Who was primarily responsible for the twentieth-century need to reject heroism?

The twentieth-century need to reject heroism can be primarily attributed to the disillusionment following the World Wars, which exposed the futility and devastation of traditional notions of heroism. Intellectuals, artists, and writers like T.S. Eliot and Erich Maria Remarque highlighted the absurdity of glorifying individuals in the face of collective suffering and chaos. This shift was further influenced by existentialist thought, which emphasized individual struggle and the complexities of human experience over simplistic heroic narratives. Consequently, a more nuanced understanding of human experience emerged, questioning the validity of conventional heroism.