History Main / WhatTheHellHero

* WhatTheHellHero/RealLife

->''"You call me a monster, [[NotSoDifferent but you're no different from me]], [[TheHero Drake]]. How many men have you killed? [[WhatMeasureIsAMook How many]], [[MoralDissonance just today]]?"''

->''"You call me a monster, [[NotSoDifferent but you're no different from me]], [[TheHero Drake]]. How many [[{{Mooks}} men]] [[OneManArmy have you killed]]? [[WhatMeasureIsAMook How many]], [[MoralDissonance just today]]?"''

->''"You call me a [[CompleteMonster monster]], [[NotSoDifferent but you're no different from me]], [[TheHero Drake]]. How many [[{{Mooks}} men]] [[OneManArmy have you killed]]? [[WhatMeasureIsAMook How many]], [[MoralDissonance just today]]?"''
-->-- '''[[BigBad Lazarevic]]''', ''[[{{VideoGame/Uncharted}} Uncharted 2: Among Thieves]]''

->''[[IDidWhatIHadToDo "You know it's not that simple."]]''
->''[[WhatTheHellHero "You're the man who taught me that it was."]]''
-->--'''Professor Xavier''' and '''Cyclops''', ''[[Comicbook/XMen Astonishing X-Men]] #12''

->''[[IDidWhatIHadToDo "You know it's not that simple!"]]''

!!Examples

Occasionally, an author will drop some [[BlackAndGrayMorality gr]][[GrayAndGrayMorality ay]] into his otherwise flawlessly good guy hero... and have others ''notice.'' This can add guilt and remorse to a character as they [[KickTheMoralityPet feel shame for their evil actions]], and legitimately have to fight to [[ClearMyName restore their name]], [[MustMakeAmends undo the harm]], or simply live with the guilt and shame of it. In this case, you can expect to hear some variation of "Haven't you done enough already?" More extremely, it can be the first step towards AntiHero-dom or a full-blown FaceHeelTurn.

Some video games offer dialogue trees or something similar that might allow your character to call someone out for their horrible behaviour, which can be immensely satisfying. If your character is the one being called out, it's WhatTheHellPlayer
MyGodWhatHaveIDone may be a self-inflicted version. Can come right off the heels of a SadisticChoice foisted on the player in a video game. The hero may attempt to invoke IDidWhatIHadToDo as his justification, though this does not always succeed. Of course, those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and one should beware of his own MoralMyopia leading to TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong. Results may vary against the HeroicSociopath or TheUnfettered; beware you don't get a ShutUpKirk or HannibalLecture in response.

Ideally, heroes are heroic. They do good things, they right what is wrong. But sometimes, heroes do something quite horrible. Such conduct would warrant a "What the hell!" from other characters instead of only the audience.

Sometimes the author doesn't realize his hero just [[InferredHolocaust wiped out all the Ewoks]], or consciously lets a TakeThat turn the sweet FriendToAllLivingThings [[CorruptTheCutie into a cruel monster]] [[ComedicSociopathy just to get laughs]]. This can lead to problems when [[FridgeLogic we realize that]] the hero's been a bad, bad puppy, and worst of all, no one seems to notice or care.

Yet other times, an author will drop some [[BlackAndGrayMorality gr]][[GrayAndGrayMorality ay]] into his otherwise flawlessly good guy hero... and have others ''notice.'' This can add guilt and remorse to a character as they [[KickTheMoralityPet feel shame for their evil actions]], and legitimately have to fight to [[ClearMyName restore their name]], [[MustMakeAmends undo the harm]], or simply live with the guilt and shame of it. In this case, you can expect to hear some variation of "Haven't you done enough already?"

More extremely, it can be the first step towards AntiHero-dom or a full-blown FaceHeelTurn.

If nothing else, it shows the fans that the author knows their hero did wrong, thereby averting MoralDissonance. This time, at least.

Ideally, heroes are heroic. They do good things, they right what is wrong. But sometimes, heroes do something quite horrible. Such conduct would warrant a "What the hell!" from other characters...or even the audience.

Almost never applies to those PowersThatBe who have an OmniscientMoralityLicense, although characters who RageAgainstTheHeavens might attempt it. Likewise, villains tend to be immune to this thanks to their ItsAllAboutMe attitude (or, at best, MoralMyopia), though a HeelRealisation might clue them in, perhaps leading to a VillainousBSOD. (Then again, this trope doesn't really apply to[[ForTheEvulz villains who aren't even]] ''[[ForTheEvulz trying]]'' [[ForTheEvulz to do anything decent for the world in the first place]].) Those pesky {{Trickster Mentor}}s may also find themselves on the receiving end of RageAgainstTheMentor.

Some video games offer dialogue trees or something similar that might allow your character to call someone out for their horrible behaviour, which can be immensely satisfying. If your character is the one being called out, it's [=~What The Hell, Player?~=]

MyGodWhatHaveIDone may be a self-inflicted version. Can come right off the heels of a SadisticChoice foisted on the player in a video game. The hero may attempt to invoke IDidWhatIHadToDo as his justification, though this does not always succeed. Of course, those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and one should beware of his own MoralMyopia leading to TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong.

'''Important note''': This article is ''exclusively'' about scenes where the hero is called on his morally ambiguous or directly evil actions by characters ''in the story''. '''If the DesignatedHero is a {{Jerkass}} (or worse), but no one calls him on it in the series, then take your example to JerkassStu, MoralDissonance, or DesignatedHero.'''

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