenment and good are better options and manages to convince everybody who look up to him, turning them to the light side as well. This is the distinction from HopeBringer: He's not just redeeming, he's making sure to take everyone else with him.

On one hand on the heroes' side, it is about when the brightest beacon of hope and good decides despair and evil are better options and manages to worm his way into the hearts of the men and women who look up to him, turning them to the dark side as well. This is the distinction from FallenHero: He's not just, he's making sure to take everyone else with him.

When the good guy leading by example rebels and does a FaceHeelTurn, and others continue to follow his example and turn to the "dark side" along with him.

What happens when someone like that [[FaceHeelTurn turns evil]]?

This trope is about when the brightest beacon of hope and good decides despair and evil are better options and manages to worm his way into the hearts of the men and women who look up to him, turning them to the dark side as well. This is the distinction from FallenHero: He's not just falling, he's making sure to take everyone else with him.

Compare FallenAngel, FallenHero, BrokenPedestal. See also TheParagon. Can also be a case of BigBadSlippage. Expect him to be the HerosEvilPredecessor.

* Franchise/GreenLantern:

** Originally applied to Hal Jordan - Green Lantern of the Silver Age - who fell from grace during the 90s when the Guardians refused to give him enough power to restore his home town (which had just been destroyed in an unrelated Superman story arc). Jordan did not take this well and went on a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge killing spree of his fellow Lanterns]] to amass enough power to do so, becoming the villain known as Parallax.
* Pretty much the whole point of DC's ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' video game and comic line. It's set in an alternate universe where Superman suffers a personal tragedy and takes control of the world as its tyrant, and the entire Justice League (save for Batman) goes along with it either out of sympathy for Superman or trust that he has noble goals in mind.
* ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' is ''all about this.'' [[spoiler:And with the rise of The Survivor, it appears to be doing it again.]]

* ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire'': Captain America again. In a tie-in comic, he manages to [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield lift]] [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Mjolnir]] off the ground despite this being Hydra!Cap. This is the driving force behind why so many of the heroes ally with him against their better judgment, since you can't be worthy if you're not good. [[ContinuitySnarl Even though that's not what worthiness actually means in the Thor books]], and it's more about bravery than anything else. Why no one assumes Cap simply has VillainousValour is unknown. [[spoiler:It's revealed that this is not the actual Cap, but a version from an altered timeline where he'd always been a Hydra agent, and him lifting Mjolnir is only possible because the parties responsible for that also changed the nature of the enchantment, but he's still presented as ''a'' real Captain America and nobody knows about the change to Mjolnir until it's restored to normal, so this trope ends up subverted and played straight at the same time.]]

** ''ComicBook/TalesOfTheJedi'' has Exar Kun, one of the most impressive Jedi students of the age, who falls to the dark side and recruits many Jedi to his own cause. He then takes over the Sith, and proceeds to go after the Republic. (Granted, he was a JerkAss to start with, but he was still highly respected.)
* This trope is the focus of Bendis' ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen''. [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] was once the leader of the X-Men, and so obsessively loyal to Xavier's dream that even the others considered him uptight. [[TraumaCongaLine That was a]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters long time ago]], though, and now the group is split between those who despise Scott and those who followed him into rebellion. (A rebellion which began partly because Scott ''killed'' Xavier.)
* Depending on which {{Retcon}} you choose to believe, this may have happened to Xorn of the ''ComicBook/XMen''.

* Creator/JRRTolkien absolutely ''loved'' this trope. In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'':
** Melkor was the greatest of the Valar, and when he fell, he dragged a number of the Maiar with him.
** Likewise, Mairon was the greatest Maia, and he joined Melkor in his rebellion, becoming Sauron.
** Fëanor. The most gifted, talented and intelligent of all ''Noldor'', who rebelled after the theft of the Silmarils, and drew the Noldor -- the High Elves -- with him from the Undying Lands to Beleriand, Middle-Earth, to wage war against Morgoth.
** For a nation-wide example, both the Noldor and Númenor. The Noldor were the most gifted and talented of all Elves, and they rebelled under Fëanor against the Valar. Númenor was the greatest of the nations of Men and specifically chosen by the Elves and Valar for nurturing (because the ancestors of the Númenóreans fought for them against Morgoth). [[AndManGrewProud Then the Númenóreans tried to take over Valinor]] under the mistaken belief it would make them immortal...
** This is something of a running theme in Tolkien. In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', Saruman was the leader of the wizards and widely considered the greatest among them, but was also the only known member of that order to become corrupted. He attempts to take Gandalf with him, but Gandalf sees through him; he still manages to turn his home of Isengard into a major stronghold of evil.

** Another historical example was Daemon Blackfyre, bastard son of Aegon the Unworthy and the causer of the so-called Blackfyre rebellion that tore Westeros in half. He was able to effectively contest for his trueborn brother Daeron's throne because he was seen as the greatest knight of his generation and given the Valyrian Steel sword Blackfyre by his father, whereas Daeron was [[NonActionGuy a scholar with no warrior training]].
* Inverted with Captain John Rumford in ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', who is a ([[DesignatedHero supposedly]]) heroic example rebelling against the [[OppressiveStatesOfAmerica corrupt system]] in the future United States. When we first meet him, he is clearly being groomed for greater things in the USMC, and as we later see, his intellectual, organizing and leadership abilities are in fact prodigious. However, his [[InnocentBigot old-fashioned country boy values]] lead him to protest against feminism in the Corps, getting him cashiered. Then, after some confused floundering about, he begins his second career as a revolutionary.

* In Judeo-Christian mythology, {{Satan}} is sometimes said to have been God's greatest angel, Lucifer (the Light Bringer), who sat at the right hand of God, but rebelled against Him. In some versions, it's out of jealousy over mankind.
* {{Subverted|Trope}} with David in Literature/TheBible. When he was on the run from King Saul, he pretended to serve the Philistines but was really attacking Israel's Enemies.
* Elisha Ben Avuya in Literature/TheTalmud. One of the wisest rabbis of his age, perhaps second only to Rabbi Akiva, he was the teacher of Rabbi Meir and - according to some legends - spiritually enlightened enough to enter Heaven while still alive. He then does a FaceHeelTurn and becomes a heretic and immerses himself in Greek philosophy, after which he is known only as The Other. [[spoiler:Despite explicitly declaring IveComeTooFar, and being told this by God, he arguably achieves DeathEqualsRedemption thanks to his student Meir.]] An AlternativeCharacterInterpretation views him as a rare non-consequentialist example of NecessarilyEvil: his heresy is driven by an ultimately holy search for truth, but that doesn't make it less heretical. [[spoiler:It does explain the DeathEqualsRedemption, though.]]

* [[BiblicalBadGuy Lucifer]] in ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen'' was canonically the most powerful and wise of the Elohim, second only to {{God}} Herself. However, in this case, his "FaceHeelTurn" was not caused by suddenly growing evil but by him shifting priorities from loving God to loving humans, ''just as God ordered him in the first place''. Of course, this being the [[TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness World of Darkness]], things get worse and Lucifer remains a HeroWithBadPublicity.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', in a rare moment this was actually ''a good thing'' from the perspectives of most mortals. The Unconquered Sun was created by [[GodOfEvil the Ebon Dragon]] to be TheParagon of virtue, since the Ebon Dragon can only exist in contrast to someone else. Since he's the AnthropomorphicPersonification of dickery, he needed someone utterly pure and good to exist to define himself against. Somehow, he didn't foresee the god he created to personify (among other things) valor and conviction deciding that he couldn't allow Creation to be ruled by the Ebon Dragon and his fellow [[OurTitansAreDifferent Primordials]]. Since most of those Primordials at best considered mortals useful power sources and at worst free will a mistake to be rectified, its easy to see how the Unconquered Sun convinced most of humanity to join the rebellion.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', Horus was the Warmaster of the Imperium and out of all the Primarchs, he was probably the one with the closest relation to the Emperor. He's also the person after which the Horus Heresy, the cataclysmic civil war that reduced the Imperium to the [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack]] state we all know and love, was named. Technically he wasn't the ''first'' Primarch to turn to Chaos (Lorgar turned before him, and orchestrated the corruption of Horus), but he was the one that caused half of the others to turn to his side and start the war.
** In a twist, Horus himself always considered Sanguinius to be the Paragon (and he was right). His fall was partly motivated by the feeling that he wasn't fit for the title of Warmaster with someone like that around.

* In ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', Hive was originally created to be the leader of the Kree's Inhuman army. He ended up leading the Inhumans into pushing the Kree off of Earth.

* In ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'', A Squad, the top team of Rangers, join with [[BigBad Emperor Gruumm]]. The only explanation given for their decision is, in Red Ranger Charlie's words, "Everyone wants to be on a winning team."
* In ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Whom Gods Destroy", Starfleet's fleet commander, Captain Garth, was badly maimed in an unspecific "accident" and restored to health by the aliens of Antos Four who taught him how to alter the cells in his body, which also gave him the power to shapeshift. After they then rejected his offer to aid them in conquering the galaxy, he tried to destroy the planet in a rampage (his crew refused to obey), restyling himself as "Lord Garth of Izar".

** Adora was one of the Horde's most dedicated and skilled recruits before her HeelFaceTurn, even being considered for Force Captain.

* In the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, Captain America does this ''twice''.
** In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', it's revealed that [[spoiler:half of the SHIELD, the agency he works for, has been infiltrated by HYDRA, a fascist organization.]] He turns against them and gives a rousing speech inspiring half the agents to join him.
** In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', he opposes a law that would bring the Avengers under government control. He leads half the Avengers against the half that supports the law.

* This is what happens to Raiden after he CameBackWrong in ''FanFic/MortalKombatDesperation''. He used to be the Protector God of Earthrealm, a mentor to many of his champions and fellow Earthrealm defenders (especially Liu Kang and Kung Lao, [[LikeASonToMe whom he regarded as sons]]) and one of the few gods in Mortal Kombat who was [[GodIsGood actively willing to help them]], even if he had his own [[GodIsFlawed individual flaws]]. After his FaceHeelTurn however, he becomes a {{Jerkass God|s}} with a bit of the HeWhoFightsMonsters, KnightTemplar, OmnicidalManiac and WellIntentionedExtremist traits, and later on, becoming a straight villain [[TheSociopath with sociopathic tendencies]] after crossing t by mass-zapping Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei to a comatose state, [[WouldHurtAChild with some of them being in their early teens]].

Compare FallenAngel, FallenHero, BrokenPedestal. See also TheParagon. Can also be a case of BigBadSlippage.

* In ''Literature/ShadowOfTheConqueror,'' Daylen Namaran was originally a war hero, BadassNormal, and TheAce, but after his StartOfDarkness, he used his HundredPercentAdorationRating to start a [[CommieLand communist revolution]] and became an outright EvilOverlord, taking the new name [[DarkIsEvil Dayless]] [[AppropriatedAppellation the]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Conqueror]].

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, the most respected hero in the Marvel Universe, rebels against the US government in ''ComicBook/CivilWar''.

* Happens in the movie ''Film/{{Gabriel}}'', which is all too appropriate considering the movie is about angels and demons. Michael betrays his fellow angels and assumes the identity of the fallen angel Sammael with the intent of making the souls in the purgatory dimension they're fighting over into his own kingdom with which to battle Heaven and Hell.

* {{Deconstructed}} in Creator/AlexandreCabanel's ''Art/TheFallenAngel''. The reason behind Lucifer's deep emotional turmoil is that he was God's right hand until he rebelled. Lucifer was his brightest, most loyal angel, so it pains him greatly to be now lying disgraced, defeated, and banned.

* Inverted with ''Series/DoctorWho'': It may be surprising, but the eponymous hero of of the series was originally a member of the ruling chapter house of the Time Lords of Gallifrey, raised and trained for leadership. Great things were expected of him, and then one day he [[DefectorFromDecadence stole a Tardis and ran away]].