Garrosh Hellscream

"You will serve the Horde... or be crushed beneath it!"

- Garrosh Hellscream

Garrosh Hellscream is one of the most controversial "heroes" of the Horde in the MMORPG World Of Warcraft. Although he has yet to openly turn against his own people he has committed a number of acts in his lengthy career that have arguably pushed him very near the category of a tyrant.

Garrosh is now the acting Warchief of the entire Horde following the events of Cataclysm and his rule has already been tainted with great conflict and death. Garrosh is a very different ruler from Thrall - while Thrall has always been compassionate and well-liked by his allies Garrosh has always been a brutal orc who values the old orc value of "death before dishonor".

Garrosh is quick to assert his power in ways that have seen him accused of being a warmonger by many of the Horde, foremost amongst them the troll leader Vol'jin - who blasted Garrosh with a hateful speech on how Garrosh had only earned his place as new warchief due to his status as the son of the legendary Grom Hellscream and that Garrosh was a danger to the new Horde.

Garrosh responded by banishing Vol'jin and the trolls from Orgrimmar (although he did not go as far as removing them entirely from the Horde: Garrosh may be a harsh leader but he is not by any means a mindless brute).

Garrosh was also challenged by the Tauren chieftien Cairne Bloodhoof to a duel after the tauren chief began to believe Garrosh had deliberately prevented a peaceful means to obtain resources from Ashenvale - during this duel Garrosh had his axe "blessed" by Magatha Grimtotem, however she had poisoned the axe and thus Garrosh killed Cairne (this, arguably was not entirely Garrosh's fault however as he was not aware of this).

Garrosh's hatred of the Alliance however is extremely evident and he shows almost xenophobic hatred for the Alliance and their allies as well as those he judges as weak or disloyal: under Garrosh's new rule the Horde has become much more warlike and the motto of "death before dishonor" is now quickly becoming a way of life as Garrosh and his loyalists are prone to "dismissing" those that displease them via instant execution.

The only race Garrosh loves is his own race, the orcs. When he rose to power however he began limiting the rights of the other races, forcing them to live in segregated neighborhoods in Orgrimmar and stealing their valuables. Garroshes goals seems to point to eradicating the Alliance and all other enemies of the Horde, so that he can become the undisputed and unquestioned ruler of Azeroth.

Even though in his long career he has done many heroic deeds and Thrall at least seems to believe that there is still good left in Garrosh, in the novel Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War, his hatred for the Alliance leads him to completely destroy Theramore, killing almost everyone in the city. Jainna survives but is traumatised and mentally warped by the residual mana. Garrosh then announces a genocidal campaign against the Alliance and orders every man woman and child to help in the war against the Alliance, and those that shirked their duties would face the Kor'kron guards. By the end of Mists of Pandaria, Garrosh will go completely mad and be the last boss in the expansion, forcing both the Alliance and the Horde to attack Orgrimmar to remove him as Warchief and kill him.

Mists of Pandaria
Garrosh has also established himself as an antagonist at the end of Cataclysm but is noticably more monstrous in Mists of Pandaria, as is noted by his treatment of the Pandarens who ally with the Horde - ordering them to address him as "Warchief" and cruelly telling them any Pandaren who join with the Alliance are now enemies (regardless of if they were former friends or family) as well as reminding them of his power.

The Pandaren are disturbed by Garrosh's vicious nature and his segration of Ogrimarr, he then forces them to do battle in an Arena against powerful foes as a "gift" before allowing them to go free - this is amongst the most brutal of "welcomes" any Horde leader has given to a new ally and shows that Garrosh has begun to deeply stray from the path of heroism, even by orc standards.

It is also revealed forces loyal to Garrosh are invading Pandaria and go as far as kidnapping children as a way of forcing the neutral Pandaren to "ally" with his cause - keeping the cubs captive with the aid of evil warlocks.