History Main / UpbringingMakesTheHero

** [[spoiler: The biggest change involves a simulation of [[TheMole Ward]]. Despite still having a rough start with his abusive family and ending up in jail as a teenager, rather then being bailed out by Garrett in order to be groomed into his follower and joining HYDRA, Ward is instead rescued by Victoria Hand and is instilled with the core values of what a SHIELD agent should be. As a result, despite HYDRA taking over the world in the Framework and trying to exterminate the Inhumans, Ward is the NumberTwo of [[LaResistance The Resistance]] , and eventually, following Mace's death, becomes the [[TheLeader Director of SHIELD]]/[[BigGood Leader of The Resistance]]. Seeing this causes Daisy and Coulson to acknowledge they were too quick to judge Ward and that there was good in him.]]

** [[spoiler: The biggest change involves a simulation of [[TheMole Ward]]. Despite still having a rough start with his abusive family and ending up in jail as a teenager, rather then being bailed out by Garrett in order to be groomed into his follower and joining HYDRA, Ward is instead rescued by Victoria Hand and is instilled with the core values of what a SHIELD agent should be. As a result, despite HYDRA taking over the world in the Framework and trying to exterminate the Inhumans, Ward is the NumberTwo of LaResistance , and eventually, following Mace's death, becomes the [[TheLeader Director of SHIELD/The Resistance]]. Seeing this causes Daisy and Coulson to acknowledge they were too quick to judge Ward and that there was good in him.]]
** [[spoiler: The second biggest change involves Fitz, who, as a result of growing up with his abusive father and never having met Simmons, grows to become a [[MadDoctor ruthless scientist]] who is HYDRA's [[TheDragon second-in-command]], and routinely [[TortureTechnician tortures and performs experiments on Inhumans]]. When Fitz finally gets out of the Framework, he is [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone absolutely distraught over the experience]], realizing that, [[NotSoDifferent just like Ward, all it took was an abusive life for him to become a villain]].]]

* ''Series/AgentsOfShield'': This trope is both [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] and shown in the Framework Arc: [[spoiler:Several of the main characters end up in a [[InsideAComputerSystem simulated reality]] [[AlternateUniverse that is altered by one thing]]: 1. Most of them (with the exception of Daisy and Simmons), had their memories of reality outside the simulation erased, 2. [[ForWantOfANail their biggest regrets are erased in the simulation.]]]] The result:

* ''Series/AgentsOfShield'': This trope is both [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] and shown in the Framework Arc: [[spoiler:Several of the main characters end up in a [[InsideAComputerSystem simulated reality]] [[AlternateUniverse that is altered by one thing]]: 1. Most of them (with the exception of Daisy and Simmons, had their memories of reality outside the simulation erased, 2. [[ForWantOfANail their biggest regrets are erased in the simulation.]]]] The result:

* ''Series/AgentsOfShield'': This trope is both [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] and shown in the Framework Arc: [[spoiler:Several of the main characters end up in a [[AlternateUniverse simulated reality that is altered by one thing]]: 1. Most of them (with the exception of Daisy and Simmons, had their memories of reality outside the simulation erased, 2. [[ForWantOfANail their biggest regrets are erased in the simulation.]]]] The result:

* ''Series/AgentsOfShield'': This trope is both [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] and shown in the Framework Arc: [[spoiler:Several of the main characters end up in a [[AlternateUniverse simulated reality that is altered by one thing]]: 1. Most of them (with the exception of Daisy and Simmons, had their memories of reality outside the simulation erased, 2. [[ForWantOfANail their biggest regrets are erased in the simulation.]] ]] The result:

* ''Series/AgentsOfShield'': This trope is both [pDiscussedTrope discussed]] and shown in the Framework Arc: [[spoiler:Several of the main characters end up in a [[AlternateUniverse simulated reality that is altered by one thing]]: 1. Most of them (with the exception of Daisy and Simmons, had their memories of reality outside the simulation erased, 2. [[ForWantOfANail their biggest regrets are erased in the simulation.]] ]] The result:

* ''Fanfic/{{Wonderful}}'': Danny instilled the idea that people are capable of amazing things when they work together in his daughter Taylor, and his HeroicSacrifice encouraged her to become a hero.
* In ''FanFic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku Midoriya, who is the Midoriyas' adopted Kryptonian WonderChild in this fic, explicitly cites his adoptive parents in his narration as the driving force behind him becoming the world's greatest hero.

[[folder:Film]]

* A strange subversion in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueGodsAndMonsters''. Instead of goodhearted farm folk, this version of Superman was raised by undocumented migrant workers. Although they were still good people, his early life was pretty rough, and he grows up to be an UnscrupulousHero rather than TheCape. The subversion comes in because this Superman ''isn't'' the son of Jor-El, so it's unclear whether genetics or upbringing account for his different behavior.
--> "I've seen the harshness of life. If I sometimes deliver justice with a heavy hand, it's because I've been on the receiving end."
* In ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'', after Superman dies from injuries sustained from fighting Doomsday, he comes back to life and returns to his heroics. At first, people who encounter him noticed that [[CameBackWrong he seems "off" somehow, including Lois Lane]], who secretly knew he was Clark Kent all along. It's then revealed that this Superman is actually [[spoiler: a clone created by [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Lex Luthor,]] who essentially raised him.]] Naturally, this new Superman expressed the characteristics of [[spoiler: a man who is willing to use force to get what he wants, [[BewareTheSuperman and flaunt the law because he knows they can't do anything to stop him.]]]]

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', it is abundantly clear from even the small snippets of Tanjiro's past, he was raised by a wonderful loving family that instilled in him all the morals and life lessons he needed to endure all the tragedy that followed; Tanjiro's entire family being slaughtered by a demon, save his sister Nezuko who becomes one, does not make his heart be consumed by unbridled rage and hatred, he focuses all his efforts on the tiniest hope of curing Nezuko, even when Tanjiro meets his arch-enemy Kibutsuji Muzan he is only furious for a moment before setting his sight on helping people; saving others from suffering the same tragedy he faced is much higher on Tanjiro's list than killing the monster that ruined his life. [[spoiler:The Kamado family is so loving that flashbacks showed they were consistently cozy hundreds of years ago; and by the end of the series it shows Tanjiro passed that love forward too, his descendants are well adjusted]].
* ''Manga/DragonBall''
** Goku was supposed to destroy the Earth but was raised by a kind old man (and got a bit of brain damage hitting his head as a baby), becoming a hero. As of Retcon by Toriyama, however, Goku's good nature comes from his mother, Gine, and his parents sent him to Earth to save him from the Saiyan genocide.
** A lesser version occurs with Trunks. His BadFuture incarnation was raised by the pure-hearted Gohan and is kind and humble, while the version in the main timeline was raised by his birth parents (an heiress and an egotist respectively) and is more of a SpoiledBrat. Though if one counts GT, Trunks grow up to be like his alternate timeline counterpart.

* Inverted in ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy''. ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} steals [[EvilTwin Satan Girl]] and [[ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}} Mordru]]'s son and raises him into a pitiless, blood-thirsty, invincible killing machine.

* Moses in Literature/TheBible is trained by both his biological mother and by the Egyptians, and later spent forty years as a shepherd in the Wilderness before he got TheCall from {{God}} to be a MosaicArchetype when he was eighty years old.

* Moses in Literature/TheBible is trained by both his biological mother and by the Egyptians, and later spent forty years as a shepherd in the Wilderness before he got TheCall from {{God}} to be a MessianicArchetype when he was eighty years old.

* ''Anime/PanzerWorldGalient'': [[ParentalSubstitute Asbeth]] looked after and raised [[TheHero Jordy]] after [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan his parents' death]], teaching him to be kind, honorable, selfless and generous. When Jordy grew up he became TheHero that freed planet Arst from [[BigBad tyrant Volder]] and [[TheGoodKing ruled the planet fairly]].

In fact, heroes with a down to earth upbringing tend to have a unique advantage over the more badass and epic ones: they're more centered. While they won't be saints, they'll have a strong enough moral compass to navigate most moral dilemmas, resist TheDarkSide, and even [[ShutUpHannibal refute]] {{Hannibal Lecture}}s that more emotionally fragile heroes struggle with. If they [[JustForFun/HowToGiveACharacterSuperPowers gain super powers]] they won't [[MugglePower forget "the little people"]] and turn into a SmugSuper with [[BewareTheSuperman delusions]] of [[AGodAmI grandeur]]. Though they didn't gain the crime-fighting prowess of a lifetime of [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower Charles Atlas training]], or the street-savvy of an orphan with a DarkAndTroubledPast, they also didn't [[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining sacrifice basic skills]] or their social life.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', it is abundantly clear from even the small snippets of Tanjiro's past, he was raised by a wonderful loving family that instilled on him all the morals and life lessons he needed to endure all the tragedy that followed; Tanjiro's entire family being slaughtered by a demon, save his sister Nezuko who becomes one, does not make his heart be consumed by unbridled rage and hatred, he focuses all his efforts on the tiniest hope of curing Nezuko, even when Tanjiro meets his arch-enemy Kibutsuji Muzan he is only furious for a moment before setting his sight on helping people; saving others from suffering the same tragedy he faced is much higher on Tanjiro's list than killing the monster that ruined his life. [[spoiler:The Kamado family is so loving that flashbacks showed they were consistently cozy hundreds of years ago; and by the end of the series it shows Tanjiro passed that love foward too, his descendants are well adjusted]].

** Subverted in the case of his father [[TheChosenOne Anakin Skywalker]], who had as good an upbringing as a slave could have thanks to his mother. However because he still grew up in a harsh environment as a slave, there were potential problems (as Yoda sensed in him). Furthermore, his mentors (acting as parental substitutes of sorts) were caring, but also aloof. When his mother died died, horribly and just after Anakin rescued her, he took it [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge very badly]] and the fear of losing his wife and unborn children as well were key factors in his fall to TheDarkSide, (though [[BigBad Palpatine]] easily capitalized on this to convert him).

* In ''Literature/RapunzelAndTheLostLagoon'' its implied that the Captain of the Guard is invoking this trope when he insists his adoptive daughter Cassandra to become the LadyInWaiting of Princess Rapunzel, due to Cassandra [[spoiler: [[DeceptiveLegacy unknowingly]] being [[InTheBlood the daughter]] of Mother Gothel, the kidnapper of Rapunzel]].

** Goku was supposed to destroy the Earth but was raised by a kind old man (and got a bit of brain damage hitting his head as a baby), becoming a hero.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', it abundantly clear from even the small snippets of Tanjiro's past, he was raised by a wonderful loving family that instilled on him all the morals and life lessons he needed to endure all the tragedy that followed; Tanjiro's entire family being slaughtered by a demon, save his sister Nezuko who becomes one, does not make his heart be consumed by unbridled rage and hatred, he focuses all his efforts on the tiniest hope of curing Nezuko, even when Tanjiro meets his arch-enemy Kibutsuji Muzan he is only furious for a moment before setting his sight on helping people; saving others from suffering the same tragedy he faced is much higher on Tanjiro's list than killing the monster that ruined his life. [[spoiler:The Kamado family is so loving that flashbacks showed they were consistently cozy hundreds of years ago; and by the end of the series it shows Tanjiro passed that love foward too, his descendants are well adjusted]].