Help:Turned to the Dark Side

The phrase "turned to the Dark Side" is used for characters that are shown to be antagonists or villains. Oftentimes, it is listed as "Heroes turned to the Dark Side".

In order to qualify as being turned to being bad, the story must show that transition. The story must show that they were good and what happened to make them decide to start being bad. In many cases, this is accomplished by specific actions by another character. The phrase comes from the Star Wars movies, where we see Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious specifically manipulate Anakin Skywalker and attempt to recruit Luke Skywalker.

Take care to avoid saying a character was "turned to the Dark Side" simply because they're bad in the story. Without seeing the transition take place in the story, the character could just as easily always been bad and was never good.

Likewise, avoid saying a character is a "hero turned to the Dark Side" unless the story shows that. Many times, this has been used in situations that are really assumptions: "They're bad now, therefore they used to be good and were turned to the Dark Side, and before that, they must have been a hero." Again, the story must show that they were a hero.