ídolo

n. idol, God, image which is worshiped as a god

n. idol, image which is worshiped as a god; any deity other than God (Biblical); someone or something which is highly revered

n. ideal; image, idol; God

= idol, cult figure, cult hero.
Ex: The problem was that the stiff-necked men of science refused to bow down before the idols of political expediency.
Ex: In his early years he consciously emulated both the painterly style and persona of the much-admired artist Drouais, who became something of a cult figure in early 19th c. Paris.
Ex: His mistaken assumption that cult heroes are supermen, and his unswerving devotion to an empirical testing of the play impose significant limitations on his account.
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* ídolo de masas = crowd-pleaser.