History Main / FormerBigot

* The ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' VerySpecialEpisode "[[Recap/StaticShockS1E8SonsOfTheFathers Sons of the Fathers]]" introduced [[BestFriend Richie]]'s FantasyForbiddingFather Sean, a blue-collar conservative AngryWhiteMan who disliked change and used [[PrejudiceAesop black people]] as a scapegoat for his grievances with society. After Virgil's ReasonableAuthorityFigure father gives him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech highlighting that he's letting his hangups drive his son away, he becomes a FormerBigot more accepting of people and things unfamiliar to him. He makes a cameo in the ChristmasEpisode later on, happily sitting beside Virgil's black family.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlackTheSeries'' had a time-traveling bigot trying to [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight make sure the Men in Black never existed by killing the founders]] because of his [[FantasticRacism hatred of aliens.]] He's eventually [[LaserGuidedAmnesia neutralized]] by J, who instructs him to stop being such a racist jackass, and then sucked back in time. In an ironic twist, the ending reveals that he wound up becoming one of the founders of the Men in Black thanks to the mindwipe.

** Xavin was originally an extremely chauvinistic Skrull. Their relationship with Karolina forced them to confront their chauvinism, to the point that, during ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'', they officially turned against the Skrull Empire.

->''In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.''

->''I was wrong. Those days are over, and they ought to be over.''

* UsefulNotes/MalcolmX rose to fame (and notoriety) as the public face of the black supremacist organization known as the Nation of Islam. But after returning from his Hajj and seeing true racial harmony and equality in action, he repudiated the Nation of Islam and his former racist views.

A character used to be a bigot (either to a specific group or [[AbsoluteXenophobe every other group]]). Maybe they grew up in an environment where people have similar views. Maybe they were [[TragicBigot wronged by said group]]. Maybe they simply think their group is the best there is and look down on others. The bigot-target group may be AlwaysChaoticEvil.

A character used to be a bigot (either to a specific group or [[AbsoluteXenophobe every other group]]). Maybe he/she grew up in an environment where people have similar views. Maybe they were [[TragicBigot wronged by said group]]. Maybe they simply think their group is the best there is and look down on others. The bigot-target group may be AlwaysChaoticEvil.

But after some time, he/she stops holding such views. It may either happen in the past (i.e. as a backstory), or as a CharacterDevelopment in the present.

Maybe the character witnesses the bigot-target group's good qualities (especially if the character was young and/or and InnocentBigot). Maybe a member of said group helped them when they needed it, often despite what the bigoted person might do or say to their people. Maybe they realize that being a bigot harms them in the long run and they may need help from said group. They might also find out that said group is NotAlwaysEvil.

Compare IHatePastMe, TheAtoner, OldShame, and ReformedBully. Contrast SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp. May result in a ZombieAdvocate when they outright argue in favor of the group's humanity (if it's a group of a fantastic race.)

* In ''Film/AmericanHistoryX'', Derek became the leader of a Neo-Nazi movement after [[TragicBigot his father was murdered by a black drug dealer]]. After serving a prison sentence for the revenge killing of a black home invader, and enduring a gang rape at the hands of the Aryan Brotherhood, Derek renounces his old ways after an old mentor leads him to an epiphany about his actions. When he gets out of prison, he also helps his brother Danny to break free from the movement [[spoiler:before Danny is murdered for a wholly separate incident by a teenager with ties to the local Crips chapter]]. Tragically, the alternate ending [[spoiler:[[RedemptionFailure shows Derek shaving his head again]].]]
* In ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'', Vers is a loyal, dedicated member of the Kree Starforce, helping the Kree Empire hunt down Skrulls until [[spoiler:she learns that she's actually a human who was kidnapped and brainwashed by the Kree. After learning this, and learning that the Skrulls are refugees from the Kree's genocidal campaign, she turns against the Kree Empire and helps the Skrulls find a new homeworld.]]

** [[TheRival Draco Malfoy]] was an avid proponent of [[BlueBlood blood purity]] like the rest of his family and bullied Hermione for being born from {{Muggles}}. However he later has a HeelFaceTurn and [[DefectorFromDecadence denounces his family's racist ways]], even going so far as to tell his wife that he doesn't care if his bloodline ends with him when she first wanted to try for their child Scorpius.
** A minor example is Harry's cousin Dudley, who bullied him when they were kids and treated him like a freak because his parents [[SpoiledBrat raised him to]]. After Harry saves his life in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'', he has a HeelRealization and apologizes with the two spending more time together [[Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild as adults]]. According to WordOfGod, the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen original plan]] for the ending of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' would have had Dudley's own children attending Hogwarts alongside Harry's but Rowling changed her mind, joking that any wizarding genes would've never survived contact with [[FatBastard Vernon]]'s.

* Ysuran Auondril from ''Videogame/BaldursGateDarkAllianceII'' was once an elf supremacist and member of the terrorist organisation Eldreth Veluuthra, but a magical accident left him with AmnesiacDissonance, and the new personality he created to replace his old one possessed none of his former prejudices, only a strange desire to help everyone around him. He can eventually regain his memories of his old life, but [[ThatManIsDead swears off all connection to it in disgust]].

* Wakka from ''Videogame/FinalFantasyX'' is a devout follower of the religion of Yevon, and harbors an intense dislike of the Al Bhed, a heathen group who defy the Yevonite taboo against technology. He starts to reconsider his views after seeing Yevonites committing atrocities against the Al Bhed city of Home, learning that one of his best friends, Yuna, is half-Al Bhed on her mother's side, and realising that several high-ranking Yevon officials are {{Hypocrite}}s who don't follow the rules they preach to others. By the time of [[Videogame/FinalFantasyX2 the sequel]], he shows a new-found tolerance for the Al Bhed by naming his newborn child Vidina, the Al Bhed word for "Future".

* Kormac the Templar from ''Videogame/DiabloIII'' begins the game as a NobleBigot, considering the WitchDoctor and [[BarbarianHero Barbarian]] to be uncultured savages but willing to travel and fight alongside them if they request his assistance. Towards the end of the game, he will express gratitude that his time spent alongside the heroes has given him cause to challenge his own prejudices.

** Notably, when Wallace ran for his fourth and final (non-consecutive) term as Alabama Governor[[note]]the "Before" quote at the top of the page came from his first inaugural address[[/note]] in 1982, Wallace effectively campaigned as TheAtoner, seeking to make up for his past support of segregation. It was a pledge Wallace would make good on, appointing a record number of blacks to state positions including having 2 black members of the State Cabinet at the same time.

* “[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12490736/1/Come-Together Come Together]]” opens with Tom Riddle (''Franchise/HarryPotter'') accidentally apparating to Austria after confronting Morfin Gaunt and being captured by Hydra (''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger''). Spending time witnessing the muggles in Hydra using energies that essentially amount to magic prompts Riddle to acknowledge that even muggles can be dangerous, while he also forms a respect for his fellow prisoners that leads to Tom Riddle joining the Howling Commandos.

** [[spoiler:Dumbledore]] is posthumously revealed to have held [[FantasticRacism Wizarding supremacist]] views and dabbled in the Dark Arts in his youth, which is quite a shock to the Trio, given his lifelong stance ''against'' these very things. [[spoiler:Of course, it was [[LoveMakesYouEvil his love for Grindelwald that led him to espouse these views]]. It was this that [[FirstCutIsTheDeepest led Dumbledore to lead a very celibate life afterward and not allow himself to get romantically involved with anyone else]].]]

* Khelgar from ''Videogame/NeverwinterNights2'' initially has a low opinion of his companions Neeshka and Elanee because they're a [[HalfHumanHybrid Tiefling]] and [[ElvesVersusDwarves Wood Elf]] respectively. He also wants to become a monk in the service of Tyr, and part of his trial to do so involves undergoing enough CharacterDevelopment to see them as FireForgedFriends and learn to judge people by their actions rather than their race.

** Klara at one point had issues with either homosexuality or miscegenation ([[FishOutOfTemporalWater she's from the past]], so possibly both), expressing disgust at the site of Xavin and Karolina kissing. She got over it pretty quickly, and [[ComicBook/RunawaysRainbowRowell more recently]] was HappilyAdopted by a gay couple.

** It's worth noting some have [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation said Wallace's racism in the 1960's was more politically motivated than sincere]], as he mounted a failed 1958 bid for governor as a moderate on race issues and was defeated, which [[ThenLetMeBeEvil may have driven him to take a more opportunistic stance]].

* Strom Thurmond infamously conducted the longest speaking filibuster by an American senator ever in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957, and opposed other civil rights bills in TheSixties. However, starting in TheSeventies, he moderated his position on race.

** Klara at one point had issues with either homosexuality or miscegenation (she's from the past, so possibly both), expressing disgust at the site of Xavin and Karolina kissing. She got over it pretty quickly, and more recently was adopted by a gay couple.

* ZigZagged by the [[RetiredMonster Super Mutant companion Marcus]] in ''VideoGame/Fallout2''. He was a member of TheMaster's army and a firm believer in his [[{{Transhuman}} transhumanist]] AssimilationPlot, believing [[HumansAreBastards humanity's divisive and warlike tendencies made them a lost cause]]. However, after befriending a Brotherhood of Steel Knight named Jacob he was inspired to give humanity a second chance, although he still believed in the Unity's cause. After helping the PlayerCharacter defeat [[ANaziByAnyOtherName the Enclave]], he [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas settles down in Nevada]] to establish a safe haven for mutants known as Jacobstown and is very cordial with human visitors.
* In ''Videogame/Fallout4'', one of the [[MultipleChoicePast many versions]] of Deacon's backstory you can hear has him being a member of a gang of anti-[[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Synth]] extremists, but falling in love with a synth woman who was later murdered by the gang, causing him to kill them all in revenge. By the time you meet him, he's an agent of The Railroad, the biggest Synths-rights advocate group in the Commonwealth.

* Zigzagged by the Super Mutant companion Marcus in ''VideoGame/Fallout2''. He was a member of TheMaster's army and a firm believer in his [[{{Transhuman}} transhumanist]] AssimilationPlot, believing [[HumansAreBastards humanity's divisive and warlike tendencies made them a lost cause]]. However, after befriending a Brotherhood of Steel Knight named Jacob he was inspired to give humanity a second chance, although he still believed in the Unity's cause.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlackTheSeries'' had a time-traveling bigot trying to [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight make sure the Men in Black never existed by killing the founders]] because of his [[FantasticRacism hatred of aliens.]] He's eventually [[LaserGuidedAmnesia neutralized]] by J, who instructs him to stop being such a racist jackass, and then sucked back in time. In an ironic twist, the ending reveals that the wound up becoming one of the founders of the Men in Black thanks to the mindwipe.

* The ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' fan fic ''FanFic/MySuperBestFriend'' takes place after Heidi Turner breaks up Eric Cartman in Season 21 of the main show upon realizing she was stating to adopt several of Cartman's traits, including his bigoted views. Part of this story focuses on [[TookALevelInKindness her taking a level in kindness]] where she becomes a remorseful NiceGirl who no longer shares Cartman's bigotry and is trying to make amends for the all people she mocked, [[NiceJewishBoy Kyle Broflovski]] in particular. Unfortunately for Heidi, Kyle is very reluctant to trust her again, not knowing on whether her previously expressions of bigotry was just her merely imitating Cartman or if all the things she said was how she truly felt about everything and everyone she insulted.

* The ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' fan fic ''FanFic/MySuperBestFriend'' takes place after Heidi Turner breaks up Eric Cartman in Season 21 of the main show upon realizing she was stating to adopt several of Cartman's traits, including bigoted views. Part of this story focuses on [[TookALevelInKindness her taking a level in kindness]] where she becomes a remorseful NiceGirl who no longer shares Cartman's bigotry and is trying to make amends for the all people she mocked, [[NiceJewishBoy Kyle Broflovski]] in particular. Unfortunately for Heidi, Kyle is very reluctant to trust her again, not knowing on whether her previously expressions of bigotry was just her merely imitating Cartman or if all the things she said was how she truly felt about everything and everyone she insulted.

* The ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' fan fic ''FanFic/MySuperBestFriend'' takes place after Heidi Turner breaks up Eric Cartman in Season 21 of the main show upon realizing she was stating to adopt several of Cartman's traits, including bigoted views. Part of this story focuses on [[TookALevelInKindness her going back to her original self]] where she becomes TheAtoner who no longer shares Cartman's bigotry and trying to earn the forgiveness from the all people she insulted, [[NiceJewishBoy Kyle Broflovski]] in particular. Unfortunately for Heidi, Kyle is very reluctant to trust her again, not knowing on whether her previously expressions of bigotry was just her merely imitating Cartman or if all the things she said was how she truly felt about everything and everyone she insulted.

* Joshua Nolan in ''Series/{{Defiance}}'' was a war criminal in the past and was extremely open about his FantasticRacism against Votans. You'd never know it, nowadays; it's implied that adopting the orphaned Irisa mellowed him out a bit.
* A new prison guard [[TheMole working with the Aryan gang]] in ''Series/{{Oz}}'' tries to claim to be this when another prison official notices his swastika tattoo, but his behavior since being hired has been too obvious and nobody buys the excuse.