Bandits and Outlaws!!!

Can bandits and outlaws ever be considered 'heroes' or the 'good guys'?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary Online, the term 'bandit' is described as "One who is proscribed or outlawed; hence, a lawless desperate marauder, a brigand: usually applied to members of the organized gangs which infest the mountainous districts of Italy, Sicily, Spain, Greece, and Turkey." Considering this, one may come to the conclusion that a bandit cannot be a heroic figure of any kind. However, if we look back in history to figures such as Robin Hood, some evidence and opinions contrast this opinion. This character was famous for robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny...therefore this points to him being the poor peoples' hero!

Similarly Jessie James and "Pretty Boy" Floyd are figures revered by the poorer people in society, those who feel they had injustice done against them. Floyd has been referred to as 'a folk hero to the people of Oklahoma who perceived him as a "Sagebrush Robin Hood", stealing from the rich banks to help the poor eat by buying them groceries and tearing up their mortgages during the robberies.'

In modern use though, the term 'bandit' is associated with 'gangster', which has negative connotations in today's society, because it isn't focused upon the needs of the poor, but criminal activities that often have little justification.