User blog comment:TDIFan13/Dave and Sky vs. Mike and Zoey/@comment-24152851-20140711064804/@comment-1376932-20140711071602

I think you're misunderstanding what a protagonist is. It doesn't necessarily mean a hero; Heather was and will never be a "hero" (unless the producers decide to change her personality entirely) but she was the protagonist of Total Drama World Tour because she was pitted against the bad guy and ultimately, we as the audience were left rooting for her.

A protagonist doesn't necessarily have to have heroic attributes just like how Gwen was our protagonist in Island despite her veneer being grouchy and unwelcoming. Owen is a hero but he wasn't the main protagonist in Total Drama World Tour, you know what I mean? That job was left to Heather and, to a lesser extent, Cody. It's just like how an antagonist doesn't have to be a villain (Sugar is a good example of this).