History Main / TookALevelInKindness

* ComicBook/IronMan goes back and forth between this and TookALevelInJerkass. It's safe to say Tony definitely became a nicer human being after becoming a hero and it's only thanks to some obscene CharacterDerailment in ComicBook/CivilWar2006 (followed up by Secret Invasion and Superior Iron Man, though the latter wasn't his fault) that he became douche NominalHero again rather than JerkWithAHeartOfGold. In the 2010s Tony has become much nicer again and his WhatTheHellHero moments are at an all time minimum. Of course Tony's popularity in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse greatly helped in making him magnitudes nicer and less antagonistic.

* In ''ComicBook/TheIncredibles'', Organa becomes a much better mother after being turned into a monkey.

* A fairly recurring plot in ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} stories. Peter David's series was a lenghty myth arc about Matrix bonding with a downright vile teenager and influencing her into becoming a hero. [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Sterling Gates' run]] had Kara, who had been depicted as an immature brat by preceeding writers, evolve into a kind-hearted young woman. In ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', [[ComicBook/Supergirl2011 Post-Flashpoint Kara Zor-El]] learns how to move past her angry, rotten attitude and goes back to be the kind, nice girl she was before losing her world and most of her family.
* In the ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}''/''Franchise/GreenLantern'' crossover ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', Red Lantern [[BrokenBird Bleez]] became somewhat kinder and nicer after joining Guy Gardner's group. Supergirl also matured in this storyline, getting over her anger and brattiness and becoming a better person.

* ''Film/GroundhogDay''. Phil Connors is contemptuous toward almost everyone and makes no attempt to hide it. Fate decides to put him in a GroundhogDayLoop (TropeNamer), causing him to re-live the same day over and over again. He decides to help other people avoid being hurt, betters himself by learning to play the piano and create ice sculpture, and falls in love. When he has improved his personality enough he's freed from the loop.

* Onewa in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}} 2'' starts out as a rude, unsupportive jerk with a knack for rude jokes and belittling everyone around him, TheLancer to team leader Vakama. Thanks to Lhikan's training, he learns how to empathize and unlock his [[MaskOfPower Mask of Mind Control]] that can defuse harsh situations. In the 3rd film, his jerkass attitude is all but gone, mostly because that role was given to Matau. After giving up his power and becoming a Turaga elder, Onewa would be known as The Referee, famous for his just and thoughtful decisions informed by his no-nonsense demeanor.

** Star Strong goes from a selfish, shallow, spoiled brat who looks down and bully those that are below her, to a kind, caring, and courageous girl willing to defend those she once looked down on.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': Wally West's run is one twenty-year-long example. As Kid Flash, Wally was a self-centered {{Jerkass}} with a nasty attitude. While becoming the Flash made him mature a bit, he was still arrogant, greedy, and lecherous. It didn't help that he won the lottery soon after gaining the title, and the money kind of went to his head. However, when he lost it all and ended up temporarily homeless, he gained a new sense of perspective, ending up befriending some of Barry Allen's old villains, becoming more of a WorkingClassHero, and generally mellowing out, though he was still a bit brash and rude. He further matured when Barry seemingly returned, only for it to be revealed that it was Eobard Thawne in disguise, forcing him to realize that he needed to live up to the name of the Flash and do it justice. Over the next decade he grew even more, and by the time Barry returned for real he was a complete NiceGuy and a loving father of two children.

* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': After arriving on Avalon, getting therapy and counselling, Asuka -who had previously been a mass of rage, cynicism and bitterness due to be psychologically broken- starts being nicer as she gradually gets over her worst issues and learns she can trust other people (specially Shinji).

** Star Strong goes from a selfish, shallow, spoiled brat who looks down and bully those that are below her, to a kind and caring girl willing to defend those she once looked down on.
** Star's mother, Stella, also goes through a more gradual one throughout the stories. She starts out as a vain and spoiled woman who's eventually made aware of how damaging her actions are to her daughter. Following that she starts working to improve on her behavior and tries to be a better mother to Star. She still makes several well meaning mistakes but is far more personable and considerate.

* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'': Ultimate Captain America, sort of. Ever since Peter's death, his old-fashioned approach started to whither away. When he eventually returned and met Miles Morales, he was more accepting of the kid and eventually became his greatest supporter (he even had Miles fight alongside the Ultimates, which was something he deliberately banned Peter from doing). He reserves his initial gruff persona for those who waste his time (the representative of the then-defected California) or people who he knows can do better (the lawyers arguing for and against the incarceration of Bruce Banner). By the end of the Ultimate Comics run, Captain America is just a less tolerant but still heroic version of his 616 counterpart instead of a straight-up hero.

** In ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'', while they are friendly towards each other, they are still highly competitive and bratty. At the end of the movie, after being adopted by Fix-It Felix Jr. and Sergeant Calhoun for just around 24 hours, they are shown to have become a lot kinder and taking both victory and defeat with grace.

** In ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'', while they are friendly towards each other, they are still highly competitive and bratty. At the end of the movie, after being adopted by Fix-It Felix and [[spoiler: Sergeant Calhoun]] for just around 24 hours, they are shown to have become a lot kinder and taking both victory and defeat with grace.

Contrast TookALevelInJerkass. Compare to DefrostingIceQueen, which focuses on a specific Love Interest bringing an unfriendly character out of her shell. When a character becomes nicer in an adaptation, that's AdaptationalNiceGuy. If this tropes applies to the whole cast or the tone, it's KinderAndCleaner.

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-->--''Series/NewsRadio'', "Airport"

* In ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'', [[TheAce Fantöm]] started out with an attitude about his high-level player status that bordered on InsufferableGenius. The franchise's WhamEpisode enventually led him to let go of the insufferable part in the webseries and novels, while the comic is currently doing an AdaptationExpansion of the arc that led to the change.