One of my favorite things about BG3 is how many of the core companions/playable characters have backgrounds as -- essentially -- one of the mook npcs you might have to kill in another story. Every one of them was made to have their tragic backstory revealed in a note you loot from their corpse after hitting them with a fireball.
Shadowheart is a servant of an evil goddess. Her cult spends its time spreading darkness and misery. The only thing that separates her from the Sharrans you can kill at their temple is that she's the one who was sent on the mission to get the Astral Prism.
Lae'zel is a Githyanki warrior, bred for battle. As with Shadowheart, the only reason she's your companion instead of an npc that you kill and loot at the Temple of Lathander is that she's the one who got tadpoled and survived.
Karlach is Zariel's champion with an engine for a heart. She even says she's the best at it. How many times has she been the mini-boss some adventurer failed to defeat, in their quest in the Hells?
Astarion is the spawn of a vampire lord. How many times, in all those years, have adventurers broken into Cazador's mansion, and his spawn have been compelled to fight them? In another universe, the Mindflayers grab Dalyria instead, and its Astarion you have to fight to defend her.
Wyll sees himself as a hero, but we find out that Mizora has been manipulating him into hunting targets who might have been innocent victims the whole time. He even starts as just another bounty hunter in Karlach's story. How many times has he been the monstrous stalker to someone who crossed the Hells?
Gale is a wizard who dabbled in forbidden power and became something dark and dangerous. In another game, there would be a mission where you'd have to raid his tower and stop him from potentially ending humanity by messing with the Karsite Weave.
I just kinda love this, and I love how the game brought all these characters together and basically said: look how in the right circumstances, anyone can be a hero.
"...perhaps it is not heroes we need. Only people who are willing to try."
