History HeelFaceTurn / ComicBooks

** Also Shade (still kinda a jerk).

* Mojo Jojo attempted a Heel-Face Turn in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Monkey Business." He opens a restaurant which is a hit with the patrons. The girls however are still quite suspicious and uncover what they think is criminal activity. They are proven wrong each time, but it's the last act the makes Mojo give up his restaurant business and return to a life of crime.

* ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}:
** Originally an antagonist sent to kill the Hulk (who himself is a big spinning heel-turn himself... not that both characters don't have their reasons...).
** In ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'', Wolverine has a Heel Face Turn moment when he joins/infiltrates the X-Men to terminate Xavier... and then ends up believing in Xavier's cause and becoming a rather strong supporter.

*** Except he isn't, really. In Norse mythology, he's more of a mischievous trickster figure, and was even a close friend of both Odin and Thor, playing off as more of a guile hero than anything. He went through a FaceHeel Turn after going through a vicious punishment for triggering Ragnarok in mythology, though. That said, the comic version is... less ambiguous.

** ComicBook/{{Venom}} is a classic case of a Heel Face Turn to create an [[AntiHero "edgier" hero]]. Also because Venom -- created and illustrated by Todd [=McFarlane=] -- was, for a time, considerably more popular than Spider-Man himself, being a giant, hulking, over-designed monster with zero qualms about killing. Quintessential '90s anti-hero, essentially.

** Around the time of ''Comicbook/{{Siege}}'', [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]] tried to recruit Loki by citing the large number of former villains who ended up as members of the Avengers. This prompted in a WhatTheHellHero from the rest of the team, since Loki is the fricking ''Norse god of evil.''

** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersDarkCybertron'' ends with [[spoiler:Megatron]] leaving the Decepticons, disillusioned with how far he'd fallen from his original goal of fighting for equality.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' villainess Comicbook/{{Catwoman}} has since reformed and become more of a hero than a villain, often teaming up with Batman on his missions.

** Following ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil'', both Captain Cold and ComicBook/LexLuthor were inducted into the [[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]] thanks to their high profile role in defeating the [[MirrorUniverse Crime Syndicate]].

** The Joker of all people tried going straight in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} story ''Joker's Millions'', not out of a desire to do good but simply because he'd been led to believe he'd inherited enough money to never need to commit crime again. This made more sense for the character back then when he was a villain with a gimmick rather than the elemental force of chaos he has become.

** The Riddler also performed a Heel Face Turn, but this too was prompted by amnesia (in Riddler's case, induced by a blow to the head). Additional trauma (from a bomb blast) later returns Riddler to the rogues' gallery.

** After the events of AHM, Dirge leaves the Decepticons after they abandon him, and he and Swindle aid the neutrals and Autobots during the post-war upraising in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise''. Similarly, Tankor and Squawkbox depart from the Cons as well as they felt the peace achieved with Megatron's defeat was more preferable to the fighting (Tankor himself went on to be a supporting cast member in the ''ComicBook/TheTransformersWindblade'' series).

* This is fairly common for {{Alternate Universe}}s in general, but ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse is a great MarvelComics example; many of the mainstream continuity's villains are either slightly less vile villains (Mister Sinister, for example, who [[EvenEvilHasStandards is opposed to Apocalypse's genocidal desires]]), or outright heroes.

** ComicBook/{{Mystique}} pulls so many [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor Heel Face Turns and Face Heel Turns]] she might as well just give up and have a pivot installed.

** How ComicBook/{{Gambit}} came to join the ComicBook/XMen.

* When first introduced in the ArchieComics [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesAdventures Ninja Turtles book,]] Ninjara was a villainess, but she quickly switches sides [[EvenEvilHasStandards when she realizes her employer was even worse than she thought he was.]]

** The Catwoman of Earth-Two, an alternate universe in ''TheDCU'', also turned over a new leaf when she recovered from amnesia. [[AmnesiacDissonance Horrified]], she was willing to go to jail for the crimes she had committed. When Franchise/{{Batman}} sprung her from jail to help him, she [[{{Retcon}} revealed]] that she had lied; she had actually chosen to be a villain and then chosen to reform because she realized that it was her only chance for a normal life (whereupon they fell in love, got married, and had a daughter, Huntress).

** ComicBook/TwoFace in multiple incarnations has reformed and returned to his legitimate life as Harvey Dent (usually temporarily) following psychotherapy and reconstructive surgery. As Two Face, he's almost by his nature a walking FaceHeelRevolvingDoor

** Following ''Comicbook/ForeverEvil'', both Captain Cold and ComicBook/LexLuthor were inducted into the [[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]] thanks to their high profile role in defeating the [[MirrorUniverse Crime Syndicate]].

* This is so common for ''Comicbook/TheAvengers'' that it's been {{Lampshade}}d. We have (among others) ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, Comicbook/BlackWidow, ComicBook/ScarletWitch, ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}}, ComicBook/TheVision, [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]], and ComicBook/RedHulk, each of whom started off as villains before reforming and joining the team.

* This is so common for ''Comicbook/TheAvengers'' that it's been {{Lampshade}}d in-universe. We have (among others) ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, Comicbook/BlackWidow, ComicBook/ScarletWitch, ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}}, ComicBook/TheVision, [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]], and ComicBook/RedHulk, each of whom started off as villains before reforming and joining the team.

** Overdrive from ''ComicBook/SuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan'' is GenreSavvy enough that this trope is his entire reason for being a costumed villain. He grew up as a young boy who idolized superheroes, and reasoned that the quickest way to become an Avenger would be to start off as a villain and then eventually reform and fight alongside his childhood heroes.

* During the ''Comicbook/{{Siege}}'' event, Loki realizes that he's been making a massive mistake: He wanted to make Asgard greater than ever, but let his hatred of Thor get in the way of that. [[spoiler: In a last ditch effort to stop the Void, he uses the Norn stones to empower the New Avengers to give them a fighting chance. When this doesn't work, Loki takes the full blunt of the Void, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying while tearfully apologizing to Thor]]. Fourtunately, Thor brings him back to life,]] now as a child with no memory of his evil deeds or his previous life beyond the age of twelve, but still has the guilt of what happened, with Thor's encouragement he becomes a kid hero, and performs ''multiple'' [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments Of Awesome]].
** [[spoiler:However, it turns out original Loki apparently couldn't resist the opportunity to screw his next incarnation over, creating a copy of his personality that killed kid!Loki - [[Comicbook/YoungAvengers resulting in]] a Loki who's [[Comicbook/LokiAgentOfAsgard neither of their predecessors]], haunted by what they did to their kid-self.]]