History Main / PropagandaHero

* In ''VideoGame/MediEvil'', Sir Daniel Fortesque was given this treatment posthumously, as legends of the Battle of Gallowmere play him up as a heroic general who led the charge and died in a MutualKill with the EvilSorcerer Zarok. In reality, Dan was killed by the very first arrow loosed during the battle, and Zarok had escaped. The [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationPortable PSP]] remake ''VideoGame/MediEvilResurrection'', which portrays Sir Dan as a LovableCoward, outright states that the legend of Sir Dan was fabricated for the sake of morale -- Dan was a fop who the King had appointed based on tall tales, and the King lionized him to inspire the populace and avoid embarrassment.

* John Henry, the famous "steel drivin' man" of song and story. From what little is known, he really did win his famous duel against the steam drill, a truly herculean feat that required him to [[DropTheHammer swing a twelve-pound sledgehammer]] [[DualWielding in each hand]]. While it's probably not true he then "laid down his hammer and died" afterwards, the steam drill was able to repeat the feat the next day [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu and John Henry]] [[HeroicRROD was not]]. Over the years, various people have re-purposed an event that was probably staged to settle a bet into everything from the story of a generically American folk hero to a specifically African-American folk hero to a heroic labor action. As for the real John Henry, his name appears in the pension records of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, and the Norfolk and Western Railroad later named a powerful experimental locomotive after him.

-->'''Clegane''': Most families claim some distant ancestor so far back nobody can prove them liars.

-->'''Jaime'''

* ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'' was intended by Creator/LeniRiefenstahl to make UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler into one, orchestrating a Nuremberg Rally (deliberately staged by Reifenstahl for the film) with Hitler getting an epic entrance to show how godlike and powerful he is.

** Robocop himself is OCP' greatest creation as he is the only one that works properly.

Related to FamedInStory, ShroudedInMyth, HistoricalHeroUpgrade, PropagandaMachine, CaptainPatriotic, EngineeredHeroics, and SelfMadeMyth. See also CultOfPersonality, where the leaders of state are made into heroes or gods, either by themselves or their party after the leader's death, and FakeUltimateHero, where ''everything'' about the character turns out to be a lie. Anyone who attempts to expose the truth about a propaganda hero with FeetOfClay after their death is likely to be kept silent due to ThePowerOfLegacy.

* In ''VideoGame/MediEvil'', Sir Daniel Fortesque was given this treatment posthumously, as legends of the Battle of Gallowmere play him up as a heroic general who led the charge and died in a MutualKill with the EvilSorcerer Zarok. In reality, Dan was killed by the very first arrow loosed during the battle, and Zarok had escaped. Characters who know the truth, like the gargoyles and the denizens of the Hall of Heroes, give Sir Dan no end of mockery for his false legend. The [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationPortable PSP]] remake ''VideoGame/MediEvilResurrection'', which portrays Sir Dan as a LovableCoward, outright states that the legend of Sir Dan was fabricated for the sake of morale -- Dan was a fop who the King had appointed based on tall tales, and the King lionized him to inspire the populace and avoid embarrassment.
-->'''Gargoyle:''' The fog of war and the shrouds of time conspired to turn the arrow-fodder into the saviour of the day! But we knows better.

* In ''VideoGame/MediEvil'', Sir Daniel Fortesque was given this treatment posthumously, as legends of the Battle of Gallowmere play him up as a heroic general who led the charge and died in a MutualKill with the EvilSorcerer Zarok. In reality, Dan was killed by the very first arrow loosed during the battle. Characters who know the truth, like the gargoyles and the denizens of the Hall of Heroes, give Sir Dan no end of mockery for his false legend. The [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationPortable PSP]] remake ''VideoGame/MediEvilResurrection'', which portrays Sir Dan as a LovableCoward, outright states that the legend of Sir Dan was fabricated for the sake of morale -- Dan was a fop who the King had appointed based on tall tales, and the King lionized him to inspire the populace and avoid embarrassment.

* In ''VideoGame/MediEvil'', Sir Daniel Fortesque was given this treatment posthumously, as legends of the Battle of Gallowmere play him up as a heroic general who led the charge and died in a MutualKill with the EvilSorcerer Zarok. In reality, Dan got the job by impressing the King with tall tales, and was killed by the very first arrow loosed during the battle. Characters who know better, like the gargoyles and the denizens of the Hall of Heroes, give Sir Dan no end of mockery for his false legend. The [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationPortable PSP]] remake ''VideoGame/MediEvilResurrection'' outright states that the legend of Sir Dan was fabricated because the King was trying to avoid political embarrassment.

* In ''VideoGame/MediEvil'', Sir Daniel Fortesque was given this treatment posthumously, as legends of the Battle of Gallowmere play him up as a heroic general who led the charge and died in a MutualKill with the EvilSorcerer Zarok. In reality, he was killed by the very first arrow loosed during the battle. Characters who know better, like the gargoyles and the denizens of the Hall of Heroes, give Sir Dan no end of mockery for his false legend. The [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationPortable PSP]] remake ''VideoGame/MediEvilResurrection'' outright states that the legend of Sir Dan was penned because the king thought the truth of Dan's death was too embarrassing to be made known.

Related to FamedInStory, ShroudedInMyth, HistoricalHeroUpgrade, PropagandaMachine, CaptainPatriotic, EngineeredHeroics, and SelfMadeMyth. See also CultOfPersonality, where the leaders of state are made into heroes or gods, either by themselves or their party after the leader's death, and FakeUltimateHero, where ''everything'' about the character turns out to be a lie.

[[folder:Film]]

->''"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact...print the legend."''

* In ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'', Katsuya's immense talent as a hunter makes him the poster boy for the pro-young hunter faction of Drankam. The leaders of this faction prop him up as a rising star among hunters in order to steer the direction of the gang away from veterans like Shirakabe as part of their perpetual WeAreStrugglingTogether strife. The pro-veteran side also try to set up the young Togami as a counter-symbol, since he hates Katsuya, but those efforts fall flat.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'', [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Hero]] was this before the story began, as the human leaders cast him as the human savior against demons. [[{{Reconstruction}} Reconstructed]] after allying with the Demon Queen to SaveBothWorlds, as he is increasingly aware of his status as a Propaganda Hero. He also begins to take control of his own propaganda in the guise of Dark Knight, Demon Queen's loyal and fearsome servant.

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!!Examples

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]
* ''Anime/IzettaTheLastWitch'': After seeing Izetta's [[OneWomanArmy skills against the Germanian Invasion forces]], Archduchess Fine ends up turning Izetta into one of these, dubbing her the "SecondComing of the White Witch", and promptly giving her a fancy new white dress to wear in combat. Later in the series, the Germanian Forces come up with their own PropagandaHero in Sophie, [[spoiler:the original White Witch from Eylstadt's legend, brought back through a combination of cloning, BloodMagic, and her genetic memories being restored.]] The Germanians promptly call her "Germania's Witch", and soon begin publishing her exploits against the Allied Powers in Europe, ranging from successfully [[spoiler:defeating and nearly capturing Izetta]] to [[spoiler:launching a terror bombing campaign on Britannia with little to no opposition.]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

* In ''Comicbook/DCComicsBombshells'', Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} and [[Comicbook/StargirlDCComics Stargirl]] are intended to be this for the Soviets. When they get used as weapons against their own people they defect to the US. As members of the Bombshells, they're offered stars and stripes uniforms, but refuse them, saying they don't want to be ''anyone'''s propaganda tool.
* ''ComicBook/{{Uber}}'': When the Nazis develop {{Super Soldier}}s at the end of World War II, prolonging the conflict significantly, the "Übers" quickly become figures in Nazi propaganda, particularly Siegfried and Sieglinde, both of whom seem to embody the Nazi phenotypical ideal of being blonde, tall, and having a HeroicBuild. Of course, since we're talking about Nazis, [[WarIsHell they're ruthlessly massacring enemy soldiers and civilians alike]].

[[folder: Film]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'': [[BigBrotherIsEmployingYou Winston Smith]] invents the heroic "Comrade Ogilvy" out of whole cloth as part of his job at the [[PropagandaMachine Ministry of Truth]].

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

[[folder: Poetry]]

[[folder: Theatre]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Webcomics]]

** Sylvia / Alchemical Air appears on literal propaganda: [[https://www.sleeplessdomain.com/comic/interstitial-2 A government poster]] promoting the benefits of [[SuperRegistrationAct registering as a magical girl]], such as private school, an income, and a lower fatality rate. [[spoiler:When Tessa transfers to public school after most of her friends and teammates, Sylvia included, die in the line of duty, she sees this poster still on display and makes sure to tear it down.]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life]]

** Later, the manga introduced ''Sora, Warrior of the Sea'', a long running comic strip published by the World Economic Journal, the biggest newspaper in the setting featuring a Marine hero fighting an evil army. The events depicted by the comic are supposedly based on the exploits of real Marine heroes, serving as propaganda to increase support for the Marine cause.