The 100: 5 Times Octavia Was A Hero (& 5 Times She Was A Villain)
In the world of The 100, no character is strictly a good guy or a bad guy. As is pointed out, "Maybe there are no good guys." Everyone on the show is forced to make tough calls, engages in violent actions, and makes bad decisions once in a while. Plenty of characters have their turn as both a hero and a villain.
One of those characters is Octavia Blake. From the start of the show as the girl hidden under the floor on the Ark to the end as a leader of a united group of humans, Octavia has one of the most compelling arcs in the show. Part of the reason her arc is so great, however, is that she doesn't just suddenly become a hero; she takes a journey that involves being a villain as well.
10 Hero: Octavia Saves Lincoln
Before Octavia begins training to be a warrior with Indra, she's seen as Bellamy's little sister. She's up for anything, wanting to experience life outside of a cell, and Bellamy isn't too keen on letting her do that.
When Bellamy, Clarke, and Raven team up to torture the Grounder Lincoln for information, however, Octavia goes against her brother's wishes. She breaks Lincoln out, showing him that not everyone from the Ark is going to treat the Grounders horribly. It's one of Octavia's first heroic acts in the show - and leads to one of the show's most beloved couples.
9 Villain: She Uses The Fighting Pits To Feed Wonkru
When Octavia leads the Grounders in the bunker as they ride out the apocalypse, times are tough. There isn't enough food to go around. The confined space also leads to a lot of people disobeying orders and acting out.
Octavia creates the persona of Blodreina to enforce her demands on her people. One of those is that they eat the new source of protein she provides - human flesh from those who lose in her version of The Hunger Games - the fighting pits. It's horrific and traumatic for the people who live in the bunker. When people refuse to eat the protein supplied, Octavia takes action, shooting them because they are "an enemy of Wonkru."
8 Hero: She Uses The Fighting Pits To Feed Wonkru
Paradoxically, one of the most traumatic experiences of Octavia's time as the leader of the people is also the one thing that keeps them all alive. Yes, they lose a lot of their number in the fighting pits, but those losses are sacrifices that prevent more loss of life.
Octavia makes a difficult choice and willingly becomes the villain for her people to fear, making the decision so that her people can hate her instead of themselves. It definitely works as plenty of the people fear disappointing her and blame her for the "dark year" just as much as they praise her for keeping them going.
7 Villain: She Takes Wonkru Into The Desert
Octavia becomes so caught up in the power she holds over her people that she doesn't want to listen to the advice of anyone else. That's not just a flaw in leadership. That leads to a villainous act.
Octavia takes her people through a desert against Clarke's advice. It's an area with no access to food or water - and an area that has mutated worms that kill people from the inside out. Octavia willingly walks her people into a deathtrap because she doesn't want to listen to Clarke.
6 Hero: She Wins The Conclave For Everyone
Though traditionally, it's the Night Bloods who participate in a Conclave to become the new Heda, as the possible end of the world approaches, that's not an option. Instead, a representative from each Grounder clan is chosen to fight for their right to a bunker to ride out the radiation that could kill them all.
Octavia participates on behalf of Skaikru, though not everyone is thrilled with that decision. Octavia has to survive against friends and enemies, and she even mercy kills combatants who are suffering. When she wins, Octavia decides they will all share the bunker. She makes the fairest decision she can in the face of impossible odds, and it's one of her first steps in becoming one of the best leaders in the show.
5 Villain: She Banishes Echo
Octavia holds grudges. That's one of the ways her villainous tendencies can manifest. One of the people who have to face her wrath is Echo.
Echo, for most of her life, is raised to be a spy for Azgeda royalty. She doesn't have a choice in the matter, and she maintains her role even after Queen Niyah's death. Octavia doesn't take too kindly to Echo betraying her friends and banishes her from being anywhere near Wonkru, despite humanity needing to band together to survive. Echo is smart and resourceful, someone who would be an asset to Octavia, but Octavia would rather the other woman die (at the time), instead of giving her a chance like Bellamy and Raven do.
4 Hero: She Gives Up Her Place As Commander
When Madi is revealed as a Night Blood, it divides Wonkru. Five years underground with Octavia can't simply wipe out 100 years of traditions. There are plenty of members of the group who start to question Octavia's position as leader since they can have a "real" Heda.
In order to keep everyone together, Octavia makes the decision to step down from her leadership role. With no one to challenge her, Madi becomes the new Heda and the clans unite again - at least for a little while.
3 Villain: She's Willing To Kill Everyone She Once Trusted
Pretty much everyone Octavia cares the most about ends up either in the fighting pits or with an assassin after them in the fifth season. When Clarke shows up, Octavia sees her former friend as a threat to her power. She sends an assassin to take care of Clarke and Madi. If that's not bad enough, she's willing to watch a few more allies die as well.
Indra, the woman who trained Octavia, ends up in the fighting pits for a supposed betrayal. So does Kane, who acts as one of Octavia's advisers. Even Bellamy ends up there when he disagrees with her. Luckily, none of them end up dead as a result.
2 Hero: She Gets The Last Of Humanity To Stop Fighting
In the final season of the series, though Clarke and her friends have long tried to find a way for humanity to "do better," it seems like they're locked in a vicious and violent cycle. While Clarke takes humanity's final test and fails, Octavia decides to stop a massacre.
Cadogan's Disciples and what remains of Wonkru's soldiers and the Eligius prisoners are ready to battle to the death for perceived differences. Raven takes Clarke's place in the test, pleading for humanity to be seen as more than the violence of the past just as Octavia manages to make everyone realize that they are killing the literal last of the human race if they all keep fighting. It's Octavia who gets everyone to abandon their weapons and see a better side of humanity.
1 Villain: She Burns The Farm
Before everyone is forced to leave Earth (again), the fight is on for the seemingly last green place on the planet - Shallow Valley. Monty tries to prevent that fight by working on the hydro-farm in the bunker. He's sure he can get enough food growing to keep everyone alive without having to go to war with anyone.
Octavia, however, needs her people to unite around a common enemy in order to hold on to her power. She burns the farm to the ground to force everyone to march with her for that viable land. Octavia risks starvation for her people just to get her way.