History Main / TheParagonAlwaysRebels

!!Examples:

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Larry Foulke, alias Solo-Wing Pixy, in ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' starts off as the NumberTwo in the best squadron of the entire Allied air force, but eventually grows disillusioned with the Allied strategy, [[spoiler:his own Belkan heritage probably helps]], and joins the terrorist organization A World With No Boundaries, eventually facing off against his former flight lead. Needless to say, that fight is so epic, they made an entire extra level just for the two of them.
* Several sources cite Franchise/CarmenSandiego as one of these, having once been the best Acme agent in the world [[VictoryIsBoring before growing bored with it]] and [[ForTheEvulz deciding becoming the criminal she was assigned to catch would be more of a challenge.]]
* The highest-ranking members of the ApocalypseCult Ultimate Despair in ''Franchise/DanganRonpa'' were once students of Hope's Peak Academy, a school dedicated to raising [[TheAce teenagers in the top of their respective fields]] to be inspirations to the rest of mankind. Due to a mix of [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashing]] and [[BrokenAce their own insecurities]], they instead ended up [[HopeCrusher driving everyone around them into their brand of madness]].
** Zigzagged with [[spoiler:Izuru Kamukura]], the BigBad of ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. [[spoiler:Due to the experimentation done on him to turn him into the UltimateLifeForm in the hopes of creating a [[MessianicArchetype new messiah]], he had his personality, memories, and emotions removed turning him into a perpetually bored EmptyShell. As a result, the GreaterScopeVillain [[PracticallyJoker Junko]] was able to manipulate him into going along with her EvilPlan and [[FrameUp frame him for her crimes]], making it ''seem'' as though this trope was in play.]]
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' gives us Teyrn Loghain, the king's commander and Ferelden's national hero for driving out the Orlesians despite being a mere peasant. He goes on to abandon his king to his fate, the son of the man he fought beside during the war against Orlais, before usurping the throne and throwing Ferelden into chaos at the worst possible time. He did, however, truly believe he was right and that his detractors were wrong.
** A somewhat literal example lies in the story of [[WellIntentionedExtremist Branka]], the dwarf Paragon whose obsession with the Anvil of the Void led her to commit [[MoralEventHorizon unforgivable atrocities]]. Although it is implied that she was a pretty bad person long before she found the Anvil. The Anvil just helped things along.
** The Dwarf Noble (a possible origin for the ''Origins'' player character) is perceived as another example of this. Due to being more popular than their elder sibling and heir-apparent, Trian, the Dwarf Noble was heavily pipped by the Assembly to be the child of King Endrin most likely to ascend to the throne of Orzammar after his death. Due to the machinations of their younger bother Bhelen however, the Dwarf Noble is either tricked into killing Trian directly or framed for his murder, earning them exile and certain death in the Deep Roads. Even after returning to Orzammar as a Grey Warden, the Dwarf Noble is derided as a kinslayer.
** [[TheOrder The Grey Wardens]] in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''. They were an order dedicated to protecting mankind from [[TheCorruption the Blight]], but after saving the world in ''Origins'' they end up being manipulated by the BigBad into practicing BloodMagic and playing right into his hands. After fighting your way through their stronghold you can have your Warden companion Blackwall talk sense into the survivors with a RousingSpeech, and after the fight you can choose whether to recruit them and [[TheAtoner give them the chance to atone]] or exile them back to their headquarters for their crimes.
* Garland from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' is the top knight in Cornelia, but turns evil and kidnaps their princess.
* ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' has Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth, the top-ranking [=SOLDIERs=] of Shinra who are famed and idolized worldwide. By the time the game is over all three of them have gone insane and betrayed the company, though Angeal's turn to darkness is a bit more complicated then Genesis or Sephiroth's.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', Seymour is a high-ranking Maester in the Church of Yevon, proposes to the main heroine and is polite and helpful. He's also totally insane, wants to kill everyone in Spira, and made his entire race AlwaysChaoticEvil. [[spoiler:However, turns out all of Yevon's leaders are corrupt to some extent, as the Church of Yevon is a PathOfInspiration.]]
* In ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy]]'', Lightning gets back to Order's Sanctuary to report that Kain is going around killing his allies off, only to find out that [[spoiler:the Warrior of Light not only is in on Kain's plan, he tries to finish Lightning off himself. Doubly effective since his fighting style actually is "Paragon". Subverted though in that he and Kain are {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s who believe they're doing the right thing, and after a WhatTheHellHero speech for the two of them they come to their senses]].
* The set-up for ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'' involves Master Chief and his Spartan Team going AWOL a personal mission against both the UNSC's and ONI's orders. [[StateSec ONI]] responds by declaring all of them traitors and sending Fireteam Osiris to arrest them. Downplayed though, as neither side is being particularly malicious (though ONI is, as usual, morally grey at best) and it's more that Chief doesn't trust anyone but himself to handle the Guardian threat [[spoiler:[[ItsPersonal especially since Cortana is behind it]]]].
* In ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' apparently Franchise/{{Superman}} turning evil is the only thing it takes to make most significant DC heroes follow him; Franchise/{{Batman}} being the only exception.
* In the BackStory of ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', Revan was an immensely gifted and charismatic Jedi, who (along with his sidekick Alek who would face the same fate) inspired a number of others to join him in fighting the Mandalorians against the wishes of the Jedi Council. That was still rebellious action for a good cause, but the next thing you know, he had turned to the DarkSide, reforming the Sith order and trying to take over the Republic.
** In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', the Exile, a MagneticHero if ever there were one, can become a Sith Lord. Depending on the strength of her relationships, she will drag her companions' alignment down too.
** The canonical light-sided Exile plays even more heavily with this trope. Despite breaking away from the Jedi to join Revan in fighting the Mandalorians and being responsible for ending the war by detonating a superweapon over Malachor V, they remained on the light-side and were the ''only'' one to return to face punishment from the Jedi Council after the end of the war. Furthermore, while the Exile accepted responsibility for disobeying the Council and being sentenced to exile, they refused to accept that they were wrong to stop the Mandalorians from taking over the galaxy and when asked to turn over their lightsaber, defiantly buried it into the stone in the middle of the Council Chambers before storming out.
** This trope has been so common in the Republic's early history that the Disciple [[LampshadeHanging comments]] that the Jedi teachings must have some kind of fundamental flaw, because it ''keeps happening''. Remember that this is barely half a century after Exar Kun's war.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** Saren Arterius in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' was considered one of the best [[HeroesRUs Spectres]] before his FaceHeelTurn, and ends up dragging an asari Matriarch, her commando team, and a large collection of corporate assets and various mercenary bands with him to [[spoiler:help an {{abusive precursor|s}} destroy galactic society]]. It also makes the council and the other Spectres very reluctant to chase him down. At the same time, however, he was implied to have also been a terrible person (an ancillary book starring him and Captain Anderson supports this), as he was ruthless on the job, even fully willing to cause hundreds of deaths to get his target.
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', while Commander Shepard can still be the Paragon, during the two years they were dead, they were subject to a massive [[HeroWithBadPublicity smear campaign]] by the Council. Without being able to count on any official support to thwart the Collector's attacks, Shepard is forced to work with [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Cerberus]], which unfortunately only solidifies the growing belief that they've gone {{rogue|Agent}}.
** Further compounded in the ''Arrival DLC'', where Shepard is forced to [[spoiler:detonate a Mass Relay and wipe out an inhabited star system to prevent the Reapers from gaining a beachhead]]. This leads to Shepard starting ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' in custody and about to be put on trial for [[spoiler:war crimes against the batarians]], when the Reapers finally invade Earth. Suffice to say, Shepard is quickly [[TheExtremistWasRight exonerated of their crimes]] and pressed back into service.
* This seems to be a running theme in the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' meta-series:
** [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic The original series]] has Dr. Albert Wily, a genius roboticist. Appropriately enough, his own greatest creation in this series, Bass, rebels against ''him''. Quite a bit, in fact.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' has Sigma, once the greatest Maverick Hunter and protector of humanity. However, despite the atrocities he commits, his inclusion here is debatable; he's as much a victim of TheVirus as a willful rebel. His ''[[VideoGame/MegaManMaverickHunterX Maverick Hunter X]]'' version plays this trope straight.
** Commander Elpizo in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero2'' goes from being the champion of the free Reploids to opposing them when he becomes a WellIntentionedExtremist out to utterly destroy Neo Arcadia and everyone in it.
* Big Boss of ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' is the DeconstructorFleet version of this and numerous other tropes. A few of the games' other antagonists probably count as well, at least the ones who weren't always acting as TheMole.
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', this is one of the reasons CIA wants to snuff out [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater The Boss.]] Actually subverted or even averted with herself, since [[spoiler:[[FakeDefector her defection is means as duty for her homeland,]] and in the end, [[HeroicSacrifice she died]] [[SilentScapegoat for her homeland.]]]]
* In ''{{VideoGame/Starcraft}}'', Aldaris accuses Tassadar of being that. Of course, toward the end even he was forced to admit a mistake.
* In ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic,'' this happens with [[spoiler:Havoc Squad]]. It can also happen to Republic player characters who turn to the dark side.
** Republic players on Nar Shaddaa are sent into Shadow Town, an Imperial prison for war criminals, to free [[spoiler:a legendary Jedi by the name of Ako Domi]]. Guess what they find.
* In ''VideoGame/SwordAndFairy7'' one of antagonists, Kuiyu, used to be the leader of all [[OurGodsAreDifferent New Deities]], and when she went rogue and [[FallenAngel turned into a Demon]], so did some of her subordinates. [[spoiler:Eventually subverted, because, as it turns out, going rogue was the only way for her to save several children, who were sentenced to death by a high-ranking KnightTemplar. Also, Demons are [[DarkIsNotEvil not that bad]] in the series, so the "turned into a Demon" part barely changed anything about her or her subordinates]].
* [[IgnoredExpert Bian Zoldark]] from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'', originally one of TheFederation best researchers and leaders, went rogue along with many of their best pilots to form the Divine Crusaders and attempted a take-over. As it turns out though, he was actually more of a WellIntentionedExtremist AntiVillain who wanted to make sure Humanity had capable protectors against the {{Alien Inva|sion}}ders, [[XanatosGambit whether it was his own team or anyone who managed to beat them]]. However, after he was killed by the Steel Dragon Battalion, most of his subordinates that don't [[HeelFaceTurn join the Heroes]] suffer severe MotiveDecay, forming the Neo-Divine Crusaders and later the Gaia Sabers and have remained a long-standing problem for the Heroes ever since.
* Garret from ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' was seen as the most promising Keeper acolyte of his generation. Naturally, he decided he'd rather use those skills for his own sake rather than the [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil balance]]. Despite this he remains [[SarcasticDevotee a (very reluctant) ally of the Keepers]], which means they permit his freelance life because he keeps preserving the balance (unwillingly) at the cost of some nobles losing some gold every now and again. However, when [[spoiler:interpreter Caduca is murdered]] in ''Deadly Shadows'' and Garret is pinned with the blame, the Keeper organisation essentially tears itself into pieces because so many within the organisation refuse to believe he did it. [[spoiler:Ironically, he becomes the last true Keeper after he destroys Glyph magic.]]
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
** Garrosh Hellscream was viewed as the epitome of what a true Orc warchief should be: Cunning, brutal, aggressive, but not needlessly cruel. He loved the Horde and hated their enemies, but over time he began to believe that the Horde's purpose had been corrupted by the other races and Thrall's peace-making. When he descended into villainy many Orcs followed because they believed he still embodied those traits they admired.
** In the same universe, Arthas Menethil, former Prince of Lordaeron, fits this for the Alliance races. A handsome, charismatic, and well-spoken ruler who was an excellent warrior and leader to boot, Arthas had great things expected of him. However, the corruption of both the Scourge and the Burning Legion wore on his sanity until, in order to "save" his kingdom from the undead plague, he became the Lich King, resulting in the near-extinction of at least one race and the downfall of his kingdom, all of which is chronicled in ''VideoGame/Warcraft3''.
** Sargeras was once the leader of the Pantheon before being corrupted by the Burning Legion and turning on all the worlds he once protected.
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* Garrosh Hellscream in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' was viewed as the epitome of what a true Orc warchief should be: Cunning, brutal, aggressive, but not needlessly cruel. He loved the Horde and hated their enemies, but over time he began to believe that the Horde's purpose had been corrupted by the other races and Thrall's peace-making. When he descended into villainy many Orcs followed because they believed he still embodied those traits they admired.

** Originally applied to Hal Jordan - Green Lantern of the Silver Age - who fell from grace during the 90's when the Guardians refused to give him enough power to restore his home town (which had just been destroyed in an unrelated Superman story arc). Jordan did not take this well and went on a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge killing spree of his fellow Lanterns]] to amass enough power to do so, becoming the villain known as Parallax.

* In the theatrical cut only, Deckard in ''Film/BladeRunner'' is allegedly the greatest Replicant killer around but becomes a DefectorFromDecadence by the end.

* Elisha Ben Avuya in Literature/TheTalmud. One of the wisest rabbis of his age, perhaps second only to Rabbi Akiva, he was the teacher of Rabbi Meir and - according to some legends - spiritually enlightened enough to enter Heaven while still alive. He then does a FaceHeelTurn and becomes a heretic and immerses himself in Greek philosophy, after which he is known only as The Other. [[spoiler: Despite explicitly declaring IveComeTooFar, and being told this by God, he arguably achieves DeathEqualsRedemption thanks to his student Meir.]] An AlternativeCharacterInterpretation views him as a rare non-consequentialist example of NecessarilyEvil: his heresy is driven by an ultimately holy search for truth, but that doesn't make it less heretical. [[spoiler:It does explain the DeathEqualsRedemption, though.]]

* ''Tabletopgame/TheGatesOfHell'' and other material by Dicefreaks feature at least three examples. [[http://www-personal.umich.edu/~dnross/Dicefreaks/Dicefreaks_d20_Community_•_View_forum_-_Horrors_of_The_Abyss/viewtopic_034.html Apollyon]], who either fell with the main group of {{Fallen Angel}}s or long before, was displeased at the Heaven's half measures, and so came to view all of creation as flawed and [[OmnicidalManiac unworthy of existence]]; Eblis, the strongest of angels, became too proud and now seeks the [[RageAgainstTheHeavens destruction of Heaven]], and Beelzebub, who was always viewed as the most perfect of angels, came to believe he needs [[ThePerfectionist to correct all else to match his own perfection]].

* Larry Foulke, alias Solo-Wing Pixy, in ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' starts off as the NumberTwo in the best squadron of the entire Allied air force, but eventually grows disillusioned with the Allied strategy ([[spoiler:his own Belkan heritage probably helps]]) and joins the terrorist organization A World With No Boundaries, eventually facing off against his former flight lead. Needless to say, that fight is so epic, they made an entire extra level just for the two of them.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' gives us Teyrn Loghain, the king's commander and Ferelden's national hero for driving out the Orlesians despite being a mere peasant. He goes on to abandon his king to his fate, the son of the man he fought beside during the war against Orlais, before usurping the throne and throwing Ferelden into chaos at the worst possible time. He did, however, truly believe he was right and that his detractors were wrong.

** The Dwarf Noble (a possible origin for the player character) is perceived as another example of this. Due to being more popular than their elder sibling and heir-apparent, Trian, the Dwarf Noble was heavily pipped by the Assembly to be the child of King Endrin most likely to ascend to the throne of Orzammar after his death. Due to the machinations of their younger bother Bhelen however, the Dwarf Noble is either tricked into killing Trian directly or framed for his murder, earning them exile and certain death in the Deep Roads. Even after returning to Orzammar as a Grey Warden, the Dwarf Noble is derided as a kinslayer.

* Elisha Ben Avuya in Literature/TheTalmud. One of the wisest rabbis of his age, perhaps second only to Rabbi Akiva, he was the teacher of Rabbi Meir and - according to some legends - spiritually enlightened enough to enter Heaven while still alive. He then does a FaceHeelTurn and becomes a heretic and immerses himself in Greek philosophy, after which he is known only as The Other. [[spoiler: Despite explicitly declaring IveComeTooFar, and being told this by God, he arguably achieves DeathEqualsRedemption thanks to his student Meir.]] An AlternativeCharacterInterpretation views him as a rare non-consequentialist example of NecessarilyEvil: his heresy is driven by an ultimately holy search for truth, but that doesn't make it less heretical ([[spoiler: it does explain the DeathEqualsRedemption, though]]).

** Sinestro, the best and brightest Green Lantern who turned to evil. Where do you think the other yellow lanterns came from or why they invoke his name in their oath? DependingOnTheWriter he's a WellIntentionedExtremist, with mixed results.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', in a rare moment this was actually ''a good thing'' from the perspectives of most mortals. The Unconquered Sun was created by the [[GodOfEvil the Ebon Dragon]] to be TheParagon of virtue, since the Ebon Dragon can only exist in contrast to someone else. Since he's the AnthropomorphicPersonification of dickery, he needed someone utterly pure and good to exist to define himself against. Somehow, he didn't foresee the god he created to personify (among other things) valor and conviction deciding that he couldn't allow Creation to be ruled by the Ebon Dragon and his fellow [[OurTitansAreDifferent Primordials]]. Since most of those Primordials at best considered mortals useful power sources and at worst free will a mistake to be rectified, its easy to see how the Unconquered Sun convinced most of humanity to join the rebellion.

* ''ComicBook/RichardDragonKungFuFighter'': Ben is the most heroic of the main trio but becomes consumed with his need to avenge Jane in the final issues, which leads to his disappearance and assumed death. Richard falls into a depression and stops shaving or teaching lessons, [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] disappears and is implied to have had a hand in or at least knowledge of his disappearance. This is the point at which the series was cut short, and the next time Ben sees ComicBook/{{Richard|Dragon}} following the series he's dragging him out of an underground fighting ring where Rich has been fighting people to their deaths each night and Shiva has become a proper irredeemable villain instead of staying the the grey area she skirted for this series.

* Happens in the movie ''Gabriel'', which is all too appropriate considering the movie is about angels and demons. Michael betrays his fellow angels and assumes the identity of the fallen angel Sammael with the intent of making the souls in the purgatory dimension they're fighting over into his own kingdom with which to battle Heaven and Hell.
* ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'': [[spoiler:Mann was considered the greatest astronaut around, a hero, but he's the one who betrays humanity and activates his beacon so that he doesn't have to die alone on in inhospitable planet]].

* Depending on which {{Retcon}} you choose to believe, this may have happened to Xorn of the ''ComicBook/XMen''. [[Characters/Avengers60sMembers Quicksilver]] and the Characters/ScarletWitch turning on [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] seems to be a villainous version of this, since they're by far the most competent of his original Brotherhood.

* Several sources cite Franchise/CarmenSandiego as one of these, having once been the best Acme agent in the world [[VictoryIsBoring before growing bored with it]] and [[ForTheEvulz deciding becoming the criminals she was assigned to catch would be more of a challenge.]]

** [[spoiler:Nagato]] was seen as a MessianicArchetype but personal tragedy transformed him into a DarkMessiah. Hidden Rain and [[spoiler:Konan]] followed him.

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, the most respected hero in the Marvel Universe, rebels against the US government in ''ComicBook/CivilWar''. Notable in that the majority of fans agreed with him and disliked his supposed HeelRealization.

* This is pointed out as one of the big differences between ''FanFic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse'' and Canon!MLP. Celestia's transformation into the Tyrant Sun didn't drag all of Equestria into madness with her, but what it did do was hammer into the ponies' minds that ''anyone'' could turn evil. In canon, Luna was already kind of spooky, so her fall into evil isn't ''too'' surprising. But if you can't trust Celestia, the very personification of the life-giving Sun, then you can't completely trust ''anyone''.
* This is what happens to Raiden after he CameBackWrong in ''FanFic/MortalKombatDesperation''. He used to be the Protector God of Earthrealm, a mentor to many of his champions and fellow Earthrealm defenders (especially Liu Kang and Kung Lao, [[LikeASonToMe whom he regarded as sons]]) and one of the few gods in Mortal Kombat who was [[GodIsGood actively willing to help them]], even if he had his own [[GodIsFlawed individual flaws]]. After his FaceHeelTurn however, he becomes a {{Jerkass God|s}} with a bit of the HeWhoFightsMonsters, KnightTemplar, OmnicidalManiac and WellIntentionedExtremist traits, and later on, becoming a straight villain [[ItsAllAboutMe with]] [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[AxCrazy tendencies]] after crossing the MoralEventHorizon by mass-zapping Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei to a comatose state, [[WouldHurtAChild with some of them being in their early teens]].

** Deconstructed with Maurice, AKA Numbah 9, who can be seen in similar vain to Numbah 274. He was decommissioned when he turned 13 and Numbah 5 along with the rest of Sector V watched him to make sure he wouldn't side with the Teenagers against the KND. Unfortunately, this ends up happening thanks to Cree, much to Numbah 5's horror. [[spoiler: It turns out that he was assigned the role as TheMole for the KND as well to spy on the Teenagers' antics.]]

* Orochimaru in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': while lacking anything regarding morality, he certainly was considered one of the brightest minds of his generation. He pulled a FaceHeelTurn prior to the start of the story. Later on, [[spoiler:Sasuke]] does the same thing.

* [[VideoGame/MetalGear Big Boss]] is the DeconstructorFleet version of this and numerous other tropes. A few of the games' other antagonists probably count as well, at least the ones who weren't always acting as TheMole.

* ''ComicBook/RichardDragonKungFuFighter'': Ben is the most heroic of the main trio but becomes consumed with his need to avenge Jane in the final issues, which leads to his disappearance and assumed death. Richard falls into a depression and stops shaving or teaching lessons, ComicBook/LadyShiva disappears and is implied to have had a hand in or at least knowledge of his disappearance. This is the point at which the series was cut short, and the next time Ben sees ComicBook/{{Richard|Dragon}} following the series he's dragging him out of an underground fighting ring where Rich has been fighting people to their deaths each night and Shiva has become a proper irredeemable villain instead of staying the the grey area she skirted for this series.

* Depending on which {{Retcon}} you choose to believe, this may have happened to Xorn of the ''ComicBook/XMen''. [[Characters/MarvelComicsQuicksilver Quicksilver]] and the [[Characters/MarvelComicsScarletWitch Scarlet Witch]] turning on [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] seems to be a villainous version of this, since they're by far the most competent of his original Brotherhood.

* This is what happens to Raiden after he CameBackWrong in ''FanFic/MortalKombatDesperation''. He used to be the Protector God of Earthrealm, a mentor to many of his champions and fellow Earthrealm defenders (especially Liu Kang and Kung Lao, [[LikeASonToMe whom he regarded as sons]]) and one of the few gods in Mortal Kombat who was [[GodIsGood actively willing to help them]], even if he had his own [[GodIsFlawed individual flaws]]. After his FaceHeelTurn however, he becomes a JerkassGod with a bit of the HeWhoFightsMonsters, KnightTemplar, OmnicidalManiac and WellIntentionedExtremist traits, and later on, becoming a straight villain [[ItsAllAboutMe with]] [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[AxCrazy tendencies]] after crossing the MoralEventHorizon by mass-zapping Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei to a comatose state, [[WouldHurtAChild with some of them being in their early teens]].

* ''Music/ClamaviDeProfundis'': {{Inverted}}. Oshrjad Bonebreaker, one of the strongest and most feared orcs, is the one who turns good.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower''
** Adora was one of the Horde's most dedicated and skilled recruits before her HeelFaceTurn, even being considered for Force Captain.
*** In another sense, [[spoiler:she is also the second She-Ra to balk at her purpose to fire off the Heart of Etheria into the universe and refuses to go along with the plan despite Light Hope's attempt to encourage her by stating she would be remembered as a hero for it.]]

* Sosuke Aizen from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' was once one of the greatest and the most beloved of the Gotei 13 Captains. When he betrayed Soul Society he took two other captains with him and drove a lieutenant into a HeroicBSOD. However, later with flashbacks show that he subverted this trope by being evil beforehand. He cultivated the paragon persona and reputation to throw people off his trail, and [[spoiler:one of his co-defectors only did so to stay close enough to eventually kill him]].

** [[spoiler:Itachi]] could be considered an inversion - in this case, TheParagon was the only one to ''not'' rebel. He did, however, betray his [[spoiler:own clan, the Uchiha]], by being loyal to the Konoha government. As such, this is also an example of playing it straight, since [[spoiler:the Uchiha]] considered him to be their best. No wonder he seemed like such a troubled guy in the flashbacks. And no wonder [[spoiler:Sasuke doesn't get what he's trying to teach him...]]

* Former Comicbook/GreenLantern Sinestro, the best and brightest Green Lantern who turned to evil. Where do you think the other yellow lanterns came from or why they invoke his name in their oath? DependingOnTheWriter he's a WellIntentionedExtremist, with mixed results.

* ''ComicBook/RichardDragonKungFuFighter'': Ben is the most heroic of the main trio but becomes consumed with his need to avenge Jane in the final issues, which leads to his disappearance and assumed death. Richard falls into a depression and stops shaving or teaching lessons, Shiva disappears and is implied to have had a hand in or at least knowledge of his disappearance. This is the point at which the series was cut short, and the next time Ben sees ComicBook/{{Richard|Dragon}} following the series he's dragging him out of an underground fighting ring where Rich has been fighting people to their deaths each night and Shiva has become a proper irredeemable villain instead of staying the the grey area she skirted for this series.
* ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire'': Captain America again. In a tie-in comic, he manages to [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield lift]] [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Mjolnir]] off the ground despite this being Hydra!Cap. This is the driving force behind why so many of the heroes ally with him against their better judgment, since you can't be worthy if you're not good. [[ContinuitySnarl Even though that's not what worthiness actually means in the Thor books]], and it's more about bravery than anything else. Why no one assumes Cap simply has VillainousValor is unknown. [[spoiler:It's revealed that this is not the actual Cap, but a version from an altered timeline where he'd always been a Hydra agent, and him lifting Mjolnir is only possible because the parties responsible for that also changed the nature of the enchantment, but he's still presented as ''a'' real Captain America and nobody knows about the change to Mjolnir until it's restored to normal, so this trope ends up subverted and played straight at the same time.]]

* This trope is the focus of Bendis' ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen''. ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} was once the leader of the X-Men, and so obsessively loyal to Xavier's dream that even the others considered him uptight. [[TraumaCongaLine That was a]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters long time ago]], though, and now the group is split between those who despise Scott and those who followed him into rebellion. (A rebellion which began partly because Scott ''killed'' Xavier.)
* Depending on which {{Retcon}} you choose to believe, this may have happened to Xorn of the ''ComicBook/XMen''.
** ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} and the ComicBook/ScarletWitch turning on ComicBook/{{Magneto}} seems to be a villainous version of this, since they're by far the most competent of his original Brotherhood.

* ''Fanfic/FairiesOfTheShatteredMoon'': ''Both'' of Salem's CoDragons are revealed to be this, though it gets murkier due to the GrayAndGreyMorality of the fic considering [[AdaptationalHeroism the uptake in Salem's moral character compared to canon]].

** [[spoiler:Summer Rose was once the pinnacle of what it meant to be a Huntress, being the inspiration for Ruby's desire to be one, Team STRQ's emotional anchor that made Qrow decide to throw away the life of banditry to become a true Huntsman, and the one Ozpin believed would be TheChosenOne to defeat Salem. When she learned Salem had CompleteImmortality, she went on a one-woman mission through the Grimmlands to reach her with the intent of [[SealedEvilInACan sealing her in stone with her Silver Eyes]] and having Raven teleport them back to Ozpin to end the war. However, Salem broke free and fatally injured Summer before reviving her as an Eclipse Etherious, and upon being told the AwfulTruth of Earthland/Remnant and learning (and seeing firsthand) YouCantGoHomeAgain because letting Ruby and Yang know she was alive at this point before they time-traveled back in time to meet Sitara/Salem would cause a RealityBreakingParadox,]] she then joined Salem's cause [[WellIntentionedExtremist believing it to be the only path forward for Remnant]]. Now she stands as Salem's "Black Queen" and major strategist in her war with Ozpin, working tirelessly to bring the rest of the world in line [[spoiler:up to and including becoming the [[VillainWithGoodPublicity virtually-unopposed]] [[JustTheFirstCitizen monarch-in-all-but-name]] of Atlas and Mantle with the intent of converting them all to Salem's side.]]

* In ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'', a series of terrorist attacks are carried out by Commander John Harrison, one of the best agents of Starfleet Intelligence, who has rebelled for reasons unknown. [[spoiler:{{Subverted}}, however, when it turns out that "Commander John Harrison" is an alias; his ''real'' identity is ''[[AVillainNamedKhan Khan Noonien Singh]]'', who was shanghaied by [[NoSuchAgency Section 31]], and is most definitely ''not'' a good guy.]]

* ''Film/{{Sunshine}}'': [[spoiler:Pinbacker was TheAce chosen to lead the original mission to restart the sun on the ''Icarus'', effectively being entrusted with the very future of humanity. And then he succumbed to the SpaceMadness, deluded himself into believing it was God's will for the sun to go out and humans have no right to fight that, and murdered his crew and disabled his ship. When the ''Icarus II'' comes along to fulfill that mission, Pinbacker decides to stop them as well.]]

* In Judeo-Christian mythology, Satan is sometimes said to have been God's greatest angel, Lucifer (the Light Bringer), who sat at the right hand of God, but rebelled against Him. In some versions, it's out of jealousy over mankind.
* {{Subverted}} with David in Literature/TheBible. When he was on the run from King Saul, he pretended to serve the Philistines but was really attacking Israel's Enemies.
* Elisha Ben Avuya in Literature/TheTalmud. One of the wisest rabbis of his age, perhaps second only to Rabbi Akiva, he was the teacher of Rabbi Meir and - according to some legends - spiritually enlightened enough to enter Heaven while still alive. He then does a Main/FaceHeelTurn and becomes a heretic and immerses himself in Greek philosophy, after which he is known only as The Other. [[spoiler: Despite explicitly declaring Main/IveComeTooFar, and being told this by God, he arguably achieves Main/DeathEqualsRedemption thanks to his student Meir.]] An Main/AlternativeCharacterInterpretation views him as a rare non-consequentialist example of Main/NecessarilyEvil: his heresy is driven by an ultimately holy search for truth, but that doesn't make it less heretical ([[spoiler: it does explain the Main/DeathEqualsRedemption, though]]).

* Wrestling/AJStyles was known for his loyalty to Wrestling/{{TNA}}, having been one of the few constants in the ever-changing company. However, even he believed to be the ultimate company man could only take so much, as he ''had'' always said he worked for who was best for his family(read:who pays the most) and a pay cut in December of 2013 was the last straw, causing AJ Styles to depart, with no less than company founder Wrestling/JeffJarrett following him out the door, along with Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels, Wrestling/FrankieKazarian, Wrestling/SamoaJoe, Wrestling/BobbyRoode, Wrestling/JamesStorm and Eric Young left, leaving Abyss as the only TNA original, although James Storm came back, because it turned out TNA ''[[MoneyDearBoy was]]'' best for ''[[{{Irony}} his]]'' family.[[/folder]]

* In ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy]]'', Lightning gets back to Order's Sanctuary to report that Kain is going around killing his allies off, only to find out that [[spoiler:the Warrior of Light not only is in on Kain's plan, he tries to finish Lightning off himself. Doubly effective since his fighting style actually is "Paragon". Subverted though in that he and Kain are {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s who believe they're doing the right thing, and after a WhatTheHellHero speech for the two of them they come to their senses.]]

* ''Franchise/MassEffect''

* [[IgnoredExpert Bian Zoldark]] from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'', originally one of TheFederation best researchers and leaders, went rogue along with many of their best pilots to form the Divine Crusaders and attempted a take-over. As it turns out though, he was actually more of a WellIntentionedExtremist AntiVillain who wanted to make sure Humanity had capable protectors against the AlienInvaders, [[XanatosGambit whether it was his own team or anyone who managed to beat them]]. However, after he was killed by the Steel Dragon Battalion, most of his subordinates that don't [[HeelFaceTurn join the Heroes]] suffer severe MotiveDecay, forming the Neo-Divine Crusaders and later the Gaia Sabers and have remained a long-standing problem for the Heroes ever since.

* Alpha in the ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'' AnimatedSeries was once TheMenInBlack's greatest agent, but went bad when he started adding alien parts to his body in a bid for power and immortality.
* [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] in ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}} [=ThunderCats (2011)=]]]'' with the character of Grune, who always wanted to rebel and become his kingdom's [[TheUsurper usurper]] due to his limitless [[AmbitionIsEvil ambition]], and realized that ''becoming'' a paragon by rapidly working his way up the military ladder to [[FourStarBadass General]] was the best way to succeed.

* Sosuke Aizen from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' was once one of the greatest and the most beloved of the Gotei 13 Captains. When he betrayed Soul Society he took two other captains with him and drove a lieutenant into a HeroicBSOD.
** Played straight when revealed, but subverted later with flashbacks. He was evil beforehand. He cultivated the paragon persona and reputation to throw people off his trail, and [[spoiler: one of his co-defectors only did so to stay close enough to eventually kill him]].

* Orochimaru in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': while lacking anything regarding morality, he certainly was considered one of the brightest minds of his generation. He pulled a FaceHeelTurn prior to the start of the story. Later on, [[spoiler: Sasuke]] does the same thing.

** [[spoiler:Itachi]] could be considered an inversion - [[spoiler:in this case, TheParagon was the only one to ''not'' rebel.]]
*** [[spoiler:Itachi]] did, however, betray his [[spoiler: own clan, the Uchiha, by being loyal to the Konoha government. As such, this is also an example of playing it straight, since the Uchiha considered Itachi to be their best.]]
*** So what you're saying is [[spoiler: Itachi likes to play it both ways. Since he's a Paragon to both sides of the conflict... No wonder he seemed like such a troubled guy in the flashbacks.]]
*** And no wonder Sasuke doesn't get what he's trying to teach him...

* ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' is ''all about this.'' [[spoiler: And with the rise of The Survivor, it appears to be doing it again.]]

* ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire'': Captain America again. In a tie-in comic, he manages to [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield lift]] [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Mjolnir]] off the ground despite this being Hydra!Cap. This is the driving force behind why so many of the heroes ally with him against their better judgment, since you can't be worthy if you're not good. [[ContinuitySnarl Even though that's not what worthiness actually means in the Thor books]], and it's more about bravery than anything else. Why no one assumes Cap simply has VillainousValor is unknown. [[spoiler: It's revealed that this is not the actual Cap, but a version from an altered timeline where he'd always been a Hydra agent, and him lifting Mjolnir is only possible because the parties responsible for that also changed the nature of the enchantment, but he's still presented as ''a'' real Captain America and nobody knows about the change to Mjolnir until it's restored to normal, so this trope ends up subverted and played straight at the same time.]]

* Inverted with Captain John Rumford in ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', who is a heroic example rebelling against the [[OppressiveStatesOfAmerica corrupt system]] in the future United States. When we first meet him, he is clearly being groomed for greater things in the USMC, and as we later see, his intellectual, organizing and leadership abilities are in fact prodigious. However, his [[InnocentBigot old-fashioned country boy values]] lead him to protest against feminism in the Corps, getting him cashiered. Then, after some confused floundering about, he begins his second career as a revolutionary.

** Zigzagged with [[spoiler: Izuru Kamukura]], the BigBad of ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. [[spoiler: Due to the experimentation done on him to turn him into the UltimateLifeForm in the hopes of creating a [[MessianicArchetype new messiah]], he had his personality, memories, and emotions removed turning him into a perpetually bored EmptyShell. As a result, the GreaterScopeVillain [[PracticallyJoker Junko]] was able to manipulate him into going along with her EvilPlan and [[FrameUp frame him for her crimes]], making it ''seem'' as though this trope was in play.]]

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', Seymour is a high-ranking Maester in the Church of Yevon, proposes to the main heroine and is polite and helpful. He's also totally insane, wants to kill everyone in Spira, and made his entire race AlwaysChaoticEvil. [[spoiler:However, turns out all of Yevon's leaders except for Kelk Ronso are corrupt, as the Church of Yevon is a PathOfInspiration.]]
** [[spoiler:Kelk Ronso was also corrupt, just to a lesser extent. After all, he did knowingly allow dead people to rule.]]

** Further compounded in the ''Arrival DLC'', where Shepard is forced to [[spoiler: detonate a Mass Relay and wipe out an inhabited star system to prevent the Reapers from gaining a beachhead]]. This leads to Shepard starting ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' in custody and about to be put on trial for [[spoiler: war crimes against the batarians]], when the Reapers finally invade Earth. Suffice to say, Shepard is quickly [[TheExtremistWasRight exonerated of their crimes]] and pressed back into service.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' has Sigma, once the greatest Maverick Hunter and protector of humanity. However, despite the atrocities he commits, his inclusion here is debatable; he's as much a victim of TheVirus as a willful rebel.
*** His ''[[VideoGame/MegaManMaverickHunterX Maverick Hunter X]]'' version plays this trope straight.

* In ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic,'' this happens with [[spoiler: Havoc Squad]]. It can also happen to Republic player characters who turn to the dark side.
** Republic players on Nar Shaddaa are sent into Shadow Town, an Imperial prison for war criminals, to free [[spoiler: a legendary Jedi by the name of Ako Domi]]. Guess what they find.

* Kyodai Ken in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. The star student of the martial arts school he and Bruce both attended, he decided that stealing the master's katana and wakizashi to sell them for the cash was a good idea. Bruce --not quite as good as Ken was-- interrupted him long enough for the master to intervene. When Ken subsequently left/was expelled, several of the students went with him.

* Kyodai Ken in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' gives us Teyrn Loghain, the kings commander and Fereldens national hero for driving out the Orlesians despite being a mere peasant. He goes on to abandon his king to his fate, the son of the man he fought beside during the war against Orlais, before usurping the throne and throwing Ferelden into chaos at the worst possible time. He did, however, truly believe he was right and that his detractors were wrong.

** The Dwarf Noble is another example of this. Due to being more popular than their elder sibling and heir-apparent, Trian, the Dwarf Noble was heavily pipped by the Assembly to be the child of King Endrin most likely to ascend to the throne of Orzammar after his death. Due to the machinations of their younger bother Bhelen however, the Dwarf Noble is either tricked into killing Trian directly or framed for his murder, earning them exile and certain death in the Deep Roads. Even after returning to Orzammar as a Grey Warden, the Dwarf Noble is derided as a kinslayer.

** Subverted by Palpatine's rise to Emperor. He presented himself as a humble senator, reluctantly accepting ever greater emergency powers in troubled times; he created the Galactic Empire to general approval, and even swayed public opinion against the Jedi Order. Nobody but his apprentices knew that that he was EvilAllAlong and a tremendously powerful Sith lord to boot.