History Main / ScrapHeapHero

* Luke Skywalker in ''Film/TheLastJedi''. After reaching IdealHero status in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Luke [[spoiler:makes the critical mistake of [[WhatTheHellHero considering the murder of his nephew Kylo Ren]]. This drives Kylo to the dark side, and by proxy [[MyGreatestFailure the genocide of the new Jedi order]]. Luke naturally enters a HeroicBSOD... but for almost the rest of his life! Only at the VERY end of his life does he finally stand up to Kylo and make a HeroicSacrifice to save the Resistance.]]

* John Franchise/{{Rambo}} is pulled out of prison to save the day at the beginning of ''Film/RamboFirstBloodPartII''.
* Sam Wilson in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', aka the Falcon. When introduced, he's retired from active duty due to PTSD stemming from the horrific loss of his flying partner. But he proves himself to be AFriendInNeed to Steve and puts his wings back on for the first time when it's clear his help is needed.
* Raleigh Becket in ''Film/PacificRim'' is an ex-Jaeger pilot who left the program after he lost his co-pilot and older brother Yancy in the same battle that destroyed their Jaeger. While other pilots have died in combat or been reassigned he's the only pilot to ever resign and is working on the Alaskan portion of the Anti-Kaiju wall when Pentecost approaches him. His Jaeger Gypsy Danger is a more literal case being a wrecked HumongousMecha which is literally pulled from the scrap heap among other decommissioned Jaegers.
* Jake Pentecost, the protagonist of the sequel ''Film/PacificRimUprising'', is the estranged son of Stacker Pentecost. Once a promising Jaeger cadet, his father's critical nature and favoritism of his adopted sister Mako led him to run away and turn to a life of scavenging and thievery. He is under arrest for being involved with an illegal Jaeger when Mako extends him the offer to become a Pilot and instructor in exchange for making sure he does not go to jail.

* Batman in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''. Batman was so shaken up by the events of ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' that he retired... for EIGHT YEARS! The general public also doesn't remember him fondly because they [[HeroWithBadPublicity blame him for the crimes of Two-Face]]. It takes the threat of Bane to finally get him to snap out of his HeroicBSOD and [[HesBack come back to action]].
* Luke Skywalker in ''Film/TheLastJedi''. After reaching IdealHero status in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Luke [[spoiler:makes the critical mistake of [[WhatTheHellHero considering the murder of his nephew Kylo Ren]]. This drives Kylo to the dark side, and by proxy [[MyGreatestFailure the genocide of the new Jedi order]]. Luke naturally enters a HeroicBSOD... but for almost the rest of his life! Only at the VERY end of his life does he finally stand up to Kylo and make a HeroicSacrifice to save the Resistance.]]

* Bruce Wayne in ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' is retired, developing alcoholism, and possibly a DeathSeeker. He's been away from crime-fighting for so long, the younger generation doesn't think he ever existed, despite the supervillains being known to exist.

* Batman in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''. Batman was so shaken up by the events of ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' that he retired... for [[UpToEleven EIGHT YEARS]]! The general public also doesn't remember him fondly because they [[HeroWithBadPublicity blame him for the crimes of Two-Face]]. It takes the threat of Bane to finally get him to snap out of his HeroicBSOD and [[HesBack come back to action]].
* Luke Skywalker in ''Film/TheLastJedi''. After reaching IdealHero status in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Luke [[spoiler:makes the critical mistake of [[WhatTheHellHero considering the murder of his nephew Kylo Ren]]. This drives Kylo to the dark side, and by proxy [[MyGreatestFailure the genocide of the new Jedi order]]. Luke naturally enters a HeroicBSOD... [[UpToEleven but for almost the rest of his life!]] Only at the VERY end of his life does he finally stand up to Kylo and make a HeroicSacrifice to save the Resistance.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town}}'' has Chugs, another literal example, this time a train, the "runt of the roundhouse, everybody put him down. Yeah. He was really singing the blues." Cue GriefSong.

* Sam Vimes of the Literature/{{Discworld}} is introduced in ''Literature/GuardsGuards'' as an alcoholic, hopeless officer of a decrepit and meaningless Night Watch. Starting with that novel, the Watch and Vimes both start to clean up their act, until Ankh-Morpork suddenly has an exemplary City Watch headed by a Sir Samuel Vimes, one of the richest and highest-ranking nobles in the city who still works the streets as a policeman, is internationally known as a man of complete integrity, is one of about two people considered so important the Assassins' Guild refuses to take commissions on him ([[AssassinOutclassin he kept embarrassingly beating their agents anyway]] to the point they send assassins-in-training against him to teach the '''assassins''' humility), and once arrested two warring armies for disturbing the peace. Even so, Vimes is still basically the same [[KnightInSourArmor cynical]] but LawfulGood [[GoodIsNotNice bastard]] as in the beginning.

* Raleigh Becket in ''Film/PacificRim'' is an ex-Jaeger pilot who left the program after he lost his co-pilot and older brother Yancy in the same battle that destroyed their Jaeger. While other pilots have died in combat or been reassigned he's the only pilot to ever resign and is working on the Alaskan portion of the Anti-Kaiju wall when Pentecost approaches him. His Jaeger Gypsy Danger, is a more literal case being a wrecked HumongousMecha which is literally pulled from the scrap heap among other decommissioned Jaegers.

* Lee (played by ''Creator/RobertVaughn'') in ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960'': he starts as a sunsetting gunfighter, who lives hiding from his numerous enemies, fearing the bullet faster than his own which will eventually kill him. He hides even during the first confrontation with Calvera. But, during the climax, he faces his demons and saves a group of farmers, dispatching quickly a bunch of bandits and showing that he really is a hell of a gunfighter. After this, his posture and expression seem to show that he has regained the courage of his old days (and, in a twist of irony, he is then immediately killed by a random bullet).
* Batman in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''. Batman was so shaken up by the events of the Dark Knight that he retired... for [[UpToEleven EIGHT YEARS]]! The general public also doesn't remember him fondly because they [[HeroWithBadPublicity blame him for the crimes of Two-Face]]. It takes the threat of Bane to finally get him to snap out of his HeroicBSOD and [[HesBack come back to action]].

* Solid Snake in the first VideoGame/MetalGearSolid is a washed-up alcoholic retired veteran living alone in Alaska following [[VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake the events of the previous game]], until he is forced out of retirement to prevent another nuclear holocaust.

Sometimes when a hero has a HeroicBSOD the retirement is [[TenMinuteRetirement longer than ten minutes]]. Maybe the hero failed altogether or fell victim to their own personal demons. Sometimes the hero has just grown old. Whatever the reason for it, the hero has been at best forgotten and is perhaps even actively despised or ridiculed, a has been or even worse a never was. Sometimes, though, things happen, and like it or not the the Scrap Heap Hero rises first from the ashes and then to the occasion, showing everybody just what they once did or could have done had things gone differently.

* Bruce Wayne in ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' is retired, developing alcoholism, and possibly a DeathSeeker. He's been away from crime fighting for so long, the younger generation don't think he ever existed, despite the super villains being known to exist.

* Sam Wilson in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', aka the Falcon. When introduced, he's retired from active duty due to PTSD stemming from the horrific loss of his flying partner. But he proves himself to be AFriendInNeed to Steve, and puts his wings back on for the first time when it's clear his help is needed.
* Raleigh Becket in ''Film/PacificRim'' is an ex-Jaeger pilot who left the program after he lost his co-pilot and older brother Yancy in the same battle that destroyed their Jaeger. While other pilots have died in combat or been reassigned he's the only pilot to ever resign and is working on the Alaskan portion of the Anti-Kaiju wall when Petecost approaches him. His Jaeger Gypsy Danger, is a more literal case being a wrecked HumongousMecha which is literally pulled from the scrap heap among other decommissioned Jaegers.

* Batman in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''. Batman was so shook up by the events of the Dark Knight that he retired... for [[UpToEleven EIGHT YEARS]]! The general public also doesn't remember him fondly because they [[HeroWithBadPublicity blame him for the crimes of Two-Face]]. It takes the threat of Bane to finally get him to snap out of his HeroicBSOD and [[HesBack come back to action]].

* Sam Vimes of the Literature/{{Discworld}} is introduced in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'' as an alcoholic, hopeless officer of a decrepit and meaningless Night Watch. Starting with that novel, the Watch and Vimes both start to clean up their act, until Ankh-Morpork suddenly has an exemplary City Watch headed by a Sir Samuel Vimes, one of the richest and highest-ranking nobles in the city who still works the streets as a policeman, is internationally known as a man of complete integrity, is one of about two people considered so important the Assassins' Guild refuses to take commissions on him ([[AssassinOutclassin he kept embarrassingly beating their agents anyway]] to the point they send assassins-in-training against him to teach the '''assassins''' humility), and once arrested two warring armies for disturbing the peace. Even so, Vimes is still basically the same [[KnightInSourArmor cynical]] but LawfulGood [[GoodIsNotNice bastard]] as in the beginning.

[[folder: Comics]]

* Bruce Wayne again in ''ComicBook/{{Batman 66}} meets Wonder Woman '77'' when Diana finds out that Bruce retired after [[spoiler:the Joker learned of his secret identity, attacked Wayne Manor and caused the elder Alfred to have a heart attack, leading Bruce to beat the Joker a lot more viciously. While it's left ambiguous if Bruce literally beat the Joker to death or he had a fatal accident, but Bruce is so shaken by what he did, he hung up the cowl for years until Wonder Woman reappeared.]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* Jake Petecost the protagonist of the sequel ''Film/PacificRimUprising'' is the estranged son of Stacker Petecost. Once a promising Jaeger cadet his father's critical nature and favoritism of his adopted sister Mako led him to run away and turn to a life of scavenging and thievery. He is under arrest for being involved with an illegal Jaeger when Mako extends him the offer to become a Pilot and instructor in exchange for making sure he does not go to jail.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* Several companions from the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series are this. Cassidy was an adventurer who developed a heart condition and became a barkeeper. His daughter was a hard-drinking caravan merchant who had her caravan destroyed. Raul was a vaquero turned mechanic. All three prove to be competent fighters when you recruit them and the latter can be inspired to go back to his vaquero ways.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheEasterBunnyIsComingToTown'' has Chugs, another literal example, this time a train, the "runt of the roundhouse, everybody put him down. Yeah. He was really singing the blues." Cue GriefSong.
[[/folder]]