40 Real-Life Heroes Who Lived Long Enough To Turn Into Villains

LA-based celebrity expert Mike told Bored Panda how we can tell if a public figure or a celebrity may be hiding something. 

"If their life seems overly curated, only focusing on the good and positive of what they present to the public, then they may be hiding something. You can usually sense when someone has genuinely let you into their life, and when they haven’t. That applies not just to celebrities, but to the real people in your life as well," he said.

"We usually look up to celebrities and public figures, but it’s important to remember, despite their accomplishments, they are people just like you and me," Mike said.

"Anyone, celebrity or not, is susceptible to making mistakes and doing bad things. When a celebrity does something bad, it’s amplified exponentially because they are in the public eye, and are being watched so closely by so many people. So when a celebrity does bad things, it’s important to keep perspective in mind.

According to entertainment and pop culture expert Mike, the expectations from fans that celebrities ought to be 'perfect' is a pressure that fans put on themselves.

"Don’t for a second worry about putting that pressure on stars. They know the pitfalls of being famous, and are very able to step out of the celebrity spotlight if the pressure to be perfect is too much," he noted.

"I worry more about the disappointment fans experience when a celebrity lets them down, it can be absolutely crushing to the point of affecting one’s mental health. That’s when it’s important to disassociate yourself from the celebrity with the realization that you never really knew the person after all," Mike warned.

"There are a few steps stars can take to deal with the pressure of fame better. First, know that it’s part of your job description, and realize the perks of fame almost always far outweigh the negative aspects of it. Second, turn to your family and friends as a support system and to keep you grounded. Third, get off social media completely. And fourth, limit or stop public appearances. Just focus on your work, and let your work speak for itself."

Many fans put certain public figures and beloved celebrities on a pedestal. They expect them to be absolutely ‘perfect’ in everything that they do. Whenever they make a mistake or show that they’re human, some pounce on them, taking pleasure in the fact that they messed up. However, simple mistakes are nowhere near the level of stuff that the people in this list did. ‘Evil’ is a word that might spring to mind when you start learning more about them. Fame doesn’t make individuals immune from hurting others.

Though we don’t agree that heroes necessarily ‘have to’ lose their way, the Reddit thread does draw attention to the fact that it’s dangerous to idolize anyone to a huge extent. It’s incredibly difficult to tell a person’s inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations when you only know about them from the media. It’s hard to see how ‘heroic’ or ‘villainous’ they might actually be without having met them in person.

And even then, many family members and friends could still be shocked to discover how the celebs change, seemingly, overnight. Though these changes rarely happen that quickly: it’s just that, suddenly, everyone learns the truth. Their reputation quickly crumbles and fans are left with the dizzying realization that they’d been loving and praising somebody who wasn’t worthy of that love and praise. It hurts. It feels like a betrayal.

But one way or another, the truth is that quite a lot of people enjoy learning about the dark side of humanity. That’s the reason why the true crime genre is so popular. Psychologist Lee Chambers explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview that “in today's safe and often sanitized world, we are rarely threatened significantly, and the ability to explore evil, frightening and gruesome entertainment is one of the few ways we can visit this part of humanity while remaining safe and comfortable.”

“There is a level of novelty to it, it removes boredom quickly, and it helps us to discover our emotional limits while understanding the minds of those who go beyond social norms and potentially gaining knowledge of how we might avoid being victims ourselves. They also offer closure, with many stories ending with the mystery being solved, and the criminal being brought to a level of justice," the expert noted why so many are absolutely fascinated by real-life stories about evil.

"It can take us on an emotional rollercoaster, have us trying to solve the puzzle and test our fear in a controlled way. The permission to explore evil is powerful, as we so rarely get the chance elsewhere, and in itself, it is healthy and normal in moderation," the psychologist told us, adding that some people find this ‘comforting’ because the evil they see or read about is happening to someone else, not them.

"The challenge we face is the fact that consuming too much of this can desensitize us, and cause us to become less empathetic to the suffering of others, more fearful of our own environment, and potentially be more likely to use aggression ourselves. It can also cause us to be triggered by our own previous adverse experiences, make it harder to manage our own emotional balance, and increase our stress levels, so moderating our consumption is something we should have front of mind, even when we get embroiled in the latest series that is pulling us in,” he warned that moderation is key when consuming stories about real-life evil.