Line #86 HeroWithBadPublicity/FanWorks


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6	[[HeroWithBadPublicity Heroes with bad publicity]] in FanWorks.
7	----
8	[[AC:{{Crossover}}s]]
9	* Played straight then subverted in ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy''. Peter had it rough starting out as J.J.J. ran his classic smear campaign against Spidey. But after decades of saving the day over and over, people wised up and began supporting Spider-Man wholeheartedly while the Daily Bugle was forced to tone down its blatant bias against him.
10	* ''Fanfic/CyberpunkAnotherDaybreak'': Despite making a glowing first impression as a Kamen Rider, the media quickly pry into David's private life and discover his XBD tapes. It isn't long before Night City knows him as both a teenage superhero wunderkind and a horny gonk who lucked his way into an executive position at one of the most powerful corporations in the world.
11	* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': The titular Dungeon Keeper. It's hard being taken seriously as a defender of the innocent when all other Dungeon Keepers are {{Evil Overlord}}s by nature.
12	* The ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'' universe has this in the form of Rainbow Dash, to the Grand Pegasus Enclave. After the balefire apocalypse that destroyed the world ended, the pegasi decided to stay up in the clouds instead of going back down to try and help Equestria recover. Rainbow Dash (who during the war and after it was a national hero due to being on the front lines and leading an elite pegasus unit) was sickened by their decision and eventually went back down to the surface to try and help. As this could be a devastating PR blow for the Enclave if one of their own leaders said that they all sucked for their actions, they instead declared that she was a traitor (and she's still thought as one even after two hundred years) and attempted to have her hunted down (by [[spoiler:Gilda, no less!]]) so that her head could be brought back. We never find out whether she lived or died, though after she left, every pegasus that leaves the Enclave is branded with her cutie mark and given the label "Dashite", though many take it as a badge of pride because they're not as selfish and arrogant as the Enclave.
13	* ''Fanfic/{{Kage}}'': [[WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures Jade]] becomes this when she arrives on [[WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}} Meridian]], due to a combination of the Guardians and rebels' [[NiceJobBreakingItHero prejudices and misconceptions]], actions by [[EnemyWithin the Queen]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Nerissa]]'s lies.
14	* ''Fanfic/MassEffectHumanRevolution'': Adam. Even accounting for Udina's distorted views, much of (or at least the most noticeable factions of) humanity consider Adam to be "a walking war crime", [[UngratefulBastard despite his actions on Elysium]]. Also, Tali.
15	* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11772125/1/Metroid-Kamen-Rider-Generations-Full-Series Metroid: Kamen Rider Generations]]'', [[Series/KamenRiderGaim Mitsuzane Kureshima]] considers himself to be this, but more of a [[AlasPoorScrappy broken scrappy example]].
16	* [[VideoGame/Doom2016 The Doom Slayer]] gets this treatment at the end of the Steel Sabers Arc in ''Fanfic/MyHeroAcademiaUnchainedPredator''. Despite leading a [[OneManArmy one man operation]] that led to ''zero'' civilian and hero deaths, both sides of the spectrum want him off the streets. The League of Villains want him dead for [[AnArmAndALeg ripping off Shigaraki's arm]], [[SpannerInTheWorks sabotaging their plans]] and outright causing a total disruption in All for One's plans. While the Heroes want him off the streets for the [[ViolenceIsDisturbing slaughter of the Sabers]], putting forty eight heroes in the hospital and unintentionally breaking [[BreakTheCutie Ragdoll's]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation sanity.]] The Slayer, however, doesn't give two shits about what the public thinks. For him, the main things he needs to deal with are eliminating the League of Villains, upgrade his gear, and then figure out where to go from there.
17	* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'':
18	** {{Subverted}} for TheDreaded AntiHero Kyril. He believes himself to be an object of ill repute, often internally noting the way people stare at him and how his actions irk most of the nobility. In reality, he is lionised by the common folk and his soldiers. Moreover, his reputation among the knights and the nobility turns out to be more ''divisive'' than outright hated. Roland's narration sheds light on this.
19	--->''Kyril Sutherland was a divisive figure amongst the nobility, compared to the common folk who lionized the man. Some nobles thought him an upstart, a foreigner with the ear of the Goddess Reincarnated herself? That was unthinkable in and of itself. Especially since he was also a staunch ally of the former [[EvilOverlord Dark Queen]], Olga Discordia who was once the Goddess's greatest enemy and someone not to be trusted.''\
20	\
21	''His brutal countenance and refusal to uphold the ideals of Chivalry was also a contentious issue for many knights. Few dared to openly challenge him, for it was said that Kyril Sutherland could sense malice of any sort. The fact that he had also bested Claudia Levantine, who was Ken's strongest knights was also something that mitigated the nobility's ire towards the man. He got results, that was all that mattered to most of them.''
22	** Kyril briefly [[DiscussedTrope discusses this trope]] during his conversation with Shalala regarding his reputation.
23	--->'''Shalala''': Many look up to you as a savior, Sir Kyril.\
24	'''Kyril''': And others look down upon me as a mad dog held to Celestine's side by a leash. [[ReputationApathy I'd prefer it that way actually, it's easier to move.]]
25	* In ''Fanfic/{{Origins}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, the Citadel Council is aware this can happen and hopes to [[AvertedTrope avert it]] by exploiting the inverse of TheGreatestStoryNeverTold. Otherwise, widespread knowledge of Samantha Shepard's [[AMillionIsAStatistic previous actions]] could result in a full-on application of this trope, undermining their war effort by knocking their preferred agent down a peg. They, being politicians, don't want to catch blame.
26	* ''Fanfic/TheProsAndConsToLivingATripleLife'': On top of the canon examples from ''VideoGame/Persona5'', Kamoshida attempts to turn [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora and Riku]] into this by having Mishima spread rumours about their living situation with Kairi, who is also subjected to rumours of sleeping around behind Sora's back. It works at first, but between Makoto investigating them by spending the night at their apartment and Sora getting more positive attention with his attempt to save Shiho and his success with the Culinary Arts Club, the rumours die down quickly and are all but forgotten about after Kamoshida's change of heart.
27	* Downplayed in ''Fanfic/ScionOfSorcery''. Stephen Strange and the Mystics of Kamar-Taj are considered [[NotEvilJustMisunderstood "Dark Wizards" and criminals under the Ministry of Magic's definition of such]], and thus are feared by Magical Britain. ''Everywhere else'' though, Stephen Strange is considered a hero by No-Maj Society and is an ally to Magical Congress.
28	* ''Fanfic/AShadowOfTheTitans'': Due to her short temper during her interactions with the Titans and the random {{Jerkass}} civilians of Jump City, Jade ends up being labeled a public threat. And matters aren't helped any by her having to pretend to be a villain so that the HIVE doesn't kill her.
29	* ''Fanfic/TheSpectacularSpiderManLostInGotham'': Played straight with Peter's home dimension, as Jameson made sure that he was rarely seen by the public as anything but a threat/menace. Averted, however, in Gotham; Spider-Man introduces himself to the public by stopping a runaway monorail and preventing a disaster. From that moment on, the press is singing his praises.
30	* In ''Fanfic/SpiderX'', Peter falls victim to this on a few occasions due to the ''Daily Bugle'', and naturally the X-Men get dragged into it when they go public.
31	* ''Fanfic/ASupeOfAMan'': Zig-Zagged, while ComicBook/{{Superman}} is a beloved hero to the public, due to the corruption and cynicism in the world of ''Series/TheBoys2019'', Clark is seen by Vought (including his own aunt) and those who are aware of the true nature of Supes in general as a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity corrupt monster who hides behind a clean facade.]]
32	* In ''Fanfic/ThievesCanBeHeroes'', Izuku is subject to the fate of the ''VideoGame/Persona5'' protagonist, being vilified for a crime he didn't commit. Notably, he has it ''worse'' than Joker does, as Izuku's reputation only worsens after Kamoshida's confession because the student body accuses him of having a brainwashing Quirk. This is on top of the usual ridicule he gets for being Quirkless.
33	* ''Fanfic/AWandForSteven'': Given the Ministry's policies on nonhumans and Minister Fudge's bitterness towards Dumbledore, the Daily Prophet is used to slander Steven, questioning if he should even be allowed in Hogwarts in the first place for his half-human physiology.
34	* In ''Fanfic/TheWeavingForce'', Taylor, as usual. The events of becoming Khepri and what she’d had to do to survive up till that point have left her mind constantly full of fear and hatred and sorrow because of everything she’s gone through. As such, many other Jedi in the temple are constantly thinking that her falling to the dark side is inevitable because of feeling her dark emotions in the force.
35	* In ''Fanfic/WeightOfTheWorld'', [[spoiler:Yang is manipulated into attacking Alfred (who she hallucinated as Neo) on live TV, beating him before shooting him in the stomach and painting herself as a murderous, violent monster. In ''The Depths of Deception'', this causes a barkeep and other travelers to fear and mistrust Yang. Last they knew she was sitting in jail awaiting trial, so they believe she is running to Mistral's criminal underground to escape justice. Yang uses her "criminal past" to get into Kuchinashi to look for Neo without raising suspicion.]]
36	** Many people on Remnant hate, fear, or shun Pyrrha because they think she [[spoiler:wanted to win the Tournament so badly she purposely killed Penny. Some civilians also [[TheScapegoat blame her for kickstarting the fall of Beacon]]]]. It's so bad the passengers on the airship get the crew to kick Pyrrha off, much to RNJR and the nations' disgust. Pyrrha wears a hoodie in an attempt to stop people from recognizing her due to this.
37	* ''Fanfic/UnlifeIsStrange'':
38	** Downplayed with Chloe Price. While calling her a "hero" is a little much, she gains a divisive reputation following the storm in Route '''A''' or her death in '''B'''. After Rachel's death is discovered, her father starts a smear campaign, propping Rachel up as a perfect daughter and student, with Chloe being this toxic influence on her. Sean Prescott runs a similar campaign when Nathan's crimes are exposed, attempting to deflect public ire onto Chloe. In both case, Chloe's troubled history, home life and delinquency is used against her by those [[VillainWithGoodPublicity sympathetic to Nathan]], or those looking to [[GoodVictimsBadVictims prop up Rachel and Kate's victimhood]].
39	** ZigZagged with Sean Diaz having more of a split reputation. It's implied to be caused by his race and the political climate. Sean is seen as either a criminal who got away or a modern heroic outlaw in the Route '''A''', with many wanting him to answer for Officer Matthews' death. In both routes, there was ultimately an investigation that exonerated Sean of Matthews' death; however, the response by some media outlets and Sean's detractors was one of disappointment. In Route '''B''', Sean was still sentenced to fifteen years for a series of misdemeanors he got up to during his journey -- mainly because his detractors were ''that'' eager to [[DogKickingExcuse pin him down for something]]. Even in that timeline, he still has supporters who are advocating for his innocence and freedom, especially after he got a graphic novel published.
40
41	[[AC:''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'']]
42	* ''Fanfic/TheCuttingEdge'';
43	** The Hood appears content to be this; even Franchise/{{Batman}} was initially unaware of what happened to the money the Hood took from Thomas Elliot, but once Black Canary explains that it was donated to the victims of the Nodell Tower Fire the Dark Knight acknowledges that people wouldn't want to admit they received compensation under such circumstances.
44	** After the mob war, [[spoiler:Moira encourages Tempest's media contacts to make all the vigilantes this, feeling that the group should work to render the vigilantes ineffective and encourage their own views of social reform]].
45	* Played with in ''Fanfic/WhatItTakes''; as far as the police and politicians are concerned, Black Canary is Public Enemy Number 1, but as far as the average citizen is concerned (especially those from the Glades), she is the only one keeping them safe from Damien Darhk's expanding control of the city.
46
47	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'']]
48	* ''Fanfic/ResurrectedMemories'': Ember has this problem following her HeelFaceTurn since Team Phantom still considers her to be an enemy, though this is [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]] since Ember’s human identity Amberline is very popular around Casper High. [[spoiler:This very nearly costs her everything once Danny learns the truth about "Amberline".]]
49
50	[[AC:''Manga/DeathNote'']]
51	* Light Yagami/Kougoukan in ''Fanfic/SexNote''. While many women's groups on the Internet like Kougoukan, the police and a lot of guys do not. [[ShootTheMessenger Chief Souichiro Yagami assumes that Kougoukan must be a terrorist of the highest order who is out to embarrass the police]] because their ''can't'' be such corruption in his department! Also, like in canon, some people hail Light's alter ego as a savior but since he's not ruling by fear there are even more public dissenters calling Kougoukan's works the work of the devil.
52
53	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'']]
54	* In ''Fanfic/Digimon02TheStoryWeNeverTold'', while the citizens treats the "monsters" as heroes, the experts and higher ups continue to remain suspicious of these "monsters" and urge to to stay cautious around them. Lampshaded by Salamon upon hearing the news:
55
56	[[AC:''Franchise/HarryPotter'']]
57	* In ''Fanfic/BackwardsWithPurpose'', Harry, especially by third year. By fifth year, [[spoiler:Harry is an outright criminal in the world's eyes, but after Voldemort's return is revealed, he manages to earn his reputation back]].
58	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13045929/1/Reformed-Returned-and-Really-Trying Reformed, Returned and Really Trying]]'' features an old friend of Dumbledore that reacts to news of his death by coming to Britain with a group of volunteers to take down Voldemort. However, they have a horrible reputation that is entirely earned, due them being ''[[TheDreaded Gellert]] [[VisionaryVillain Grindelwald]]'' [[TheAtoner trying to atone for his past misdeeds by annihilating Voldemort]], the last survivors of his old followers, and a growing number of volunteers that believe Britain will be the first step on taking over the world [[WellIntentionedExtremist to spread equality between all magicals]] (many of the volunteers are indeed Muggleborns). This leads to France and Poland sending their own forces to help the Ministry (that they have no idea has fallen to Voldemort) defeat their ancient enemy before he can amass sufficient power. [[HeroWithAnFInGood Grindelwald's troubles in avoiding war crimes don't help his case]].
59
60	[[AC:''Literature/TheHungerGames'']]
61	* In ''Fanfic/ValkyrieOnFire'', Glimmer falls victim to this once she returns to District 1, as the Academy and other Victors go to great lengths to claim that [[NoTrueScotsman she isn't a 'real' Victor due to the unconventional nature of her victory]], with the result that Glimmer can't even follow the example of other Victors and teach at the Academy.
62
63	[[AC:''Franchise/MegaMan'']]
64	* In ''Fanfic/MegaManDefenderOfTheHumanRace'', as of episode 11, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] is this, with 68% of New York distrusting him]].
65
66	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'']]
67	* ''Webcomic/BakeryEnemies'': Adrien Agreste is one of the heroes who took down the dreaded Hawkmoth... but people only know him as the ''son'' of Hawkmoth.
68	* ''Fanfic/BreakItDownButterfly'': Since he has the same powers and butterfly motif as the very supervillain that has been terrorizing Paris all of this time, Vrai Papillon naturally has a hard time getting on everybody's good side, people from the press to Ladybug and Chat Noir are naturally suspicious of him and assume he is just Hawk Moth venturing onto the frontline.
69	* ''[[Fanfic/CheshireMiraculousLadybug Cheshire]]'':
70	** PlayedWith for Marinette as Cheshire. While the citizens of Paris view her as nothing less than heroic, the other Miraculous Holders (including the BigBad) are convinced that she's a VillainWithGoodPublicity who is working towards some secret agenda, since every previous Black Cat holder abused their power for evil to the point that its kwami Plagg is just assumed to be TheCorruptor (if not actively choosing terrible users ForTheEvulz).
71	** Misterbug (Adrien) and Pegasus (Max) are this to the people of Paris, due to attacking the much-beloved Cheshire right after she helped them to defeat an akuma. Even the ''akumas'' call the other holders villains, and are disgusted by their behavior when they aren't deciding to take advantage of it. Later "allies" do not help: King Monkey (Kim) is hit hard with this after he attacks Cheshire just she was about to fix the city with [[WorldHealingWave Catastrophe]], while Queen Bee (''Chloe'') is a AttentionWhore that cares more for what the press says about her than the akuma victims, ''who she openly mocks on social media''.
72	* ''Fanfic/CrimsonAndNoire'': Lady Noire aka Marinette is viewed with distrust by most of Paris after she inadvertently destroyed an entire stadium while trying to slow down Stoneheart, with most people seeing her as a DestructiveSavior or a menace herself. She does have a few supporters like Crimson Beetle, Ivan, and Juleka, but the bad publicity does take a toll on her self-confidence. Her reputation improves as she continues to stop the Akumas and shows better control and use of her Cataclysm.
73	* ''Fanfic/HopToIt'' has Rabbit, an American Miraculous holder who used to be about as accepted in Los Angeles as Ladybug and Chat Noir are in Paris. However, around the time she moves to Paris, she accidentally acquires her partner's power, Dogstruction, which activates when she tries to use her own power of Lucky Strike. As such, her run through a Paris neighbourhood while trying to avoid an akuma results in her causing over a million dollars in property damage and several injuries. Chat Noir accepts her explanation quickly enough, as does Ladybug when Chat tells her, but Rabbit is first mistaken for an akuma by the media and then for a supervillain in her own right, earning the nickname "Jack Hammer". She does earn a few more defenders when she helps out civilians during the Road Rage attack, including Nino, but the media continue to question whether she's a hero or a menace. Alya even makes a Ladyblog video painting "Jack Hammer" as an agent of Hawk Moth, which persuades most of her class, some of whom have family members that were affected by the first "rampage". Alya eventually turns around on her after she helps save her from Cottontail and makes her a second video with the other heroes, but Rabbit still hasn't quite escaped her "Jack Hammer" reputation.
74	* ''Fanfic/RuinedWithYou'' has a variation where Chat Noir's publicity is still fine (partly because he hasn't done anything since he retired after Hawk Moth was captured) but Adrien's modelling career has suffered thanks to his association with his father, now a convicted supervillain, forcing him to leave Paris for two years just to find designers willing to work with him.
75	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/43468338 Prompt: Self Destruction]]'': While never outright shown in the one-shot, it's revealed that Adrien is now an outcast in his class due to knowing that [[ManipulativeBitch Lila]] was lying but never exposing her from the start, [[DramaticIrony unaware that as Chat Noir he and Marinette worked together to get Lila exposed in the first place]]. While both Marinette and Plagg are worried about it, Chat sees this as a [[ThePenance "worthy" punishment for his civilian self]] [[MyGreatestFailure due to failing Marinette with his high road advice]], especially as his own mind deteriorates to view his civilian self in a worse light than what actually happened.
76	* ''Webcomic/ScarletLady'': When he and Scarlet Lady start out as heroes, Scarlet Lady (here Chloe with the Ladybug Miraculous (which she stole from Marinette's purse)) does the bare minimum in fights but soaks up the attention from adoring Parisians while downplaying Chat Noir's efforts. [[spoiler:As the series goes on, though, people begin to notice Scarlet Lady's laziness/selfishness and give him more appreciation.]]
77	** Subverted with Marinette/Marigold. Even without a Miraculous, Marinette was getting involved in akuma fights (mainly to try and keep Alya out of danger) and doing more work than Scarlet Lady. When it becomes clear that Marinette is still worthy to be a Miraculous holder (and that Chat Noir needs a better partner than Scarlet Lady), Master Fu has Wayzz put the Bee Miraculous in Marinette's room. Marinette jumps at the chance and becomes Marigold. Because she does so much more to protect people and help in fights, people give her as much love and praise as they do Scarlet Lady (to Chloe's frustration).
78	** Inverted with Scarlet Lady herself in the last episode of the series. After her mother calls Chloe unexceptional, Chloe tries to prove otherwise by revealing (in front of a ''crowd'') that she's Scarlet Lady, expecting to be swamped with fans... only to realize then that everyone [[HatedByAll hates]] both her secret identity ''and'' her hero one. The public, thanks to Alya's work on the Ladyblog, now sees Chloe/Scarlet Lady for the self-centered AttentionWhore she truly is. She becomes a Bad Hero with Bad Publicity, and, rather than trying to own up to her mistakes or be a better hero (or give her Miraculous to someone more worthy of it), she gets akumatized. When Chat Noir and Ladygold (Marinette wielding both the Bee ''and'' Ladybug Miraculouses), defeat her, she demands her Miraculous back... only to be told [[LittleNo no]], officially ending her "hero" career. [[note]] Even if you aren't a fan of the show, the last episode is ''so'' satisfying.[[/note]]
79	* ''Fanfic/SpotsOff'' turns Marinette into one of these when Alya accidentally leaks Ladybug's identity. Once people learn that Ladybug is nothing more than a teenage middle-schooler, people start to slap her with the "JustAKid" label, asking whether she is actually fit to protect Paris. It gets to the point where [[spoiler:Mayor Bourgeois' more-powerful associates try to blackmail him into labeling Ladybug a vigilante, exposing her to legal consequences]]. [[ItsAllMyFault Alya, for her part, takes it]] ''[[ItsAllMyFault very]]'' [[ItsAllMyFault poorly]]. Part of the fic deals with Marinette and company trying to get past this image.
80	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/42667953/chapters/107182218 Tidal waves]]'': Some of Adrien's more thoughtless actions as Chat Noir wind up damaging his reputation.
81	** Others at the statue unveiling witness him lying to Theo about his supposed relationship with Ladybug, as well as how this nearly gets the sculptor akumatized. Only Ladybug's presence and quick intervention prevent disaster, and the crowd [[DeathGlare glares at Chat Noir]] for his carelessness, with video evidence of the incident spreading online.
82	** Chat Noir is also caught on camera using his Cataclysm to destroy several billboards featuring ads for Gabriel Agreste, along with openly contemplating whether or not to destroy a Christmas tree before moving on to another billboard. This gets him into trouble when Gabriel finds out and deems him a menace, forcing him to try and explain his actions to the public.
83	** When Rena Rouge makes her debut, Chat complains that they don't need the extra help. Rena Rouge then reveals to him that many Parisians are convinced he doesn't take his job ''seriously'', given how he constantly jokes around, treats fighting akumas as a game, and keeps getting taken out due to his recklessness. The above incidents also haven't helped make him appear trustworthy.
84	* In ''Fanfic/TruthAndConsequences'', Ladybug invokes this on Chat by convincing Paris that ''he's'' the one who turned traitor before he can expose her for [[FaceHeelTurn allying with Hawkmoth]], forcing him on the defensive.
85	** Even before [[MaliciousSlander Alya's article]], Chat Noir's behavior didn't earn him as much support as you would think as one of the first duo of superheroes in Paris. Looking at his [[TalkingIsAFreeAction banter]], [[PopCulturedBadass constant comic references]], repeated [[TheWorfEffect defeats]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy by akuma]], and obvious crush on Ladybug, most bystanders- ''including'' Hawkmoth and Ladybug herself- saw him as a [[FightingClown goof]] that saw the whole thing as a game and was only a threat as long as Ladybug was giving him directions. [[BeneathTheMask In reality]], Adrien ''does'' [[GoodFeelsGood love being a superhero]], and often jokes as a coping mechanism.
86
87	[[AC:''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia'']]
88	* In ''Fanfic/BrilliantLightsWillCeaseToBurn'', "Deku" is incredibly unpopular among pro heroes and the police for showing them up constantly, leading him to be branded a villain who [[InsaneTrollLogic is apparently working with the same yakuza members he helped subdue]]. But this trope is zig-zagged because Deku is enormously popular among Japan's youth, with some comparing him to [[TheParagon All Might]] and calling him the "pride of our nation". [[HumbleHero Izuku himself doesn't really care for his reputation]] and rarely checks what people are saying about him, but he's glad that his message is reaching so many people.
89	* ''Fanfic/MeanRabbit'' has Midoriya Izuku, who's MadeOutToBeAJerkass for the high crime of fighting to become a Pro Hero despite [[FantasticAbleism society deeming him worthless for his Quirklessness]]. Whenever he refuses to bow his head and take the abuse heaped upon him by bullies like Bakugou, [[SadistTeacher Aizawa]], or anyone else, it's spun around and turned upon him. This really starts ballooning out of control during the Sports Festival, as his rebuke of Monoma is played for the public ''without sound'' so that they don't hear Monoma accusing him of being ''happy'' about the League attacking the USJ [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity just to get attention]]; they just see Monoma [[HeelRealization tearing up]] after being called out. And when he's pitted against Ochako for his first tournament match, Present Mic encourages the crowd to root against him.
90
91	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'']]
92	* In ''Fanfic/DarkSpectrumPublicEnemy'' Rainbow Dash is one due to ponies thinking she ran Mare-Do-Well out of town. She is still one in the end, but at least she has the support of her friends.
93	* In ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', an extended retelling of "[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic A Canterlot Wedding]]", Prince Jewelius [[TyrantTakesTheHelm usurps Equestria's throne]] right after he and Twilight have stopped the Changeling invasion by blaming Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, the Mane Five, and Spike for not listening to Twilight's [[CassandraTruth suspicions regarding the false Cadance]]. He [[MadeASlave sentences the Mane Five and Shining Armor to slavery]] and banishes the princesses and Spike from Equestria, turning the public and [[CorruptTheCutie Twilight]] against them. When the fugitives return to Canterlot one week later [[MustMakeAmends to redeem themselves and make it up to Twilight]], they discover that [[spoiler:Jewelius provided Queen Chrysalis the means to infiltrate Canterlot before double-crossing her [[ICanRuleAlone to become the sole ruler of Equestria]], and purposely turned everypony else against the heroes to steal the throne unobstructed]]. Twilight and Canterlot's citizens don't believe them when they try to expose this (partly due to their own failure to uphold their trustworthiness by dint of their short-sighted actions that led to the invasion happening), but some serious [[JustBetweenYouAndMe shortsightedness]] from the {{Big Bad}}'s part enables the fugitives to clear their names. [[spoiler:Not to mention that the town of Ponyville does not consider them traitors because [[HitlerAteSugar Jewelius has made the life there difficult]] ever since his rise to power]].
94	** Subverted with Princess Cadance. Jewelius unjustly holds her responsible for allowing Queen Chrysalis to steal her identity and has her banished along with the others. However, it's revealed upon her return to Canterlot that while the other banished heroes have lost the trust and respect of Twilight and everypony in Canterlot, [[UndyingLoyalty Cadance has not]]. [[spoiler:It is for this reason that Jewelius tries to have her murdered in a way that would both make the other fugitives even more scorned on and help himself divert suspicion.]]
95	** When Twilight finally realizes [[spoiler:how evil [[TheSociopath Jewelius]] truly is]], she escapes from Canterlot to reconcile with her friends and brother. Jewelius tries to invoke this trope again by labeling her as another traitor, [[DefiedTrope but Canterlot's citizens]] [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness don't believe for one minute that she'd go against Jewelius without good reason]]. In fact, they not only become more sympathetic to the disgraced heroes, but also more open to the thought of giving them a second chance and letting them return to society so that they can help thwart [[spoiler:the renewed Changeling threat [[SkewedPriorities which Jewelius has done nothing about]]]].
96	* ''Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse:'' In the season 1 finale, Trixie (whose reputation in Canterlot was already in the toilet) gets even more bad publicity courtesy of several scheming nobles using the tabloids to slander her.
97	* ''Fanfic/RiseOfEmpressMidnight'': Alternate Borris: Having apparently failing easy attacks against the Mork army, [[spoiler:and is also an ex-Mork]].
98	** [[spoiler:Twilight Sparkle since her alternate is Empress Midnight.]]
99	* ''Fanfic/TheStoryOfTwilightGlow'': Twilight has effectively become [[EvilOverlord Nightmare Moon's]] [[BeleagueredAssistant top advisor]], where her goal has been to temper Nightmare Moon's megalomania and ruthlessness. Unfortunately, other ponies believe she willingly betrayed Equestria to gain power.
100
101	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'']]
102	* ''Fanfic/AndrogyninjasADropOfPoison'': Sakura starts having trouble with this after the Chuunin Exams; since she comes from a civilian background, many shinobi look down upon her and see her as less capable than those from clans. Her subsequently managing to hold her own against clan-born genin like Ino [[spoiler:and Neji]] gets her into trouble for challenging the status quo. On top of this, she also finds herself regarded suspiciously by other civilians, who view her as a ninja first and foremost.
103
104	[[AC:''Franchise/OnePiece'']]
105	* ''Fanfic/ACrewForAKing'': The Straw Hats are this during the fight at Rainbase, as the locals view them as rebels attacking [[VillainWithGoodPublicity a national hero]], something Crocodile is happy to gloat about.
106
107	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'']]
108	* In ''Fanfic/PokemonShadowOfTime'', Sharpedo as a whole suffer from this, as the species are very friendly but have an unfortunately fearsome reputation.
109	* In ''[[Fanfic/TheRoadYouChoose When the World Ends]]'', Misty faces this when [[spoiler:her defiance of Giovanni to rescue Ash led to the destruction of Cerulean City, and the supposed deaths of her sisters and unborn nephew]].
110
111	[[AC:''Franchise/PowerRangers'']]
112	* In ''Fanfic/PowerRangersMythos'', the evil alchemist Avanth is working on making the Rangers this in the eyes of the general public.
113
114	[[AC:''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'']]
115	* ''WebVideo/CanOneChangeFixAllOfRWBY'': After the Fall of Beacon, Team RWBY and most of their immediate allies are wanted fugitives in every kingdom, even though they're trying to save Remnant from being completely destroyed.
116	* In ''Fanfic/FiveMinutesToMidnight'', Tai Xiao Long saves Cinder from her abusive adoptive family. But because he assaulted them in public without any evidence of their actions, he's branded as a criminal by Atlas.
117	* ''Fanfic/ARabbitAmongWolves'':
118	** Jaune accidentally murders Adam at the beginning of the story. That and subsequent mishaps make everyone think he is an evil and ruthless terrorist. Jaune is forced to reform the White Fang to prove to everyone he isn't evil.
119	** Team [=RWBY=] make themselves into this after their attempted attack on the White Fang goes disastrously wrong. So much so, that Ozpin launches his own [=PR=] campaign to bring up Team [=RWBY=]'s reputation.
120
121	[[AC:''Franchise/StarTrek'']]
122	* In the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' fic "[[http://www.ralst.com/MinisterofLies1.HTM Minister of Lies]]", after the crew of the station learn that Bajoran First Minister Shakaar Edon was a collaborator who raped and murdered Bajoran women during the occupation, Sisko notes that while he's obviously concerned about the implications of this on a personal level, he's also concerned about how exposure of this secret would reflect on the wider galaxy. He explicitly states that in a worst-case scenario, if Shakaar remains in power it may be presented as the Federation condoning Shakaar's war crimes, at a point when the Federation is already facing challenges such as the ever-present threat of the Dominion and the recent collapse of the Khitomer Accords, to the extent that the Federation may abandon plans to bring Bajor into the Federation to protect their own reputation.
123
124	[[AC:''Franchise/StarWars'']]
125	* In ''Fanfic/TheDesertStorm'' series, Ben (the time-displaced future Obi-Wan Kenobi) gets a bad reputation amongst the Jedi due to rumors that he's abusive towards his Padawan (who very few know is his own younger self). Even the few that don't believe the rumors still find him terrifying. Things don't improve when [[spoiler:he becomes indirectly responsible for two Jedi falling to the Dark Side]]. While this gets better over time, partly thanks to Obi-Wan's insistence that he's not abusive/demonstration that he's turning into a very impressive young Jedi, people still find him terrifying — though Windu does note that after some very public shenanigans with Jango Fett, his image in the Temple has transformed from "terrifying" to "badass".
126
127	[[AC:''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'']]
128	* In ''[[Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy Heart of the Inferno]]'', it's implied Kathryn has this reputation, as King Brand believes from his grandfather's stories that Kathryn actually ''aided'' Smaug's attack on Vathvael instead of trying to stop it.
129
130	[[AC:''Franchise/TouhouProject'']]
131	* ''Fanfic/FreakinGensokyo'' features Reimu. She already is one in Touhou canon, but ''FREAKIN GENSOKYO'' takes it up to eleven: Various people in the Human Village want to kill her, destroy her shrine, take her prisoner or [[spoiler:dissect her and use her blood to power up the human race]].
132
133	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'']]
134	* The Autobots in ''Fanfic/TFAKaleidoscope'', though in the end this trope gets zig-zagged for them. People tend to be just as quick to throw them under the bus as they are to praise them for any heroic action they may commit. The police, however, have enough tolerance of them to work alongside them when they need help. They even point out that the news and media only focus on the bad aspects of their actions to paint them in a negative light for the sake of sensationalism and that the public is actually more divided on them than outright against them.
135
136	[[AC:''Videogame/{{Warcraft}}'']]
137	* Alexstrasza in ''[[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-nerubians-journey-warcraft-si.1042773/reader/ A Nerubian's Journey]]'' quickly earns a much more negative reputation than canon among the Alliance due to her heavy-handed methods. While she and her dragonflight did end the war against the Horde in minutes, it's noted that they also ignored the war for years, only to arrive when the Alliance was already on the verge of victory. Then in the aftermath, she dictates terms to the Alliance about what to do with the Horde and has to be "unsubtly prompted" into helping with the solution she insisted on[[note]]Alexstrasza point blank refuses to allow the Horde to be genocided, sent back to Draenor, or shipped off to Kalimdor Since the Nerubians point out that the only place on Northrend the orcs could survive runs the very real risk of reawakening the Vrykul, the Alliance is stuck with feeding, housing, and clothing a massive army during an ongoing food and housing crisis of their own. While Alexstrasza volunteers to temporarily use her dragonflight's powers to encourage crop production, it takes much more effort to get her to agree to help pay for the camps the orcs will be housed in[[/note]]. Not helping matters is Alexstrasza admitting to not interfering with other ongoing genocides, which causes some of the leaders to feel like she's needlessly interfering now. Krasus later lampshades that part of his own diminished reputation is due to being tied to Alexstrasza's own poor one.
138
139	[[AC:''Literature/{{Worm}}'']]
140	* In ''Fanfic/MaulingSnarks'', the [[AdaptationalHeroism Slaughterhouse Nine]] are a group where the parahumans with the most violent power urges get therapy for it and try to minimize collateral damage. Even when they do kill someone, they try to aim at the worst of criminals that law can't touch. However, very few people are aware of this, and to most everyone, they are a terrifying group of insane serial killers.
141
142	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'']]
143	* ''Fanfic/RiskItAll'':
144	** Ren's debut as a vigilante involves him mugging the guy who mugged him, breaking the man's arm in the process. The video taken by onlookers quickly gets 10,000 views. He groans at all the comments telling him what a loser he is.
145	** After a Triad shoots a mob crook he'd been fighting dead, Ren's super identity quickly garners infamy as a killer. The effects of [[ArmorPiercingAttack Soul-Crushing Strike]] only worsen his reputation as "the Breaker" who leaves his opponents with crippling injuries, much to Ren's dismay. He wonders how Batman deals with bad press like this. At the least, his new viral presence on the internet [[PopularityPower gives him a lot of prestige points to work with]].
146

Context HeroWithBadPublicity / FanWorks