History Main / FaceRealization

* His match with Caleb Konley on EVOLVE 32 was when Lenny Leonard came to realization Johnny Gargano had become a baby face. Gargano wouldn't realize it himself until EVOLVE 33, when realized he couldn't sit back and watch the Premier Athlete Brand torment and attack Rich Swann any longer, even though he didn't like Swann.[[/folder]]

Why was it so hard for him to see this? Maybe he spent so much time [[JerkassFacade pretending to be a not-so-nice guy]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold and hiding that golden heart of his]] that he started to [[BelievingTheirOwnLies believe it himself]], or perhaps after [[ReformedButRejected after being turned down by the heroes]] [[ThenLetMeBeEvil he decides to embrace villainy]] but finds that [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten kitten eating doesn't really suit him]] no matter how pissed he is at the hero. In other cases, GoodFeelsGood can creep up on you -- but sometimes it takes a while to sink in past the pretence that it's all a front.

** PlayedForLaughs with Ikyno, who realizes that rather than 'accidentally' beating up thugs, she is to her surprise, [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/angel_densetsu/v14/c071/28.html "a lot nicer of a person than [she] thought".]]

* During his brief stint as an ArcVillain in ''Manga/FairyTail'', Laxus tries to finish the [[CurbStompBattle fight]] against Natsu and Gajeel by invoking Fairy Law, a spell that annihilates anyone the caster sees as an enemy. Laxus is shaken when the spell fails to hit a single person, originally thinking that something went wrong with casting, but the realization that he couldn't kill anyone simply because deep down he didn't ''want'' to sends him into UnstoppableRage and trying to kill Natsu the [[ShockAndAwe old-fashioned way]]. He only accepts this as fact after he's defeated and calms down.

* During the ''ComicBook/{{Axis}}'' event an [[HeelFaceBrainwashing Inverted]] ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}} has this during a story focused on him in the miniseries ''Axis: Revolutions''. An [[BrainwashedAndCrazy also Inverted]] ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} picks a fight with him that eventually swings in Sabretooth's favour, but when he has a clear chance to kill Nightcrawler he hesitates and lets him go. The story ends with him walking off musing about it.

Compare HazyFeelTurn where it sorta happens gradually and there was no real single moment.

Why was it so hard for him to see this? Maybe he spent so much time [[JerkassFacade pretending to be a not-so-nice guy]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold and hiding that golden heart of his]] that he started to [[BelievingTheirOwnLies believe it himself]], or perhaps after [[ReformedButRejected after being turned down by the heroes]] [[ThenLetMeBeEvil he decides to embrace villainy]] but finds that [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten kitten eating doesn't really suit him]] no matter how pissed he is at the hero. In other cases, GoodFeelsGood can creep up on you -- but sometimes it takes a while to sink in past the pretense that it's all a front.

Generally there are 2 ways this can end up:

* Vegeta in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' was a murderous, egotistical, power hungry bastard, but after getting married and raising a family, he found it hard to go back to his more villainous (and in his opinion more powerful) self. He had to cut a deal with a evil wizard to make himself evil again, and even then, he was still too good. It finally sinks in that he is no longer the villain he used to be when, after asking the Namek Dragon to restore every person on earth who was killed by Majin Buu except the evil ones, he is brought back to life along with them.

* Played with in ''Literature/NightWatch''. [[spoiler:Arina]] at some point realizes that she is doing mainly good deeds instead of ChaoticNeutral, so she [[spoiler: changes alignments.]]

* In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', in the very last moment of his life, Darth Vader says to Luke, "You were right about me." While his DeathEqualsRedemption move doesn't exactly scrub away his countless KickTheDog acts, on the whole, his tragic life actually produced many good things, culminating in the destruction of the Sith.

* This seems to be used regularly in works by Creator/DavidGemmell. He would often have a character who because of a tough life thought of himself as a mean bastard who only did things for selfish reason. The character would join the protagonist(s) because it seemed to benefit him. However, at the end he would find that he really is a good person though it often preceded a HeroicSacrifice.

* In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow2'', [[spoiler:Gabriel Belmont/Dracula, who has been doing various semi-heroic things over the course of the game while believing [[ThenLetMeBeEvil he had resigned himself to villainy long ago]], remembers the MemoryGambit he and his son {{Alucard}} [[TheChessmaster had come up with]] when Alucard touches his shoulder while he is about to go and kill [[CorruptChurch Guido Szandor]]. The smile on his face says it all]].

* During the second "Boiling Rock" episode of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', [[spoiler:Mai]] pulls a YouShallNotPass to save [[spoiler:Zuko]]. After being captured, she prepares to face Azula's wrath. Which is when [[spoiler:Ty Lee surprises everyone, including herself, by blocking Azula's chi to prevent her from killing Mai]].

So Commander KillEmAll is a bad guy. A really bad guy. Why is he so bad? Because He says so, and he would know right. [[KickTheDog He kicks puppies]], [[WouldHurtAChild drop kicks babies]], and isn't afraid of any KnightInShiningArmor. He's no HarmlessVillain. He's a potential BigBad...

Why was it so hard for him to see this? Maybe he spent so much time [[JerkassFacade pretending to be a not-so-nice guy]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold and hiding that golden heart of his]] that he started to [[BelievingTheirOwnLies believe it himself]], or perhaps after [[ReformedButRejected after being turned down by the heroes]] [[ThenLetMeBeEvil he decides to embrace villainy]] but finds that [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten kitten eating doesn't suit him]] no matter how pissed he is at the hero. In other cases, GoodFeelsGood can creep up on you -- but sometimes it takes a while to sink in past the pretense that it's all a front.

The villain realizes that he has been doing good all along, but instead of embracing this, he or she is ashamed / repulsed by it and/or considers this as ''disrespect'' to evil and either steps down or tries to live on as a villain despite this. Particularly popular with {{PragmaticVillain|y}}s.

Type A

Type B
The villain realizes that he has been doing good all along, but instead of embracing this, he or she is ashamed / repulsed at it and/or considers this as ''disrespect'' to evil and either steps down or tries to live on as a villain despite this. Particularly popular with PragmaticVillainy character archetypes.

* Wrestling/{{Mistico}} tried his hand a being a rudo, liking the "all is fair in love and war" philosophy he learned his ArchNemesis Averno was living by when they were forced to team up by Wrestling/{{CMLL}} and declared he was defending Mexico City. However, after trying to live it out, Mistico realized he was no good at it and went back to wrestling as a technico.

* Vegeta in ''DragonBallZ'' was a murderous, egotistical, power hungry bastard, but after getting married and raising a family, he found it hard to go back to his more villainous (and in his opinion more powerful) self. He had to cut a deal with a evil wizard to make himself evil again, and even then, he was still too good. It finally sinks in that he is no longer the villain he used to be when, after asking the Namek Dragon to restore every person on earth who was killed by Majin Buu except the evil ones, he is brought back to life along with them.

* In ''Series/BreakingBad'', Jesse Pinkman comes to accept that he is the "bad guy" and from then on tries to invoke several KickTheDog moments such as selling meth to a support group. Come the end of that season; he is emotionally exploited into murdering another person as a scheme of Walter White, as a result Jesse breaks down into tears in the act and spends most of the next season in a HeroicBSOD.

* During his brief stint as an ArcVillain in ''Manga/FairyTail'', Laxus tries to finish the fight against Natsu and Gajeel by invoking Fairy Law, a spell that annihilates anyone the caster sees as an enemy. Laxus is shaken when the spell fails to hit a single person.

The villain realizes that he has been doing good all along, but instead of embracing this, he or she is ashamed / repulsed at it and/or considers this as ''disrespect'' to evil and either steps down or tries to live on as a villain despite this. Particularly popular with [[PragmaticVillainy Pragmatic Villainy]] character archetypes.

* Rin Tohsaka in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' is constantly trying to be a typical magus (many of whom aren't that nice) while belittling Shirou for trying to be a hero. But is every route, she realizes that that just not the person she is. Most tellingly, in Heavens Feel, where she can't bring herself to kill [[spoiler: her sister Sakura, who has become an EldritchAbomination who's been (at first unknowingly) killing everyone around her.]] [[HypocrisyNod She acknowledges that she no longer has any right to berate Shirou afterwards.]]

* In ''{{Thunderbolts}}'', a series about a group of supervillains posing as a superhero team as part of a scheme by their leader Baron Zemo, most of the team have this realization sooner or later. When Zemo reveals their secret, most of them turn against him. Atlas at first thinks himself still loyal, but when Zemo goes to kill Jolt, he revolts.

* Wrestling/{{Mistico}} tried his hand a being a rudo, liking the "all is fair in love and war" philosophy he learned his ArchNemesis Averno was living by when they were forced to team up by Wrestling/{{CMLL}}. However, after trying to live it out, Mistico realized he was no good at it and went back to wrestling as a technico.

* His match with Caleb Konley on EVOLVE 32 was Lenny Leonard came to realization Johnny Gargano had become a baby face. Gargano wouldn't realize it himself until EVOLVE 33, when realized he couldn't sit back and watch the Premier Athlete Brand torment and attack Rich Swann any longer, even though he didn't like Swann.[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick try to reform Mermaid Man's archnemesis Man-Ray, who is prevented from doing evil by a [[RestrainingBolt tickling belt]]. After many tests which Man-Ray fails, the belt goes haywire and Man-Ray begs to be freed, even saying "Please", which for [=SpongeBob=] is good enough to consider him rehabilitated. Man-Ray immediately packs all the weapons he can find and goes to the nearest bank with the intention of robbing it. However, he finds that every time he tries, he just breaks out in laughter. Realizing that "the urge to do bad is gone", he gives up being evil for good. (Or at least [[NegativeContinuity until his next appearance]].)

The villain realizes that he has been doing good all along, but instead of embracing this, he or she is ashamed / repulsed at it and/or considers this as ''disrespect'' to evil and either steps down or tries to live on as a villain despite this. Particularly popular with [[PragmaticVillainy]] archetypes.

Whatever the case, now that he knows what kind of man he truly is, there's no way he'll remain one of the black hats. [[GoodIsNotNice Being nice may be optional]], but now he's one of the good guys.

See WhatYouAreInTheDark for when this happens privately, and YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre for when this comes from an outside influence. The obvious end result is a HeelFaceTurn.

* Wrestling/KevinSteen tried to reform but when that didn't work, he drove Wrestling/JimmyJacobs and Steve Corino off the right path and started Suffering Ugliness Chaos Mayhem(SCUM) to destroy Wrestling/RingOfHonor to show the triumph of evil, spite Wrestling/JimCornette and act as a stepping stone to the toppling of the whole industry (Wrestling/{{Chikara}} would be next). But after declaring Steen a failure and kicking him out of the group in favor of Wrestling/MattHardy, Steen watched them go on to try and destroy ROH without him and realized he still liked the promotion.[[/folder]]

So Commander KillEmAll is a bad guy. A really bad guy. Why is he so bad? Because He says so, and he would know right. [[KickTheDog He kicks puppies]], [[WouldHurtAChild drop kicks babies]], and isn't afraid of any KnightInShiningArmor. He's no HarmlessVillain. He's a potential BigBad...........

* Kevin Steen tried to reform but when that didn't work, he drove Wrestling/JimmyJacobs and Steve Corino off the right path and started Suffering Ugliness Chaos Mayhem(SCUM) to destroy Wrestling/RingOfHonor to show the triumph of evil, spite Wrestling/JimCornette and act as a stepping stone to the toppling of the whole industry (Wrestling/{{Chikara}} would be next). But after declaring Steen a failure and kicking him out of the group in favor of Wrestling/MattHardy, Steen watched them go on to try and destroy ROH without him and realized he still liked the promotion.[[/folder]]