The redemption story of John Cena's DC antihero has come to a close after Peacemaker came to an end this week. For now. With this and The Suicide Squad, director/writer James Gunn has done for DC what he did for Marvel in the past: focus on one or more unlikable jerks, peel back some layers on what makes them tick, and hopefully give them a reason to like them.
Geek media loves redemption stories. Superhero comics are filled to the brim with them, offering villains a chance to be a good guy even if it ultimately gets undone, and they are all over shonen Manga to one degree or another. It is a well worn narrative in gaming, but can also be about the developers behind the game and a chance to rehabilitate their image. It's common in fantasy and sci-fi, be it a criminal haunted by the things they had to do to survive, or a drifter shaken by their past and getting utterly wasted.
The redemption arcs can work well on paper, but the execution can always trip people up. It's fairly easy to see how Zuko can redeem herself, but other characters get more scrutiny. The shadow of creating the Krogan genophage looms over Mass Effect and how you perceive him, and the way Star Wars was fairly inconsistent with how conflicted or villainous Kylo Ren was has been the source of much ire and debate. To be very generous about it.
We want to know about your favorite comebacks and redemption stories. If you're a gaming person, Final Fantasy XIV is the only one. What makes them hard to swallow? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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