History Main / FaithHeelTurn

* In the ''Manga/SoulEater'' manga, [[spoiler:Justin Law]] pulls an ultimate Faith Heel Turn [[spoiler:and kills BJ]] because of imposed insanity from The Clown. [[spoiler: The thing is he doesn't lose his faith. He instead comes to view religion as a form of insanity and therefore converts to the god of insanity.]]

* Kirei Kotomine of ''Literature/FateZero'' had known for many years that he was [[TheSociopath inclined by his nature to evil]] but chose to adhere to the tenets of the Church. Due to the influence of Gilgamesh during the Fourth War, he began a descent into villainy, [[LateArrivalSpoiler ending with him laughing happily as he witnessed a fire kill five hundred people]].
* Revy from ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' was quite religious as a child, but stopped believing in God after being [[RapeAsBackstory beaten and sexually assaulted by a corrupt cop]]. This lead to her becoming a BrokenBird and [[HiredGuns gun-for-hire]] as an adult.

* This is the premise of the motivation for the Joker CaptainErsatz, Mr. Rictus, in ''Comicbook/{{Wanted}}'', a kindly and religious man who was horribly scarred in a fire and, while on the operating table, died but found no afterlife.
* The minor Franchise/MarvelUniverse villain Madcap went there first, save that he also got total immortality and superpowers in the same accident that killed his entire family and church group, making for even greater nihilistic nutsiness (though not nearly as much evil).
* The main character from the title story of Creator/WillEisner's ''ComicBook/AContractWithGod'' is like this. Having lived his life as a good Jew only to lose his adopted daughter turns him into a slum lord. Being Will Eisner, though, he makes it both convincing and tragic.
* At least one ComicBook/{{Chick Tract|s}} does this, possibly a few more. Act surprised. The most perplexing (and [[{{Narm}} unintentionally hilarious]]) example would have to be the one where a child grows up to become evil...because he found out ''there was no Santa Claus''.

* In the 1993 Creator/DCComics ''ComicBook/{{Bloodlines|DCComics}}'' crossover, a priest was attacked by one of the alien parasites. He awoke afterwards with a crisis of faith and decay powers, leading to him embracing evil and calling himself Cardinal Sin. Likewise, the man who held a shotgun on the priest was attacked and discovered he now had healing abilities and actually saved the priest before he died, now calling himself Samaritan. Samaritan ended up dying as he managed to cancel out Cardinal Sin's death touch.
* In ''ComicBook/{{The Kingdom|DCComics}}'', Minister William, a future prophet who upheld Superman as divine and above fault, was greatly disillusioned by his "deity's" confession of truth concerning the Kansas disaster that William was rescued from as a boy, that the disaster itself was not Superman's purpose but rather his fault for letting society be protected by [[NinetiesAntiHero the new generation of "heroes"]]. With his faith in Superman shattered, William is soon transformed into Gog and becomes Superman's oppressor.

* Features in ''Fanfic/{{Drakigo}}''- essentially a version of ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' with the cast of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' in key roles- with Shego in the role of Dracula; however, while she renounces God just as Dracula did in the film, this does not automatically lead to her becoming a vampire, as she has to be turned by another vampire who sought to make her his bride before she rejected and killed him.

[[folder:Films]]

* Salieri in ''Film/{{Amadeus}}'' does this after continually being upstaged by the boorish, spoiled, conceited, but vastly more talented Mozart, ultimately deciding to steal his work and drive him to his death, because he couldn't stand that God had made Mozart more gifted than he. Inverted in that even beforehand he was really a JerkAss whose faith in God was basically an extension of his [[EgocentricallyReligious personal vanity]].
* In ''Film/MurderAtYellowstoneCity'', PreacherMan Thaddeus Murphy is a RetiredOutlaw who found God and turned his life around while on the run.

* An inversion, but not a HeelFaithTurn, occurs in ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'' with [[spoiler: Hrathen]], whose growing doubts over his religious faith cause him to turn ''against'' the BigBad. He makes it clear that his issue is not actually with his faith in his god, but with the religious leaders. Still, from the villain's perspective, this would be a straight example.

* A Creator/GKChesterton mystery story involves the puzzle of why one person would murder another on the grounds of ideological ''agreement''. In the story, a HollywoodAtheist has been trying to convince a WideEyedIdealist that [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions all morality is merely subjective]]. [[spoiler:He succeeds, so the idealist loses his faith and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope concludes it's not immoral to murder the atheist]], whom he hated. Ergo, their ideological agreement led to murder.]]
* Robert Putney Drake, in Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's ''{{Literature/Illuminatus}}'' trilogy. Born a Boston Brahmin and destined for greatness, he serves in the American Army in UsefulNotes/WW1 and is changed forever by being the last man left alive from his platoon. Returning to the USA, he starts small by heckling street preachers. A combination of survivor guilt and a conviction there is nothing turn him into a ruthless monster.

* This turns out to be the motivation of the real BigBad in ''Literature/{{Kraken}}'': [[spoiler: Vardy used to be a Creationist but found his faith challenged by the evidence of evolution, so he wants to [[RetGone erase that evidence from existence]] so he can go back to blissful ignorance.]]
* In ''Literature/{{Revival}}'' by Creator/StephenKing, the loss of his family causes Jacobs to completely lose his faith, although he later becomes a traveling preacher who [[FakeFaithHealer "heals" people using the "special electricity"]].
* In ''Literature/OurWivesUnderTheSea'', the devout Catholic Jelka is on the submarine trip. While being stuck at the bottom of the sea, she begins hearing "voices" in her head that neither Leah nor Matteo can hear. [[spoiler:This drives her so mad that she eventually escapes through the airlock, dying. Considering that Leah hears similar voices when she stares at Jelka's statue of Saint Brendan after her death, it's likely connected to this.]]

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' has a bit more gradual version: Kai Winn was always jealous of Sisko for being the one the Prophets chose as their Emissary, and the fact that they didn't communicate with her wore on her more and more. Then the Prophets' {{Evil Counterpart}}s, the Pah Wraiths, ''do'' show her some attention, and by this point, that's enough to drive her over the edge to real villainy as their servant, working alongside Gul Dukat.
* An example where the person doesn't turn evil, [[DespairEventHorizon but still gives up on life]], occurs in the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Mortal Coil", where Neelix dies and is brought back to life. He has no memory of experiencing the Talaxian idea of the afterlife (where you go to a forest in which you're reunited with dead loved ones). Because he lost his whole family in a war, that belief was the only thing keeping him going, and it takes Chakotay to talk him out of suicide.

* Used along with HeelFaithTurn in ''Series/MyNameIsEarl''. A ScaryBlackMan gangster who went by "Hash Brown" and eventually became a priest ends up being on Earl's list at least five times, with each new list item revealed making him angrier and angrier until he snaps and decides to return to his gangster life. Then Earl recognizes his car and reveals that he broke the taillight on it (another list item). The broken taillight caused Hash Brown to get pulled over and be late for a deal which ended up turning into a brutal shootout, meaning that Earl had indirectly saved his life. Since this event was what had caused him to take up religion in the first place (he originally attributed it to divine intervention), he thanks Earl and goes back to being a priest.
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp", [[spoiler:the Reverend's homicidal madness came along with a [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions prideful scorn]] for the faith he'd followed all his life]].

* The Nihilist in Super Unicorn's META-4 setting for ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' was a devoutly religious man whose wife was convicted and executed for a crime she swore she didn't do. When he overhears a criminal boasting that he was behind the job, he thanked God and called upon all that was good, holy, and true in the universe to help him avenge his family's slaughter. The criminal's gang beat him to death and left him hanging on a lamppost. Cursing a god who didn't answer him, he awoke as an undead killer, seeking to spread the pain he felt.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 3.5 edition has a couple of Prestige Classes built around this.
** The Blackguard is a BlackKnight class that functions as the evil inverse of ThePaladin base class. A character need not be an example of this trope to become a Blackguard (many classes can meet the requirements), but a unique rule grants special bonuses to ex-Paladins that become blackguards. Low-level ex-Paladins gain evil versions of the Paladin class feature they lost when they broke their oaths, and mid-level Paladins gain the ability to swap out up to ten ex-Paladin levels for Blackguard levels, meaning they can finish the PrestigeClass at level 11 (this can't normally be done until level 16).
** The Ur-Priest is a MinmaxersDelight PrestigeClass that is famous for leaning very hard into LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards. Thematically, the class represents someone who steals magic from the Gods, rather than being given it for being a loyal servant. The class requires not only Evil alignment but prolonged study of the application of evil, as represented by the Spell Focus - Evil feat required to start taking the class. Taking a level in Ur-Priest permanently locks the character out of ''all'' other divine spellcasting. Alas, the class is most famous for its spell progression starting 5 levels behind but progressing at double the normal speed, eventually unlocking maximum level spells two levels before a normal Cleric would.

* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' features [[spoiler: paladin Aribeth de Tylmarande]], who turns from [[spoiler: Tyr, God of Justice, after her lover Fenthick Moss is unjustly executed for being an UnwittingPawn]]. She then goes on to become commander of the {{BigBad}}'s army. You can choose to try and redeem her towards the end of the game.

* In the ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' series, this is pretty much how the Templars fall after learning that [[spoiler:all miracles and works of God were actually the result of powerful ancient technology]].

* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'':
** On the original timeline, [[spoiler:Mathias Cronqvis, who becomes Dracula, ]] renounces God after his wife died while he was busy fighting the crusades, as told by ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence''. He [[TheChessmaster manipulated everyone]], including Walter, with the Crimson Stone and use that immortality to curse god by creating chaos and continue to master his powers against him. He gave Leon a chance to join him, but Leon rejects the offer. His hatred towards god still continues until 1999.
*** Averted from the reincarnated form of him as [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow Soma Cruz]], who decides to not become the dark lord. It takes an (assumed) KillTheCutie moment in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' to drive him to evil, and even then he can resist]].
** The reboot, ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'', displays an incarnation of Dracula that does something similar. A faithful warrior [[spoiler:the protagonist Gabriel Belmont]] devoted to God loses everything and everyone in the course of his very long journey as God's Chosen Champion by [[spoiler:defeating Satan himself and killing the Forgotten One]]. The dark events afterwards dragged him to descend into darkness include [[spoiler:Zobek using him all along and controlled Gabriel's body to kill his wife, Satan using Zobek behind the scenes all along to open the heavens, drinking Laura's wicked blood by force, killing and absorbing the Forgotten One's power as his own, and finally destroying the combat cross to finally transcend into the dark lord itself.]] He decides to embrace his role as a [[GodOfEvil Dracul]]. When he is forced into a duel to the death with his own son [[spoiler:Trevor after revealing that he was his son]], that's when he ''really'' snaps and declares open war upon humanity. The twisted part is that [[spoiler:Gabriel still has God's blessing, being capable of utilizing both light and darkness.]]
*** Averted as the sequel reveals that the true dark force within Dracula is an entity called '''Inner Dracula'''. This is parallel to the '''Chaos''' entity from the original.
* ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'' gives us its {{Golden Ending}}'s penultimate boss, [[spoiler:Dominique Baldwin]], who saw the demons invade and attack twice, and both times {{God}} seemingly [[TheGodsMustBeLazy did nothing]], to which that person began to wonder: what if there's a DevilButNoGod, or if the source of [[HolyHandGrenade the faithful's power]] was some other thing?
-->"''If so, [[RageAgainstTheHeavens I wash my hands of it]].''"
* ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' has Jondar, a former knight who turned necromancer when he discovered [[spoiler:the corruption within his holy order]]. Kormac, in his quest to figure out what it was Jondar discovered, asks the player character to [[spoiler:kill him if he shows any signs of turning bad like Jondar did]].
* In the ''Dawnguard'' DLC of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', [[spoiler:Arch-Curate Vyrthur of the Chantry of Auri-El (and one of the last of the non-corrupted Falmer[=/=]Snow Elves)]] had been stricken with vampirism, and angrily cast away his faith in the god [[ThePowerOfTheSun Auri-El]] for not intervening to save him. From there, he founded the prophecy to blot out the sun and cast the world in darkness, almost solely as a raised middle finger to Auri-El himself. The only reason he hadn't carried it out sooner is that he needed the blood of a pure-blooded vampire (or, to put it another way, [[spoiler:a Daughter of Coldharbour, like Serana]]) to act on it.
* Deconstructed with ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''. [[spoiler:[[HumanoidAbomination Corypheus the Elder One]] was motivated into [[GodhoodSeeker attempting to become a god]] by merging [[SpiritWorld the Fade]] with Thedas after he realized his own god, Dumat, was killed by mortals and that there was no trace of [[CrystalDragonJesus the Maker]] in the Black City. ''Before'' he visited the Black City and lost his faith, he was an EvilSorcerer likely responsible for corrupting it in the first place (which is said to have been what caused the Maker to abandon it). In effect, his loss of faith didn't actually change his ideology at all, he just thinks he needs to replace Dumat to give meaning to the world.]]
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': Even though he is a PhysicalGod, Raiden starts out with [[BrokenPedestal great faith in the Elder Gods, only to lose it due to their inaction]] in both timelines.
** [[VideoGame/MortalKombat4 After being promoted to Elder God]], he could not interfere [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance when Shang Tsung and Quan Chi killed his protege Liu Kang]] many years later in the original timeline. [[WhatTheHellHero Disgusted at his peers for their refusal to intervene]], he renounced his position as an Elder God, gathering his mortal allies to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance the Deadly Alliance]].]]
** In the new timeline, the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' [[spoiler:have sapped whatever faith he had for the Elder Gods, seeing them as more burden than help, considering they did nothing to stop Shao Kahn or Shinnok, both of who regarded the Elder Gods as "toothless worms." This is clearly evident in TheStinger for ''MKX'', [[PayEvilUntoEvil where he decides to take matters into his own hands by reducing Shinnok to a mere living head]] and [[WellIntentionedExtremist using a more]] [[KnightTemplar hard-line]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters stance]] on defending Earthrealm from external threats.]]
* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', [[spoiler:Mattias (the FinalBoss of Ophilia's story) was once a high-ranking member of the Order of the Sacred Flame, but after his church got destroyed and many of its members killed with it, [[EvilStoleMyFaith he denounced his faith in the 12 gods]] and turned to the dark 13th god Galdera for answers. He initially used Galdera's power for good, but became [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide drunk on this power]] [[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget over time]]]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', one episode has the rapture happen. Stan is completely bewildered that he had been left behind and tries desperately to get into Heaven, including trying to convince (fake) Jesus Christ that he is more worthy to be sent to Heaven than his wife, Francine. Francine is naturally ticked off by Stan's behavior and she abandons him, but she runs into the real Jesus and she rubs it into Stan before she is whisked away by Jesus. Cut to 7 years later when the war between Heaven and Hell breaks out on Earth where Stan is now a hardened and scarred hunter who has denounced Jesus and God because despite doing what he thinks was being a good Christian, he was still left behind. Stan's faith is slowly restored though once he learns from Jesus that Francine was captured by the Anti-Christ and he vows to save her after Jesus promises Stan entry to Heaven.