On why Killian Jones is not only a HERO, but a Romantic one

Is Killian Jones Once Upon a Time's version of the Byronic Hero archetype?

With all the recent hatred towards Killian that’s been going around in the fandom and a certain argument of how he will always be a villain, I felt a mighty need to defend my baby with some Literature parallels. So here you go.

Lord Byron is generally acknowledged as one of the most influential poets of English Romanticism. His ideas can be traced on many works by other Romantic writers, as well as on a great deal of all literature produced thereafter. Hence why the Byronic hero became a famous variation of the original model for the Romantic hero. 

The historian and critic Lord Macaulay describes the Byronic hero as "a man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance in his brow, and misery in his heart, a scorner of his kind, implacable in revenge, yet capable of deep and strong affection". Sounds a bit like our Killian, doesn’t it?

I mean, let’s break that down into bits - for science, aye?

"a man proud,

cynical,

with defiance in his brow,

and misery in his heart,

implacable in revenge,

yet capable of deep and strong affection”

If that alone wasn’t already pointing all the arrows towards Killian, there’s also the fact that one of Byron’s most famous heroes is the pirate captain Conrad, from The Corsair. This pirate-hero is thus described on the following verses from the tale:

He knew himself a villain - but he deem’d The rest no better than the thing he seem’d; And scorn’d the rest as hypocrites who hid Those deeds the bolder spirit plainly did. He knew himself detested, but he knew Those hearts that loath’d him, crouch’d and dreaded too. Lone, wild, and strange, he stood alike exempt From all affection and from all contempt. (x)

Now as much as I love literature, I should warn you I am no expert here, but this is my humble interpretation of those lines.

Captain Conrad is clearly haunted by a strong sense of self-loathing due to those deeds [his] bolder spirit plainly did.

Episode 3x17 - The Jolly Roger showed us just how deep Killian’s self-loathing lies, as even Zelena, disguised as Ariel, was easily able to play with his guilt for having murdered a man in (apparent) cold blood, which he did just to prove himself a ruthless pirate in front of his crew.

"exempt / from all affection" Just like Killian’s perception of himself, Captain Conrad believes that for all he’s done he would never be entitled to have any sort of affection in his life. He seems to believe the opinions of those who loath’d him, crouch’d and dreaded too to such an extent that he can’t see himself being surrounded by real affections, for who could love someone like that? 

Killian recently showed us just how much he wishes he could be a better man for Emma in that heartfelt confession he left on her voice mail.

Killian risked everything and made a deal with that actual devil Goldemort I mean Rumplestiltskin, because he feels that he needs to be a better man to be worthy of Emma. Because even though he spent the last two seasons trying to prove to himself and to Emma that he is a man of honour, he is still afraid the darkness that lies beneath won’t ever leave his heart. Speaking of which, Smash The Mirror gave us visual evidence of just how worthy of love and affection Killian is, by showing us his untainted, bright red heart.

Despite having a past filled with darkness, an implacable thirst for revenge, and far too much misery in his heart, Killian has not only redeemed himself for his past deeds, he has gone beyond that to truly change his old ways. He has risked his life to save others who are dear to him. He has turned away from every tempting path back into darkness (remember Pan constantly testing his real character in Neverland? Exactly.). He has allowed *ahem* TRUE *ahem* love to shine so bright through his being, that his heart is fully regenerated into a pure, glowing red without a single shadow in it.

Killian has come the full circle of the broken Byronic Hero, despising and loathing himself for having succumbed to darkness, and then moving past that stage on to letting deep and strong affection restore the man of honour that was forgotten part of his self.

Therefore, Killian Jones is, incontestably, a true hero.