History HeelFaceRevolvingDoor / ComicBooks

** Then there's the Clone Wars stories, which sees Vos getting involved in a tangled web of [[ThePlan byzantine plans]] enacted by himself, his Master Tholme and Count Dooku. To become TheMole in Dooku's gang of dark Jedi, Vos fakes a defection to the Separatists (neither good nor bad), killing the information broker who betrayed him in the process (that's bad). While he's there, he proceeds to kill both his EvilMatriarch aunt (who organised the murder of his parents) and a corrupt senator after being convinced by Dooku that he was [[BigBad Darth Sidious]], injuring another Jedi Master in the process (that's bad).

** Vestara Khai from ''Literature/FateOfTheJedi'' was a Sith apprentice who fell in love with Luke Skywalker's son Ben, and killed her ArchnemesisDad to protect him before deciding that she wanted to become a Jedi. However, after pulling a PushedAtTheMonster on another Jedi to save Ben's life she [[IveComeTooFar decides that she's not cut out to be a Jedi]]. She plotted to kill her tribe's leaders in order to protect them, but ended up being forced to betray Ben's cousin to them and lead an assault on the Jedi Temple. Soon after, she helped Ben destroy the EvilGod Abeloth but was unable to face him after her betrayal and fled, getting promoted to Sith Lord and joining another faction of Sith. After the ContinuityReboot her ultimate fate is left unclear, but as Ben had descendants it's possible she returned to his side in the end.

** But it's not done yet. Quinlan's final story is set during [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith Order 66]], which shows him deciding that he has to survive and kill Emperor Palpatine by any means necessary (that's bad). Ultimately, though, he realizes that his duty as a Jedi is to protect a Wookiee village from the clone commander hunting him, and seems to sacrifice his life to stop him (that's good). [[spoiler: He survives, returns to his surviving friends and promises never to let his darkness affect his infant son (that's even better).]]
** So, there we have Quinlan Vos; possibly the only Star Wars character even more conflicted than Anakin Skywalker.

* Speaking of [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Star Wars comics]], and ESWU in general, Baron Soontir Fel. He never was shown as a really bad guy, but he switched sides like few others. Let's see -- the [[AcePilot best Imperial pilot]] barring Vader (and that's debatable), and receiver of a baronial title, he became quickly disillusioned with Empire and [[ComicBook/XWingRogueSquadron joined Rogue Squadron]] in exchange to help in searching for his wife, then involuntarily left the New Republic (he was abducted) for a stint in the Empire of the Hand, then served the Chiss Ascendancy (again distinguishing himself there up to receiving the Assistant Syndic position), and then returning to the Empire again, now serving Pellaeon's [[VestigialEmpire Imperial Remnant]]... Let's say that when his children founded a new Empire, it didn't surprise anyone.

!!DC
* Franchise/{{Batman}} villain ComicBook/TwoFace literally flips a coin to determine whether he'll do something good or bad. Harley Quinn has also had more than one failed reformation, mostly due to her lingering, err, ''affections'' for ComicBook/TheJoker -- himself probably the Batman villain ''least'' likely to have a HeelFaceTurn.
*** Whenever Harley has [[ComicBook/HarleyQuinn her own series]], the writers work around this by generally reserving her homicidal tendencies for ''other villains''. Good guys and innocent victims usually end up knocked out or BoundAndGagged at worst. {{Asshole Victim}}s on the other hand....
** ComicBook/PoisonIvy, while always a villain when on her own, tends to reform (or at least become neutral) whenever Harley is attempting to reform.
*** She was even a member of the ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey. Though that was entirely for selfish reasons, and she betrayed her teammates once she no longer got anything out of the deal.
** In his very first appearance, Two-Face had captured Batman and was throwing the coin for whether to kill or free him. Batman asked what if the coin stood on its edge? and got Two-Face to agree to surrender and submit to plastic surgery and therapy. The coin -- substituted by Batman for the real coin -- stood on its edge, and Two-Face returned to a normal life. However, he was later injured again and returned to his life as Two-Face.
*** [[RecycledScript ANY time Two-Face gets his face restored or tries to give up on his evil personality, he always goes back to his old ways.]] One was even helped along by [[spoiler: the Joker.]]
** In [[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]] an act of ungodly luck makes Two-Face a good guy for what looks like weeks if not months. He agrees to help Renee Montoya to try and take care of the weaker people in the city; injured, old, children, etc. Each time he helps he flips a coin, according to Montoya he apparently flips the "good" side over 100 times......in a row. It's possible that the implication there was that Two-Face was cheating. Perhaps he had honestly (temporarily) reformed, but pretended it was all the coin's fault (so he'd have an excuse if he ever turned evil again). And if that's not it, maybe Batman or Montoya just slipped him a weighted coin.
** ComicBook/TheRiddler sometimes went through the door as well, though currently he's a Face. It's unknown whether he will become a Heel again.
* This Trope could also be named The ComicBook/BlackAdam. He started out as a champion of his people in ancient times named Mighty Adam (that's good) then became a brutal dictator and conqueror when his family was killed by a supervillain (that's bad) then millennia later attempted to reform and even joined the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica (that's good) then became a not-so-brutal dictator of his country again (NOT the bad part) and later joined a Society of Villains to ensure their safety (that's bad). After said Society betrayed him, he later fought against them when they tried to take over Metropolis (that's good) then went back to being a harsh dictator with plans to form a new Axis Powers coalition (that's bad). When he gained a new family he tried to go back to his old heroic ways and traveled the world fighting evil alongside them (that's good). When this family was killed by supervillains he went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, ''murdered an entire country'', and fought every superhero on Earth (that's bad, but awesome). Most recently, his wife CameBackWrong and started turning his people into dirt and he tried to defend them [[spoiler: leading to a truly bizarre situation with ''Black Adam'' defending innocents from the ''corrupted [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] and Mary Marvel'']] (that's good.) Then he got turned into a statue alongside his wife for his troubles [[spoiler: and an oh so ominous shadowy figure wants to make them his champions...(that's bad)]]. At least there's a free choice of toppings (that's good)...that contain potassium benzoate (...that's bad). By the Power of Shazam, that is one busy revolving door.
** [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Mary Marvel]] herself applies in ''ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis'', starting out good, getting corrupted by Black Adam's power, doing a HeelFaceTurn, gaining her old powers back, and then moronically deciding to accept Black Adam's power and turn evil again after Darkseid has a friendly chat with her ([[http://readrant.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/couch-got-an-empty-spot-with-your-name-on-it-girl.jpg no, that's not a euphemism]]). And then she [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments beats up Donna Troy]] [[GrievousHarmWithABody using Kyle Rayner as a club]], among other evulz. If you're wondering, this is just one reason for why 90% of the events of ''Countdown'' are subjected to a blanket decree of LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain both [[CanonDiscontinuity in canon]] and [[FanonDiscontinuity out.]]
* Captain Boomerang Jr. from Franchise/TheDCU. He started out as his father's replacement in [[ComicBook/TheFlash The Rogues]], then tried his hand at being a hero as a member of Nightwing's Outsiders. When he and Dick got into an argument about what to do with Chemo, the living chemical weapon that destroyed Bludhaven, they got into a fight and Owen absconded with Chemo to join the Suicide Squad. In ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'', Owen's desire to be with his father again overrode his morals. He fed people to his zombie father, wrongly believing that this would revive him. Including women and children, [[EvenEvilHasStandards which prompted Captain Cold and the other Rogues to kill him.]] Cold lampshaded Owen's Revolving Door nature, saying he was like a boomerang going back and forth everywhere.
* ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} has been this for decades. Though she had settled on "antihero" in the 90's, the [[ComicBook/New52 modern age]] once again made her an AntiVillain who occasionally does good things.
* The Enchantress (June Moon) was introduced in Creator/DCComics' ''Strange Adventures'' as a heroine. Then she became a ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} villain. Following from that, she became a member of the Forgotten Villains, and then she joined the ComicBook/SuicideSquad, at which point it was established that June was a good person but the Enchantress was her SuperpoweredEvilSide. In ''Day of Judgement'', Enchantress is an amoral character who has to be pressurised into saving the world from Hell. During this the Enchantress is "killed", leaving June Moon. Later, in a ''JLA'' miniseries, they're merged together to form Soulsinger, and then separated again, but the powers stay with June, giving us the heroic Enchantress seen in ''ComicBook/{{Shadowpact}}''.
* Dr. Alchemy/Mr. Element (Al Desmond) showed signs of this during the Silver Age of ''Franchise/TheFlash''. He reformed after his first appearances, took up a white-collar job, and became good friends with Barry Allen, even attending his wedding. Meanwhile he was pulled back into evil, or sometimes just framed for it, by everything from Professor Zoom (twice!) to the fluctuations of a distant star to the machinations of a psychic twin (who turned out to be his own split personality given shape post-Crisis).
* ComicBook/LadyShiva wavers between anti-hero or villain.
* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': Despite his short tenure Dodge's desire to be special leads to him stealing a prototype teleporter which he uses to try and become a hero. When he screws that up he blames it on Robin and becomes a villain who sells fatal experimental drugs to finance his "revenge". Then after one of the villains he recruits for his revenge plot takes over from him and the Teen Titans have all but defeated his crew he switches sides claiming to have always wanted to be a hero and seems to die in a teleporter accident fighting the mutineer.
* Professor Emil Hamilton was introduced to ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' comics as a MadScientist who attacked Superman after ComicBook/LexLuthor took credit for his inventions, in order to [[TheyCalledMeMad show them all]]! After responding well to therapy, he became Superman's science advisor. When [[ComicBook/{{Steel}} John Henry Irons]] started taking on that role, Emil went mad again and became the villain Overmind, although he blamed this on being taken over by B-13 technology through his [[ArtificialLimbs robot arm]]. Once this was dealt with, he and John Henry worked together, thanks to Emil's better understanding of B-13 tech. Then he became convinced that Superman's powers were sucking energy from the Sun and reducing the viable lifespan of the Earth, so he became the WellIntentionedExtremist villain Ruin and crossed the MoralEventHorizon by targeting Clark's loved ones. And that was the last time we saw him before ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}''.
** And now in ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'', he appears to have reformed again, describing working on Jimmy Olsen's [[Creator/JackKirby Whiz Wagon]] vehicle as occupational therapy.
* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'':
** ComicBook/{{Raven}} who's turned evil and been redeemed or cleansed of evil about 4 times and counting by now. Most of this has to do with attempts to recapture the success and impact of the first time it happened in the Wolfman/Pereze Titans run. That time it was subtly built up over months. The later ones? Eh, they just sort of happen in a rather transparent attempt to drive up sales. Her Face/Heel turning points almost make her TheMillstone of {{Heel Face Revolving Door}}s if only for the transparency of her subsequent changes.
** Fellow Titan Jericho is just as bad. He started out good but was driven insane by evil spirits from Raven's father's home dimension. After his father killed him to stop his rampage Jericho clung to existence as an evil spirit being. Years later he was revived and purified of his evil. Then he went evil again due to spending too much time in Superboy's clone Match. Now, he's well...kind of a mess to be honest. It's not clear at this time whether he's good, evil, or even functional.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
** Ares flips betwixt CardCarryingVillain, AntiVillain, impartial bystander and occasional AntiHero. While he has had at least one turn attempting to be an actual proper hero in ''ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth'' his very nature means he can't meaningfully operate as such and his attempt warps him into a vicious KnightTemplar, meaning he's at his best when he's snarky, occasionally cruel and keeping his true intentions well hidden as something closer to an AntiHero.
** ComicBook/HerculesUnbound does try to be heroic most of the time, but often by the standards of Ancient Greek mythology, making him come off as an outright villain to modern sensibilities. While he does occasionally get it right it never seems to last.

!!Marvel
* ComicBook/AdamWarlock's creator, the High Evolutionary, has a ''very'' long history of this, and his evil quotient will often depend entirely on the book he is in at any given time. Though his character is a fairly stock EvilutionaryBiologist with AGodAmI-level delusions of grandeur, he has been cast as the hero (or at least a heroic figure) several times, such as when he memorably faced ComicBook/{{Galactus}} in the '70s and again in the '90s in run-ins with Mr. Sinister (another Evilutionary Biologist who was retconned into being TheManBehindTheMan to him) and Exodus (who is usually a KnightTemplar AntiVillain, but was {{flanderized}} into a SmugSnake to make the Evolutionary look more heroic). Modern stories have gone back to using him chiefly as a villain, most recently (as of 2017) clashing with the ComicBook/NewWarriors.
* Creator/MarvelComics' version of ComicBook/{{Ares}} started as a CardCarryingVillain who was causing wars and conflicts only because he liked it, but was also fighting alongside other Olympians against a common enemy. Then he realized the other gods would never accept him, went to Earth and lived peacefully among the mortals. Then, when his son got kidnapped, he joined the Olympians in the fight against evil Japanese god Amatsu-Mikaboshi. Later he joined one of the incarnations of Comicbook/TheAvengers but often acted like a typical villain towards [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules Hercules]]. [[ComicBook/DarkReign Then]] he joined the ComicBook/DarkAvengers, a team of villains posing as heroes, and was fighting both good and bad guys as well, while being one of the few members who were treating the heroic part seriously. At the same time he was training a team of killers for ComicBook/NormanOsborn and let his son join ComicBook/NickFury, who was opposing Osborn. Then he [[spoiler: betrayed Osborn after finding out he lied to him about Asgard being ruled by Loki and died, fighting alongside Norse Gods he was beating minutes ago]]. Then he returned after [[ComicBook/SecretWars2015 the 2015 Secret Wars]] in the ComicBook/ContestOfChampions on the good guys' side.
* Armadillo; originally a low level thief mutated into a humanoid armadillo by [[MadScientist Dr. Karl Malus]], he fought Captain America but reformed at the end because he wasn't really an evil guy. In his next appearance, he temporarily went mad as his wife [[UngratefulBastard (whom he underwent the mutation to get money to save from illness)]], cheated on him, with Cap again forced to stop his rampage. Since then, he's appeared throughout the Marvel Universe, usually serving as DumbMuscle for various villains, but has also been an MMA fighter (in ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}''), a rodeo performer, and even joined a hero team in ''ComicBook/CivilWar.'' His most recent appearances have had him working with the Hood's crime syndicate, & as part of HYDRA's "Army of Evil" in ComicBook/SecretEmpire so he appears to be a heel for the moment. [[note]] Perhaps justified as, being a large armadillo man, it is probably hard for him to get legitimate work, and supervillains are likely the only ones to hire him. [[/note]]
* ComicBook/{{Magneto}}'s children ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} and the ComicBook/ScarletWitch started as members of the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Brotherhood of Evil Mutants]] then reformed and joined ComicBook/TheAvengers and have been ping-ponging back and forth between heroism and villainy ever since. Quicksilver primarily because he'd really like to be a hero but is too self-centered to not do something he thinks will improve his situation just because it's illegal or wrong or something; Scarlet Witch primarily because she has a [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity mental breakdown]] whenever a writer can't think of something more interesting to do with her [[WindsOfDestinyChange near-omnipotent]] powers.
* Baron Helmut Zemo, LegacyCharacter to unrepentant Nazi Heinrich Zemo and archenemy of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and the Avengers as a whole, struggles with this. He believes himself to be a WellIntentionedExtremist who would [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans make the world a better place by ruling it]]. He constantly stresses over [[EvenEvilHasStandards the few morals he has]] and can't seem to make up his mind as to whether he should be a hero or villain. He's gone from villain to villain pretending to be a hero to AntiHero and back around again. Sadly, in the end [[FatalFlaw his massive ego and cynicism]] keeps him from becoming the truly great hero he has the potential to be.
* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} wavers between mercenary, good guy, or doing merc work for the bad guy of the week. In recent years, Deadpool has been trying very hard to be more of a hero, especially after his long-lost daughter, Ellie, comes back into his life. This put him at odds with his wife, Shiklah, who wants him to stay the killer she married. He has fallen off hard again by accidentally siding with Hydra in Secret Empire. [[spoiler: WordOfGod came out and talked about the new series, entitled The Despicable Deadpool, which will be a part of Marvel Legacy. WordOfGod states that Deadpool will be ostracized for his mistakes in Secret Empire, and will receive no credit for the things he did to help rectify the situation. Thus, he will finally give up on being a hero, and return to his roots as a mercenary.]]
* Ghost. He started out as an ComicBook/IronMan villain, but during Comicbook/DarkReign he worked against Norman Osborn from within the ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}} and was instrumental in taking him down. Of course, this was immediately followed by him trying to kill Tony Stark yet again. Several times. He subsequently became one of the most heroic of the post-Dark Reign Thunderbolts, despite trying to kill Tony Stark. Again.
* Due to his simple and unstable psyche and tendency to go into blind rages, the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk has gone from hero to villain and back again his entire existence. For instance, Hulk will save a city one minute, then someone (typically his nemesis General Ross) will piss him off and he'll start ripping apart the city he just saved. In the end though, Hulk will usually end up doing the right thing, even if it's just by accident.
** Speaking of Ross, he himself tends to go through the door over and over depending on how obsessive and what lengths he's willing to go to bring down Hulk that issue. Sometimes Ross is willing to help Banner be cured of the Hulk or leave him be for the moment if he does something good, other times he's been out to straight up murder Banner from the outset and nothing will deter him from it. He eventually joined ComicBook/TheAvengers as ComicBook/RedHulk, but left to form the new ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}} after becoming dissatisfied with their methods.
** Red She-Hulk [[spoiler:a.k.a. ComicBook/BettyRoss]] has pulled one of those in "Super Spy Banner" and "Heart of the Monster" sagas. [[spoiler:She's a Face for good in the end of "Heart of the Monster"]].
* [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor the Sub-Mariner]] deals with this so often that the trope may as well be named The Namor. He fought the original Human Torch (that's bad) and allied with him against the Axis in World War II (that's good) then swore revenge against humanity when he thought they'd destroyed Atlantis (that's bad) then swore to defend Atlantis once it was discovered again (that's good), and [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons the frogurt is also cursed (that's bad)]]. To put it another way: Marvel currently has two "ruling councils" of good guys and bad guys. Namor is on both of them. There have been occasional efforts to explain Namor's moral flexibility as a psychosis induced by his biology (he's a human/Atlantean hybrid and a mutant) and/or his amphibious environment. On balance, though, readers and creators prefer him being a treacherous dick because that's just who he is.
** To expand on some of Namor's more recent history: Turns out he had sleeper-agents in America (bad), but then he helps Captain America's side in the Comicbook/CivilWar and promises to have all sleeper agents removed (good), he lied about the sleeper agents (bad), successfully stops his son Kamar from an attempted coup and starting a war with America (good), unfortunately this chain of events leads to Atlantis being destroyed and Namor has reforging his alliance to Doctor Doom and now the Atlantean military is based in Latveria (bad), both men join Norman Osborn's Cabal and Namor attacks Tony Stark at the behest of Osborn (also bad), but them Namor (in alliance with Emma Frost) betrays ComicBook/NormanOsborn and joins the X-Men and helps them setup and defend Utopia (good), later he becomes one of the five X-Men possessed by the Phoenix Force (who are all going a bit AGodAmI now and the the [[BigBad Big Bads]] of ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'') and stages an unprovoked invasion of Wakanda (very bad).
* ComicBook/TheSentry went back and forth endlessly between being the universe's greatest hero, its greatest threat, or both at the same time. He was a bundle of mental issues even without factoring in The Void (which was either a SplitPersonality, an EvilCounterpart that was created when he gained his powers, or his true self), so it's no surprise that his Heel-Face status is as unstable as the rest of him. After some years of this, the narrative finally settled on "greatest threat" in ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}'', where he merged with the Void and became a HumanoidAbomination. He then died and got reborn (again) as one of the Final Horsemen of Apocalypse, which would seem to close the door on him once and for all, but ComicBook/DoctorStrange managed to bring him back to the side of good.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':
** ComicBook/{{Venom}} had a tendency to hop back and forth between villain and anti-hero (usually dependent on whose perspective a given book was shown from), with the two characters that made up the original Venom -- Eddie Brock and the symbiote -- going through the revolving door at different speeds. Sometime in the '90s it just became accepted that he was an anti-hero, never really being cast as a proper villain, even when working as an enemy to Spider-Man. This is likely because his villain gig was taken over by his "son", Carnage. Then there was a period where the Venom symbiote was bonded to the Scorpion (definitely a villain). Then it got bonded to Flash Thompson, who did his best to stay on the anti-hero side but in effect was practically a straight-up superhero. Then it went to Lee Price, very much a villain. Then back to Eddie Brock, who has been trying very, ''very'' hard to be a straight-up superhero and so far hasn't dropped the ball.
*** The character "Toxin" was created to fit the other end of the Venom scale. Toxin is the symbiote child of Carnage who bonded onto a law-abiding police officer. While the struggle with the symbiote's natural killing desire is intense, Toxin is a more straight example of a heroic Venom.
*** Meanwhile. Eddie Brock, the Venom symbiote's original host (not counting Spider-Man) ended his feud with Spider-Man after becoming [[GoodCounterpart Anti-Venom]], then after he lost his new symbiote, became a symbiote-hunting AntiHero, and ultimately became the new host of Toxin. Then he reunited with the Venom symbiote in 2017.
** You almost have to feel sorry for the Sandman. His original HeelFaceTurn lasted ''years'' (of real-world time) and even became a reserve member of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers''. But meddling by his old partner the Wizard made him evil again, ''and'' made him go nuts. Since then, he's been in an identity crisis where it seems the good and evil inside him, along with his sanity, can shift as easily as the sand that makes up his body.
** Same with ComicBook/{{Morbius}}, who started as an anti-villain, then went to being the anti-hero of his own series, then eventually got upgraded to a NinetiesAntiHero who constantly fought against Spider-Man yet would help people in need, unless he felt like eating them.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel:
** ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'':
*** Sabretooth started a villain, and in the X-Men tie-in he joined the Alpha Flight against Magneto, and then left that team and joined Magneto ''during a fight''.
*** Multiple man has his mind distributed on so many duplicate bodies, that he's basically losing himself, and his duplicates gradually start to think by themselves. This is fully explored in the X-Men tie-in, but it also appears in the main story, as some duplicates tried to blow up the Triskelion for Magneto, and another duplicate (neither of them the "main" Multiple man, whose original is elsewhere) tried to kill Magneto because mutants also died in the flood.
** ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'': Rogue has been with Weapon X, the Brotherhood, the X-Men, Fenris, Gambit, the X-Men again, Weapon X again, the X-Men again, betrays the X-Men to Stryker, betrays Stryker to the X-Men...
* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
** ComicBook/{{Magneto}}. Takes wider swings across the spectrum than any character in comics. Sometimes he's a straight-up villain, other times (most of them) an AntiVillain, and also an AntiHero. He formed the EvilCounterpart of the X-Men, the Brotherhood of Mutants, but has also not only been a member of the X-Men, but even ''led'' them at one point.
** ComicBook/{{Mystique}}, with an actual revolving door reference [[http://www.evil-comic.com/archive/20081009.html here]]. She's been a CardCarryingVillain, federal agent, terrorist, spy and full-fledged X-Man at various times, and that's not even getting into her ExpansionPackPast.
** ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} of all people could be considered this. Although he'll never outright betray the X-Men and is always there for them if they really really need him, he'll also constantly run off for his own personal reasons at the drop of the hat. Despite being warned often that he can't come and go as he pleases if he wants to be a full member of the team, he always does, and the X-Men always take him back.
** Chuck Austen, of all people, got the [[ComicBook/JuggernautMarvelComics Juggernaut]] caught in one of these, introducing a redemption arc for the character that was one of the few positively-received elements of his ''X-Men'' run. Juggs eventually went back to villainy due to StatusQuoIsGod, but for a good long while there you could flip a coin to figure which side of the hero/villain line he was going to be on. Even after a hard HeelFaceDoorSlam he is still on an uneasy frenemy status with some X-Men, most notably Havok (who was one of his strongest defenders in the Austen run) and Nightcrawler (who hesitated to call Cain an enemy even after being used as a hostage by him). The 2020 ''Juggernaut'' miniseries portrays him as fundamentally directionless (ironically for a character defined by being unstoppable) and trying to figure out what he actually ''wants'' to be doing.
* It's a fairly well documented fact that any time a villain becomes popular enough, Marvel will take a stab at making them a hero, or at least an anti-hero. The most ridiculous example: their repeated (at least three times) attempts to make sociopathic casual killer and [[DependingOnTheWriter rapist]] Sabretooth into an X-Man. At least they recently seem to have realized that rehabilitating him will never pan out, and resorted to [[ExplosiveLeash coercing]] him into behaving himself. Although there have been at least two alternate universe versions that exist primarily to allow a heroic Sabretooth without all the baggage.
** And now there's a flashback storyline running, from a period when Sabretooth was somewhat less insane (presumably, the processes that Weapon X had used to control him when he was an assassin hadn't completely worn off yet) and not yet in a blood feud with Wolverine, in which he's a PunchClockHero. He doesn't much care about helping young mutants, but as long as the checks keep clearing...
** ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}}'' seems to be trying to make this stick, as he's the only villain whose Inversion stuck, thanks to being caught in a special barrier made by the Superior Iron Man. He realizes this is a second chance and seeks to find his Inner Wolverine by becoming part of [[ComicBook/UncannyAvengers the Avengers Unity Squad]].
** The latest update from ComicBook/JonathanHickmansXMen is that Sabretooth, back to his evil ways, manages to break Krakoa's first law (no killing humans) before it's even codified. He's sentenced to living entombment underneath the island -- and it's heavily implied the ruling Council handed down this punishment because they knew he, out of '''all''' mutants, would be least likely to follow the new laws.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': Despite his short tenure Dodge's desire to be special leads to him stealing a prototype teleporter which he uses to try and become a hero. When he screws that up he blames it on Robin and becomes a villain who sells fatal experimental drugs to finance his "revenge". Then after one of the villains he recruits for his revenge plot takes over from him and the Teen Titans have all but defeated his crew he switches sides claiming to have always wanted to be a hero and seems to die in a teleporter accident fighting the mutineer.

** ComicBook/{{Venom}} had a tendency to hop back and forth between villain and anti-hero (usually dependent on whose perspective a given book was shown from), with the two characters that made up the original Venom - Eddie Brock and the symbiote - going through the revolving door at different speeds. Sometime in the '90s it just became accepted that he was an anti-hero, never really being cast as a proper villain, even when working as an enemy to Spider-Man. This is likely because his villain gig was taken over by his "son", Carnage. Then there was a period where the Venom symbiote was bonded to the Scorpion (definitely a villain). Then it got bonded to Flash Thompson, who did his best to stay on the anti-hero side but in effect was practically a straight-up superhero. Then it went to Lee Price, very much a villain. Then back to Eddie Brock, who has been trying very, ''very'' hard to be a straight-up superhero and so far hasn't dropped the ball.

** Chuck Austen, of all people, got the [[ComicBook/JuggernautMarvelComics Juggernaut]] caught in one of these, introducing a redemption arc for the character that was one of the few positively-received elements of his ''X-Men'' run. Juggs eventually went back to villainy due to StatusQuoIsGod, but for a good long while there you could flip a coin to figure which side of the hero/villain line he was going to be on. Even after a hard HeelFaceDoorSlam he is still on an uneasy frenemy status with some X-Men, most notably Havok (who was one of his strongest defenders in the Austen run) and Nightcrawler (who hesitated to call Cain an enemy even after being used as a hostage by him). The 2020 ''Juggernaut'' miniseries portrays him as fundementally directionless (ironically for a character defined by being unstoppable) and trying to figure out what he actually ''wants'' to be doing.

* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel:
** ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'':
*** Sabretooth started a villain, and in the X-Men tie-in he joined the Alpha Flight against Magneto, and then left that team and joined Magneto ''during a fight''.
*** Multiple man has his mind distributed on so many duplicate bodies, that he's basically losing himself, and his duplicates gradually start to think by themselves. This is fully explored in the X-Men tie-in, but it also appears in the main story, as some duplicates tried to blow up the Triskelion for Magneto, and another duplicate (neither of them the "main" Multiple man, whose original is elsewhere) tried to kill Magneto because mutants also died in the flood.
** ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'': Rogue has been with Weapon X, the Brotherhood, the X-Men, Fenris, Gambit, the X-Men again, Weapon X again, the X-Men again, betrays the X-Men to Stryker, betrays Stryker to the X-Men...

* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'':
** Geoffrey St. John is a prime example of one of these. It's even Lampshaded in one issues' off-panel strip.
** Rouge was even worse. One story taking place in a single day featured her switching sides at least ''five times''.
** Snively practically wears this trope in the Pre-SGW era. He has worked with Robotnik and Eggman against the Freedom Fighters, switched to the Freedom Fighters against Eggman, switch to Eggman (again) and worked with The Iron Queen against the Freedom Fighters, and eventually turned against Eggman for himself.

** Luke Skywalker in ''ComicBook/DarkEmpire'' can't compete with Vos, but he does manage to [[TurnOutLikeHisFather emulate his dad]]. First he confronts the Emperor Reborn. Then he realizes that he can't win and joins him, planning to subvert the Empire from within. Then he falls to TheDarkSide for real, having very Sith thoughts about killing his Master as soon as he's learned enough - when Leia and Han come to try and rescue him, he captures them and chokes Han. Then, Leia talks him into seeing the error of his ways, so he helps them escape with some important codes before trying to kill Palpatine. Palpatine beat him and bent him back into line - Sith apparently don't mind attempted murder that much, it's kind of expected - and Luke served him and regretted letting his sister go. Finally, he met Leia again, who [[LoveRedeems redeemed him]] into realizing that he didn't want what Palpatine taught, he wanted to be a Jedi.

* The ''ComicBook/{{Madballs}}'' comic book published by Star Comics (a subsidiary of Marvel that was dissolved in 1991) had the villain Anchor Man. After making his debut as a villain in the fourth issue, he appears a couple of times as a normal newscaster, with the eighth issue even having him explicitly say that he is reformed. This is apparently undone in the comic's ninth issue, where he resumes the identity of Anchor Man and works together with several other enemies of the Madballs.
* ''ComicBook/DarkwingDuck'' has Mortimer L. Marquand. When he first appears, he's the super-villain Cat-Tankerous. When he appears in the next volume, he's reformed his ways, only to eventually want to go back to villainy, attempting to join forces with Negaduck. But then that turns out to be an act and he's a face again. As of the book's cancellation, he's appeared to settle on heel for good by teaming up with [[spoiler: Darkwing's old enemy Fluffy.]]

*** Whenever Harley has [[Comicbook/HarleyQuinn her own series]], the writers work around this by generally reserving her homicidal tendencies for ''other villains''. Good guys and innocent victims usually end up knocked out or BoundAndGagged at worst. {{Asshole Victim}}s on the other hand....

*** She was even a member of the Comicbook/BirdsOfPrey. Though that was entirely for selfish reasons, and she betrayed her teammates once she no longer got anything out of the deal.

* ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} has been this for decades. Though she had settled on "antihero" in the 90's, the [[ComicBook/{{New 52}} modern age]] once again made her an AntiVillain who occasionally does good things.
* The Enchantress (June Moon) was introduced in Creator/DCComics' ''Strange Adventures'' as a heroine. Then she became a ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} villain. Following from that, she became a member of the Forgotten Villains, and then she joined the Comicbook/SuicideSquad, at which point it was established that June was a good person but the Enchantress was her SuperpoweredEvilSide. In ''Day of Judgement'', Enchantress is an amoral character who has to be pressurised into saving the world from Hell. During this the Enchantress is "killed", leaving June Moon. Later, in a ''JLA'' miniseries, they're merged together to form Soulsinger, and then separated again, but the powers stay with June, giving us the heroic Enchantress seen in ''ComicBook/{{Shadowpact}}''.

* Professor Emil Hamilton was introduced to ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' comics as a MadScientist who attacked Superman after ComicBook/LexLuthor took credit for his inventions, in order to [[TheyCalledMeMad show them all]]! After responding well to therapy, he became Superman's science advisor. When [[Comicbook/{{Steel}} John Henry Irons]] started taking on that role, Emil went mad again and became the villain Overmind, although he blamed this on being taken over by B-13 technology through his [[ArtificialLimbs robot arm]]. Once this was dealt with, he and John Henry worked together, thanks to Emil's better understanding of B-13 tech. Then he became convinced that Superman's powers were sucking energy from the Sun and reducing the viable lifespan of the Earth, so he became the WellIntentionedExtremist villain Ruin and crossed the MoralEventHorizon by targeting Clark's loved ones. And that was the last time we saw him before ''Comicbook/{{Flashpoint}}''.
** And now in ''[[Comicbook/{{Convergence}} Convergence,]]'' he appears to have reformed again, describing working on Jimmy Olsen's [[Creator/JackKirby Whiz Wagon]] vehicle as occupational therapy.

* Creator/MarvelComics' version of Comicbook/{{Ares}} started as a CardCarryingVillain who was causing wars and conflicts only because he liked it, but was also fighting alongside other Olympians against a common enemy. Then he realized the other gods would never accept him, went to Earth and lived peacefully among the mortals. Then, when his son got kidnapped, he joined the Olympians in the fight against evil Japanese god Amatsu-Mikaboshi. Later he joined one of the incarnations of Comicbook/TheAvengers but often acted like a typical villain towards [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules Hercules]]. [[ComicBook/DarkReign Then]] he joined the ComicBook/DarkAvengers, a team of villains posing as heroes, and was fighting both good and bad guys as well, while being one of the few members who were treating the heroic part seriously. At the same time he was training a team of killers for ComicBook/NormanOsborn and let his son join ComicBook/NickFury, who was opposing Osborn. Then he [[spoiler: betrayed Osborn after finding out he lied to him about Asgard being ruled by Loki and died, fighting alongside Norse Gods he was beating minutes ago]]. Then he returned after [[ComicBook/SecretWars2015 the 2015 Secret Wars]] in the ComicBook/ContestOfChampions on the good guys' side.

* ComicBook/{{Magneto}}'s children ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} and the ComicBook/ScarletWitch started as members of the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Brotherhood of Evil Mutants]] then reformed and joined Comicbook/TheAvengers and have been ping-ponging back and forth between heroism and villainy ever since. Quicksilver primarily because he'd really like to be a hero but is too self-centered to not do something he thinks will improve his situation just because it's illegal or wrong or something; Scarlet Witch primarily because she has a [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity mental breakdown]] whenever a writer can't think of something more interesting to do with her [[GreenLanternRing near-omnipotent]] powers.

** Speaking of Ross, he himself tends to go through the door over and over depending on how obsessive and what lengths he's willing to go to bring down Hulk that issue. Sometimes Ross is willing to help Banner be cured of the Hulk or leave him be for the moment if he does something good, other times he's been out to straight up murder Banner from the outset and nothing will deter him from it. He eventually joined Comicbook/TheAvengers as ComicBook/RedHulk, but left to form the new ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}} after becoming dissatisfied with their methods.

** To expand on some of Namor's more recent history: Turns out he had sleeper-agents in America (bad), but then he helps Captain America's side in the Comicbook/CivilWar and promises to have all sleeper agents removed (good), he lied about the sleeper agents (bad), successfully stops his son Kamar from an attempted coup and starting a war with America (good), unfortunately this chain of events leads to Atlantis being destroyed and Namor has reforging his alliance to Doctor Doom and now the Atlantean military is based in Latveria (bad), both men join Norman Osborn's Cabal and Namor attacks Tony Stark at the behest of Osborn (also bad), but them Namor (in alliance with Emma Frost) betrays ComicBook/NormanOsborn and joins the X-Men and helps them setup and defend Utopia (good), later he becomes one of the five X-Men possessed by the Phoenix Force (who are all going a bit AGodAmI now and the the [[BigBad Big Bads]] of ''Comicbook/AvengersVsXMen'') and stages an unprovoked invasion of Wakanda (very bad).

** Comicbook/{{Venom}} had a tendency to hop back and forth between villain and anti-hero (usually dependent on whose perspective a given book was shown from), with the two characters that made up the original Venom - Eddie Brock and the symbiote - going through the revolving door at different speeds. Sometime in the '90s it just became accepted that he was an anti-hero, never really being cast as a proper villain, even when working as an enemy to Spider-Man. This is likely because his villain gig was taken over by his "son", Carnage. Then there was a period where the Venom symbiote was bonded to the Scorpion (definitely a villain). Then it got bonded to Flash Thompson, who did his best to stay on the anti-hero side but in effect was practically a straight-up superhero. Then it went to Lee Price, very much a villain. Then back to Eddie Brock, who has been trying very, ''very'' hard to be a straight-up superhero and so far hasn't dropped the ball.

** Chuck Austen, of all people, got the [[Comicbook/JuggernautMarvelComics Juggernaut]] caught in one of these, introducing a redemption arc for the character that was one of the few positively-received elements of his ''X-Men'' run. Juggs eventually went back to villainy due to StatusQuoIsGod, but for a good long while there you could flip a coin to figure which side of the hero/villain line he was going to be on. Even after a hard HeelFaceDoorSlam he is still on an uneasy frenemy status with some X-Men, most notably Havok (who was one of his strongest defenders in the Austen run) and Nightcrawler (who hesitated to call Cain an enemy even after being used as a hostage by him). The 2020 ''Juggernaut'' miniseries portrays him as fundementally directionless (ironically for a character defined by being unstoppable) and trying to figure out what he actually ''wants'' to be doing.

* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel
** ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}''

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'':

** Chuck Austen, of all people, got TheJuggernaut caught in one of these, introducing a redemption arc for the character that was one of the few positively-received elements of his ''X-Men'' run. Juggs eventually went back to villainy due to StatusQuoIsGod, but for a good long while there you could flip a coin to figure which side of the hero/villain line he was going to be on. Even after a hard HeelFaceDoorSlam he is still on an uneasy frenemy status with some X-Men, most notably Havok (who was one of his strongest defenders in the Austen run) and Nightcrawler (who hesitated to call Cain an enemy even after being used as a hostage by him). The 2020 ''Juggernaut'' miniseries portrays him as fundementally directionless (ironically for a character defined by being unstoppable) and trying to figure out what he actually ''wants'' to be doing.

** Chuck Austen, of all people, got TheJuggernaut caught in one of these, introducing a redemption arc for the character that was one of the few positively-received elements of his ''X-Men'' run. Juggs eventually went back to villainy due to StatusQuoIsGod, but for a good long while there you could flip a coin to figure which side of the hero/villain line he was going to be on. Even after a hard HeelFaceDoorSlam he is still on an uneasy frenemy status with some X-Men, most notably Havok (who was one of his strongest defenders in the Austen run) and Nightcrawler (who hesitated to call Cain an enemy even after being used as a hostage by him).