Quotes / Hero with Bad Publicity

Fiction

SPIDER-MAN: THREAT OR MENACE?

— A very common front page headline on the Daily Bugle

"I know who you are, Spartan! I know what you've done! I would rather die than be saved by you!"

—Random sailor to Kratos, God of War

"He doesn't want to be famous? I'll make him infamous!"

— J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man

"In spite of everything you've done for them... eventually, they will hate you."

— The Green Goblin to Spider-Man, Spider-Man

"It is not enough that the Joes are wanted by the police and hunted by the military; I want a nation-wide smear campaign that turns the local legends into Public. Enemy. Number. One."

—Cobra Commander, G.I. Joe: Renegades

Klara the Devotress: I cured cancer. I even raised a man from the dead once. Everyone said it was a miracle.
Alexandr Saburov: Right... So you are a miracle-worker. Almost a saint. Too bad you're being accused of murder and theft then!

— Pathologic

"Who are you fighting for anyway? The people? Newsflash! The people hate you! I made sure of that!"

— Bob Barbas, DmC: Devil May Cry

"As a newsman, I know I should keep my opinions to myself, but I just wanna say: Kenan and Kel, we hate you!"

— Newsman, Kenan & Kel

Cath: Of course, that what superheroes do. I don't care if people try to slander just because we're doing what's right.
Michael: I haven't heard any slandering...
[Michael is very confused, so Cath shows him a newspaper clip of Spiderman, it's from the Daily Bugle. It's about how Spider is a Public Menace to Manhattan, to add insult to injury, it credited the Punisher as a hero.]
Michael: You do have a point there.

— We Are Our Adventuring Avatars

Headline: HARRY POTTER - "DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS"
Harry: Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?

— Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Calle: June fifth. Treason.

Skitter: Treason.

Calle: That would be, in effect, declaring war against the government of the United States of America.

Skitter: That’s not what I did.

Calle: It’s what they’re going to say you did when you took over the territory. I’d expect they already have strong arguments lined up on that front. On the same day, thirty cases of assault and battery. Six cases of aggravated assault with a parahuman ability.

— Worm

"How will they tell my story?

How will they tell my tale?

Will anybody even care?

The question, then, is whether 'tis nobler in the mind

To be well-liked but ineffectual, or moral but maligned...

I'll never be the hero all the citizens adore!

But if I hide to save my life, what has my life been for?

What has my life been for?"

— Ja'far, Twisted

Tanis: Captain, are you aware of how your ship is regarded? That when Voyager appears, people fear destruction? Your ship is known as a ship of death.
Janeway: [incredulous] What?
Tanis: You've established quite a reputation. You killed the Caretaker, declared war on the Kazon, raided planets for their resources...

— Star Trek: Voyager, "Cold Fire"

"Future generations will revile her. In America, she'll be seen as a despicable traitor with no sense of honor. And in Russia, as a monster who unleashed a nuclear catastrophe. She will go down as a war criminal. And no one will ever understand her."

— Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, EVA about the Boss

"Listen to me, whether you want to hear it or not. You weren't even born when this happened. Do yourself a favor & listen to the story. I'm going to tell you about the time when the children were kidnapped; there were 10 children all together. Kidnappers turned out to be vampires; of course. And so the townspeople pooled their money to hire a vampire hunter. They wanted the best. And when the hunter came, he was a very strong & quiet man; & he did his job too, which was to return the children safely back into their parents homes. It wasn't easy, but many vampires died by his hands before this job was over with. And when it was over, & the children were back home, the people attacked the man. They said he was a Dunpeal, half vampire, himself. So they punished him."

— Polk, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

"There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your honor shattered at your feet while soaring public reputation wraps you in rewards. That's soul-destroying. The other way around is merely very, very irritating."

— Aral Vorkosigan, Vorkosigan Saga: A Civil Campaign

"I don't know where you are now, but I hope you're happier there. This world didn't treat you very good, but you saved it, didn't you?"

—Beverly Switzler to Howard the Duck, Howard the Duck

"He's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight."

—Jim Gordon on Batman, The Dark Knight

"Batman's a sociopath, in a rubber S&M outfit. Pick better heroes, kid."

— Gotham police officer to Tim Drake, Titans (2018)

"There's something I'd like to say. The newspapers have called me a murderer. But, my conscience is as clear as the snow in Peru. I have never murdered anyone."

—Ned Kelly, Ned Kelly (1970)

Ren’s stomach clenched as he watched the news. The exploration of Sae’s Palace had been completely derailed when seemingly overnight, three different politicians passed away, followed by more over the coming days. It had been the first time the Metaverse killer’s movements had actually had a discernible pattern to them, and the Phantom Thieves’ primary objective changed to catching the murderer before they plunged the country into even more chaos. It didn’t help that more and more people were connecting the dots between the Shutdowns and the Thieves’ very own Change of Hearts too – overnight, they’d changed from folk heroes to public enemy number one. It wasn't just justice pushing them forwards, but self-preservation.

—Blackened Masks, "Emperor of an Empty Domain"

Real Life

"It is a maxim deeply ingrafted in that dark system, that no character, however upright, is a match for constantly reiterated attacks, however false."

— Alexander Hamilton, The Reynolds Pamphlet (1797)

"Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice."

— H. L. Mencken, Predjudices (Third Series)

"Such is the nature of reputation: the religious man is known to be an atheist, the generous man is called mean."

— Gore Vidal, Palimpsest

If you aren't careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.

— 'Malcolm X, December 13, 1964

Reviews

"Yes, random street crimes are constantly occurring, and in the traditional sandbox manner, you can jump in and resolve them — and when I say 'can', I of course mean 'fucking have to or be shot': ignore too many petty crimes and the Anti-Crime Task Force will become hostile, which delivers a bit of a mixed message. 'We're against vigilante justice, Spider-Man! —Wait, he's not doing vigilante justice! What an asshole! Let's kill him with vigilante justice!

— Zero Punctuation on The Amazing Spiderman 2

David: There are cops, but they only show up later, when Batman gets framed. Then they disappear again. Like, the only thing cops do in this entire movie is persecute the good guy.
Chris: There was an uncredited rewrite by Ice Cube and Dr. Dre.
David: And Eazy-E and MC Ren, dude. Please.

— Chris Sims and David Uzumeri on Batman Returns

"I rather like the way the writers paint Mulder as a raving lunatic who is dogging the footsteps of poor innocent Eugene Victor Tooms. I began sinking into my seat with horror as Mulder stood up in front of a court of law and started gibbering on about a liver eating mutant who is a danger to the public! Suddenly with crystal clarity I can see why perhaps Scully’s approach to quietly dealing with these paranormal investigations and then not telling anyone about them makes sense. In this setting, Mulder is a complete joke and it's enough to make you cringe watching him embarrass himself publicly like this. Mulder’s testimony that should have convicted Tooms (because it is the truth) is what ultimately frees him... Skinner informs us of what we always suspected; that Mulder was highly regarded and expect to go on to great things before the X-Files consumed his life."

— Joe Ford on The X-Files, "Tooms"

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