Having a god complex is one thing. A god complex is when you decide if someone is going to live or die, on the other hand, a hero complex is putting people in dangerous situations then saving them. As Richard Angelo grew up slowly becoming more and more obsessed with being praised, he did well in school and he did well as a kid. And as he grew older he realized that being a hero, being praised and looked up to felt nice. He wanted to be the hero all of the time, and easily decided his next step in life was to become a nurse, with a hero complex.