face turn
Bad guy converts
A face turn is when a villain character in professional wrestling becomes a heroic "good guy" (a babyface or face).
The term has spread to describe any villain's redemption arc in fiction or public life: The CEO's charity work felt like a face turn after years of layoffs.
The opposite shift—hero to villain—is a heel turn.
- heelFoot's rear underside
- babyfaceYouthful, innocent appearance
- good guyMorally upright character
- fan favoriteWidely beloved by audiences
- wrestlingCombat sport requiring holds
redemption · character arc · hero · villain · pivot · rotation · slow burn · glance · profile · expression · twist · conversion · cheek · gaze · look · shift · reversal · audience
narrative arc direction
face turnheel turn
Wrestling villain transformation
fall from grace · corruption arc · moral decline · redemption arc
face, turn, faces, faced, facing, facial, facially, surface, deface