Category:Scapegoat

"Who is Spider-Man? He's a menace! That's who he is!"

- J. Jonah Jameson condemning Spider-Man as a villain (again)

"They're gone. I'm alone. Why am I the only one who gets left behind? Is there some law of the world that says I can't have a home or a family?"

- Wendy Marvell after Fairy Tail's apparent destruction Scapegoats are heroes who are being subjected to upsetting situations. These heroes are often wrongfully mistreated and accused of being evil or somehow in the wrong even though they are trying to act in a benevolent manner. Often times heroes are turned into scapegoats by a villain or antagonist so as to get them out of the way of their goals. However, these characters are submitted to other circumstances that can be harsh, unfair, or even downright cruel, and because of this it could cause them to become a villain. They can be:
 * The Butt Monkey: Heroes who are constantly on the receiving end of jokes, such as being awfully abused/humiliated in an unusual or slapstick manner, such as Daffy Duck, Tom the Cat or Scrat from the Ice Age film franchise.
 * The Cosmic Plaything: Heroes that have a terrible life that rarely improves or gets even worse such as Guts, Al Bundy and Squidward Tentacles.
 * The Hurt Immortal: Characters who are revived and killed all over again such as Kenny McCormick and many Happy Tree Friends heroes.
 * The Hero with Bad Publicity: Heroes who are viewed with contempt by the public in spite of all the good deeds they do, usually due to someone smearing their reputation. Good examples include Spider-Man and Mr. Incredible.
 * The Disaster Inventor: Scientists who create and use inventions to benefit themselves or others, but their creations usually backfire, causing unintended consequences: Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory and Jimmy Neutron are good examples of this.
 * The Disposable Pawn: Pawns that are unjustly mistreated or killed by their cruel leader/master or other villains for their disobedience or once they have outlived their usefulness: Quasimodo by Judge Claude Frollo (in the Disney version), Zuko by Fire Lord Ozai or Vegeta by Frieza.
 * The Woobie: Tragic heroes that suffered from traumatic experiences that could cause them to fall in Despair Event Horizon as it caused the audience to feel pity for them: Asura had a horrible premonition about the death of his wife, Durga, and the kidnapping of his daughter, which led to his dark path for vengeance.
 * The Tykebomb: Heroes who were raised for combat from a very early age and so had no chance to live a normal life. Often, these heroes worked for villains before defecting to the good side. It usually takes another hero to bring out the good in them. Good examples include River Song, Shana and Sousuke Sagara.
 * The Black Sheep: Heroes who, for some completely unfair and often ridiculous reason, are regarded as a disgrace by their family, to the point that they might even get disowned by them. Tatsuya Shiba, Peter Petrelli and Kazuma Yagami fit this perfectly.