Worth noting, and while not a complete answer it's an important distinction to make and relates to a point of contention of the OP in their original post and in later comments:

The word "hero", or "Helden" in German, has linguistic and social connotations that are not the same across languages and cultures. An interesting paper that only really touches on the cultural aspects can be read here. An interesting graphic noting the "hero/villain" scale for forty well-known persons as queried across 37 countries can be seen here (from the paper noted above). Of course Adolf Hitler being in position 40 isn't shocking to most. Albert Einstein being in position 1, even above Mother Theresa, Abraham Lincoln, and Jesus Christ may be a bit more surprising.

In English, "hero" is defined(1) as "a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities."

The German "Held" is defined(1a) as "durch große und kühne Taten besonders in Kampf und Krieg sich auszeichnender Mann edler Abkunft (um den Mythen und Sagen entstanden sind)." Translated: A man who distinguishes himself as of noble origin (around which myths and legends arise) most often in war or combat. Also worth noting that "of noble origin" does not have precisely the same implications in German as it does in English.

Linguistically, hero in contemporary English has connotation of virtue that is lacking in many other languages and lacking from it's own roots in Middle English, Old French, Latin, and Greek. In most languages, the meaning has more to do with physical courage and strength than virtue. The original Greek, ἥρως (hērōs), is often thought to mean protector or defender, though even that doesn't inherently infer virtue, and even still was used primarily to describe demi-gods and those of superhuman feat.

The importance of the linguistic and cultural point is that both the virtuous and the unrighteous can be "heroes" in most languages and cultures, including German.

Worth noting, and while not a complete answer it's an important distinction to make and relates to a point of contention of the OP in their original post and in later comments:

The word "hero", or "Helden" in German, has linguistic and social connotations that are not the same across languages and cultures. An interesting paper that only really touches on the cultural aspects can be read here. An interesting graphic noting the "hero/villain" scale for forty well-known persons as queried across 37 countries can be seen here (from the paper noted above). Of course Adolf Hitler being in position 40 isn't shocking to most. Albert Einstein being in position 1, even above Mother Theresa, Abraham Lincoln, and Jesus Christ may be a bit more surprising.

In English, "hero" is defined(1) as "a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities."

The German "Held" is defined(1a) as "durch große und kühne Taten besonders in Kampf und Krieg sich auszeichnender Mann edler Abkunft (um den Mythen und Sagen entstanden sind)." Translated: A man who distinguishes himself as of noble origin (around which myths and legends arise) most often in war or combat. Also worth noting that "of noble origin" does not have precisely the same implications in German as it does in English.

Linguistically, hero in contemporary English has a connotation of virtue that is lacking in many other languages and lacking from its own roots in Middle English, Old French, Latin, and Greek. In most languages, the meaning has more to do with physical courage and strength than virtue. The original Greek, ἥρως (hērōs), is often thought to mean protector or defender, though even that doesn't inherently infer virtue, and even still was used primarily to describe demi-gods and those of superhuman feat.

The importance of the linguistic and cultural point is that both the virtuous and the unrighteous can be "heroes" in most languages and cultures, including German.