In my opinion, Christopher Columbus is a villain. Christopher Columbus is a villain because he dismissed new world cultures and he exploited natural resources. He was a Hero. Unless you were a native of the new world whose family was wiped out by the diseases that the Spaniards brought to them.
And then, yes, he is a hero to Spain because he re-discovered America for the Spanish, which led to their conquests in the Americas. This was a mixed blessing for them because they eventually lost this far-flung empire. He is a hero to the US because his brave exploration of the perilous ocean led to the founding of the country, albeit by the English. He is a hero who became a villain because as the first European to discover America, he began the subjugation of the natives who lived there.There is no real answer. It's all just a matter of debate. You could call him a hero, a villain, or both. In any event, he became historically very famous. He's a Hero. I think you're all missing the point. If he did not discover America we would probably not be here for a very long