Quote Originally Posted by Grinning Soul View Post
Your post shows exactly what I'm talking about.

Heroes don't need to be purely altruistic. Heroes are at their best when they feel tempted, yet choose to do the right thing. They are at their worst when they fail to do so. But heroes at their worst can be great stories too!

The point is that those stories will only be great if the hero is an actual hero. If they were tempted, if they made a mistake, if they chose to do the wrong thing in a moment of selfishness or fragility. An anti-hero doesn't care, or cares but shrugs it off. A hero does care, they feel bad about themselves, they don't give themselves excuses or if they do, they eventually realise it and apologise and try to redeem themselves.

Heroes can and should be interesting. But it's like both writers can fans can't really see it that way anymore.
Although I see what you mean,I feel like if the hero label is always contingent on remorse and struggling with making a wrong choice or a choice that doesn't sit well with one's conscience after the fact or even before one decides,to me it seems disingenuous. I see no problem having a tough situation that requires navigating through making difficult choices, but for me a hero has to make the right call or at least accept they are making the right call in that moment. Than simply hiding behind 'I'm somber over a few beers for a week now coz I screwed up making a poor choice x-days ago'. I feel the writers are pulling a fast one on readers always obfuscating bad choices with dramatic aftermath.