There is an English expression which says that certain heroes live long enough to become evil, it is a somewhat sad observation but which has already been verified several times historically. There, like that, it doesn’t necessarily speak to you, because I haven’t given you any examples yet, but that’s the whole principle of the tops, first there’s the introduction and then the detailed points. Sorry I wasn’t more inspired than that to start this top, I promise the sequel is better.
1. Jim Jones
James Warren Jones says Jim Jones was a Protestant pastor who had started working in a hospital where he did not charge for care for the most precarious patients, having himself been affected by poverty at a young age. He had managed to raise several thousand dollars in one year to build a recreation center for children without any color categorization, which was rare at that time in this area of the United States.
He had adopted five underprivileged children of different ethnicities whom he raised with his wife before creating his own Church which accepted both whites and blacks, always showing great concern for the question of racial equality. Then it all went down the drain because he created the People’s Temple cult which ended in an absolutely horrific mass suicide a few years later. Big freaking moral shift.
2. Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold was considered a true American hero because he was instrumental in winning the American Revolutionary War as General of the Continental Armies. With several victories to his credit, he had even participated in winning the important battle of Saratoga thanks to boundless courage, wise decisions and decisive actions. Wounded during the battle but medalist on several occasions, Arnold was completely twisted afterwards by wanting to give the strategic fort of West Point to the English and give them victory by spinning vital information to the enemy, thus becoming the best historical example of the traitor to the United States. Shame.
3. Nero
Nero is a good example of how quickly one can twist for several reasons because the first five years of his reign are nevertheless considered to be really positive. He not only ensured that the affairs of state were well conducted but also gave importance to the Senate. He revived the people’s love for games and drama, gave money to the people after he came to power, and he’s completely fucked up.
He killed his mother, his brother, enslaved a bunch of people, and probably set Rome on fire, which we’re not sure of though. But the rest is already very cruel, not to mention the fact that he rehabilitated the bowl cut and that was dramatic. He clearly didn’t steal his place as scandalous Roman emperor.
4. Philippe Petain
A true hero of the First World War, he was placed head of the French armies at the end of it. Everyone adores him, congratulates him and calls his children Philipe Pétain. Everything was going pretty well until the Second World War when Pétain really twisted Darth Vader style. Called back to the government in 40, he refused to wage war against the Germans because he thought the fight was lost in advance.
He then left to rule in Vichy in the free zone, abolishing a whole package of freedoms and establishing an authoritarian government that collaborated with the Nazis. He was found guilty of high treason and national indignity before being sent to jail until his death by General De Gaulle.
5. Fritz Habr
A renowned German chemist, Haber was considered one of the geniuses of chemistry after having developed a revolutionary ammonia synthesis process that I will not try to explain to you here to avoid ridiculing myself. Awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his work from 1894 to 1914, Haber is also considered the creator of another invention: the chemical weapon.
He developed the first chemical weapon which was a chlorine-based poison gas that killed a whole bunch of French soldiers the first time it was used. His own wife, who was a chemist, killed herself a few days after using her husband’s invention because she did not condone his actions at all.
6. Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby was not only considered one of “America’s most iconic fathers”, a talented actor but was also very active for charity. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002, was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and created structures to accommodate troubled youth while raping dozens of women for years. The man’s horrific actions were obviously discovered years after they took place, and he was thankfully arrested and tried.
7. Oscar Pistorius
A true legend of fate, Oscar Pistorius was the first amputee athlete to participate in the world championships of able-bodied athletes and also the first to win a medal there. Considered a national hero for South Africa, one of the most inspiring people in the world by public opinion, and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year 2012, Oscar Pistorius is today best known for having murdered his wife Reeva Steenkamp and being sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2013. Even in the films we do not see such a turnaround.
8. Harry Harlow
Harry Harlow wasn’t a hero for long, maybe he never was, you’ll understand. Basically, this scientist wanted more than anything to prove that humanity needed love to flourish and that the lack of affection could be harmful for human beings. You would be tempted to think he was a nice guy reading that, but not at all because in order to prove his certainty he used horrible methods.
He did all his experiments on monkeys depriving them of their mothers all their lives, not giving them any form of affection until they died and quite logically studied that they were depressed and violent. But he didn’t stop there, he created cages specifically designed to induce depression (one had a minifigure “fake mother monkey”) that were clearly torture, all in the name of science.
9. Fred Phelps
This lawyer started his career taking on the African-American civil rights cases that every other lawyer in Kansas turned down. He was therefore for several years the defender of the African-American community in various cases of discrimination and was even supported by several political figures of these communities while being often insulted by big racists because he helped and defended black citizens. .
Except that Fred Phelps was also a big homophobic bastard, but then really very very homophobic. A little later in his career he started to found a baptizing church with slogans all more disgusting than each other, including “God hates fags” which also became the name of the organization’s website. Phelps and his family stood out on several occasions when they said, for example, that murdered gay people received “divine punishment” or when he said “thank God for 9/11”, convinced that the attacks were a punishment from God on Americans because they were too lax with homosexuals. How can one fight against discrimination in one’s youth and become one of its most infamous representatives as one grows older? No fucking idea.
10. Phoenix Jones
Chances are you won’t know Phoenix Jones, but this man is the EXACT definition of hero-turned-puff. Basically he has been walking the streets of Seattle for several years in superhero costumes with a gang of super trained buddies to stop crimes. His actions were even praised by the local police, which is quite positive. He even started a career in MMA since he is super strong and everything smiled on him. Except one day he was arrested by an undercover cop while he was selling people MDMA and cocaine, which isn’t usually the favorite pastime of real superheroes.
11. (Bonus) Marie Tudor, transformed from conquering woman to bloodthirsty monster
Hello, it’s Quentin and I was passing by so I embed this point:
Daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, unjustly excluded from the succession to the throne after her father’s remarriage to Anne Boleyn, Mary Tudor bravely succeeded in acceding to the throne in 1553 following the death of her half- brother Edward VI. If you managed to follow, then you understand that Mary Tudor, who became Mary I of England (and incidentally the first Queen of England) began to write her story by enrolling in the camp of heroes. She fought to get back what was rightfully hers, and it’s very classy. But this is also where the downfall began:
Marie, a Catholic in a country that has become Protestant – and now the wife of a foreigner, which was frowned upon – has decided to bring her religion up to date. And what better way to force a whole country to adopt your religion than to burn hundreds of Protestant reformers alive? This is how Mary Tudor finally got her famous nickname of Bloody Mary recalling how much shit she had done in the country. Anyway she really didn’t look comfortable, take a look at this little face. Creepy.