History Main / HurtingHero

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16891020470.40388300 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

If a direct wick has led you here, please correct the link so that it points to the corresponding article.

* EmotionalBruiser: A hero shows his feelings openly.

* KnightInSourArmour: A character chooses to do good, heroic, selfless deeds in spite of their cynical worldview.

%%
%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16665483630.67907800
%% Please don't add a new image without discussion in Image Pickin'.
%%
->''"We figured the audience would want good stories, great art, wonderful characters, people you could fall in love with that we would immediately put through hell."''
-->-- '''Creator/ChrisClaremont'''

%% One quote is sufficient. Please place additional entries on the quotes tab.

Good guys are happy, right? GoodFeelsGood, and, as such, a hero should always feel spectacular, right?

Not always.

Sometimes, being TheChosenOne is ''[[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne hard]]'', especially when it puts your life in danger, consumes all your free time, and makes you choose between [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies being alone]] or putting [[IHaveYourWife your loved ones in danger]].

Heroic powers can have a [[SuperPoweredEvilSide terrifying will of their own]], be [[PowerIncontinence hard to control]], or demand that a [[PowerAtAPrice price be paid]]. If the Hurting Hero JumpedAtTheCall, they'll probably wish they had [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Been Careful What They Wished For]] and think IJustWantToBeNormal. Even for "cleaner" heroes, [[ChronicHeroSyndrome the constant pressure of having to save people over and over]] can lead to HeroicFatigue.

Heroes are also not immune to personal tragedy, and the memory of [[MyGreatestFailure certain events]] and people can haunt them like everyone else. A DarkAndTroubledPast can make them [[PastExperienceNightmare not even find peace in their sleep]]. [[IronWoobie The audience will love them for it]], in that twisted and tender way they love TheWoobie.

Different heroes handle this different ways. Some get [[AntiHero dark and broody]], some {{dr|owningMySorrows}}ink, some [[BeardOfSorrow cease to care how they look]], some [[ObfuscatingStupidity play the idiot]], and some [[StepfordSmiler force a smile]] and [[SadClown crack bad jokes]], because if the whole world [[BecomingTheMask thinks you're happy, that many people can't be wrong]]. [[BrokenHero Can they]]?

Sometimes, the pressure gets too great, leading to anything from a HeroicBSOD, to a full-on FallenHero FaceHeelTurn. Some heroes go DontYouDarePityMe Others are glad for a little comfort.

Still, heroes are heroes. They can and will rise above their weakness and pain and [[NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech call for everyone and the villain to come and see what they can do]], and [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome they'll do it]], thus [[EarnYourHappyEnding earning their happy ending]], eventually. On the more [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVSCynicism cynical side of the spectrum]], beware the Hurting Hero who [[HeroicHeelizationSpeech decides they have absolutely nothing to lose by tearing the villain's spine out of their asshole]] if they get pushed too far.

Compare BeingGoodSucks. May cause a villain or bystander to express SympathyForTheHero.

Has nothing to do with [[Music/TheHurting the first album]] of Music/TearsForFears.
----
!!Example subpages
[[index]]
* HurtingHero/AnimeAndManga
* HurtingHero/ComicBooks
* HurtingHero/FanWorks
* HurtingHero/{{Literature}}
* HurtingHero/LiveActionTV
* HurtingHero/VideoGames
[[/index]]

!!Other examples
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Batman/Bruce Wayne in ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy''. Very, very much.
* In {{Spaghetti Western}}s, heroes hurt in more ways than one. Generally they are near-invincible gunslingers who are nonetheless subject to the most horrible of tortures. The titular character in ''Django'' embodies this, his invincibility almost becoming a curse to him because he is trapped in a cycle of violence he cannot get out of.
** The best-known one of those, [[Creator/ClintEastwood the Man with no Name]] from the Film/DollarsTrilogy, only escapes extreme hurt in ''Film/ForAFewDollarsMore'', being brutally beaten in ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'' and forced to wander in a desert in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly''.
** In Corbucci's own ''Film/TheGreatSilence'', where the hero is [[spoiler:killed brutally in the final fight, not that he's really happy at any point in the film]].
** In ''Film/{{Companeros}}'' however, one hero is a cheery Mexican rebel who hurts plenty when [[spoiler:he is tortured by having his belly clawed open by a rat in a basket]].
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* John [=McClane=] from ''Franchise/DieHard''.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* Martin Riggs from ''Film/{{Lethal Weapon}}'' spends most of the movie suicidally depressed after the death of his wife.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Optimus Prime in ''Film/{{Transformers}}''. See Western Animation for more detail.
* ''Film/EndOfDays'': Jericho is reeling from the untimely deaths of his beloved wife and child in a robbery home invasion while he was working on a security job. He's clearly depressed and contemplates shooting himself when his best friend visits him at the start, and it's a plot point that he's not really cut out to fight the Devil because he [[EvilStoleMyFaith doesn't believe or think there's much worth saving]].
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** ''Film/IronMan3'' has Tony suffering from PTSD-like symptoms following his near-death experience in ''The Avengers'' and is obsessed with keeping his loved ones safe to the point where he has upgraded his armor 40 times since ''The Avengers''.
** Film/{{Thor}} has to watch as his little brother goes insane and becomes a megalomaniac, and then he is personally tasked with bringing that little brother to justice. Then he is kept away from his sweetheart by the long, draining intergalactic war his brother's actions kick-started. Then he watches [[spoiler:his mother]] die right in front of him, as he is seconds too late to save her. Then [[spoiler:his father]] becomes suicidal due to the grief of his recent loss, forcing him to [[spoiler:commit treason]] in order to preserve his homeworld's safety. And ''then'' [[spoiler:his brother apparently]] bleeds to death in his arms after saving his life. It's no small wonder that the poor guy needs a break by the end of ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld''.\\
It only gets worse for him from there. ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' culminates in him having to take up the mantle of Asgard's king after Odin's passing, though the realm of Asgard itself wounds up obliterated in the clash between Hela and Surtur. He is able to evacuate all of the people, however, and [[HopeSpot things seemed like they might get better]] once they can find a new home... until Thanos intercepts their ship, in pursuit of the Space Stone in Loki's possession. Around half of the Asgardian refugees under Thor's custody are slaughtered by Thanos' Order, while Thanos himself personally executes both Heimdall and Loki. In the end, Thor very nearly stopps Thanos from completing his goal, but discovers to his horror that he failed. [[Film/AvengersEndgame Three weeks later]], it turns out that [[spoiler:they can't even use the Infinity Stones to reverse what Thanos did, as Thanos has made sure to destroy them himself. Though Thor is able to kill Thanos now, they have lost the war. During the five-year TimeSkip from there, he has become a reclusive alcoholic, his once-admirable physique lost to years of inactivity and abuse, and he can't even bear to hear Thanos' name.]] Poor guy.
** Bruce Banner, ''naturally''. He has to deal with the loss of his life, his work and his love interest, all the while managing the Hulk and Ross' plan to dissect him. In ''Film/TheAvengers2012'' he admits he tried to commit [[DriventoSuicide suicide]] and that his secret to bring out the Hulk is that [[TranquilFury he's always angry]]. As of ''[[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron Age of Ultron]]'', he had to deal with his self-enforced exile, giving up a chance to be with Natasha, and worst of all The Hulk remains in control for two whole years. This line in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' really sells it:
--->'''Tony Stark:''' Banner, you want a piece?\\
'''Bruce Banner:''' No, not really, but when do I ever get what I want?
*** ''[[Film/AvengersEndgame Endgame]]'' surprisingly makes Bruce a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] of this. In ''Endgame'', [[spoiler:Bruce comes to an understanding with the Hulk and he fuses the two of them together, giving Bruce the Hulk's body permanently, but keeping his mind completely intact. This gives him a new out look on life since he is able to return to his work and no one is afraid of him any more. He is even able to enjoy his superhero reputation and is quite popular among children. All in all, after everything Bruce went though, [[EarnYourHappyEnding things turned out pretty good for him]]]].
** Good lord, ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}''. In [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar his debut]], he was a man driven by revenge over the murder of his father, but by the start of his own movie the culprit has been brought to justice and he is crowned king. [[TemptingFate Smooth sailing from here?]] No. [[spoiler:The villain of the film, Erik Killmonger, is T'Challa's [[LongLostRelative long-lost cousin]], the son of his uncle who betrayed Wakanda and was killed by his father in self-defense. Killmonger, a child at the time, was completely abandoned to keep what happened a secret. Killmonger challenges T'Challa to the right to the throne and wins, nearly killing him in the process. His spirit as beaten as his body, T'Challa only returns to the world of the living after [[CallingTheOldManOut calling out his father and the other previous kings of Wakanda]] for their policy of isolationism leading to this tragedy, as well as confronting his beloved father for abandoning his nephew and causing Killmonger's StartOfDarkness. He wins and regains the throne in the end, of course, but even the villain's death is a moment of tragedy, not celebration.]] Notably, T'Challa spends several scenes of the film in tears, but Chadwick Boseman pulls it off, his open display of gentler emotions [[ManlyTears not making him look weak in the slightest.]]
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample** The introduction of [[Comicbook/CaptainAmerica Steve Rogers]] in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' shows him beating a punching bag until it bursts while remembering the war and his... vacation.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': The younger Charles Xavier has completely fallen apart at the seams, haunted by the hardships he had suffered during the Cuban Missile Crisis and losing most of his students and staff to the UsefulNotes/VietnamWar.
* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
** Franchise/{{Superman}} is put through the wringer in both ''Film/ManOfSteel'' and ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''. As a child, he had to deal with his powers manifesting and causing him all kinds of grief (particularly his super-senses), which led to [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer the other kids ostracizing and bullying him because his powers made him "act weird"]]. Then he finds out as a preteen that he's [[HumanAlien not even human (even though he looks just like one)]], with his adoptive parents constantly stressing that he keep his abilities secret out of fear that people would fear and hate him. He then loses his father and spends several years aimlessly wandering, trying to look for answers. When he does, he inadvertently brings the Kryptonian survivors to Earth, who are determined to exterminate humanity to bring Krypton back, forcing him to fight the last members of his own species. At the end, he is left haunted by the deaths from the collateral damage of the fight, and then [[spoiler:has to kill General Zod to save an innocent family]]. Things get worse in the sequel, as Superman has to deal with skeptics who are afraid of his power and those who practically worship him as a messiah figure. Oh yeah, and he dies, though he does get better [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague later on]].
** Alongside his DeathByOriginStory parents, Franchise/{{Batman}} is in mourning for his deceased sidekick Robin, who was killed by the Joker. He also laments the fact that he's been fighting crime in Gotham for almost '''twenty years''' by the time of ''Dawn of Justice'' and has next to nothing to show for it.
** Franchise/WonderWoman went through UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, seeing the lowest depths that humanity could sink to, and lost her FirstLove Steve Trevor. This, along with other painful events, led to her losing faith in her ability to help humanity, though she does gain it back over time as she makes friends with the other Justice League members.
** While he's the PluckyComicRelief and thus considerably less angsty than the others, [[ComicBook/TheFlash Barry Allen]] also counts. His mother was mysteriously murdered and his father was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison for her death. Since then, Barry's been desperately trying to get into a crime forensics school to learn the tricks of the trade so he can [[ClearMyName clear his father's name]] and find out the truth behind his mother's death. He also doesn't have many friends, which is why he [[JumpedAtTheCall immediately accepts Bruce's offer to join the Justice League]].
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample** Victor Stone, aka ComicBook/{{Cyborg}}, grew up feeling like his {{Workaholic}} father Silas cared more for his work than for Victor himself. He also loses his mother in a terrible car crash, which leaves him horribly disfigured on on the verge of death. Silas, in a desperate attempt to save him, uses the Mother Box alien technology to give Victor a new cybernetic body... which isn't just painful for Victor, but also drastically changes his appearance, driving a further wedge into their relationship. It takes a long while before Victor is able to accept himself, make peace with his father, and embrace his abilities.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* In the second half of ''Film/ShredderOrpheus'', Orpheus enters a depression after losing Eurydice, admitting to Linus that everything feels fake, he doesn't know who he is, and he doesn't have a life without Eurydice.
* Mark Steven Johnson adopts the tradition for ''Film/Daredevil2003''. Matt Murdock's superhero lifestyle is depicted as being a thankless and torturous affair.
[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:Web Comics]]
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* Lexx from ''Webcomic/AlienDice''. He ''starts out'' [[DarkAndTroubledPast broken and hurting anyway]], but it continues to get worse as the series goes along. He tends to hide it, but private moments and internal conversations show how much he's afraid of what will happen to him next.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* Believe it or not, Webcomic/AxeCop. As Malachi Nicolle, the child who writes the comic, is growing up and maturing, it's becoming clearer that Axe Cop isn't really able to enjoy himself.
%%[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* Himei of ''Literature/SailorNothing''.
%%-->'''Himei:''' I'm a perfectly ordinary girl and I have an ordinary life... but I've also got [[MagicalGirl another life]]. And I hate it. I hate every minute of it.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* All four main characters in ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'' are like this -- especially the men. Shandala has a DarkAndTroubledPast, but she doesn't let it haunt her everyday life until the plot gets going and bad shit goes down.
%%* Most of Team Kimba from the Literature/WhateleyUniverse.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample** [[PersonOfMassDestruction Tennyo]] is regarded as a crazed menace even by most of the other supers at [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]].
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample** Generator was regularly beaten and verbally abused by her father before her powers emerged, and because of her diminutive size is often seen as an easy target by bullies - even after she's demonstrated the ability to defend herself effectively.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample** Bladedancer has just had to separate herself from all her friends because of her prophetic dreams.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample** And Phase... Poor Phase. He has become a mutant, been kicked out of his mutant-hating family, lost the wealth and protection that gave him, been tortured by a MadScientist, been turned into an intersexed mostly-female form, and been sent to Whateley Academy. But his last name (Goodkind) represents everything mutants hate and fear. People come out of the woodwork to attack him, either verbally or physically. sometimes both. And that isn't even counting [[spoiler:having nearly gone insane while being pummeled to the edge of death by an EldritchAbomination over Christmas vacation]].
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* Nearly every major character in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' qualifies as this trope to some extent, as superpowers in the setting mainly come from a TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening, which tends to shape their thinking and affect them for some time after the fact. Nearly everyone is dealing with some form of trauma or angst.
* WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}: Jaune Arc. [[spoiler: Since Pyrrha's death, he outwardly projects an image of being the same lovable goofball he's always been, but he very clearly misses her and regrets not being able to save her. He torments himself nightly by training to her videos, which includes an aborted attempt by her to reveal her feelings. He incorporates elements into his clothing and weapons design inspired by her, including wearing a red sash at his waist and melting down the metal from her circlet and armour to trim his shield and sword. When he confronts Cinder at Haven, he loses control of his anger over what she did to Pyrrha, an act which almost costs him his life]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* There is an ever present yet dignified sadness in Creator/PeterCullen's performance of [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Optimus Prime]], as if The Great War has affected him so deeply, that he is ''always'' crying deep inside. Cullen stated in interviews that he drew inspiration from his brother, a ShellShockedVeteran of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, who told him before the audition for Optimus "Don't be a tough hero; you are strong enough to be gentle."
** Most particularly, in his ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' incarnation.
*** It's significantly increased in his non G1 performances, possibly because the Film and Prime versions have Cybertron ruined by the war, whereas G1 still had the hope of things eventually getting back to normal (and indeed they eventually do in the finale). In G1, Prime would occasionally crack a few dry jokes, insult or taunt the cons, and hang out with the bots, watching TV or playing basketball. 2007 and beyond Prime is all business. He'll make heroic speeches and cheer people up, and is badass in battle, but is almost always all business. He also sounds older, not exactly old, but more like a general in his late 40s to 50s, though that's probably because Creator/PeterCullen is 20 years older.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Goliath, if not the rest of his clan, perfectly embodies this trope on ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'':
** The more you learn about Marceline the Vampire Queen, the more you'll want to give her a big hug. Born the half-demon daughter of Hunson Abadeer (who is Adventure Time's version of {{Satan}}) and a human woman, Marcy lost her mom in the mushroom wars. In the post-apocalypse she was taken care of by [[spoiler:Simon Petrikov until he left to protect her from himself (he was losing his memories and sense of self because of the ice crown)]]. When she turned into a teenage she decided to protect people by [[spoiler:destroying all of Ooo's vampires, during which time she befriended a group of survivors. As she was killing the vampire king however, not only did her friends have to leave and never come back, but she was turned into a vampire her self meaning she would out live them and most everyone else she would befriend]]. Over the next thousand years Marcy would meet and bond with her dad, until he ate her fries (which considering how little food was available to Marcy growing, is a big deal), and she met, befriended, and started a relationship with Princess Bubblegum until the candy kingdom got so large that Bubblegum accidentally pushed Marcy away. Also the [[spoiler:amnesiac Simon-turned]] Ice King would find her year after year to do stuff with her despite [[spoiler:not remembering anything about her every time]] and she had a jerk of an ex boyfriend named Ash who stole her teddy bear and sold it to a which for a wand. While things start looking up for her after she befriends Finn, she still has to deal with her father trying to force her to take over the Nightosphere (Hell). Thankfully, Marcy and Bubblegum patch things up and [[spoiler:start dating again by the finale]]. Unfortunately, Farmworld Marceline had it even worse off than her main timeline counterpart and doesn't get a happy ending, poor girl.
** While Finn is usually pretty cheerful, he is definitely still this when it comes to his human parents or the lack of other humans. His lowest point was definitely after the double whammy of his [[spoiler:brake-up with Flame Princess and losing his arm only a short time after (plus his disappointing reunion with his human father). Thankfully by the [[MakesSenseInContext second time he loses his arm]] he takes it much better]].
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Aang is the last of his people alive and under tremendous pressure to save the world.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample** Zuko, as Aang's foil, suffers from his own version. Though a substantial amount of it is [[HonorBeforeReason self-inflicted]] and it takes a while for him to accept himself and his actions.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* Avatar Korra in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' also falls into this category. [[spoiler:Especially after she is mercury poisoned.]]
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', when Orion thinks that Flash covers this trope, but is proven wrong:
-->'''Orion:''' Now I understand. You play the fool to hide a warrior's pain.\\
'''Flash:''' Dude, the bad guys went down, and nobody got hurt. You know what I call that? A really good day.
* In the opening two-part episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', Terry correctly infers this when Bruce Wayne initially refuses to get directly involved to stop Powers' nerve-gas project:
--> '''Terry:''' [[DarkAndTroubledPast Something happened to you]], didn't it? And it wasn't just that you got old.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample** Terry himself might also count, judging from a conversation between him and his mother following his father's death early in the series, and a later comment he makes to Powers as well.
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': If you consider [[Characters/RickAndMortyMortySmith Morty Smith]] a hero, the ''entirety of the show'' should do the trick; from when he [[spoiler:gets almost raped]] in "Meeseeks and Destroy," to [[spoiler: living with the guilt of Rick accidentally turning all non-related humans into Cronenberg-esque creatures on his behalf]] in "Rick Potion #9. And ''that's'' just the first season.
%%Administrivia/PartialContextExample* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': While Jack occasionally showed traits of this whenever reminded of his past, he is hit with this trope hard in Season 5. Having spent decades trying to return to the past and undo the future with no success have left him a embittered shell of his former self, specially since he has lost his sword - the one weapon capable of killing Aku.
[[/folder]]
----

** The more you learn about Marceline the Vampire Queen, the more you'll want to give her a big hug. Born the half-demon daughter of Hunson Abadeer (who is Adventure Time's version of {{Satan}}) and a human woman, Marcy lost her mom in the mushroom wars. In the post-apocalypse she was taken care of by [[spoiler:Simon Petrikov until he left to protect her from himself (he was losing his memories and sense of self because of the ice crown)]]. When she turned into a teenage she decided to protect people by [[spoiler:destroying all of Ooo's vampires, during which time she befriended a group of survivors. As she was killing the vampire king however, not only did her friends have to leave and never come back, but she was turned into a vampire her self meaning she would out live them and most everyone else she would befriended]]. Over the next thousand years Marcy would meet and bond with her dad, until he ate her fries (which considering how little food was available to Marcy growing, is a big deal), and she met, befriended, and started a relationship with Princess Bubblegum until the candy kingdom got so large that Bubblegum accidentally pushed Marcy away. Also the [[spoiler:amnesiac Simon-turned]] Ice King would find her year after year to do stuff with her despite [[spoiler:not remembering anything about her every time]] and she had a jerk of an ex boyfriend named Ash who stole her teddy bear and sold it to a which for a wand. While things start looking up for her after she befriends Finn, she still has to deal with her father trying to force her to take over the Nightosphere (Hell). Thankfully, Marcy and Bubblegum patch things up and [[spoiler:start dating again by the finale]]. Unfortunately, Farmworld Marceline had it even worse off than her main timeline counterpart and doesn't get a happy ending, poor girl.