Reformation Acknowledgement

Angry Mob: TRAITOR! GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!
Green Lantern: BACK OFF! She doesn't have to take that from you people!
Hawkgirl: Yes, I do. But that's okay. I deserve some of it, I guess.
Woman: [taking Hawkgirl's hand and motioning to her daughter] You saved our lives. God bless you, Chica Halcon.
Green Lantern: You deserve that, too.

— Justice League Unlimited, "Wake The Dead"

A former villain has undergone a Heel–Face Turn. They've become The Atoner. They have worked hard to help others, at great risk to themselves. And they've managed to avoid a sudden case of Redemption Equals Death.

They're not looking for thanks. They're not looking to be treated special. They probably might not even think they're worthy of anyone's gratitude. They might even think that they're still hated for their past misdeeds. Indeed, they've had several people tell them that they won't forgive them for their past crimes. They might even be on the edge of deciding Then Let Me Be Evil.

And then, suddenly, someone acknowledges that they've reformed, that they're a better person.

And just that acknowledgement is enough to give them hope. In a crisis, where they were on the edge of the Despair Event Horizon, they may now get a Heroic Second Wind. They may even become The Determinator, in the process.

It may overlap with a You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech.

Sometimes, however, the acknowledgement might come after the former villain does a Heroic Sacrifice, putting Redemption Equals Death back into effect, in which case, those who refused to acknowledge their repentance will have a Jerkass Realization and mourn the fallen (and now acknowledged) hero.

Has overlap with Because You Were Nice to Me. Compare and Contrast Morality Pet/Chain.

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Examples

Anime & Manga

• Freya from Doraemon: Nobita's Drifts in the Universe betrays the rest of the heroes, selling out Doraemon, Nobita, Lian, and the rest of the Space Knights to Angolmois and the Independence Army due to believing she's helping the Milky Way Drifting Fleet find a new home, only to have a Heel Realization after Angolmois have everyone imprisoned, returning to help everyone escape. Her subsequent Redemption Promotion has Lian telling everyone else, "I want you all to meet our latest friend", that friend being none other than Freya.
• Martian Successor Nadesico: Admiral Fukube was responsible for causing the Chulip to crash on Akito's colony, which he only learned well into their mission on Mars. Akito is outraged and assaults him. When they're faced with an overwhelming force of Jovian forces, and the ship is too damaged to fight back, the Admiral uses a UEF ship to force the Nadesico into an open Chulip, then puts his ship between the Nadesico and the Jovians, saying he hopes it makes up for his past mistakes. Akito angrily rejects it at the time. Then it turns out many months later that the Admiral survived and was taken as a prisoner of war. Given how Akito reacts to his survival, it seems he'd learned to forgive him in the intervening time.
• The former No.2, now the current No.1 hero Endeavor in My Hero Academia may not have been a villain, but his behavior certainly qualified in forcing his wife into a marriage for the sake of producing a child powerful enough to surpass the former No.1 (leading to her getting pregnant four times), then putting his children that he saw promise in through serious abusive "training", all for the sake of his own dream to be better than All Might. It's only when the No.1 retires and Endeavor is thrust into the spot without actually believing he earned it that he's forced to change, and has a Heel Realization of all the damage he's done. Unfortunately, that includes being the cause of his wife's mental breakdown and his eldest son's death or so he thought, his daughter constantly having to play peacekeeper between him and his second son Natsuo who utterly loathes his guts, and his third son Shoto who for the longest time, refused to even use the power he inherited from his father purely out of spite. When he rescues his second son from a villain's attack, Endeavor expresses that he never expects forgiveness from his family, but he will continue to try and atone for his past actions, never once disputing their hatred for him and even planning to have them all move into a different home from him, both to shelter them from further danger and remove them from the bad memories of their childhood with him. While Natsuo still harbors anger towards him, he at least learns to be more civil, and Shoto even opts to intern at his father's agency, to learn under his tutelage properly and as a way to bond genuinely.

Comic Books

• X-Men: Reeling from the effects of Carol Danvers' personality in her head, Rogue leaves the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and joins the X-Men. Most of them threaten to quit if she's allowed in, but Xavier convinces them to stay. When Logan's fiance, Mariko, treats her more kindly than her own team, Rogue takes a blast meant for Mariko. This earns her Logan's respect and trust, and he offers to let her "borrow" his Healing Factor with her power. She refuses, pointing out that it could hurt him. This only further convinces him that she's sincere in her efforts to redeem, and he touches her, loaning her his power anyway. It took a little longer for the rest of the X-Men to trust her, but she had a good and faithful friend in Wolverine from that day forward.

Fan Works

• The Peace Not Promised: Lily's father Martin is initially opposed to her and Severus dating, knowing that Severus comes from an abusive household, and that he has called Lily a racial slur once when he lost his temper (but not knowing that Severus is now several decades older and has spent that time regretting his choices), and Severus acknowledges that he has cause. However, after observing Severus over the summer holidays, seeing his dedication to keeping his word, his sincere devotion to Lily, and his respect, Martin decides that he has indeed changed.
  Lily had told me you are a changed man. Something I am inclined to agree with, but I suppose that is what growing up is about. I had been so worried for my daughter when she first told me about her plans with you. But you laid them to rest with your behaviour and demeanour over the holidays. You are not the boy you once were, and you are certainly not your father.

Film — Animated

• FernGully: Zach tells the Fairies that the humans were the ones who have been cutting down the trees in the forest as Hexxus and The Leveler approach Fern Gully. The Fairies seem to be doing a Heel–Face Door-Slam, brushing past him. Batty, however, who has been very anti-human the whole film, acknowledges Zach's efforts.
  Batty: You know, Zach, the truth doesn't always win friends, but it certainly influences people. You're not half-bad, for a homonid.

Film —Live Action

• Police Academy: In the third movie, Sweetchuck is horrified that his roommate at the academy is Zed, the Big Bad of the previous film and his former tormenter. Lt. Callaghan informs him that Zed has since reformed, and is in training to become an officer just like Sweetchuck.

Literature

• The Bible:
  • The Gospel according to John tells of how after Jesus's Resurrection, he asks Peter three times if he loves Him, a reflection of the fact that Peter had, as foretold by Jesus, denied Him three times. After the third time, Peter says that Jesus knows his heart, and that he loves Him. Jesus acknowledges this, saying, "Follow me."
  • According to the Book of Revelation, on the Day of Judgment, those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be redeemed for Eternity.
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Edmund Pevensie betrayed his siblings to Jadis, the White Witch. When he reunites with his siblings, it is clear that he's repented, and had a long conversation in private with Aslan. Aslan tells the others that Edmund's transgressions need not be brought up, demonstrating that he considers the matter closed. Then Aslan offers to be sacrificed in Edmund's place, showing he considers Edmund to be redeemed.
• Toward the end of the Gone series, Orc — an eighth grade bully turned Accidental Murderer — undergoes a Heel–Faith Turn and teams up with the heroes. Shortly before the final battle against Gaia, Astrid assures Orc that he's one of the good guys now, no matter what he did in the past.
• In Harry Potter, Dumbledore vouches for Severus Snape, stating he reformed. Although at first some are very cautious about this claim and are later seemingly proved right, Dumbledore was ultimately proved right about Snape.
• Alan in Into the Dark was recruited from jail, and sexually assaults Alexis while drunk. After fighting him off, she lies to spare him from hanging and he swears off drinking and becomes a model sailor. He eventually acts as The Mole when a Space Pirate overpowers Alexis's prize crew, saving her life, and is killed in the process of regaining control of the ship. Someone later remarks that the man he was pre-Alexis would have gone over to the pirates for real.

Live Action TV

• The Rifleman: This shows up a few times, usually preceded by a bout of Reformed, but Rejected. One particular standout example occurs when a new preacher and his son come to Northfork. At first Lucas McCain plans to be welcoming but recognizes the man as a former gunfighter and troublemaker who'd used brutal tactics to run farmers and ranchers off their land and even burned a records office in order to steal land for resale before disappearing. The priest insists he's no longer that man, having undergone a spiritual change after being confronted by one of his victims, but McCain accuses him of only using his collar as a shield against his past. Sure enough, a pair of bounty hunters arrive in Northfork to stir up trouble, citing the preacher's past to his new parishioners and even embellishing it to provoke the preacher back to violence so they could kill him. Pushed to the brink, the man begs Lucas for some guidance on what to do, as he doesn't want to let his son down, only to be rebuffed. Finally he decides to spare his son the shame of so disreputable a father and confronts the bounty hunters, ready to lose the gunfight and end their cruelty. Lucas intervenes at the last minute, deciding that the callous outlaw the priest had once been would never have been willing to confront death. In the end, McCain offers to help the priest rebuild his reputation with the town, accepting his reformation as genuine.
• The Walking Dead (2010): In the Grand Finale, Maggie — who has more reason to hate Negan than anyone, after he killed her husband back in Season 7 — finally acknowledges that after having to work alongside him against the Commonwealth throughout Season 11, she can't hold onto her anger towards him anymore. She tells Negan that while she'll never forgive him, she won't actively hate him anymore, and acknowledges that he and his new wife Annie deserve to have a fresh start together as part of the survivor community without fear of retaliation from her.

Video Games

• In Final Fantasy XIV, Fordola is made a Boxed Crook following the liberation of Ala Mhigo from Garlean rule. Given her countless abuses as a Well-Intentioned Extremist attempting to drag her country kicking and screaming to prosperity under Garlean rule, the Ala Mhigan citizenry remain wary of her even after she tries to turn over a new leaf. Despite this, she willingly acts as a primal-killing weapon for the Ala Mhigan Resistance, going back and forth from her cell without complaint even with the Explosive Leash around her neck. But by the end of the Endwalker healer role quests, her actions have earned her enough trust to remove her strangulation collar. She then joins the Warrior of Light and the Ilsabardian Contingent in putting an end to the last blasphemy in Garlemald.

Western Animation

• Avatar: The Last Airbender: Zuko has joined the Gaang on probation after having hunted them since the beginning of the show, and the others understandably don't trust him much. But Aang really begins to open up to him as they practice firebending together.
  Aang: I don't care what everyone else says, Zuko. You're pretty smart.
• Ben 10: Alien Force:
  • In "Kevin's Big Score", Ben is still distrustful of Kevin, while Gwen insists that he has changed. Ben's suspicions seem confirmed when Kevin steals Max's Rust Bucket; actually, Kevin planned to exchange the alien tech of the RV for a holo-message Max left for Ben, which is in possession of Vulkanus, but Argit steals the Rust Bucket from him. Without anything to offer, Kevin tries to negotiate with Vulcanus, just to be imprisoned and tortured; fortunately, Ben and Gwen have followed Kevin and save him from the alien criminal. When Ben asks Kevin why he didn't tell him about the holo-message, Kevin replies that Ben never would believe him because of his past. Ben replies that it doesn't matter what Kevin did, but what he is going to do.
  • The situation repeats in "Darkstar Rising" when Magister Prior Ghihil forbids the trio from fighting aliens; of course, he is especially harsher to Kevin because of his criminal record. He changes his opinion when they are kidnapped by Darkstar and Kevin shows his values helping to free Ghihil and neutralize the real villain.
• Duck Dodgers: Dodgers, demonstrating his repentance at having ruined the peace talks and framing the Eager Young Space Cadet, is trying to pilot his ship out of a dive, telling the others to evaporate off the ship. He declares "I'll raise this crate or die trying." EYSC demonstrates that he believes Dodgers has truly repented by disobeying orders and helping him to pilot the spacecraft to safety, saving their headquarters in the process.
• He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The episode "The Defection". A formerly evil sorceress, Sibyline, repents of her betrayal and convinces her deposed King that she would return him to the throne. Evil-Lynn spends much of the episode trying to convince others that Sibyline is still wicked, and Orko doesn't trust her at all. But Sibyline does prove herself, and even Orko acknowledges that she's changed for the better.
• Justice League Unlimited: In "Wake the Dead", Hawkgirl makes her return, after her actions in "Starcrossed" where she had betrayed the Justice League to the Thanagarian military, before turning on her own people in the end. Much of the world still wasn't ready to forgive her, even as she stopped a rampaging Solomon Grundy. She even says she deserves the verbal abuse hurled her way. But then a grateful mother thanks her for saving her and her daughter from Grundy.
  Green Lantern/John Stewart: You deserved that, too.

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