3 Gaming Heroes Who Aren’t Nearly as Noble as You Remember

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Most video games put you in the role of the hero. While it can be enjoyable to play as the villain, there’s a lasting appeal to classic heroic quests – like rescuing someone or defeating a powerful enemy. You typically journey through a large game world, growing stronger and advancing through each level. Finally overcoming the main boss gives you a satisfying feeling of accomplishment… but what if that’s not the whole story?

Think about all the enemies you defeated to finish a game – you likely had to fight and destroy a lot of them. Were they all truly villains deserving of their fate? Maybe not. And even if they were, your character probably did some questionable things along the way. Perhaps you looted valuable items in Fallout, or accidentally hit someone while racing – most game heroes aren’t exactly saints. These characters are often seen as noble heroes that players love, but looking back, they’re not as virtuous as we remember.

3. Kratos

Kratos is the central figure of the God of War series, and each game reveals more about his past and motivations. While it’s tempting to see him as a hero fighting against cruel gods, it’s important to remember his own dark deeds. The games show Kratos as a deeply tragic character, manipulated by the god Ares into killing his own family, which fuels a relentless quest for revenge. Driven solely by vengeance, he’ll do anything to achieve it, and throughout the series, he brutally cuts a path of destruction, sacrificing innocent people, devastating entire lands, and even unleashing plagues. There’s nothing heroic about his actions!

2. Mario

You might be surprised to see Mario labeled as a bad hero, but when you consider his actions, it actually makes sense. Despite being Nintendo’s famous mascot and starring in over 200 games, Mario is arguably quite cruel. Starting with Super Mario World in 1990, he’s consistently used Yoshi as a tool to reach higher places by essentially dropping the poor dinosaur into pits. This has happened so frequently over the years that it’s become a running joke. While it’s hard to ignore, sacrificing Yoshi is now so commonplace in Mario games that many players don’t even notice it anymore.

1. Joel Miller

Joel Miller is a beloved character, particularly after Pedro Pascal’s portrayal. However, he’s not the hero many believe him to be, largely due to his choices regarding Ellie’s immunity. He develops a fatherly bond with Ellie after losing his own daughter, which is admirable, but his actions driven by that bond are deeply troubling. In The Last of Us Part I, Joel initially takes Ellie to the Fireflies with the hope of finding a cure. But when he discovers the cure would mean Ellie’s death, he chooses to save her, effectively sacrificing any chance of saving humanity. While his motives are relatable, his actions contribute to the potential extinction of humankind.

Which video game hero did we miss? Sound off in the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-10-31 19:16