Was Columbus a hero or a villain?

In search of India and its gold, Christopher Columbus, unintentionally came across the North American Continent, many today give him credit for the discovery of the Americas and consider him to be one of the greatest heroes in history. Others disagree and think that Columbus had ulterior motives and give him a villainous title. It is proven that Columbus was not first to find the "New World" actually Leif Erickson landed in Canada before Columbus ever became an adventurer. It is in my opinion that Christopher Columbus was a villain because first and for most he claimed land that was already inhabited by others. These "savages" that he forced of their own land to claim his as his own would later show more heroic qualities than Columbus ever did. Further more Columbus never actually set foot on the North American or South American continent, he actually ended up in the Caribbean Islands around the Bahamas. In the reading I have researched it is also very apparent that Columbus' only intentions were to obtain wealth from his voyages and he was very forceful with not only the inhabitants of the island but also his crew.