Lucifer of the eponymous Netflix series is an exceptionally interesting character. He is conflicted to his core, traditionally leaning toward hedonistic practices and advocating an adherence to free will. He is the living embodiment of "Do As Thy Will."
Without much regard for the world as a whole, it seems surprising that he would even be capable of committing acts of heroism. After all, selfishness is an integral part of the worldview he purports. Throughout the series, however, and amid atrocities, one would expect from the literal devil, Lucifer demonstrates a willingness to protect and improve the lives of those he loves. These are five times he acted heroically and five times his actions were devil-caliber terrible.
10 Heroic: Saving Chloe
When the series begins, Lucifer's interest in Det. Chloe Decker stems from her status as an anomaly. She is unaffected by his powers, his looks, or his general prowess in most of his endeavors. The fallen angel eventually discovers that her mere presence renders him vulnerable to mortality.
By the fourth season, though, Lucifer has accepted and acknowledged that he is legitimately in love with Chloe. She is an anomaly because of his feelings for her instead of the reverse. When a rogue cameraman tosses an ax at Det. Decker to silence her, Lucifer gladly jumps in its path despite the risk to his own life. In one of the most poignant scenes of the season, Lucifer tells her that he would do so, again and again, to protect her from danger.
9 Terrible: Using His Face To Drive A Criminal Insane
The pilot episode of Lucifer showcases a version of the character bereft of any moral development. As such, it isn't necessarily reflective of who Lucifer becomes as the show progresses. Even still, his actions and opinions demonstrated within it fit his credo perfectly. He evens brandishes the consequences of this episode as a threat against future villains.
The horror in question is the state of Jimmy Barnes, the show's very first antagonist. After seeing Lucifer's devil face, Jimmy is rendered insane and placed in the care of a mental health facility. When Chloe visits him, the mere mention of Lucifer's name causes Barnes to become suicidal. Though the orderlies intervened, most would argue that losing one's mental faculties is a fate worse than death.
8 Heroic: Standing Up For Trixie
Lucifer appears to have complicated feelings about Chloe's daughter, Trixie, in the show's early seasons. He often appears disgusted by her genuine interest in him. Over time, it becomes apparent that interactions with children are simply foreign to the devil. Kids don't often end up in Hell.
Although, the most significant clue to him caring for her and her well-being came as early as the pilot. When Trixie winds up in trouble at school for attacking her bully, Lucifer reminds the "mean girl" that Hell has a reserved section for those who torment others. He then shows her the unnaturally monstrous true form of his eyes. Needless to say, that girl never picked on Trixie again.
7 Terrible: Irresponsible Deals
There's no question that at the start of Lucifer, our devilish protagonist is not necessarily concerned about the consequences of his actions. Accepting responsibility even becomes a prominent theme throughout the series. One of the best examples of his carelessness toward utilitarian outcomes is how he awards favors. The only condition is that one repays the favor when called upon.
This culminates in the death of an innocent girl and a gang war, with the promise of more casualties to come, when an innocent man serves time for a crime Lucifer helped the true perpetrator beat. Too bad Lucy never had an uncle to remind him that with great power comes great responsibility.
6 Heroic: Banning Demonic Possession
It seems like a small favor on the Devil's behalf to outlaw demonic possession, but it is important to note that Lucifer fervently believes in free will, which possession robs of the victim. What stands out, though, is that Lucifer becomes uncharacteristically angry when this rule is disobeyed.
As previously mentioned, Lucifer's ethos includes indulging in what feels right. Being powerful for the sake of itself would fit that ideology, however, when a pair of demons show up in season four having possessed two innocent bystanders, Lucifer is prepared to unleash his full fury for violating their victims' power of choice. To add even more heroism, he offers them mercy upon discovering that they were tricked by the villainous Eve into violating his law.
5 Terrible: Abandoning His Subjects
Even Lucifer Morningstar is subject to massive hypocrisy. He often finds himself blaming God for his misfortunes and believes that most of them are occurring as a direct result of his father's manipulations. Most importantly, he faults God for abandoning his children.
Interestingly, Lucifer does the same thing to his subjects in Hell when he leaves his post to explore his interests. This ends up catching up to him during the fourth season when he learns of the chaos that has spawned from his absence. Additionally, he is forced to acknowledge that he and his eternal enemy are not all that different in the end.
4 Heroic: Retaking Hell's Throne
In light of the turmoil that came from abandoning the Infernal Throne, Lucifer is faced with an ultimatum by the finale of season four: retake the throne and correct the damage done by pursuing his interests or stay and nurture his budding relationship with Chloe Decker.
He chooses to accept his responsibility and fate, not only to save Chloe and the others who have come to mean a great deal to him, but also to save Earth from an impending scourge of renegade demons. This is profound for Lucifer, primarily because he spends most of the show actively avoiding that duty as he considers it a curse placed on him by his father.
3 Terrible: Face Reveal Suicide
Knowing full well, even just throughout the series, that revealing his true face has lasting consequences for those who experience it, it should be something that Lucifer reserves only for the worst of the worst. However, the Devil sometimes allows himself petty and disproportionate revenge. The pinnacle of this occurs during the first season arc in which he investigates the theft of his wings.
During his search for the perpetrator, Lucy comes across a suspect with some amount of knowledge about their whereabouts. He once again shows his true face to the suspect, causing him to leap over a rooftop to his death rather than face the reality of slighting Satan. His fate is nowhere near appropriate to the crime committed.
2 Heroic: Overall Motivation
It becomes clear throughout the series that Lucifer's primary motivation concerns justice for victims, as he relates to them on a very visceral level. Feeling like he was robbed of his destiny for questioning God, he often experiences some amount of countertransference with those he believes also had their fates stolen from them.
What results is a version of the Devil that is focused on seeking out justice for innocents who have been wronged. Throughout the series, he is shown to provide villains with appropriate comeuppance and oftentimes allows the slighted to enact punishment for themselves, as long as the sentence fits the crime.
1 Terrible: Powers For Seduction
One of the most featured of Lucifer's abilities is his capacity to reveal innermost desires. This includes overcoming a person's natural hesitance to give in to their baser instincts. When combined with the common motif of Lucy's promiscuous proclivities, things become complicated.
This is a man who understands human nature on an intimate level. If he's using his powers to overcome the natural boundaries of shame and public scrutiny, there's an argument to be made that he's also breaching the concept of consent. That's horrible, even for the Devil.