What qualities does a hero possess? What makes a hero? The answer to these questions can vary from person and which hero someone is talking about, and comparing two thought of heroes can help someone find out what they think makes up a hero. Desmond Doss is a real life hero and Beowulf is a literary hero. Desmond Doss was a religious World War II veteran who refused to pick up a gun. Instead of killing people, he wanted to save as many lives as he could. Contrary to Doss, Beowulf was a literary hero who basked in the glory of fame given to him after his many victories of slaying evil pagan monsters. In many ways, these two heroes are very different but in some, they are similar. Someone’s reasoning and intentions for someone completing a heroic or good deed can be a factor in whether that person is a hero or not. Desmond Doss was a man of good intentions for selfless reasons while Beowulf had good intentions but for selfish reasons. Desmond Doss is a man who wanted to fight for his country. He felt it was his duty to serve in the military. In the 2016 movie Hacksaw Ridge, a movie based on Desmond Doss and his experience, the character Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield) says, “I can’t stay here while all the other people are fighting for me.” While in Beowulf the reason he does his heroic deed is to increase his strong and healthy reputation for defeating evil: he wanted more fame. These two acts were both seen as heroic but they contrast heavily in reasoning.