Yes, according to German philosopher Dieter Thomä in his new book.
Quote: "Heroes face danger. - Heroes dedicate themselves to something bigger than themselves. - We look up to heroes." -
In that case Osama bin Laden was also a hero, as long as the "we" consists of fundamentalist Muslims.

The core or DNA of a democracy are functioning democratic institutions: Parliaments, local councils, courts, police, free press... who do their work professionally and non-corruptly.

What is the difference between Switzerland and Afghanistan? Certainly not that there are more heroes in Switzerland (the only Swiss hero - William Tell - is a mythical figure from the Middle Ages!). In order for democratic institutions to thrive, there is no need for heroes, only committed citizens, people who identify with their community.

A democracy only needs heroes when it is (almost) too late, when these institutions no longer function because they have been hijacked by antidemocrats (the journalists in Turkey or Russia are such heroes).

To claim that democracy is so malfunctioning that we need heroes again is nothing but scaremongering. As long as there are enough committed citizens, heroes are rather counterproductive, since they often function only as figureheads for certain groups, milieus and so-called neo-communities within society, and thus rather promote the division of society.