I ask this because the other day my oldest brother who is a total normie (plus in his teen years he was busy with one lady after the next while in my teen years I was researching UFO cases, reading sci-fi and buying classic rock and RnB records) was telling me about The Boys and was shocked that I wasn't watching it. I told him that I have some of the comic book and they are fine but that at this point I am just so sick of deconstruction or subversion.
I have the the Watchmen comic by Alan Moore and his life views aside it is a great comic. The only problem is that it spawned to this day so many "what if super heroes were bad" or "dark and gritty side of super heroes" stories. My two worst cases of these modern trends are the Last Jedi because I think Rian Johnson is a typical hollywood douchebag who thinks you aren't smart if you don't appreciate his movies and I question his motivations because I don't think he would give a beloved female character the "Luke treatment". Another example would be Ayra killing the Night King in Game of Thrones because while I enjoy her character in the books I can't help but think that their motivation was girl power and to say "well everyone expected Jon to fight the Night King" is a terrible reason to not do it.
Some good examples off the top of my head are Yoda in Empire Strikes back because it was an interesting surprise to see a little green guy after hearing about a great warrior/Jedi master, but there was a lesson there. Also, in the first Ice and Fire book or Game of Thrones season 1 I didn't see Ned Stark being executed because I thought he would be the main character throughout. Granted there is a pretty sad lesson there about the consequences of doing the right thing and being honest.
What are your examples?
Joe Abercrombie's First Law trillogy has a bunch of good ones. Logen Ninefingers/ The Bloody Nine: The noble barbarian who is good and noble and heroic except sometimes when in the middle of battle when he gets possessed by an evil spirit/ has an split personality that surfaces / just plain old bloodlust. This alter ego comes with its own name and it's unclear what exactly it is but it can end up from plainly killing the target enemy, to killing noncombatants, allies and up to children of allies. By the end of the book it turns out his friends fear the shit out of him and most support the "villain" that "betrayed" him and are much happier with him gone.
Bayaz The first of the Magic: The kindly old wizard who takes the heroes on an around the world expedition for the greater good and a quest to make a king. Turns out he is probably the most evil person in the world compounded by the fact that he has true power to back it up. Has extreme lifespan and keeps control of entire nations over history through useful idiots and pawns just so he has a big enough cudgel to hit his enemies with. He's so bad that you realize his nemesis the one you're led to believe is the evilest man in the world (and he is pretty damn evil) ended up the way he is just to try and stop Bayaz. And the way he is a cannibalistic mage in charge of a bunch of other cannibalistic mages + a turkish like empire of which he is the high priest of (it's ok though the hypocrite Bayaz has his own cannibalistic aprentices). Oh and he uses a dirty bomb like magical weapon in the middle of the capital city to defeat his attacking enemies. Cancer like symptoms kill a bunch of people including probably the only good guy in the entire books.
Jezal the foppish noble would be hero who gets manipulated by Bayaz to end up king. He starts an idiot and ends up a slightly aware one at the end when he realize that yes he is king he has power and wealth and adulation but he is nothing but a puppet to Bayaz and Bayaz's actual man in charge the Head Inquisitor, and there isn't anything he can do because he's just an insect and Bayaz replacing him would be just a minor inconvenience. And the former princess his wife? Well sure she's beautiful and everything Jezal wanted in a woman except she's a lesbian and hates his guts.
Sand Dan Glotka former champion of the nation, dashing good looks ladies man captured and tortured by the enemy empire during a military campaign. Released as an ugly cripple forever forced to use a cane, constantly plagued by pain attacks (he considers stairs as his archenemy). Ends up working for the inquisition as he's useless as a fighter now and he hardly wants to remember his old life. Its his job to torture criminals and innocent alike to wring out confessions and hidden truths which he uses to outmaneuver his bosses and colleagues just so he can stay alive in a life he hates living. He ends up in charge of the kingdom, the minder of king on behalf of Bayaz, married to a real beauty who was once infatuated with his old self but wouldn't spare a second look now if not for the fact that she'd be the center of a scandal as the pregnant unmarried destitute with no family left noble (father of the child being the new king).
Thanks. I’ll have to look into these