History Main / FaithHeelTurn

* An inversion, but not a HeelFaithTurn, occurs in ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'' with [[spoiler: Hrathen]], whose growing doubts over his religious faith cause him to turn ''against'' the BigBad. From the villain's perspective, this would be a straight example.

* The PsychoForHire Akabane of ''Manga/GetBackers'' (AKA [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate "Doctor]] Jackal") used to be an actual doctor who saved people, but failed to save the son of a good friend. That is the origin of his current personality.
* In ''Anime/WeissKreuz'', [[ThePsychoRangers Schwarz]]'s resident AxCrazy KnifeNut Farfarello started out as a devout Catholic child, but when he learned that he was adopted and that the nun who was his teacher was his biological mother, he had a psychotic episode and murdered his entire adopted family. As an adult he claims that his desire is to kill God, and spends his spare time torturing priests to death.

* Kirei Kotomine of ''LightNovel/FateZero'' had known for many years that he was [[TheSociopath inclined by his nature to evil]] but chose to adhere to the tenets of the Church. Due to the influence of Gilgamesh during the Fourth War he began a descent into villainy, [[LateArrivalSpoiler ending with him laughing happily as he witnessed a fire kill five hundred people]].
* Revy from ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' was quite religious as a child, but stopped believing in God after being [[RapeAsBackstory beaten and sexually-assaulted by a corrupt cop]]. This lead to her becoming a BrokenBird and [[HiredGuns gun-for-hire]] as an adult.

* Applejack in ''Fanfic/EquestriaDivided'' became prejudiced against [[DoesNotLikeMagic magic and magic users]] when Celestia and Luna dissappeared and the Sun and Moon kept moving, making her think they never were able to control the day/night cycle in the first place. Also Pinkie Pie believed Twilight when she manipulated her into taking part in her experiment saying it was for the good of Equestria. Considering [[CameBackWrong The Laughing Mare]] has units like the Alicorn Mockery at her disposal, it's safe to say Pinkie isn't as naive anymore.

* This turns out to be the motivation of the real BigBad in ''Literature/{{Kraken}}'': [[spoiler: Vardy used to be a Creationist, but found his faith challenged by the evidence of evolution, so he wants to [[RetGone erase that evidence from existence]] so he can go back to blissful ignorance.]]

* Brother Justin in ''Series/{{Carnivale}}'' starts out as a well-meaning preacher. However, some bad luck, combined with the [[PoisonousFriend influence]] of his [[BrotherSisterIncest loving sister]] ensures he ends up [[TheAntiChrist rather different]]. In his case it was an unfortunate case of InTheBlood, though.

* An early episode of ''Series/StargateSG1'' had a religious guy go crazy and take over another planet with intense UV radiation as its [[AGodAmI god]]. What's particularly ridiculous about this is that no less than two of his teammates joined him. The one that didn't showed up in later episodes a few times, while the rest all died. Someone really fucked up the selection process for that team (although in defence of all characters, they were dealing with an unprecedented military effort that was bound to make mistakes in its early stages).

* OlderThanFeudalism: [[Literature/TheBible The Book of Job]] subverts this trope. {{Satan}} posits that Job is only a good, religious man because he is prosperous, and that if he suffered, would curse God. Satan attempts to test this theory; messengers arrive informing him that all of his livestock were stolen or killed, as well as his servants and children. When that isn't enough, Satan afflicts Job with illness. Job refuses to curse God, despite urging to do so by his wife and his friends, though he does finally break down and ask God "why?" God sharply rebukes Job and his friends, but rewards him for his faith by doubling his family and possessions.

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}''; there once was a man named Diedrick Kastner, a Witch Hunter and devout servant of Sigmar. One day he read of a coming warlord named [[BigBad Archaon]], who would slay a reincarnation of Sigmar and bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Diedrick drove himself half mad trying to figure out who Archaon was and how to stop him, but his questions led to a very disturbing answer: ''[[TomatoInTheMirror he]]'' [[TomatoInTheMirror would become Archaon]]. This drove him insane, caused him to renounce Sigmar, and he headed north to embrace his destiny as the Everchosen of Chaos.

* This is a big part of the [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade presentation]] of Salieri in the play ''Theatre/{{Amadeus}}''. Salieri starts out, as he tells the audience, a pious man living a staid life. His beliefs are called into question when he meets Mozart and doesn't understand why a borderline JerkAss like Mozart gets divine musical talent but he doesn't. Thus, Salieri renounces God, and actually experiences improvement in his status from that point onward.

* In the ''Dawnguard'' DLC of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', [[spoiler:Arch-Curate Vyrthur of the Chantry of Auri-El (and one of the last of the non-corrupted Falmer[=/=]Snow Elves)]] had been stricken with vampirism, and angrily cast away his faith in the god [[ThePowerOfTheSun Auri-El]] for not intervening to save him. From there, he founded the prophecy to blot out the sun and cast the world in darkness, almost solely as a raised middle finger to Auri-El himself. The only reason he hadn't carried it out sooner is because he needed the blood of a pure-blooded vampire (or, to put it another way, [[spoiler:a Daughter of Coldharbour, like Serana]]) to act on it.

Not to be confused with [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Faith's]] heel turn; [[JustForPun becoming kill happy has little to do with atheism]].

Obviously, in RealLife, it takes a hell of a lot more than a loss of faith to just drive most people to evil. Done poorly, this can be an outright StrawCharacter to show that [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop religion is supposed to be the sole moral compass of all people]].

So there's this guy who is deeply religious, a FriendToAllLivingThings. Then, one day, he decides there is no {{God}} or tires of his prayers not being answered. [[SmiteMeOhMightySmiter Expect a lot of shouting]]. He [[DespairEventHorizon loses all hope for everything]], including human decency, and now he likes to rape puppies in his spare time.

Obviously, in RealLife, it takes a hell of a lot more than a loss of faith to just drive most people to do evil. Done poorly, this can be an outright StrawCharacter to show that [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop religion is supposed to be the sole moral compass of all people]].

* In ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' Dracula is originally a very pious nobleman, until one day while he is busy fighting off the enemies of the Church his wife is tricked into thinking he's been killed in battle, and so kills herself in despair. The priest tells him that sorry, suicides are damned for all eternity, nothing to be done about it. Dracula does not take this news at all well, becoming his StartOfDarkness.

Compare CrisisOfFaith (when someone experiences a much less drastic shift in his personality), HollywoodAtheist, BewareTheNiceOnes, FallenAngel.

*** Averted from the reincarnated form of him as [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Soma Cruz]], when he decides to not become the dark lord.

* ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' has [[spoiler:temporary]] BigBad Count Bleck, who -- after [[spoiler:his {{Jerkass}} father's DisproportionateRetribution ParentalMarriageVeto against Bleck's human lover Tippi]] -- desperately and furiously renounced his people's GuardianOfTheMultiverse ways and then invoked PowerOfTheVoid in retaliation against '''''existence itself'''''. [[spoiler:However, he ultimately gets better via HeelFaithTurn, ironically.]]

-->"''If so, I wash my hands of it.''"

* Features in ''Fanfic/Drakigo]]''- essentially a version of ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' with the cast of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' in key roles- with Shego in the role of Dracula; however, while she renounces God just as Dracula did in the film, this does not automatically lead to her becoming a vampire, as she has to be turned by another vampire who sought to make her his bride before she rejected and killed him.

* An early episode of ''Series/StargateSG1'' had a religious guy go crazy and take over another planet with intense UV radiation as its [[AGodAmI god]]. What's particularly ridiculous about this is that no less than two of his teammates joined him. The one that didn't showed up in later episodes a few times, while the rest all died. Someone really fucked up the selection process for that team.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', one episode has the rapture happen. Stan is completely bewildered that he had been left behind and tries desperately to get into Heaven, including trying to convince (fake) Jesus Christ that he is more worthy to be sent to Heaven than his wife, Francine. Francine is naturally ticked off by Stan's behavior and she abandons him, but she runs into the real Jesus and she rubs it in to Stan before she is whisked away by Jesus. Cut to 7 years later when the war between Heaven and Hell breaks out on Earth where Stan is now a hardened and scarred hunter who has denounced Jesus and God because despite doing what he thinks was being a good Christian, he was still left behind. Stan's faith is slowly restored though once he learns from Jesus that Francine was captured by the Anti-Christ and he vows to save her after Jesus promises Stan entry to Heaven.

** In the new timeline, [[spoiler:the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' have sapped the faith he had for the [[BrokenPedestal Elder Gods]], so he begins to see them as more burden than help, considering they did nothing to stop Shao Kahn or Shinnok, both of who regarded the Elder Gods as "toothless worms" and spineless cowards. This is clearly evident in TheStinger for ''MKX'', [[PayEvilUntoEvil where he decides to take matters into his own hands]] [[KickTheSonOfABitch by reducing Shinnok to a mere living head]] and [[WellIntentionedExtremist use a more]] [[KnightTemplar hard-line]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters stance]] on defending Earthrealm from external threats.]]

*** Averted from the reincarnated form of him as [[CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Soma Cruz]], when he decides to not become the dark lord.

* Xenovia from ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDxD'' once she learns that [[GodIsDead God died]] during the last war between the angels, [[FallenAngel fallen angels]], and demons. She falls into desperation and turns to Rias for help, who turns her into a devil. Once turned, she attempts to redirect her former faith towards worldly desire (which mostly involves attempting to have sex with Issei), but her inherent piety often wins over, with her constantly praying and thanking God for good things happening, which due to her newfound devilhood, results in giving her sharp migraines (at least until Issei asks the Archangel Michael to give her and Asia special permission).

* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' series has a justified example-general [[TheHedonist hedonist]] and ManipulativeBitch Graendal was once one of the most faithful and diligent ascetics in the world before her fall...except she was also a complete ControlFreak and egomaniac, who did her turn when she realized she couldn't force the world to be like her. Her new persona is basically a spiteful commentary on her disgust for the world. Justified, of course, in that she fell from grace primarily because of her pride and inability to admit the world had problems she couldn't fix. Losing her faith was just a manifestation of it.

* ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' has [[spoiler:temporary]] BigBad Count Bleck, whom -- after [[spoiler:his {{Jerkass}} father's DisproportionateRetribution ParentalMarriageVeto against Bleck's human lover Tippi]] -- desperately and furiously renounced his people's GuardianOfTheMultiverse ways and then invoked PowerOfTheVoid in retaliation against '''''existence itself'''''. [[spoiler:However, he ultimately gets better via HeelFaithTurn.]]

* An inversion, but not a HeelFaithTurn, occurs in ''{{Elantris}}'' with [[spoiler: Hrathen]], whose growing doubts over his religious faith cause him to turn ''against'' the BigBad. From the villain's perspective, this would be a straight example.

* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': Even though he is a PhysicalGod, Raiden starts out with [[BrokenPedestal great faith in the Elder Gods only to lose it due to their inaction]] in both timelines.

** In the new timeline, [[spoiler:he begins to see [[BrokenPedestal the Elder Gods with contempt]] after their refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Shao Kahn's and]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Shinnok's invasions of Earthrealm.]]]]

** [[VideoGame/MortalKombat4 After being promoted to Elder God]], he could not interfere [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance when Shang Tsung and Quan Chi killed his protege Liu Kang]] many years later in the original timeline. [[WhatTheHellHero Disgusted at his peers for their refusal to intervene]], he renounced his position as an Elder God, gathering his mortal allies to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance the Deadly Alliance]].
** In the new timeline, he begins to see [[BrokenPedestal the Elder Gods with contempt]] after their refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Shao Kahn's and]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Shinnok's invasions of Earthrealm.]]

** As an Elder God, he could not interfere [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance when Shang Tsung and Quan Chi killed his protege Liu Kang]] many years later in the original timeline. [[WhatTheHellHero Disgusted at his peers for their refusal to intervene]], he renounced his position as an Elder God, gathering his mortal allies to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance the Deadly Alliance]].

Obviously, in RealLife, it takes a hell of a lot more than a loss of faith to just drive people to do evil. Done poorly, this can be an outright StrawCharacter to show that [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop religion is supposed to be the sole moral compass for people]].